Twin Peaks: The Return is David Lynch unfiltered.
If you haven't seen Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (the 1992 film), it would behoove you to do so. The Return is more similar in tone to the film than it is the series. (There is also a 2014 movie called "The Missing Pieces" which is all the deleted scenes from Fire Walk With Me edited into a 90-minute movie.
It also probably helps if you've seen Blue Velvet, Lost Highway and Mulholland Drive (and maybe Eraserhead). If you haven't, it doesn't take away from it or anything..it just helps you understand the style, vibe, mood, energy...
It's frustrating and brilliant and bizarrely beautiful and nonsensical. While the original series was a parody of a soap opera while being a soap opera that threw supernatural elements into it, The Return is more a parody of prestige tv while being prestige tv. It was also filmed as a movie that was edited into 18 episodes.
Lots of people who loved the series were not a fan of The Return, but people who are fans of David Lynch outside of Twin Peaks loved it. I've seen The Return three times now, and each time I like it more and understand it less and more.
I still quote memes from 2017 that popped up from watching it as it aired so...
