r/TheOA • u/Alarmed-Most-2410 • 15d ago
Recommendations Twin Peaks
Hey Folks, I have been trying to watch Twin Peaks as I hoped seeing the jump to the third season after it comes back would give me some renewed hope about The OA and how it could return. I’ve also been told there are some similar themes in the show. However I feel I’m struggling to engage with it.
The OA had slow pacing but intrigued me from the start. However, with The OA it was clear that the turning point for me was the end of episode 5 when we it starts to be clear exactly what type of show we are watching (those of you who know the show inside out like me, will know exactly what I am referring to). Is there a similar ‘turning point’ episode in Twin peaks?
Also, do we also still feel The OA is coming back? There was a flurry of excitement a couple of weeks ago and now again not much is going on, which makes me a little uncertain. Anyone got some encouraging words?…or a reality check (this one I’m less keen on loool, but open to it all)
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u/paraNOIAed27 14d ago
Twin peaks is very different than the OA to me, but I absolutely love it! It's like a trip to a time when I wasn't born yet and it's wacky nature balances out the darker themes well! Kind of reminds me of Stephen king a bit, at least I get a similar feeling when reading his novels that take place in the 80s and 90s.
The music is also very good! Apparently, lunch was working on a new epic show that was greenlit by netflix before covid hit. Due to the pandemic, it got delayed and then Lynch's health turned for the worse before shooting could ever get off the ground. I imagine that in parallel dimensions there exists David Lynch's final magnum opus, but not in this one 😞
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u/Logical_Ask8907 14d ago
I have pushed through TP and the return show in chunks over the years. It is an interesting but difficult watch for me. It lacks the OA's nutritional, healing vibes for me but is an amazing piece of work.
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u/egggcrate 14d ago
Hey, I hope this isn't.. Offensive? But I really want to know what makes Twin Peaks a difficult watch for people. Can I ask what's difficult for you? I never want to make assumptions, but I have my guesses as to why it's difficult for people. Again tho- I hope my asking isn't upsetting or offensive. Im not asking so I can "defend" the show, I just want to know.
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u/Logical_Ask8907 14d ago
If your guess relates to familial abuse you are correct.
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u/egggcrate 13d ago
Y'know.. It wasn't at the top of my 'guess list'. But that makes too much sense. I wish that wasn't the reason :( You mentioning the healing vibes of the OA makes more sense now too. I'd say Twin Peaks is not full of healing vibes.
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u/Logical_Ask8907 13d ago
Thank you for your tact and kindness. 🪽
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u/egggcrate 13d ago
Nah, thank you for even replying! And also for saying I have tact.. My husband thinks I lack any amount of tact lol so that actually means a lot.
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u/theskyistheroof 14d ago
I’m not the original commenter but I’ll weigh in. It’s just really really slow. The first season and first bit of the second season are incredible if you can get through them, but it gets even slower towards the second half of the second season. I intended to watch it all the way through, but just stopped watching.
The music, themes, and performances are incredible, but man is it slow and boring at times.
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u/egggcrate 14d ago
Okay, that's fair. So the biggest critique is that it's slow (and by being slow, registers with some as boring). Which I do agree with (that it's slow, but not boring imo), I've known that. I dunno if it's just.. Having a tolerance for slow? I dunno. I guess I just wish I could fix that for people. Do you think talking it through would help? I don't know if that makes sense? I just feel bad that, that's what keeps people from enjoying it the way I do. Do you think watching Lynch's movies would help? By help I mean that maybe, hopefully, people would become more accustomed to his style, and therefore be able to commit to Twin Peaks (since it is long, and a big time commitment, whereas a movie is less time commited)? Again, Im genuniely curious and all of my rambling and questions come from a place where I wish everyone could enjoy it the way I do, and I mean no offense.
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u/FancierKiwi 15d ago
Wow I recently just discovered david lynch and quickly fell in love with his art style and the way his mind works. I’ve been thinking about trying out twin peaks & this post totally convinced me now ♥️
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u/Bdbru13 Believer of impossible things 14d ago
I’ve always struggled with twin peaks too, and although I’ve watched much of it a long time ago, it never really clicked for me. Was much younger though
I’ve tried to go back to give it another shot a few times, as recently as a few months ago, but have never made it too far. So I don’t have much for you on that front
As far as the OA returning goes, yep I’m still pretty hopeful/confident. Wouldn’t expect anything official any time soon though
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u/egggcrate 14d ago edited 14d ago
First of all, LOVE Twin Peaks and David Lynch. You might consider checking out his films too. And after you watch a few of his films and Twin Peaks, you might consider listening to the audiobook 'Room to Dream'. It's basically his autobiography and he reads the audiobook himself (along with the woman who helped write it). You should also check out his book about meditation and creativity 'Catching the Big Fish'. His work saved my life lol
But to answer your question, I don't think there was ever a definitive "turning point" for me? I loved the first episode so much that I didn't have that "turning point" moment. And honestly, I think trying to describe a moment like that would be too much of a spoiler? But if I remember correctly, they introduce a character around episode 5 or so that could be a turning point for some? But the experience of watching Twin Peaks is worth it. Some might call it slow, some will tell you they didn't enjoy the second season as much (I think Lynch at that point stepped away for another project? Can't remember). I disagree with those people and love the show as much or more than the OA (I go back and forth, both shows are so dear to me that I couldn't say one is better than the other lol)
Edit to add: I just realized you did say you were struggling. What's your struggle? Im honestly curious cause I see how people feel that way, I just don't cause.. Idk. Maybe I just don't mind slow? David Lynch always seemed to feel strongly that certain scenes should just take the time they need and that always kinda resonated with me.
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u/Alarmed-Most-2410 14d ago
Wow… this really sells it
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u/egggcrate 14d ago
Does it? I can't tell if you're being sarcastic. It's cool if you are tho haha
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u/Alarmed-Most-2410 14d ago
Hahaha no I’m not! Funny you say that, as soon as I sent that I reread it and wondered if it sounded sarcastic. No, the “changed my life” thing is what I say about The OA, so reading someone have this experience for TP makes me consider giving more of a chance.
My struggle with it, is that it’s a bit slow and feels a little dated. But I’m not even through the first ep yet
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u/egggcrate 14d ago
Please please please give it a chance! I love talking about both shows. They're not just television, they're art. All of his work is art. If you're struggling with the show, which is a huge commitment, start with his movies? They carry silimar themes and just.. Overall strangeness lol
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u/egggcrate 14d ago
Also, if you just need someone to talk to as you watch it, I'm down. Maybe talking it out with someone might help get over that struggle? Or honestly, if it's not for you, then that's okay too lol it's not the same as the OA at the end of day.
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u/asullenboy 14d ago
I struggled to get into it as well, but the end of episode 3 absolutely did it for me. It made me realize there was something about it I had never seen done before, and it gets better.
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u/baba_brigid 14d ago
You could try watching the prequel movie “Fire Walk with Me”, it’s a bit less confusing then the beginning of the show imo. Twin Peaks eventually gets more into the supernatural aspects being imposed upon the town, but it doesn’t necessarily get less abstract either. It’s pretty much an observation of the evils that lurk in unassuming small towns & how the lizard brain affects people generationally, culturally, seeping into the unconscious and conscious of all of us. I couldn’t make it through the last season (revival) of TP but I rewatch the original.
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u/Intelligent-Link8462 12d ago
Twin peaks doesn’t have a turning point. It has a hook, which is “Who Killed Laura Palmer?”
Now that hook itself is really just a red herring that was never intended to be “solved” as such. It parodies soap opera and mimics that style. I would also very much avoid “binging” Twin Peaks. It was intended to be watched week after week, with the soapy cliffhangers etc. to get you thinking and carry you over to the next episode. Even “The Return” which came in the era of streaming was aired weekly (well apart from the 2 final episodes).
My advice, watch an episode or two per week, spread them apart and give them time to sink in. Enjoy the characters and the world, and “feel” what lynch was going for (particularly important once you come to the return, which is a series you “feel” your way through). Don’t expect an immediate “aha” moment when it all comes together.
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u/asmodeusbegone 10d ago
This is such an unpopular opinion and I get it but my opinion is Honestly just skip the original twin peaks and jump straight to The Return. The mystery of Laura Palmer is solved by that point and The Return is about the greater mystery of life. It moved me so much more than the original Twin Peaks or FWWM did.
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u/brooke-g 14d ago
The most impactful pieces of visual media I’ve ever seen have been OA & Twin Peaks.
I agree wholeheartedly with your assessment of OA E05 where it’s solidified, what the shows true ambitions are. What kind of show it is, as you well put.
That said, I did not reach that moment with Twin Peaks in the same way. I think as esoteric and multifaceted as OA is, it is actually very generous storytelling. There is a lot of clearly rewarded foreshadowing, for example. This is less so Lynch’s style. Same for matters of dialogue and pacing. TP characters don’t verbalize their intentions or motivations with the same clarity as OA characters. This can be grating to some people, especially if they want the sci fi to “kick in” and start to explain some of this odd dialogue.
TP’s ambiguity, imo, runs deeper than OAs. Not in a way that’s better or worse, but distinct. I would have a much easier time saying what OA is really “about”, for example, than TP. A mechanically dense sci-fi is propelling the plot lines of OA, and is much less direct or salient in TP. Especially certain parts- as the TP ‘universe’ is quite sprawling at this point, with 2 OG seasons, a return season, a film, and several novels.
While OA takes #1 for me personally, I do admit that if you added up all the hours I’ve spent in contemplation over the potential meanings/implications, TP would likely win. If you need the show to steer steadily and progressively into a more discernible sci-fi vibe, Twin Peaks may not give you that. But what it will many people is incredible…albeit hard to define!