# Twin Peaks - The Return Parts 1 and 2 (open spoilers after it airs) **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 20, 2017, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104 "2017-05-20T20:00:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/41 "2017-05-22T16:08:26Z")
I only had time to watch 1 & 2. Initial thoughts (random, and in no order). – It’s so David Lynch, but I’ve always felt Mark Frost is a huge part of the TP allure and he doesn’t get enough credit, so yay Mark Frost. – I was initially disappointed that it wasn’t so contained, geographically, to Twin Peaks … but it ended up working for me. – I did find it very creepy and suspenseful. Even in the very beginning, where the Giant tells Cooper to listen to the sounds, and then there’s the creepy record player … I was sitting at home, in the dark, alone, and I started to rethink my life choices. :eek: – The aesthetic styling is impressive in that it is exactly the same. So many of these characters, even while dressed in contemporary clothes, wouldn’t be at all out of place in the original series. – I was looking for the deer head in the conference room, and didn’t see it. – I did get a little thrill, however, from the flickering flashlight which was a nice callback to the autopsy scene from the original series opener. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/42 "2017-05-22T16:53:55Z")
> [@Suburban\_Plankton](#): > > I noticed this as well, but assumed it was an intentional stylistic choice. I have no problem with it at all; I think it lends an air of “other-worldliness” that’s entirely appropriate. I agree. It’s more “Eraser Head” than “Star Trek” and that’s as it should be. Anyone think that we should start a thread for 3 and 4 so that those who have been able to watch them can begin discussing them? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/43 "2017-05-22T17:21:51Z")
I went ahead and started a new thread for episodes 3 and 4. There will be open spoilers so enter at your own risk if you haven’t seen them yet. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=20224706](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=20224706) ---
**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, 2017, 6:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/44 "2017-05-22T18:46:55Z")
I watched last night and I’m watching episodes 1 & 2 again this morning. We didn’t seem to get episodes 3 & 4 here. So much great stuff. I’m really excited. It’s a lot to keep track of with everything going on in New York, South Dakota, Twin Peaks, etc. So many of the actors look great for 25 years having passed. Andy and Lucy look “padded” to me. Their faces don’t seem as chubby as their bodies. I didn’t realize Catherine Coulson had passed away, but when I saw her in the scene where she’s talking to Hawk, I could tell she was sick. I nearly cried. I’m glad she was able to be in it. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 22, 2017, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/45 "2017-05-22T22:58:50Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > – I did get a little thrill, however, from the flickering flashlight which was a nice callback to the autopsy scene from the original series opener. That scene mildly annoyed me in the new one. The flashlight was clearly on a timed strobe, rather than being flaky. They probably spent more time jiggering up the timer on the flashlight than it would have taken to simply open the thing up and bend a wire so that it would have a poor connection, and it would have looked better. ---
**Author:** ![SlackerInc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slackerinc/32/275_2.png) [@SlackerInc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlackerInc)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/46 "2017-05-23T07:23:48Z")
Michael Cera? Say what? If that’s in the third or fourth eps, I haven’t seen those yet. > [@Mahaloth](#): > > Apparently at the premiere last night, Showtime people were commenting that no one at Showtime has seen even a single frame from any of the episodes. They are airing it(aside from the premiere last night) totally blind. Lynch and Frost had total control and no one but those behind the scenes has seen anything. I had heard stuff like this, and it–and the absurdly long cast list–had me half-convinced it was going to all turn out to be some elaborate prank, on the level that would make Andy Kaufman proud. But I was wrong! > [@RivkahChaya](#): > > Well, it didn’t creep me out like the original did. The original had me checking my closets for Killer Bob, double-checking all my locks and windows, &c., and I lived on a third-floor walk-up, with a downstairs security door, and security fire escapes. > > I feel perfectly safe now (of course, I don’t live alone), but I didn’t get the heebie-jeebies from it, which I was kinda looking forward to. I haven’t had a good scare since the original Japanese _Ringu_. Really? I had the absolute opposite reaction: “Whoa, I did not remember _Twin Peaks_ being this much flat-out horror.” ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/47 "2017-05-23T09:52:54Z")
I loved the music playing when we first encounter evil-Cooper, as he’s driving down the road. It’s Muddy Magnolias’ “American Woman”, but greatly slowed down. Here it is: [Muddy Magnolias - American Woman (Slowed David Lynch Style) - With Twin Peaks Visuals - YouTube](https://youtu.be/XWkGGda7hX8) Here’s the actual song at its original speed: [Muddy Magnolias - American Woman (Audio) - YouTube](https://youtu.be/58ozSIN_3Xk) It’s amazing how creepy and bad ass it becomes when it’s slowed down so much. I have to wonder how they came upon the idea. Did they spend hours listening to songs slowed down.oe distorted in other ways before hitting on this? ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 11:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/48 "2017-05-23T11:13:01Z")
At the end of episode 2, in the Bang Bang Bar, I think Jacques Renault is tending bar. At least it looks like him, except with gray hair and beard. Maybe it’s just a meaningless cameo by the actor. ---
**Author:** ![AllShookDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d9b06d/32.png) [@AllShookDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AllShookDown)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/49 "2017-05-23T13:48:26Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > It’s amazing how creepy and bad ass it becomes when it’s slowed down so much. I have to wonder how they came upon the idea. Did they spend hours listening to songs slowed down.oe distorted in other ways before hitting on this? For the original TP, Angelo Badalamenti wrote a certain amount of music for the entire series and that was it. I remember reading that a sound editor (or somesuch) needed a piece of music for a scene and called him. He/she was told that they already had all the music they needed so they’d have to figure it out. I think that’s who came up with slowing down and speeding up the music to get the desired effect. I remember reading an article about it way back when but I can’t find it now. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_Draper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Don\_Draper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_Draper)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/50 "2017-05-23T14:08:24Z")
I’ve only watched the first episode so far, so perhaps this gets followed up, but: Did anybody else notice a very significant (IMO) callback to the original pilot? When the South Dakota Sheriff open the trunk of Bill Hastings’ car, his flashlight is flickering and he remarks it’s on the fritz, just before they discover the thumb. That struck me as a very deliberate callback to the original pilot, when Cooper and Sheriff Truman were in the morgue and the lights were flickering, Truman remarked they were on the fritz, and then Cooper finds a significant clue buried under one of Laura’s fingernails. I was actually surprised that what reviews I have read of the new series thus far didn’t remark on that. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/51 "2017-05-23T14:49:30Z")
When I saw that I immediately recognized it as a callback to that scene. Here’s an interesting bit of trivia if you weren’t already aware. The flickering light in the original was not planned. Something was wrong with the light and they decided to go with it to make the scene more disturbing. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/52 "2017-05-23T16:42:48Z")
ok - help me out. I’m halfway thru this 2 parter - and I just don’t quite ‘get it’. I (we) never watched Twin Peaks originally - so we don’t have the backstory - I do get that this is 25 years later and its ‘wierd’. WIll this starrt go gel into something comprehensible or is it just wierd to be wierd. Is this something you either love or hate right from the beginning? I was kinda hoping for another ‘Fargo’ type of show - but so far … really glad I don’t live in either North or South Dakota. (We did laugh at the apartment lady tho - ) ---
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/53 "2017-05-23T17:11:35Z")
> [@simster](#): > > ok - help me out. > > I’m halfway thru this 2 parter - and I just don’t quite ‘get it’. > > I (we) never watched Twin Peaks originally - so we don’t have the backstory - I do get that this is 25 years later and its ‘wierd’. > > WIll this starrt go gel into something comprehensible or is it just wierd to be wierd. > > Is this something you either love or hate right from the beginning? > > I was kinda hoping for another ‘Fargo’ type of show - but so far … really glad I don’t live in either North or South Dakota. > (We did laugh at the apartment lady tho - ) I think you need the original to “get” it. It’s On Demand. It’s also on Netflix. In fact, my cable station did something wrong, and for the last episode of season 1, posted an earlier episode again. So I watched the last episode on Netflix, then went back to On Demand for season 2. Watch the original, and a lot of stuff will make sense. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/54 "2017-05-23T17:16:59Z")
> [@simster](#): > > I (we) never watched Twin Peaks originally - so we don’t have the backstory - I do get that this is 25 years later and its ‘wierd’. > > WIll this starrt go gel into something comprehensible or is it just wierd to be wierd. > > Is this something you either love or hate right from the beginning? It’s not just weird to be weird (although I get what you’re asking, I’m just being pedantic now), but yes, you most likely find the style interesting, or right away know it’s not for you. It’s not going to change, this is pretty much what it is. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/55 "2017-05-23T17:31:49Z")
> [@simster](#): > > or is it just wierd to be wierd. Lynch’s major skills are in viscerally showing how thin a layer there is between normal life and evil actions, and in recreating the feelings of a dream. And, like a dream, the meanings of things can be open to interpretation, but do “feel” like meaningful and relevant symbols of real issues. In the original series, I wouldn’t say that everything weird ends up being explained, but it all does feel “right” by the end of the show. There are clear follow-throughs on earlier things and while it’s not clear that even Lynch knows what everything means, he does remember what all happened before and keeps it in his gut when wrestling with how to direct later sequences. It ends up being as consistent as a dream. A mix of obvious and vague, but clearly all connected by the same brain. But, no, I don’t think that he does it just for the sake of doing it. That’s how his brain works. I might suggest watching Mulholland Drive. It’s probably the best version of him putting a dream into film. On the “evil behind normalcy”, Blue Velvet condenses it down really well. Watching those two should give you a better sense of whether you’ll like his stuff, than having to go through the entirety of the original Twin Peaks (which has a lot of stupid stuff in it, thrown in by other writers). ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/56 "2017-05-23T18:32:16Z")
But to understand the new episodes you really do need to see the original. ---
**Author:** ![simster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/simster/32/1047_2.png) [@simster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/simster)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/57 "2017-05-23T18:36:25Z")
> [@davidm](#): > > But to understand the new episodes you really do need to see the original. This is what I think I needed to know - more than anything. Thanks **RivkahChaya** , **delphica** , **Sage Rat** and **davidm** - I’ll let you know if my log has any other questions. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 6:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/58 "2017-05-23T18:44:23Z")
And you need to see it through to the end, even when it gets bogged down with some bad episodes partway through the second season. If you stop after the killer is revealed and don’t watch the remaining episodes, you’ll be missing some pieces. And it gets better again at the end. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/59 "2017-05-23T19:11:33Z")
> [@simster](#): > > This is what I think I needed to know - more than anything. > > Thanks **RivkahChaya** , **delphica** , **Sage Rat** and **davidm** - I’ll let you know if my log has any other questions. See? If you already get the log, you are potentially a Twin Peaks fan! ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2017, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104/60 "2017-05-23T19:21:39Z")
> [@delphica](#): > > See? If you already get the log, you are potentially a Twin Peaks fan! Except the log has answers, not questions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/twin-peaks-the-return-parts-1-and-2-open-spoilers-after-it-airs/787104.md?page=4)