Did You Hate the 'Twin Peaks' Finale?
by EG
The series finale of Twin Peaks: The Return ended with a cryptic cliffhanger. That's right in line with the overall tone of Twin Peaks, but for fans hoping for some kind of resolution, it was a major disappointment.
[Warning: This story contains spoilers through the final episode of Twin Peaks: The Return.]
"What year is this?"
Welcome to the four most gutting words in Twin Peaks lore, uttered by Federal Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) in the final moments of David Lynch and Mark Frost's 18-part Showtime revival. Just as the original series ended on a powerful cliffhanger — one in which a dark Dale Cooper doppelgänger cackled the words "How's Annie?" into a mirror, paving the way for this menacing monster to lurk throughout Twin Peaks: The Return — this new version of the cult-classic supernatural thriller concluded on a similarly confounding note, with Cooper and a woman who looks exactly like Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) standing outside of the Palmer residence on a dimly lit street in sleepy Twin Peaks, the world apparently completely unaware of their existence.
It's a haunting ending, and a polarizing one, to put it lightly. Even those who loved Lynch and Frost's vision for the final notes of Twin Peaks were left in the clutches of despair, without any easy answers and with the very likely possibility that we'll never see Cooper and Laura on our screens. For his part, series star MacLachlan is similarly unsure about the future of Twin Peaks, and is similarly left "reeling" after watching the finale. Read on for his thoughts on what Lynch unleashed in the finale.
What does it feel like, having the complete Twin Peaks out there in the world now?
It's incredibly satisfying to have it out there. It's something that's going to be floating around in our consciousness for a while now. It's also difficult. I don't like saying goodbye to characters that I really love and care about — not just the ones that I play, but also the cast, and to see them come into my home every week was really nice. It was really a pleasure to me. I'm going to miss that. And I just love what David Lynch creates. It's unlike anything that's out there. He's an artist. He compels you to think and feel things that are not that comfortable all the time, and questioning, questioning, questioning...I'm going to miss that, you know?
Given the way you're talking about the ending, does this feel like a definitive conclusion to you? Do you feel like we've just seen the end of Twin Peaks?
I don't know. They have had no discussions. I have had no discussions about anything beyond what we've seen. That's where it is right now. I don't have any other answer than that, I guess.
If this is the end, does the question of "What year is this?" feel more satisfying to you than "How's Annie?" as a final landing spot for Cooper? In other words, are you OK with this as the ending for Twin Peaks versus how things were left at the end of season two?
(Laughs) You know, it's a good question...I would love playing Cooper forever and ever. It's just one of those characters who seems to fit. David and I have worked to make this amazing world and character. I love it. I hate saying goodbye. I hate not seeing him every week on the television. In terms of "What year is this?" I think it just asks more questions. He's left us with the direction to go back through and watch and absorb and take in what we've just seen again. But apart from that? I am still processing it myself. I'm still processing what I saw. I know I filmed it. I filmed it a long time ago, actually. But I had no idea how it was going to fall into the context of everything. I'm still reeling. Reeling, I think, is the word about what it all means.
Read the rest of the interview at The Hollywood Reporter.
Did you hate the Twin Peaks finale? Tell us your thougts in the comment section below.