Twin Peaks: Season 2 (1990/91) Cre: David Lynch & Mark Frost
- Ridley Coote
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
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Having made my way very speedily through the first season of this iconic cult classic detective mystery series, from the minds of David Lynch and Mark Frost, it will come as no surprise to anybody that I promptly began to do the same for this second season. Unlike the concise, eight episode run of season one, season two was a whopping twenty-two episodes long. When comparing the volume of episodes, as well as the fact that they were still all around the forty-five minute mark, this was a little daunting to say the least.
Similarly to the first season, I found the vast majority of the episodes to be that familiar blend of riveting, mysterious, surreal, strange, and engaging. Lynch and Frost were able to make the town of Twin Peaks feel like such a real yet magical place. The aesthetic of this show has been absolutely mesmerising, despite its relative simplicity. With all that being said, however, this second season was not without its drawbacks.
It was hard to feel like it didn't get bogged down, perhaps even a little sidetracked, by some of the more strange goings on, especially in the last few episodes, which got even more 'Lynchian' than those before. This was especially true of the final episode, which saw the series end with an insanely surreal last twenty minutes, topped off by a wildly bizarre cliffhanger ending. This on its own would not have been an issue - I like Lynch's dreamlike style - if not for a number of arcs and threads that were left feeling unresolved or unfinished.
With such an extensive cast contributing to such a long series, I will have to heavily summarise the acting performances quite heavily. Kyle MacLachlan unsurprisingly stood out with his wonderfully endearing and versatile portrayal of Dale Cooper, whilst the likes of Sherilyn Fern, Michael Ontkean, Mädchen Amick, and Peggy Lipton impressed the most from the many other talented names in the series. I should also name-drop the likes of Dana Ashbrook, Richard Beymer, Lara Flynn Boyle, Joan Chen, Ray Wise, James Marshall, and Everett McGill, for their enjoyable, if slightly less impressive, performances as well.
Overall, although I still enjoyed this second season of the iconic 'Twin Peaks' a lot, I found it to be a little too stretched thin and bloated for its own good. I think it would have benefitted from being cut down at least a little, or even split into two separate seasons. Regardless, it was still very enjoyable to watch, and I felt extremely drawn into the town and its characters. I can understand why this show is so revered by its fans. The show is almost intoxicating in its surrealistic aesthetic and vibe. It is uncompromisingly David Lynch in style, sometimes to its own detriment.
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