‘Twin Peaks’ Review: Was ‘The Return’ Worth the Wait?

Chris Tilly
TV
TV
4.0
of 5
Review Essentials
  • Brave, bold storytelling
  • Marvelously idiosyncratic performances
  • Old questions answered
  • New questions asked
  • Too much Dougie
  • Not enough Dale

Be Warned – there are Twin Peaks SPOILERS AHEAD.

What is Twin Peaks: The Return?

That’s a tricky thing to sum up in a couple of sentences. But 25 years after the investigation into the death of Laura Palmer changed TV forever, David Lynch and Mark Frost are at it again, crafting an 18-part mini-series that answers some of the questions posed by the original show. And asks a whole lot more.

“It’s Difficult to Explain”

Twin Peaks-Shelly-Norma
Shelly and Norma are among the returning characters.

Twin Peaks last aired in 1991, while follow-up film Fire Walk With Me hit screens in 1992. Such was the surreal and obtuse nature of their storylines that audiences are still trying to figure out what happened over the course of 30 episodes and that two-hour feature. And what it all meant.

Trying to review The Return so soon after the finale has aired therefore seems like an impossible and foolhardy task. It’s a show that defies logic, explanation and expectation at every turn, making it tough to offer an overview in 1,000 words. And even tougher to come up with a score out of 10. But that’s the job, so here goes…

“I Don’t Know That This Plan is Unfolding Properly”

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Dale Cooper returns – eventually.

David Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost (the latter too often ignored when Twin Peaks is being discussed) tore up the rulebook when they made the original series. And the pair are at it again with The Return, crafting a show that’s not only unlike anything currently on TV, but also something that frequently – on the surface at least – bears little resemblance to its predecessor.

For starters, very little of the action actually takes place in the fictional Washington town of Twin Peaks, with the bulk of the show happening in and around Nevada and South Dakota.

Which opens proceeding up, and allows director Lynch to explore office blocks, casino floors and desert vistas. But in doing so something has been lost. Where the original was a self-contained exploration of small-town America’s dark underbelly, this sequel feels less focused, and in turn less satisfying, too often meandering down blind paths towards dead ends.

That’s the case with many of the characters too. The Return introduces a huge roster of new faces, many played by the recognisable likes of Ashley Judd, Matthew Lillard, Amanda Seyfried, Tim Roth, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michael Cera and Monica Bellucci.

But the sub-plots they feature in rarely lead anywhere, and their characters frequently receive so little screen time that we barely get a sense of who they are and what makes them tick.

Some of the newcomers are terrific, with Naomi Watt’s Janey-E and Eamon Farren’s Richard Horne particular standouts, and Ike the Spike once seen, never forgotten.

But too often it feels like many of the new characters are being introduced in service of a cheap gag or irrelevant plot point, which makes for a frustrating viewing experience.

“The Past Dictates the Future”

Twin Peaks-Bobby Briggs
Bobby Briggs speaks to Sheriff Truman.

It might be that I’m a sucker for the familiar, but for me, new Twin Peaks is much better when harking back to what’s gone before, and offering a glimpse at how the lives of the people of the titular town have unfolded in the intervening 25 years.

Revisiting Bobby and Shelly, Andy and Lucy, and Norma and Big Ed made for genuinely emotional television, with broken promises, unrequited love, and unfulfilled dreams filling the frame.

Some characters are given short shrift – most notably Sherilyn Fenn’s Audrey Horne, who appears in several of the show’s worst scenes before being dispatched in wholly unsatisfying fashion.

But it’s Kyle MacLachlan’s Dale Cooper – or the lack of him – that makes for The Return’s most divisive, and at times most baffling narrative decision.

There’s no lack of MacLachlan in the show, however. With slicked-back hair and a fake tan, he plays an evil version of Dale, possessed by the spirit of Bob and killing everyone in his path. And in an oversized green suit, he gets way too much screen-time as Dougie, a childlike Cooper doppelganger who is funny at first, but quickly outstays his welcome.

The real Dale Cooper doesn’t appear until the end of Episode 16, with Lynch and Frost choosing to tell other stories before then. And by playing that long game, his triumphant arrival is made all the more satisfying.

But Cooper was the heart and soul of the original show, so spending just over two episodes with him in the sequel feels like being short-changed.

“We Live Inside a Dream”

Twin Peaks Part 18
Dale Cooper with Laura Palmer | Photo: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

So what of the plot? The story that we all spent 18 episodes trying to follow? Well, it’s a grand folly to try and explain the oftentimes impenetrable work of David Lynch. And with Twin Peaks feeling like it takes place inside a fever dream – and The Return very possibly being a dream for large portions – we’re not about to start decoding or theorising here.

But a surprising amount got resolved. We witnessed the birth of Bob, and we might well have seen his death. Freddie with the Hulk hand fulfilled his destiny. Janey got her Dougie back. Dale and Diane got together (or did they?). Even songstress Julee Cruise got to make a triumphant return, singing ‘The World Spins’ at the end of the penultimate episode.

But what of the mystery at the rotting centre of Twin Peaks – the death of Laura Palmer? At times it felt like The Return would steer well clear of such territory, the case having been solved in the distant past.

But as the finale approached, so all roads led to the fateful night of her murder. And in Episode 17, having tested us, and toyed with us, Twin Peaks offered up the happy ending no one was expecting. With Dale Cooper saving Laura’s life.

A glorious, deeply satisfying moment, it felt like it was too good to be true. And Episode 18 proved that it was, robbing the audience of hope, and with Laura’s final scream, plunging us into despair.

It was an ending as horrific as it was heartbreaking, and should this be the last we see of Twin Peaks, it was the perfect note on which to sign off.

Is ‘Twin Peaks: The Return’ Good?

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Twin Peaks: The Return has its faults.

Again, that’s a question that is almost impossible to answer so soon after the finale has aired. We’ll all spend months, maybe years, letting the narrative wash over us, considering what we’ve seen, and endeavoring to make sense of it.

There were moments of brilliance, alongside scenes that bored. There were episodes that were equal parts terrifying and annoying. For every joke that landed, another missed the mark.

But it was brave, bold, original storytelling; 18 hours of uncompromising television filled with scenes that will live long in the memory. And a worthy sequel which proves that David Lynch is still one of the most vital and important directors working today.

Chris Tilly
Freelance writer. At this point my life is a combination of 1980s horror movies, Crystal Palace football matches, and episodes of I'm Alan Partridge. The first series. When he was in the travel tavern. Not the one after.