After the consummate perfection of the last couple of episodes, the final episode feels like a disturbingly unsatisfying swan song. This makes me hope for more Twin Peaks to come. The biggest problem with the episode is its tonal shift - everything is suddenly off-kilter and dark; even Dale Cooper is turned into an uncharismatic, fumbling, uncanny version of himself. (The fourth version of Coop in the show, Richard, who is possibly a mixture of the other three Coops.)
After episode 17, when the whole story comes to an end, fans would have wanted some more time in Twin Peaks with the Sheriff's department gang, to make us feel happy for the last hour. But instead Lynch jettisons almost the entire Twin Peaks cast, and the whole final episode revolves around a handful of core members of the original show. Well, kind of. In fact, we encounter a version of Diane who may or may not be the "real" Diane, a version of Coop who is definitely lost in some horrible limbo, and, last by not least, a version of Laura Palmer who has amnesia, is apparently involved with a murder, and may even be dreaming. The intimate Coop-Laura journey towards Twin Peaks is certainly an appropriate way to end the series (or season), but the unresolved story lines of the past 17 episodes, together with the disconcerting fact that Coop and Laura are now Richard and Carrie, make for a baffling and frustrating - and incredibly slow - finale.
But the episode deserves praise for its bold direction. There are some incredibly beautiful scenes, including: 1) The Dale & Diane (or Richard & Linda) love scene, which is drawn-out, disturbing, emotionally conflicted and altogether horrifying. I loved every minute of it. 2) The dark road trip, with Laura and Dale enveloped in darkness, and perhaps chased (or perhaps not) by malevolent vehicles. 3) And, of course, the very end, when Dale and Laura reach the Palmer residence. The last couple of minutes are beautifully shot, and the camera movement is menacing and ghostly, all the way to the shocking revelation. Sheryl and Kyle give excellent performances, and the audience is treated to an incredibly satisfying trifecta of story points (i.e. cliffhangers) regarding who owns the house, how Dale Cooper is completely lost, and how Laura actually remembers. This scene is one of the best in the entire Twin Peaks saga, even if it leaves the audience gasping for air.
There are more questions than answers after this episode. And this is both good and bad. Some people have argued that episode 17 is the Mark Frost ending, and episode 18 is the David Lynch ending. Or one could say that 17 is the "good" ending and 18 is the "bad" ending; or 17 is the "dream" ending and 18 the "awakened" ending (or perhaps the other way around?). Whatever the case, the numerous unanswered questions are likely to keep fans guessing for years to come.
My theory is that episode 18 is intended to be as ambiguous as possible, so that it can serve as a possible cliffhanger for Season 4, and I believe that the possibility of more Twin Peaks is high.
Since Judy is not conquered, and since obvious cliffhangers are obvious, I believe we shall see more of Dale and Laura. Soon.
After episode 17, when the whole story comes to an end, fans would have wanted some more time in Twin Peaks with the Sheriff's department gang, to make us feel happy for the last hour. But instead Lynch jettisons almost the entire Twin Peaks cast, and the whole final episode revolves around a handful of core members of the original show. Well, kind of. In fact, we encounter a version of Diane who may or may not be the "real" Diane, a version of Coop who is definitely lost in some horrible limbo, and, last by not least, a version of Laura Palmer who has amnesia, is apparently involved with a murder, and may even be dreaming. The intimate Coop-Laura journey towards Twin Peaks is certainly an appropriate way to end the series (or season), but the unresolved story lines of the past 17 episodes, together with the disconcerting fact that Coop and Laura are now Richard and Carrie, make for a baffling and frustrating - and incredibly slow - finale.
But the episode deserves praise for its bold direction. There are some incredibly beautiful scenes, including: 1) The Dale & Diane (or Richard & Linda) love scene, which is drawn-out, disturbing, emotionally conflicted and altogether horrifying. I loved every minute of it. 2) The dark road trip, with Laura and Dale enveloped in darkness, and perhaps chased (or perhaps not) by malevolent vehicles. 3) And, of course, the very end, when Dale and Laura reach the Palmer residence. The last couple of minutes are beautifully shot, and the camera movement is menacing and ghostly, all the way to the shocking revelation. Sheryl and Kyle give excellent performances, and the audience is treated to an incredibly satisfying trifecta of story points (i.e. cliffhangers) regarding who owns the house, how Dale Cooper is completely lost, and how Laura actually remembers. This scene is one of the best in the entire Twin Peaks saga, even if it leaves the audience gasping for air.
There are more questions than answers after this episode. And this is both good and bad. Some people have argued that episode 17 is the Mark Frost ending, and episode 18 is the David Lynch ending. Or one could say that 17 is the "good" ending and 18 is the "bad" ending; or 17 is the "dream" ending and 18 the "awakened" ending (or perhaps the other way around?). Whatever the case, the numerous unanswered questions are likely to keep fans guessing for years to come.
My theory is that episode 18 is intended to be as ambiguous as possible, so that it can serve as a possible cliffhanger for Season 4, and I believe that the possibility of more Twin Peaks is high.
Since Judy is not conquered, and since obvious cliffhangers are obvious, I believe we shall see more of Dale and Laura. Soon.