# Twin Peaks -- 20 years later **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 22, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779 "2011-05-22T15:34:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/1 "2011-05-22T15:34:48Z")
I just went on a Netflix “Watch Instantly” binge to see the entire [Twin Peaks](http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Twin_Peaks/70153408?trkid=2361637#height1319) series (all 30 episodes) in just over a week! The ending sucks at least as bad as it did back in 1991. But the show makes much more sense than it did and the characters are just as weird. Anybody else done the Netflix thing yet? If not, I recommend it! In the extreme unlikelihood that somebody does want to watch it for the first time, and doesn’t want to know what happens, please spoiler anything specific you may want to discuss in this thread. Otherwise, generic reviews and commentary ought not need spoilers. I still think the main reason to watch the show is Sherilyn Fenn! ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/2 "2011-05-22T16:02:13Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > Anybody else done the Netflix thing yet? If not, I recommend it! I have it on DVD, and I keep wanting to watch it through. I never seem to find the time though, and I don’t know if the roomie would be interested. Sometime though, I’m going to sit down with some cherry pie and a damned fine cup of coffee and watch them again. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/3 "2011-05-22T16:15:10Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I have it on DVD, and I keep wanting to watch it through. I never seem to find the time though, and I don’t know if the roomie would be interested. Sometime though, I’m going to sit down with some cherry pie and a damned fine cup of coffee and watch them again. I think what lit the fire (walk with me) under me this time was the discussion of the AMC _The Killing_ series and how similar the mood and setting are to TP. It was so easy to watch on Netflix that I just got into it and couldn’t stop. I find that I have much more affinity for Lynch these days than I did back then. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/4 "2011-05-22T16:16:32Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I just went on a Netflix “Watch Instantly” binge to see the entire [Twin Peaks](http://movies.netflix.com/WiMovie/Twin_Peaks/70153408?trkid=2361637#height1319) series (all 30 episodes) in just over a week! > > The ending sucks at least as bad as it did back in 1991. Even David Lynch will tell you the show was over after the murderer was revealed, but the network pressured him to milk it a bit longer. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/5 "2011-05-22T16:19:50Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Even David Lynch will tell you the show was over after the murderer was revealed, but the network pressured him to milk it a bit longer. I remember hating that aspect of the show back then. The long delays between episodes were also downers to the enjoyment of what was left. To my way of thinking the silly running around in the drapes in the last episode sort of screamed out, “Fuck you, America, and especially you asshole network dweebs!” ---
**Author:** ![Anamorphic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/anamorphic/32/3057_2.png) [@Anamorphic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anamorphic)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/6 "2011-05-22T16:23:49Z")
I just watched the pilot on Netflix streaming as well, but haven’t had time to go past it. I am impressed with how well the pilot, at least, holds up. Really well done television. I remember being disappointed in the ending to the series, but honestly, it’s been so long since I’ve seen it, I forget the exact details. Hopefully I’ll be able to watch the rest of it over the coming weeks. But wow, that’s a great soundtrack. I need to pick that up again. My CD of it is long gone, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/7 "2011-05-22T16:35:18Z")
> [@Anamorphic](#): > > I just watched the pilot on Netflix streaming as well, but haven’t had time to go past it. I am impressed with how well the pilot, at least, holds up. Really well done television. I remember being disappointed in the ending to the series, but honestly, it’s been so long since I’ve seen it, I forget the exact details. Hopefully I’ll be able to watch the rest of it over the coming weeks. > > But wow, that’s a great soundtrack. I need to pick that up again. My CD of it is long gone, apparently. I enjoyed the skimming of Wikipedia pages on the show as I went along, mostly to keep the actors and characters straight in my mind. You’re right about Badalamenti. His sound is immediately recognizable in other works he’s done: [Angelo Badalamenti - IMDb](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000823/) YouTube has some good clips from the show like [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZxD3IZUJU0&feature=fvst](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZxD3IZUJU0&feature=fvst) ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/8 "2011-05-22T16:37:02Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > YouTube has some good clips from the show like [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZxD3IZUJU0&feature=fvst](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZxD3IZUJU0&feature=fvst) [Here’s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cw9RVLey_po) one of my favorite clips. I occasionally post this up on facebook just to confuse everyone that’s never seen the show. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/9 "2011-05-22T16:38:23Z")
> [@Joey\_P](#): > > Even David Lynch will tell you the show was over after the murderer was revealed, but the network pressured him to milk it a bit longer. Actually, what I recall is that the network forced the reveal, and Lynch wanted to milk it. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/10 "2011-05-22T16:40:21Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Actually, what I recall is that the network forced the reveal, and Lynch wanted to milk it. Is that what it was? I just remember him saying he really didn’t have much interest in the stuff that happened _after_ the reveal and that the show was all downhill from there. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/11 "2011-05-22T16:43:09Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > Actually, what I recall is that the network forced the reveal, and Lynch wanted to milk it. This is how I remember it, though ‘milk it’ isn’t what I think he had in mind. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/12 "2011-05-22T16:43:50Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > The ending sucks at least as bad as it did back in 1991. But the show makes much more sense than it did and the characters are just as weird. The series had no ending – it had a season-ending cliffhanger. The last episode broadcast was not intended to be a final episode, but was setting up the plot for the next season. An analogous case was the TV series **Galaxy Quest.** The show did stall after the first season, but picked up about halfway through. Diane Keaton directed a couple of excellent episodes. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 4:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/13 "2011-05-22T16:50:41Z")
One thought that occurred to me as I was racing through the episodes was how much fun it might be to make a list of all the plot threads that were just turned loose of. The idea that a third season may have been in somebody’s mind might help explain why so many things are just left in mid-thread. About all we know for sure is that Cooper probably would have a headache in the next episode. That damn nested Chinese box bothered me for a long time! Did anybody else have a real laugh over “the sycamores”? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/14 "2011-05-22T17:35:57Z")
This show was always about the journey, not the destination. Regardless of the overarching plot of the series, each individual episode had enough quirks to keep me watching. I really loved this show and have watched the series in its entirety twice. And I always enjoyed the bizarre sub-plots. Angelo Badalamenti is great. In addition to all of Lynch’s movies, he also did the music for the hilarious _Secretary_ with James Spader + Maggie Gyllenhall. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/15 "2011-05-22T18:01:22Z")
I just did the same thing a couple weeks ago, but I had never seen it before. I love it, but the ending was definitely a cliff hanger that was never resolved. I think that I read somewhere that David Lynch never wanted the murderer to be revealed, but was pressured into it by the network. I think he really stopped caring much about the show after that. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2011, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/16 "2011-05-22T19:34:56Z")
I just started watching all the episodes again. Bought the Gold Box. Still my favorite. “Nothing beats the taste sensation when maple syrup [claps his hands] collides with ham.” 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/17 "2011-05-23T07:06:35Z")
I thought the ending was perfect–you don’t need to know what happens next, the imagination is quite sufficient. Admitted, _getting_ there started to seem a little slow in spots… ---
**Author:** ![Princhester](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3e96dc/32.png) [@Princhester](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Princhester)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/18 "2011-05-23T08:26:54Z")
I didn’t watch the series when it first came out. I watched the whole lot right through recently when my wife bought me the full gold boxed set. I thought it sheer magic in parts particularly at the beginning but then patchy and then just awful. It was only dogged determination to see the series through that got me to the end. The first series is just brilliance but part of the brilliance IMHO is that it is intriguingly weird and mysterious, yet done in such a way that you feel that it is all going to have some interesting and satisfying resolution. [spoiler]Then you gradually realise that the writers are basically doing quirky with no frickin’ idea where they are going with it all and so the endings they then have to write are lame and unsatisfying. I agree with **AT** that the show was a journey not a destination, but it seems like a journey that is going to have a destination and it’s disappointing when you realise that it doesn’t. I’ve spoilered this whole bit because it’s a paradox: if you know that it is going to be a journey without a destination, you won’t be as frustrated when it turns out otherwise, but then I don’t think you will enjoy the journey as much while taking it. So I guess it’s probably more fun to just enjoy the dream while it lasts, even if it is frustrating when you wake up, than to know it is a dream all along and consequently never be able to enjoy it.[/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/a183cd/32.png) [@Barkis\_is\_Willin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Barkis_is_Willin)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/19 "2011-05-23T13:47:11Z")
I did not watch TP when it was on TV, but I own the Gold Box. I liked it all the way through, but yeah, a 3rd season would have been nice. It goes a bit downhill after the big revalation, but the final episode was pretty great. And Agent Cooper is one of my favorite TV characters ever. ---
**Author:** ![OpalCat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8edcca/32.png) [@OpalCat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OpalCat)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2011, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779/20 "2011-05-23T19:17:44Z")
I still like the whole thing. I haven’t watched the movie in quite a while, though… Maybe I should do that soon… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-20-years-later/582779.md?page=2)