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[Kayhan]

All through episode 18 when Cooper and Laura were driving on the dark road I was anxious.

"Don't you fucking pull a jump scare on me, Lynch. Don't you fucking do it you cheap bastard"

I super jumped when Laura screamed in the woods at the end of Episode 17. Goddamn. She has the most haunting and terrifying scream ever.

 

[TuXx]

Episode 17 was a dream
Episode 18 was a nightmare

Good ending/Bad ending

Either way, both episodes connect.

In Part 17, Cooper specifically told Diane that he'll see her again after the curtain closes, which happens in Part 18.

 

[Dusk Golem]

One thing I am questioning is what the Fireman says, and what his goals are.

The Fireman right at the start says things that lead to the finale. The record scratch sound, two birds with one stone, 430, and Richard and Linda all come into play for the finale, and The Fireman tells him to remember. But that would imply The Fireman wants the Part 18 outcome to happen, to lead Cooper to it. It's also strange they keep The Fireman's identity a mystery until he meets Andy in the Lodge. Also he creates a beautiful orb of Laura, but as we now know it was definitely not created to defeat BOB or be pure good in the world or what, so I'm not quite sure what the orb was for either.

I somewhat feel like understanding The Fireman a bit better might at least clue into some things better.

 

[31GhostsIV]

I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep after that, and it was already 3 15am.

I'm still unsure about it. Are we doing the multiverse thing now? Is that how the odd editing and TSHOTP gets explained away?

Also, even frickin' Leo gets to cameo in flashback. Where is Harry??

I'm also not particularly happy that Bob was vanquished by a terrible brit stereotype with a rubber glove.

Loved the Tremond/Chalfont wink at the end though.

One thing I am questioning is what the Fireman says, and what his goals are.
.

Why did Andy need to learn about the Woodsmen and the electricity poles?

 

[Bebpo]

Why can't the ending just be that the time period Laura went into (and Cooper goes into to find her) in ep18 is even further in the past before Sara Palmer owned the house? Hence the What year is this? Is there any reason why that wouldn't work?

 

[Dash_]

There was an podcast with the head of Showtime where he said if Lynch was up for it, he was game.

He has said it a few times now. It's all up to Lynch if he wants to do more.

Good, good. Lynch has said he'd do more so maybe there is hope. Still reflecting on what I just watched. Loved 17 and some of 18. The parts on the motorway though pissed me off near the end. Last few moments were meloncholic as all hell.

 

[mjp2417]

From Variety's review of the finale:

But instead that final moment cuts through every quirky element of “Twin Peaks” to reveal a yawning pit of despair. The names have been changed; the circumstances have been altered; the people who call themselves Cooper and Laura Palmer don’t even exist anymore. And yet: Even in a world where every other marker of Cooper’s identity is gone, the only certain thing is the evil in that house, this foundational horror. In “Twin Peaks: The Return,” the boundaries of self cease to be relevant: Cooper multiplies into an increasing number of avatars, and people carry within them the memories of other identities. And yet no matter how universal the story becomes, the evil is immovable: Like it’s a simulation where every tweaked variable still produces the same result. (The Arm asked, “Is it the story of the little girl who lived down the lane? Is it?” And honestly, I thought it was, but I don’t know anymore.) Through the weight of 18 hours of storytelling — and technical mastery that makes nearly everything else on television look like mass-produced knockoffs — this show that rewards such close attention ultimately spits that attention back at the audience, with a brilliantly acidic death rattle. The closer you’re paying attention, the more you feel the rug has been pulled out from under you; because the final moment of “Twin Peaks: The Return” suggests with melodramatic hyperbole that all of Cooper’s work has been for nothing. There are great forces at work in the world — and the forces of evil are winning.

This feels intuitively right re: the overall feeling of the finale, even if some of the finer details (like the motel) remain murky.

 

[nachum00]

So I guess Shelly's gonna keep dating her drug dealing boyfriend.

 

[MetroidPrimeRib]

The more I think about it the more the final scene reminds me of the final scene of End of Evangelion where it ends like a knife to the gut, where resolution isnt as important as the impact that kinda just leaves you upset.

wait maybe its the screaming

laura palmer and shinji both have screams that make my spine shiver

 

[Dusk Golem]

Since the Showtime CEO and David Lynch/Mark Frost/Kyle MacLachlan have all basically said they'd like to do more if the other party wants to, I feel certain at least something may happen if they put their minds to it.

What I'm more worried about is life right now actually. I can't help but think Lynch is now in his 70s and may not be around for much longer, especially with so many other actors from the show passing away recently.

 

[Net_Wrecker]

Holy hell.

That was all insane..

Coop saved Laura and, in turn, broke everything. He and Mr. C are combined, Laura is a woman out of her own reality, both are lost and confused.

That was the good ending and the secret New Game+ dark ending combined. WTF my head.

 

[SCHUEY F1]

Really enjoyed it and it is going to take a while to process. Look forward to reading articles about it. Also cant wait to rewatch the series.

 

[TuXx]

I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep after that, and it was already 3 15am.

I'm still unsure about it. Are we doing the multiverse thing now? Is that how the odd editing and TSHOTP gets explained away?

Also, even frickin' Leo gets to cameo in flashback. Where is Harry??

I'm also not particularly happy that Bob was vanquished by a terrible brit stereotype with a rubber glove.

Loved the Tremond/Chalfont wink at the end though.



Why did Andy need to learn about the Woodsmen and the electricity poles?

He told Lucy to say it's very important to let Cooper talk to Sheriff Thruman, and he also brings everyone upstairs, so Hulk glove guy can takeout BoB.

 

[Dusk Golem]

I had a lot of trouble getting to sleep after that, and it was already 3 15am.

I'm still unsure about it. Are we doing the multiverse thing now? Is that how the odd editing and TSHOTP gets explained away?

Also, even frickin' Leo gets to cameo in flashback. Where is Harry??

I'm also not particularly happy that Bob was vanquished by a terrible brit stereotype with a rubber glove.

Loved the Tremond/Chalfont wink at the end though.



Why did Andy need to learn about the Woodsmen and the electricity poles?

I don't really understand The Fireman the more I think about it. I think it was easy to view him as a source of good based on factors, and he may be, but I'm not really sure what he was aiming for when I think on it or outside of a few things what he guided people towards did. Andy is a bit more clear since he aids in hiding Naido and letting the events of the finale transpire. But again, keeping Naido safe is what leads to the outcome in Part 18, so I'm curious why The Fireman wants the result of Part 18 so badly.

Why can't the ending just be that the time period Laura went into (and Cooper goes into to find her) in ep18 is even further in the past before Sara Palmer owned the house? Hence the What year is this? Is there any reason why that wouldn't work?

Well, one thing is the car Cooper is driving is to new, but there's a lot of questions about time with the last line being Cooper asking what year is it, so who knows?

So I guess Shelly's gonna keep dating her drug dealing boyfriend.

Red in general ended up being a literal red herring. To be honest, the Becky/Shelly/Red stuff felt very underhanded in the series. The boyfriend did kill himself, I guess.

 

[darkwing-buck]

Re-watching 17, the forest shots are amazing. Felt like Cooper was gonna stumble upon Spencer Mansion!

 

[hughesta]

Red barely exists in the show. He does weird drug dealer magic (that can be explained away by Richard being high af) in his first scene, a scene which also exists to build Richard's character, and then only shows up briefly to be Shelly's new guy, and show that she never really grew up the way Bobby did. I don't think any of his scenes were wasted, because two of them lasted for like five seconds and the other one gave us "have you ever seen The King and I?"

 

[Dynamite Shikoku]

Reds magic coin scene was my fav in the series

 

[nachum00]

Reds magic coin scene was my fav in the series

Straight out of Blue Velvet

 

[Dusk Golem]

Red barely exists in the show. He does weird drug dealer magic (that can be explained away by Richard being high af) in his first scene, a scene which also exists to build Richard's character, and then only shows up briefly to be Shelly's new guy, and show that she never really grew up the way Bobby did. I don't think any of his scenes were wasted, because two of them lasted for like five seconds and the other one gave us "have you ever seen The King and I?"

Chad got arrested and Richard is dead, but Red the head of the drug ring as it seems in Twin Peaks is still off scott free making out with Shelly.

I understand the drug ring was more of a subplot developed from the original series and to show how the town had gotten, to put it in Dr. Amp's colorful words, "POISONED!!" But there were certainly a few plot threads left rather open in the new season.

I don't mind so much, but I find myself pondering over some.

 

[darkwing-buck]

Out of curiosity, why do you guys think 17 was the good ending?

Laura still seemed to scream in horror. Was it cause it seemed like Dale was still ok?

 

[mjp2417]

I don't really understand The Fireman the more I think about it. I think it was easy to view him as a source of good based on factors, and he may be, but I'm not really sure what he was aiming for when I think on it or outside of a few things what he guided people towards did. Andy is a bit more clear since he aids in hiding Naido and letting the events of the finale transpire. But again, keeping Naido safe is what leads to the outcome in Part 18, so I'm curious why The Fireman wants the result of Part 18 so badly.

If this is actually the end of Twin Peaks then it is certainly the bleakest vision of the world Lynch has ever offered. Cooper has always seemed to enjoy the benefit of the gods even in his 25 year exile. He has now seemingly discovered that their purposes are supervenient to his own and that he is just a pawn for their own inscrutable intentions. Even Naomi Watts' fate in Mulholland Drive wasn't this brutal.

 

[hughesta]

Red getting off scot-free almost feels like a "devil you know" kinda deal. If the TP police (or Coop to begin with) focused more on fighting the drug trade and the actual solvable problems in the town, rather than spending all their time and energy focusing on battling strange inhuman beings they couldn't possibly hope to understand or combat, a lot of tragedy could have been avoided. Many lives could have been saved, but all Coop could focus on was saving Laura.

 

[darkwing-buck]

Red getting off scot-free almost feels like a "devil you know" kinda deal. If the TP police (or Coop to begin with) focused more on fighting the drug trade and the actual solvable problems in the town, rather than spending all their time and energy focusing on battling strange inhuman beings they couldn't possibly hope to understand or combat, a lot of tragedy could have been avoided. Many lives could have been saved, but all Coop could focus on was saving Laura.

It was a sub story waiting to happened but never did :/

Im sure it was just Lynch not giving a fuck and subverting our attention.

 

[hughesta]

It was a sub story waiting to happened but never did :/

Im sure it was just Lynch not giving a fuck and subverting our attention.

you could be cynical and assume the worst, or you could look at the material we got and draw conclusions from that. Nothing about Lynch's filmmaking suggests that he wouldn't care about the worlds he helps creates. I don't know why people would assume that he was just trolling or misleading people.

 

[31GhostsIV]

Oh, before I forget - the Laura double in 17 was terrible, completely unconvincing. There must have been a better way to deal with that.

 

[nachum00]

Honestly the biggest season 3 disappointment for me is that my two favorite Badalamenti tracks didn't make it in.
Theme From Fire Walk With Me
and
Sycamore Trees

 

[superfly]

Do we have any thoughts on the Audrey/Arm crossover?

 

[Master Of Illusion]

Just like in life, there is no happy ending; and just like in life, there is no closure.

This is one I will think about for a very long time.

 

[bounchfx]

have zero issue with the finale
i'm actually more surprised by the reactions here. it seemed like most people were on the same page with the show regarding its weirdness but then this ending is suddenly where the line gets drawn? I assume it was probably a lot of drive-bys that tuned in for the finale and wanted to check in with their thoughts/reactions, which is cool.

there's definitely more stuff I would have like to understood, like the audrey stuff in particular. but with a show like this there was bound to be a lot of unanswered shit

but overall, that episode was amazing. it filled me with so many feelings, most namely a sense of uneasyness and dread the entire time, especially the headlights behind them, and holy FUCK her dopple being there + her response. I was really hoping for something to 'click' for cooper, especially towards the end. but things kept being wrong. and you can see it on his face how unsettled he was. especially that last fucking line holy shit, his delivery is perfect, you really feel it.

damn. sad it's over but, wow what a ride.

 

[darkwing-buck]

That sex scene with Diane was pretty terrifying. Diane covering Coop's face with the ominous music playing in the background was creepy as shit.

 

[Slaythe]

Ok I caught up on the thread.

I actually had issues with episode 17. Mostly because of production values.

I really enjoyed the initial tension though.

I also would have HATED a time travel with no consequences.



With episode 18, I slowly came to the realization they wouldn't answer anything and I just decided to enjoy the ride. I feel like it was incredibly well realized. Very well shot, the performances were all unsettling, the sound design... It felt like like a movie of sorts.

And it felt like nothing else that came before, the strange changes of behaviors and scenery, the fact that new names were being dropped etc...

I had no idea where this was going, but when they started wasting the last 10 minutes on a car drive, I figured there was no way in hell we were gonna get an actual Sarah confrontation.

I was afraid it would cut to black as the door opened.

I enjoyed seeing Cooper's reaction to all his beliefs being wrong. But then the actual cliffhanger made it all even more compelling, with Leland screaming. Did Cooper travel "within" a dream ? Is this where Laura was sent from the Lodge ? Was she ever saved at all ? Are there multiple realities, all valid ?

It can go any way.

The problem being that half the cast is now dead or retired so it's not like we're going to get anything.


Two things I do not forgive, are the total lack of acknowledgement for Audrey and Annie. And I also expected SOMETHING for Richard (Audrey's son), like he's sent to the Lodge and has to confront his benevolent doppelganger, that may have gotten out, I guess he really just got electrocuted and died lmao.

Anyway, I think, since they weren't gonna answer anything specifically, they did a good job with 18.

Feels like the most solid in terms of quality, despite controversial writing. Rewatch of that episode will probably be fascinating.

That sex scene with Diane was pretty terrifying. Diane covering Coop's face with the ominous music playing in the background was creepy as shit.

The strike contrast with the Dougie sex scene made it work 100% IMO.

--

Also unrelated but I forgot to mention it, I don't know why people are acting like Steven's fate is a mystery ? He couldn't be left alone, he was left alone, he shot himself, period. That was pretty clear.

 

[sappyday]

I don't know how I feel yet but that is a finale that I'll never forget

 

[mjp2417]

That sex scene with Diane was pretty terrifying. Diane covering Coop's face with the ominous music playing in the background was creepy as shit.

It's the single creepiest consensual sex scene in the history of cinema. Only thing in the ballpark is the one from A History of Violence and that was just portentous. This was a full on nightmare.

 

[31GhostsIV]

Wow Julee, wow...

https://www.alternativenation.net/t...e-calls-finale-slap-face-emperor-david-lynch/

 

[sappyday]

Wow Julee, wow...

https://www.alternativenation.net/t...e-calls-finale-slap-face-emperor-david-lynch/

Damn. I wonder if this was all in the name of art or if Lynch really did have some personal grudge.

 

[superfly]

I had been anticipating the narrative to go the way of part 18 for sometime. Lynch has been doing this for a while since Lost Highway so I had a feeling that the narrative would flip at some point. However after part 16 I had given up on that idea and felt we were heading for a somewhat straightforward conclusion.

I guess my main frustration with the show concluding this way is it felt like it conformed to a lynchian device we have seen too often. It was a beautiful episode on its own but time will tell how it's going to affect the whole of the show after multiple rewatches.

 

[hughesta]

Wow Julee, wow...

https://www.alternativenation.net/t...e-calls-finale-slap-face-emperor-david-lynch/

is she just mad that she didn't get enough screentime

cos lol

 

[Steamlord]

Maybe the Fireman is a slave to predestination just like everyone else and he has no choice but to guide Cooper to what was always going to happen. Or maybe it was his goal all along to help Cooper "wake up" and he was never quite as benevolent as we thought he was.

 

[darkwing-buck]

I don't know how I feel yet but that is a finale that I'll never forget

As of right now, I have mixed emotions but at the end of the day that finale was something I will never forget as well. That was certainly something.

The return of Julee Cruise's, The World Spins was beautiful.

 

[31GhostsIV]

is she just mad that she didn't get enough screentime

cos lol

I'm wondering if we'll hear from Ontkean now it's all been shown. Not even a cameo in old footage? Even Joan Chen managed that ffs.

 

[Just_myles]

dude wtf..... gawd. ok Lynch, you got me.

 

[Sega Saturn]

I had been anticipating the narrative to go the way of part 18 for sometime. Lynch has been doing this for a while since Lost Highway so I had a feeling that the narrative would flip at some point. However after part 16 I had given up on that idea and felt we were heading for a somewhat straightforward conclusion.

I guess my main frustration with the show concluding this way is it felt like it conformed to a lynchian device we have seen too often. It was a beautiful episode on its own but time will tell how it's going to affect the whole of the show after multiple rewatches.

While Lunch's style is certainly...unique, I guess, sometimes I really wish he would go for a more conventional approach to his storytelling. Because I feel a lot of what he does with The Return fails to make it satisfying and coherent. Like, Audrey's plotline wasn't even wrapped up, for what purpose?

 

[sonto340]

While Lunch's style is certainly...unique, I guess, sometimes I really wish he would go for a more conventional approach to his storytelling. Because I feel a lot of what he does with The Return fails to make it satisfying and coherent. Like, Audrey's plotline wasn't even wrapped up, for what purpose?

Lynch doing a non Lynch ending would actually be the most Lynch thing he could do if you think about it enough.

 

[darkwing-buck]

Kojima gonna see the finale and lose his damn mind, thus making Death Stranding even more bonkers then he initially had planned.

 

[hughesta]

While Lunch's style is certainly...unique, I guess, sometimes I really wish he would go for a more conventional approach to his storytelling. Because I feel a lot of what he does with The Return fails to make it satisfying and coherent. Like, Audrey's plotline wasn't even wrapped up, for what purpose?

Audrey's plotline is a microcosm of Laura's. It's the key. Both Laura and Audrey were traumatized and escaped their trauma by dreaming up a world where they could live, even if their lives weren't ideal. It was better than being raped while in a coma by the man you had a crush on or murdered by your own father. At they end of their dreams, they snap out of their illusion and wake up. Audrey had something to wake up to, Laura had nothing. Audrey awakens in a pure white room, Laura awakens to the lights going dark and pure blackness.

"The little girl who lives down the lane" is Laura. When Audrey hears about this, she becomes immediately frightened, and then Charlie threatens to end her story. I think Charlie is a figment of Audrey that knows she's dreaming, and "ending her story" isn't a threat, but a promise to wake her up. Audrey isn't ready to wake up yet. Perhaps he interprets Audrey's plea to "get me out of here" as a readiness to awaken.

As for why Audrey would know about Laura being that "little girl," I don't know. Maybe it's a shared dream space. Maybe it's just a catch-all term for dreamers who dream and live inside their dreams.

 

[Slaythe]

While Lunch's style is certainly...unique, I guess, sometimes I really wish he would go for a more conventional approach to his storytelling. Because I feel a lot of what he does with The Return fails to make it satisfying and coherent. Like, Audrey's plotline wasn't even wrapped up, for what purpose?

I mean, it feels pretty wrapped up. She's either in a coma and permanently dreaming, or she lost her mind and it's drifting away after encountering "bob".

Cooper raped her, she gave birth while she was still out.

There was nothing else to get from that story. She is completely irrelevant to the "lodge" stories, she wasn't gonna get more.

Not saying this was done well or that it's good, but it's wrapped up. Certainly Sherilyn Fenn deserved better but it's not like it was vital in the grand scheme of things.

That peak of the real Audrey we got evoked a medical setting, either mental institute or hospital, that's about it. They left it open ended for you to go with what you prefer, but it would hardly affect the story, because she's out of commission either way.


Annie's lack of existence despite the mention in the dream is a bigger problem for me.

 

[Bebpo]

What was the point of all the Jerry being high scenes in the show?

 

[hughesta]

What was the point of all the Jerry being high scenes in the show?

he was funny he grabbed his foot and fell down lol

 

[Kanhir]

While Lunch's style is certainly...unique, I guess, sometimes I really wish he would go for a more conventional approach to his storytelling. Because I feel a lot of what he does with The Return fails to make it satisfying and coherent.

5 of his 10 feature films are not surreal and have perfectly conventional endings.

People just tend to forget this when they discuss his style, and insist that "you should have expected this from Lynch", when this is categorically not the case.

 

[31GhostsIV]

How's Annie?

Remember Log Lady telling Hawk to 'watch out for that one?" What was the point of that advice? He strolled in at the end and didn't do anything.