While I am not a fan of “explainer” videos (where a so-called-expert produces a Youtube clip that details the true “meaning” behind a piece of pop culture) I recently discovered a video on Twin Peaks that gave me pause. It’s from the Twin Perfect channel, and it’s titled “Twin Peaks ACTUALLY EXPLAINED (No, Really).
Yeah, right.
Then I watched it. All FOUR AND A HALF HOURS OF IT.
And… Wow. This guy did it.
He explains Twin Peaks. And his explanation not only makes perfect sense, it covers the text, the subtext – and everything. Who is Judy? Why did Chet Desmond disappear? Why did Laura die? What was up with Mr. C?
I won’t spoil the theories and explanations, except for some key takeaways: The central point of Twin Peaks was there from the very first episode, that it’s a TV show AWARE it’s a TV show. A show that is a reaction to how TV’s “disposable violence” has made us desensitized to the impact real violence acts has to people and their lives.
It’s also about how closure and endings are things David Lynch never likes and never wants, and how the whole of Twin Peaks The Return is a metacritical reaction to everything that happened before – and the 25-year gap between Season 2 AND The Return is key to understand The Return is more OUR show than Lynch and Frosts’.
I’m not even close to doing the author’s points justice, and will simply end by giving this effort my highest recommendation. It is astonishingly insightful, well edited, and well done. Even if you disagree with the explanations, it’s an amazing work and a must see for any Peaks fan.
So, get a full pot of coffee going (making sure there’s no fish in the percolator, of course), and settle down to watch: