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PaperclipPerfector  10mo ago (text post)   2736 thread views

Friday Fun Thread for June 16, 2023

Be advised: this thread is not for serious in-depth discussion of weighty topics (we have a link for that), this thread is not for anything Culture War related. This thread is for Fun. You got jokes? Share 'em. You got silly questions? Ask 'em.

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Favorite TV Series anyone?

Recently finished my nth rewatch of Twin Peaks as my girlfriend hadn't seen it. Granted I'm not a big TV person, but for all its flaws I've never seen anything else like it, and every rewatch feels like coming home. I watched The Return a few years ago but it didn't make as big an impression on me as the original series. My girlfriend is curious about The Return so we'll probably end up watching it too.

I had a difficult time the first time I watched The Return because I had such a strong desire to see the old characters I loved and have things resolved (silly summer child!). I watched it again a bit later and really enjoyed it as something different.

I understand Lynch and Frost's desire not to repeat themselves, not to indulge the desire for fan service, and to take the series in a radically different direction. With such a long interval between instalments, any attempt to slavishly emulate the vibe of the original series probably would have failed anyway. A creator who knows exactly what the audience wants and deliberately denies it to them can sometimes make for a very impactful artistic statement (e.g. Metal Gear Solid 2, one of the most powerful video games I've ever played - indeed, one of the most powerful works of fiction I've ever experienced in any medium).

For all that, The Return didn't quite click for me. I don't think it quite achieved the standard of "radically different from the original series, but still just as good in a very different way", and I say this as a huge fan of Lynch in general (Mulholland Drive is one of my favourite films ever, and The Return probably has more in common with that, stylistically and tonally, than the original series of Twin Peaks). A lot of it just seemed needlessly padded. But perhaps it'll grow on me after a second watch.

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