Subject: Thinking the unthinkable (was Re: Twin Peaks just got the axe...)
From: dan@geech.gnu.ai.mit.edu (Dan Parmenter)
Date: 1991-04-11, 08:00
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks

If it is indeed true that TP has been cancelled, it will no doubt
spark a fair amount of outcry and complaints and if such complaints
are loud and voluminous enough, it may even get brought back.

But are we sure we want that?

Consider this: when Star Trek was cancelled after two seasons in the
sixties, there was a letter-writing campaign to save the show.  The
show succeeded and we were promptly blessed with such fine
entertainment as "Spock's Brain".

As a comic book reader, I've watched more than one series that I
really loved go gradually downhill until a series that I once adored
was just retreading the same things over and over and going nowhere.

After writing two of the finest novels in American literary history,
Mark Twain followed this in later years with novels like "Tom Sawyer
Detective" and "Tom Sawyer Abroad", which while not without interest,
were far lesser novels and have generally faded into obscurity.

In the world of music there are countless bands who produced mediocre
music in their later years by not knowing when to quit.  They are
certainly entitled to do so, but I vote with my wallet and have little
patience to watch a dead horse being beaten.  Arguably, The Beatles
broke up at exactly the right time.

I firmly believe that Twin Peaks is one of the finest television shows
in the history of the medium.  Period.  

I also have defended the series against detractors who went along with
the standard wisdom that the show was only good in its first season,
or even that only the first few episodes of the first season were any
good. But I can sense that much of what the show had to say has been
said, and been said beautifully.  In other words, I'm starting to think
that I'd like to see them quit while they're ahead and while I still
love it.

The essence of the show for me has always been David Lynch and Mark
Frost's vision.  One of the things I fear most is that if the show
went on, eventually they would take even more of a secondary role in
the series than they have this season and eventually retreat to other
new projects that interest them.  Given their past record (or Lynch's
at least), the TP cast will certainly not be wanting for work - indeed
Lynch, like Woody Allen or Roger Corman almost seems to have a
travelling cast that will always turn up in his films.  In fact, I
believe that with the exception of "The Elephant Man" Jack Nance has
been in every one of Lynch's productions.

Now I could be totally wrong - the series could get renewed, Lynch and
Frost could stick with it and stay interested, the cast could stay and
grow, etc.  And I admit, it is hard to imagine closing the book on the
series forever.  But it might not have to be that way either - I'd
like to see more material like "The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer" and
the "Diane..." tape.  I'd even like to see occasional TV movies or
theatrical features.  I simply am afraid that if the series went on,
with 22 epsidoes a year, the high quality would be difficult to
maintain.  Even I have to admit that the second season really hasn't
been as completely brilliant as the first.  At this point I'm
interested in seeing what else Lynch and Frost can do - things like
their new sitcom, Lynch's "Ronnie Rocket", etc.

Please don't flame me without thinking about this for a moment or two.

- Dan
--
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|Dan Parmenter|Think! It ain't illegal yet!  |dan@gnu.ai.mit.edu   |
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