Considering the time when Twin Peaks was first broadcast, there was no means for me to have even been aware of its existence. However, when I did catch it a few years ago, it was every bit as unconventional and weird as I presume it was when first broadcast. So, why should weirdness matter in itself? For one, its abstraction is both, decipherable and indecipherable in equal parts. At one end, it is grounded to the world we live in and yet there is seemingly something mystic about it, beyond the comprehension of ordinary humans who go about their daily lives. Others would need nothing more than the words – David Lynch.
The major pitfall of the series was the fact that it totally ran off rails in the second season. The first season ended with a cliffhanger that was tied up neatly halfway through the second season and thereafter it was simply an exercise in pain, right up till the final episode of the second season. Fire Walk with Me was unadulterated David Lynch but it was a painful watch for the most part. This put the emphasis on how much the series was dependent on its characters, none more so than Coop and their interactions, rather than the weird world they lived in.
The Return was an unexpected bonanza for the fans and it was more of an emotional rollercoaster than anything else, especially when you watch the enigmatic characters having to accept the realities of the world they live, rather than act in. At the same time, we couldn’t have expected David Lynch to dial down the nob on weirdness or to offer a straightforward resolution. Well, he almost did until the final episode of the season. But evil couldn’t end with BOB with Judy around and Coop couldn’t help believing that he could change the future with the past.
Does the finale leave a lot of loose ends? Yes, it does and thankfully so. In the cinematic world of happy endings, why should we expect everything to be gift wrapped and delivered to the door? There is a kind of finality in knowing that all characters, new and old, are going to go about their lives in Twin Peaks the way they had for the 25 years between seasons 2 and 3, with all their quirks intact, at least in the dimension or timeline we can relate to. Similarly, the fight between good and evil shall continue, irrespective of the past and the dimension or timeline. Will Coop fight it out? Sure, he would. Do we need to see this happen? I think not. After all, the cat and mouse game has always been an ongoing one.
