Twin Peaks Season 3 Quick Thoughts (First Four Episodes)

Had the chance to watch the first four episodes of the new, third season of Twin Peaks. Thought I'd give some thoughts on it, since it's sort of a big deal.

The first four episodes have created a ton of questions, but one question has been answered: Will the new Twin Peaks be like the old Twin Peaks?

The answer to that seems to be an emphatic "No".

The new series bares virtually no resemblance to the cozy - if weird - warm, charming and loving world of the original Twin Peaks, and instead is a gritty, dark, almost a horror story. The soap opera elements of the original show also seem absent. The orginal Twin Peaks was always full of optimism and cheer, even if the story was a murder mystery.

The new world of Twin Peaks is strange combination of horror and violence mixed in with an intense LSD trip you can't quite wake up from. I've had one those, I know what it's like.

But is this a bad thing?

No, not really.

Personally, I was expecting something new, since I didn't see David Lynch returning to make the show just to do the same old, same old again.

The fact that it's being done by Lynch also means that the show doesn't care about whether you like it or not. That's what makes it so interesting and, ironically, satisfying. The show takes no time trying to explain itself, you need to do the work yourself. The show is done by Lynch, for Lynch.

And for someone like me, who doesn't watch television at all basically, this is so unlike a lot of the predictable, easy to chew television shows that lead me to get rid of my TV nine years ago.

This new season of Twin Peaks has a slightly Tarantino-esque vibe to it, in the sense that what happens in the plot is not the main thing necessarily, it's the art that surrounds it. I've never really cared about the plot of Pulp Fiction, but it's the sum of its - sometimes even random - scenes that makes the movie great.

The plot takes place 25 years after the events of Season 2, which means that Dale Cooper's body is being possessed by BOB in the material world, while Dale's spirit is trapped in the Black Lodge. The actor who played BOB in the original Twin Peaks has sadly passed away, but they've done a cool job making Dale look and act like BOB; he has longer hair and a cold, violent attitude. An evil character is something I've never seen Kyle MacLachlan do, but I think he does a pretty good job and showing range with the different Dale Cooper incarnations throughout the episodes.

I was caught by surprise by the fact that the story doesn't take place entirely in Twin Peaks, but instead takes to South Dakota, and even New York. After the initial shock, I indeed realized that, like I said, this is not supposed to be a carbon copy of the original show, but a story that takes place in the same world and continuum as the original show. But there's no need to restrict the creative process with artificial limitations such as forcing the story to take place in Twin Peaks exclusively.

It also makes sense for BOBDale to split town after the events of Season 2.

These new locations, as well as new characters, start to enter the story in a somewhat random, scattershot way, but you can tell that there's a method to the madness. Everything seems unorganized, but still neat. It's weird, but so is the show. During the first few episodes, Lynch has provided us with a return to a familiar world, but it's not a welcome with open arms. Time has passed since Season 2, and Twin Peaks looks and feels different, and is a lot scarier, but I'm sure that's exactly what David Lynch wants you to feel.

With a lot of TV shows and movies, you kinda know what to expect, but I have absolutely no idea what to expect from the rest of the show. I'm not even sure I quite understand what's been going on in the first four episodes I just watched.

And that's going to keep me watching.

Anyone else had the chance to check out the new season?