Twin Peaks: The Return of the Return

Twin Peaks title

via Wikimedia Commons

 “I’ll see you in twenty-five years.” These were the final words the spirit of Laura Palmer whispered to Agent Dale Cooper during the season two finale of Twin Peaks in 1991. In 2017, Laura’s farewell became the backdrop for Twin Peaks: The Return, the third and truly final season of David Lynch’s and Mark Frost’s beloved cult classic. And now, The Return returns. This time it’s being presented across Seattle by The Grand Illusion Cinema, The Beacon, Northwest Film Forum, and SIFF. 

The original two-season run of Twin Peaks is one part thriller, one part soap opera. It follows the denizens of the fictional town of Twin Peaks, Washington, in the wake of the murder of local teen Laura Palmer. Agent Dale Cooper of the FBI is brought in to work with the sheriff’s department, but Laura’s death begins an unraveling of threads both sinister and supernatural. It quickly becomes clear that their victim was more than the picturesque small-town prom queen. Laura had secrets. 

After creative differences between Frost, Lynch, and ABC concerning the focus of the show (executives pushing for an end to the search for Laura Palmer’s killer as opposed to the eternal red herring Frost and Lynch had originally envisioned), the near-immacculate popularity of Twin Peak’s first season quickly waned. This, coupled with an erratic airing schedule, resulted in lowered ratings and eventually the show’s cancellation. While there was enough demand for a film installment, Fire: Walk With Me answered few of the season finale’s questions. Despite its brief run, Twin Peaks had an enduring legacy. 

Twin Peaks soon became synonymous with the Pacific Northwest. While a fictional town, the show was largely shot in nearby Snoqualmie and North Bend. The Great Northern and The Double R Diner both have real-world equivalents: The Salish Lodge and Twede’s Cafe. These tender and beautiful depictions of rural PNW life coupled with the ominous rolling coniferous hills and Lynch’s penchant for terror create an unforgettable atmosphere. So unforgettable, in fact, that you see homages everywhere you look: from media staples like The Simpsons to more niche franchises like the Alan Wake game series. 

David Lynch speaking at Town Hall Seattle, 2007

via Wikimedia Commons

Perhaps this has contributed to Twin Peak’s popularity here in the Pacific Northwest, where Twin Peaks fervor is not only welcomed but encouraged. From the Black Lodge-themed backroom of Gainsbourg Lounge to the reverential display of the Log Lady’s iconic log in the World Forestry Center in Oregon, a show that was originally set to be shot in North Dakota became as Pacific Northwest as cleaning pink algae scum out of your bathtub. 

Most of the living actors returned for the third season, as well as co-creators Frost, Lynch, and Angelo Badalamenti, who scored the original show’s iconic score. It was still a Herculean task: how would they go about rebottling the magic of a show that briefly aired a quarter of a century ago? Good thing Frost and Lynch didn’t even attempt that. The Return does not in fact return to the Twin Peaks fans remembered—this Twin Peaks was no soap opera. Rather, it is an unflinching (and often uncomfortable) introspection on death, decay, and the pursuit of spiritual knowledge in the face of such obstacles. The fact that this would be David Lynch’s last longform project before his death makes these themes all the more poignant. 

So, what does The Return have to offer viewers eight years after its initial release other than nostalgic catharsis (although this in itself is a noble pursuit)? While originally made for and aired on Showtime, The Return has more of Lynch’s cinematic universe in its DNA than the original two seasons did. The difference between watching The Return on my little flatscreen versus the massive projectors at SIFF or Northwest Film Forum is a bit like the difference between watching Alien at the theater versus on a Trexonic portable DVD player; yes, you can watch the movie that way, but the experience has been defanged. 

I want a new Twin Peaks experience; I want to explore the unsearched cavities of a media experience I have treasured since my youth. I want to get lost in The Return the way I would get lost in a film. In the words of David Lynch himself: “[film] allows you to dream in the dark. It’s just a fantastic thing, to get lost inside the world of film.”