‘Twin Peaks 3×17 & 3×18’ Review
What do you expect from David Lynch? That is something that you should ask before you watch the end of Twin Peaks. Many wanted some form of closure, to understand what Twin Peaks was trying to tell us, and of course to witness something special. What we were given was a fitting end to the show, but one that was designed to annoy even the biggest fan.
With both Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and his doppelganger making their way to Twin Peaks, the scene is set for the big confrontation. With everything coming together at just the right time, will Freddie (Jake Wardle) finally find a use for his green hand? Will Audrey (Sherilyn Fenn) make an appearance? Will the Blue Rose case finally come to an end?
If episode 17 and 18 are the final two episodes of Twin Peaks ever, it is fair to say that episode 17 is the one that will leave fans feeling some forms of closure. To finally see the mysteries coming together and actually be answered is fulfilling to those who have hung on till the end. That is arguably where David Lynch and Mark Frost sucker the fans into feeling that we are going to have some definitive answers.
The problem is that episode 18 does feel like it pulls those answers apart and shows us that Twin Peaks is not a show that will allow you to leave feeling you fully understand what was going on, or that it has in fact ended. The fact is you’ll have “What year is this?” stuck in your head until the time we get another season, which knowing David Lynch, the answer may be never.
The simple fact is, Twin Peaks is very much a typical David Lynch experience, and all the better for it. Episode 17 moves at such a pace that it throws so much at you. We see what Freddie’s destiny was, and we even get some closure on Diane(Laura Dern), the problem for me was, where the hell was Audrey?
This is going to be one of the things that really bugs me if Twin Peaks ends here, because I had a theory about where Audrey was, and it was almost confirmed. My theory was that she was in a coma, and what we were seeing was her trying to “wake up” and return to the real world. What we saw in episode 16 was a tease that this may be the case, or that she may have been getting treatment in a psychiatric hospital, or even trapped in one of the lodges. Do we get some closure on that? No. So, my theory stays as just what it was, a theory.
So, what does the final episode actually mean? My theory is that the version of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) is Laura, hidden away to protect her from the evil that Bob was. The fact that she is living another life and has no memory of being Laura is just part of hiding what she represents away. The fact that she does have some reaction in Twin Peaks (whatever dimension of time it is in) shows that there is a connection there.
There are hints that things are not as they seem, and that the Cooper we see isn’t even the “good” one we expect. Just look at the motel scene with Cooper and Diane for that. Episode 18 is an episode that is open to interpretation, and I’m sure people will be re-watching it many times to try to decipher exactly what the answers to Twin Peaks are. That is the beauty of what Lynch and Frost have created. Oh and if you want to end Twin Peaks with a smile, remember that Dougie returned home. That was a fan service we all wanted to see.
In not giving fans closure with the last two episodes of Twin Peaks, we are left in the same place as we were when the show ended all those years ago. If there is suddenly an announcement that there will be a season 4, or even a movie, maybe we will get closure then. My feeling is that the show was ended that way so that fans will always question what they have seen, while still leaving it open for even more visits to Twin Peaks. This is what makes the show such a good experience, and a television experience that may never be beaten.
***** 5/5
