Twin Peaks Return: The Profoundly Disappointed Support Group

[LateReg]

I wouldn't say that a majority of supporters found themselves disappointed with Part 5. At first it seemed that way, but the tide definitely turned. If Needleman's and Metamorphia's opinions in this thread aren't enough, just check out the Part 5 thread for proof.

[Panapaok]

Honestly think E5 is my favourite episode of the bunch so far. Just seemed to me the moment where the show properly 'clicked', firing on all cylinders, interweaving new and old plots, ongoing mystery, laughs, scares, etc. Or at least where I can say I have total assured confidence in the series going forward. Lynch and Frost know what they're doing and they're both at the top of their game.

I love them all though.

100% agreed.

[IcedOver]

I'm glad that some people are willing to admit disappointment, as I was recently in another thread. So many superfans of anything are hesitant to say anything negative. I'm in the camp of those who were originally resistant but are now getting into the groove of what this new thing is. I think a lot of us just weren't prepared for how different this is than the original show. I'm more of a Lynch fan than "Peaks" even though "Peaks" is what got me into Lynch when I watched it in its original run at ages 13-15. I re-watched the show in its entirety on BD in the weeks before the show (delaying watching the first four parts until I had watched it). As a result, I went into this with the rhythms of the show still in me. The original "Peaks" is, more than anything, about its specific style rather than plot or even character. This show almost completely disregards that style in favor of something more akin to Lynch's post-"Peaks" output. However, if you think about it, Lynch did this same thing in the episodes of the original show he helmed. Look at episode 8 which totally changed the rhythms of the first season, or episode 29 which basically threw all the plots and characters in the trash (which turned out to be a bad idea, making it Lynch's worst episode of the original series). Even though Lynch quite often pulls from the same bag of tricks again and again, it's clear that with "Peaks" at least he has no interest in just repeating the past, whether it's continuing something that came an episode before or 26 years ago. I don't know if that's just an inner disrespect or lack of care he feels for the characters of a series that he sort of abandoned or what.

I was expecting this difference in the new series, but it still was very jarring. What's gotten me concerned over these five episodes is that, even though it's different, I've still felt that what this IS in and of itself, isn't the greatest, and certainly not the level of "GREAT" we all want. Even though my opinion has softened on this point after re-watching the first four parts, I still feel that it's not completely jelling yet. The unprecedented structure of the show means we can't fully know what it is yet, but at the moment it's still very problematic. It's good enough -- watchable, strange, zany, quotable, et cetera -- but it hasn't reached "that level" yet of introspection or coherence of theme or forcefulness of style that you expect from Lynch. The episodes have been uneven, and from episode to episode, things don't seem to have been that well planned (again I have to add the qualifier "yet"). What happened to the Hastings secretary thing, Hastings himself, or the time-sensitive arrangement evil Cooper had with Chantal? What about Duncan Todd?

What worries me the most from a plot perspective is the possibility that we've already been introduced to the absolute main plot threads and themes that the show will present -- the confrontation between good and evil Cooper, and the revelation of who- or whatever is behind this all. If this is the case, and we aren't getting anything else huge of import, it's a mistake. You might as well call the show "Cooper". When (if at all) are we going to get that beautiful and beautifully scored Lynch scene that pulls things together? At the moment things are just hovering. I think that even those who are 100% positive about this show will agree that in the next part we MUST have a resolution to the "blank Cooper"/Dougie situation. He cannot spend another hour just wandering around. The joke has worn thin. If the next part doesn't bring Cooper fully back and evil Cooper out of the jail, we're in trouble. Things have to get moving. Agreed?

[AnotherBlueRoseCase]

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[Agent Earle]

For what's worth (probably not much), I wish you wouldn't split, Blue Rose. I always appreciate a doubter who's good with putting his doubts into words and so far you have been one of the very best Your inputs are invaluable for this thread, so if there's any chance that you might change your mind, I hope you'll take it.

[N. Needleman]

I had no idea the episode discussion threads had so many comments questioning the quality of the show. Thought it was just us lot in here and those specific threads devoted to the lack of music, the poor acting, etc, and that the main episode threads were solely for who’d drunk the S03 Kool Aid.

LOL, a handful of people simply saying they didn't like this week's as much as the first four episodes is not what you are making it out to be. You are wildly misinterpreting both the episode threads and the people who enjoy the show ("Kool-Aid drinkers") to create some sort of vindicated crisis narrative. Best of luck.

If a site like dugpa is this divided then that speaks volumes. Goes without saying that the Chase Lounge or the AV Club for the Sopranos and Mad Men, actual TV masterpieces, were never remotely as split as this about whether the shows were good or not.

Fans have been split about Twin Peaks since 1990!

[mlsstwrt]

For what's worth (probably not much), I wish you wouldn't split, Blue Rose. I always appreciate a doubter who's good with putting his doubts into words and so far you have been one of the very best Your inputs are invaluable for this thread, so if there's any chance that you might change your mind, I hope you'll take it.

Seconded! Your contributions have been outstanding. If you leave, don't let it be because you might cause offence. Everyone is welcome here but honestly this thread was created primarily for those who aren't happy with Season 3, not for those who are going to be offended by criticism of it.

IcedOver - I totally agree with what you said. The problem is that if love for these 5 episodes is conditional on what comes after, 5 episodes is still a significant amount of viewing time. The original had me from the very first scene.

[mlsstwrt]

I had no idea the episode discussion threads had so many comments questioning the quality of the show. Thought it was just us lot in here and those specific threads devoted to the lack of music, the poor acting, etc, and that the main episode threads were solely for who’d drunk the S03 Kool Aid.

LOL, a handful of people simply saying they didn't like this week's as much as the first four episodes is not what you are making it out to be. You are wildly misinterpreting both the episode threads and the people who enjoy the show ("Kool-Aid drinkers") to create some sort of vindicated crisis narrative. Best of luck.

If a site like dugpa is this divided then that speaks volumes. Goes without saying that the Chase Lounge or the AV Club for the Sopranos and Mad Men, actual TV masterpieces, were never remotely as split as this about whether the shows were good or not.

Fans have been split about Twin Peaks since 1990!

Does every comment of yours have to be quite so acerbic? Why the hell would you come to a thread called 'The Profoundly Disappointed Support Group'? To tell us we're all wrong?

[N. Needleman]

I think my comments are remarkably bland compared to the posts I tend to be responding to. Such as the ones suggesting there is widespread discontent throughout the board even among the "Kool-Aid drinkers" (people who like the show) at this 'disaster' perpetrated upon us by a hateful, senile old huckster who despises Twin Peaks and all it stands for.

But no - I'm simply trying to make it clear that the board situation is not as dire as BlueRose clearly is taking pains to attempt to portray in order to vindicate his point of view.

[Agent Earle]

Come on, Needleman, this !!!you-called-Lynch-a-senile-huckster!!! is getting old. Leave the guy be already.

[Gabriel]

Come on, Needleman, this !!!you-called-Lynch-a-senile-huckster!!! is getting old. Leave the guy be already.

Well, it is all a bit OTT doing a walk after 20-ish posts. I have big issues with the new show and there's a bit of rudeness on both sides, but most discourse has been fairly civil. In fact, this is the most civil forum I've ever been on. I've experienced a bit of condescension here and there, but I can laugh knowing those types of people like to waste money on 'art' by Damien Hirst and Tracy Emin (no idea whether those are even the correct spellings of their names, but they're not worth googling! )

[Venus]

Am still one of the disappointed in the Profoundly Disappointed Support Group. When's the membership fee due? I'd better start saving.

[sugarhigh]

I'm far from being profoundly disappointed, but I am annoyed with some things and figure this is the place for venting.

Conceived as one long movie, but doesn't look or feel like a film at all. Seems a little rushed/ unfinished in parts.

Dougie. Enough already. Stop, stop, stop.

Naomi Watts, only seen her in 2 films (MD & We Don't Live Here Anymore, loved her in both) but her performance in S3 is just grating. Again, could be intentional.

Lack of music. Feels like we're getting a little more each episode but the first two pieces in part 5 were just so goddamn generic....maybe intentional, we'll see. Thinking Lynch tried to source tracks that may have been cheaper to license rather that pay Angelo for all new compositions...but we are getting a double disc soundtrack so there's still hope.

Richard Horne, just a bad scene. Acting/ dialog/rapey behavior that everyone allows to happen....Just, ugh.

Truman's wife, Candy Clark. I had to walk out of the room, just bad acting.

Remove the TP characters and I'd never know Lynch had anything to do with this.

Almost feels like S2 level of goofiness, except this time it's not because of guest writers/ directors.

I don't know....I mostly like it......were still a little less than a third of the way through so there's still a chance it ends up being really good.

[Putontheglasses]

Hi all - I'm one of you (as is my wife of 24 years). We actually discussed Twin Peaks for two hours on our first date.

We're huge fans of the original, read all of the books, and enjoy a lot of Lynch's weirder stuff like Mulholland, Eraserhead, etc. We really enjoyed a lot of the more esoteric elements that came to the focus in season 2, so it's not that the X-files direction of season 3 is a problem for us at all. It's all about the poor execution and the complete lack of magic in season 3, which has already been summed up well here by others (bad acting, pacing, timing, framing, lack of music and witty dialogue, bad writing, little character development, mocking seasons 1-2, etc).

I'm glad to have found this group, because so far the acclaim for S3 by many fans and critics has seemed to us like some disturbing Twilight Zone episode, or Invasion of the Body Snatchers. As in, how can we possibly be watching the same thing?

We have come up with a theory that David Lynch is actually doing this on purpose in an epic, meta act of subversion and dissonance, where the audience effectively becomes part of the art. I'm planning on writing it out in more detail as I get time and the episodes keeping coming. After episode 5, we've stopped expecting things to improve.

One thing we discussed just today that I will mention... what if Lynch never has Coop recover? What if he remains in this same doddering state the entire 18 episodes? How long would it take before even the most die hard Lynch fans give in and admit that something is terribly wrong? Also, if Lynch wasn't involved at all in the project, and it was in this state, would the Lynch fans still be so in love with it?

So far we've been more fascinated by the fan adulation and defensive hostility to anyone who doesn't like S3, way more than the show itself. We were really looking forward to the new season, so this was a big let down. My wife had the premiere on her calendar like it was a holiday (Twin Peaks Day!). She made home made cherry pie, and it was a lovely night before we finished episode two and looked at each other "wearing a sour face". Unlike many uber fans though, our identity isn't tied to our fandom like those who obviously feel personally threatened by anyone dissing the new season. It's a spectacle.

I've attached a meme that I made that I thought you all might enjoy.

[Agent Earle]

To be fair, Lynch did recently say that "season two sucked". As we all know, S 2 is two thirds of the original show. That's pretty close to despising it in my book...