10 Things We Learned From Twin Peaks: The Return Premiere
3. A Note On The Overall Presentation
This isn't a continuation of David Lynch's latter period, in which disparate realities (or suburbs of the subconscious) blur into one another - lunatic Red Room sequences aside. The narrative, though disparate, is linear. There is a clear demarcation between worlds, and we enter through the material reality more or less linearly.
The performances are hard to gauge at this point. MacLachlan's is so irreconcilable that it almost cannot be assessed at time of writing. From the brief glimpses we see, the residents of Twin Peaks have slipped back into their roles seamlessly. The New York scenes were performed so well by Madeline Zima and Ben Rosenfield that they transcended the one instance of the mundane. Lillard practically steals the show, incredibly.
The music was curious in its near-absence. One of few promotional teasers released celebrated the return of legendary composer Angelo Badalamenti. There are countless musicians included on the cast list. And yet, the use of music, so prominent in Lynch's other works, was oddly muted. It seemed a conspicuous choice. Lynch is drawing us - and Cooper - back into the world slowly.
Lynch's direction and world-building was as immersive, frightening and other as you'd expect from the old master. We are in safe hands. That much is certain, even if so little else is.