I'm a bit surprised by how the part is being received. Obviously it was one of the low point of the season... and yet I can't talk about it, like many of you here, like it was just "another part". It was baffling to me, and the first time this season I really didn't understand what Lynch was trying to accomplish. At the end of it, I was exhausted, laughing almost at dispair.
Obviously, a lot in this part was about "trolling". It's not just "shaddy-dog storytelling" like Mr. Reindeer said : it's clear here Lynch is making fun of the viewers. And I agree with Jerry Horne : it's not only the case in Audrey sequence, it's everywhere. The endless scene of Gordon with the french woman, the Jacoby/Nadine sequence (with, like cgs027 said, shots already used before), the fucking scene between Ben and Truman where they are on repeat about Harry being happy to have the key as a memento... It's unreal. But it's not because there's a meta aspect to it that's "comedy gold". To me, saying it's good just because Lynch is consciously messing with expectations are a bunch of excuses. It's a conceptual argument. The real question here is "what Lynch wants to say while doing that ? And why, especially, did he felt that he had to take this approch so fucking long ?". Personally, I just don't understand the intent, the poesy, the deepness of it. It just felt repetitive, boring, cruel and, honestly... quite stupid. But I'm really curious to read someone opinion about that... Just why ? And I don't mean an explanation about the viewers themselves (be patient, the journey is better than the destination, blablabla). Is there an allegory to all this cruelty ? I'm really wondering.
And when I'm saying cruelty, I really mean cruelty. The scene with Audrey is not only a joke on the viewer : it's a joke on Fenn herself. And to me it felt much more demeaning than all of the "violence against women scenes" of the previous parts. Again : why ? Same thing with the Dougie sequence, just here to show us that, after all the beauty and hope of Part 11's end, Cooper is in fact still unable to catch a ball and is like a 2 years old. Last week, someone said about the dinner sequence with the Mitchum brothers that it was a farewell to Dougie ("he's a special person, don't forget that", etc.). I loved this idea but now, in Part 12, it feels more like Lynch is saying to us "See, Dougie is a really special person, it's true ! And it's real shit when he's not here and when we are stuck with old characters like Audrey which I HATE". There was no love in this episode, whereas Part 11 was full of it. Just hate. Disdain and mockery. So again : Why ?
The strangest thing is that the ending at the Roadhouse stop being just a joke but remains with the same spirit. And the same way we, as a viewers, are stunned and exhausted, the Chromatics themselves can't even sing ! So I just don't like where this episode seems to be coming from... it's like it has been directed by Jacoby himself. Full of anger about his own inhability. But then again, I'd really like to read a deep analysis of Lynch intent here.
Anyway, beyond that, I don't agree with thoses who liked the more "serious" first half of the Part. The first sequence is pretty bad, because here Tammy is supposed to be a proxy for the viewers, or at least the new viewers (being accepted by the old ones), but Tammy is such a poor character that it's an inevitable failure. Her acting, her uncountable sighings are unbearable. It's like we have here almost the worst of Lynch and Frost at the same time : poor narrative, very expository, bad timing, a tiring obsession for Chrystal Bell...
The scene between Gordon, Albert and the french woman is very similar. It's not only ironic and "trolling" : it's also becoming narative with Albert arrival. But for what ? A boring repetition of Diane's messages we've already seen ! And what Gordon and Albert have to say about that ? Nothing. They don't know. "We'll figure it out".
But it's true the Sarah scenes are great. Love Grace Zabriskie anyway !
The good thing of all of it is that I'm more lost and confused this season than ever. Last week, I almost believed the one who were saying the show was going to go faster and faster from now on. Well well well !
Oh, and to Jonah :
Jonah wrote:When I first saw the vacuum cleaner, I thought we were in for another sweeping scene. Anyone else?
Me too!
I was like "another vacuum cleaner scene, that's just what we're missing right now !" while I was crying.