Twin Peaks: The Second Season

 

 

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"Twin Peaks" was the ultimate cult TV show -- suspenseful, complex, wittily written and with hidden layers that casual channel-flippers might not catch.

And while the long-awaited second season is not quite the brilliant experience that the first was, it's still an astoundingly good and convoluted piece of storytelling. With more episodes to fill out, David Lynch continued his exploration of small-town America -- too bad it didn't last more than this second season.

As the second season opens, there is major unrest for the inhabitants of Twin Peaks -- and a badly-injured Cooper (Kyle McLachlan) has a vision that may have something to do with Laura Palmer's death. But the murder investigation is only getting more bizarre, as Cooper learns of Laura's diary -- and discovers a bizarre twist in an already-bizarre murder investigation.

The mystery is solved mid-season, and the foreshadowing reveals who it is (or rather, who it SEEMS to be). But that's not the only plotline in the second season -- Lynch bestows a psychopathic ex-Fed, parasitic demons, a disastrous beauty pageant, strange caves, and a twin pair of "Lodges" that seem to exist outside space and time... which Cooper's murderous ex-partner is searching for.

The second season of "Twin Peaks" is, admittedly, not quite as good as the first season. The first season was tight as a drum, while the second has some storylines that run away from the writers. But even mediocre "Twin Peaks" is simply brilliant and bizarrely entertaining.

In fact, this season gets even weirder than the first. Lynch's quirkiness grows into total weirdness, full of symbolism, surreality and dirty little secrets right up the end. The series is sprinkled with what seems to be random weirdness, but as the complicated storylines wind on, the true meaning of them becomes clear. Now THAT is great writing.

And Lynch and Co. maintained the strangeness, and actually increased. The second season relies heavily on mysticism and the supernatural, like that whole Black-White Lodge clash, and all the storylines circling around it. Just look at that soul-in-the-wooden-knob story. And Lynch's warped sense of humor is still in place ("I haven't felt this excited since I punctured Caroline's aorta!").

Perhaps the biggest problem is the ending. ABC canned the series before Lynch could wrap up the various plotlines, so it ends with a lot of cliffhangers and no resolution. Be prepared to yell, "What next? What next?"

Coop grows even more likable in this season, as he comes face-to-face with some of the nastier aspects of Twin Peaks -- not to mention his own past. He even gets a motivating love interest. Other characters (such as the Log Lady) get more attention as well, but Coop's personal journey is perhaps the most intriguing.

A series like "Twin Peaks" only comes along once in.... well, decades. It's influenced other weird series ("Wonderfalls," "Lost," "The X-Files"), but the original is the best -- a stunning, creepy, bizarre headtrip. Must-have!

This season, and of course Season 1, when viewed in sequence, is an exceptional viewing experience. None of the episodes are viable stand alone viewing. A delightful experience.

I discovered Twin Peaks tv episodes late, probably in the mid to late nineties. I was familiar with some of David Lynch's films, but never got the chance to see TP. In fact, I saw the TP fire Walk with Me movie before the series and it made no sense to me. Fire Walk with Me is, of course, a prequel to the series that was made after. It needs to be seen AFTER the series too. I love it now.

When I first watched TP, I was delighted to see how much it had Lynch's touch and was more than an ordinary tv series. Contrarily to many tv shows, TP is not episodic, but has a plot like a full feature film. The first plot is finding Laura Palmer's murderer. After this is revealed, the subplots are a little less interesting than on Season 1, but there's continuity in the theme with the introduction of Cooper's demented ex-partner. The episodes directed by Lynch himself, notably the revelation of the killer and the final one in the "red room" stand up to his best work of style, emotion and horror as Lost Highway, TPFWWM or Mulholland Dr. I enjoyed Season 2 on 2nd viewing more.

This boxset is great for the price. All Season 2 episodes are there from 8 to 29. Discs are in three plastic cases inserted in the cardboard box. The image and sound of the episodes are excellent. The Log Lady introductions are however somewhat blurred (seem to come from a tape) and the sound is lower and more mutted. Other extras include 5 minutes interviews with some directors (not Lynch) and recollection interviews with the cast. The latest are rather anecdotic, but some directors' interviews are more insightful on the filming.

TP S2 features some great performances, especially Kyle MacLachlan. He is more worthy than the following roles he did (Showgirls, Flintstones) subsenquently. I'd love to see him again in a Lynch movie. A sequel to TP could be possible whether or not what happens to Coop is fate or not. Like "Laura Palmer" said: I'll see you again in 25 years agent Cooper!

It's already been 17.

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4.0 out of 5 stars 3 and a half stars really!
Doesn't come close to the standards set in the first series but worth watching nonetheless.

Published on May 5 2009 by tom

5.0 out of 5 stars DELICIOUSLY WEIRD!
Sure, everyone has his/hers favorite TV shows, and preferences shift with seasonal mood, age and experiences. However, THIS IS TELEVISION AT HER BEST! Read more

Published on Sep 6 2007 by NeuroSplicer

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