‘Twin Peaks’ Season 3: A Spoiler-Free Report From the Premiere

Kyle MacLachlan as Dale Cooper in Showtime’s ‘Twin Peaks’ (Photo: Suzanne Tenner/Showtime)
Kyle MacLachlan as Dale Cooper in Showtime’s ‘Twin Peaks’ (Photo: Suzanne Tenner/Showtime)

Warning: The following article contains very vague information about the first two episodes of Twin Peaks, Season 3. UPDATE: Read our full recap of episodes 1 and 2 here.

When you follow a giant into a theater you may get lost in the Black Lodge. At last night’s world premiere of Showtime’s Twin Peaks revival, I walked behind the instantly recognizable, 7-foot-tall actor Carel Struycken, whose character once warned “It is happening again,” and that phrase proved to be the theme of the night. Because it was! It was happening again. What the “it” was will be furiously debated for at least the next 17 weeks, and lest BOB murder us for getting too specific, we won’t be going into spoiler territory here.

Scene from the Twin Peaks Season 3 premiere (Photo: Showtime)
Scene from the Twin Peaks Season 3 premiere (Photo: Showtime)

This particular night’s happening happened in downtown Los Angeles, at the Theatre at Ace Hotel, which was decorated in iconic Twin Peaks zig-zags, red velvet, and fir trees, complete with a logging truck parked out front. Inside were scores of familiar faces, from the Twin Peaks cast (Kyle MacLachlan! Laura Dern!) to the famous fans like Damon Lindelof and Carrie Brownstein, all as visibly excited (and clueless) about the new episodes as the rest of us.

David Lynch in Twin Peaks. Photo: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME
David Lynch in Twin Peaks. Photo: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

More than one Showtime executive could be overheard bragging (complaining?) about how nobody around the offices had seen even a single frame of the new Twin Peaks, and it seems as though the father of Peak Television had full control over his TV vision, perhaps for the first time ever. As a longtime fan of Twin Peaks, I was initially nervous this revival would pull an X-Files and function as simple nostalgia fuel while being… not great. But two hours later, a stunned crowd left the theater with the distinct feeling that David Lynch had gotten away with something. Whatever your expectations are, they will not be met — and that’s a good thing. Based on the first two hours, it’s safe to say Twin Peaks‘ 18 difficult new episodes will rattle, baffle, and enrage, and that’s exactly what TV needs right now.

To give specific spoilers would ruin the experience — trust me, this is a show that thrives on surprise — but here are a few things you might want to know, spelled out in a suitably vague and cryptic manner.

• The best new face… does not have a face.
• One actor plays two characters, and wears a hilarious wig for one of them.
• There is a shocking moment that is among the scariest things I’ve ever seen on TV.
• The new opening credits may have some viewers reaching for the Dramamine.
• Episode 2 uses a song by the Chromatics that may haunt your playlists for weeks.
• The first two episodes alternate between cryptic, terrifying, and hilarious. There was as much laughter as there were gasps.
• Though advertised as a “new season” of Twin Peaks, these episodes felt more like a revival of ALL of David Lynch’s work. Parts of it felt very Blue Velvet and Lost Highway, with some imagery from Eraserhead mixed in.

Laura Dern, David Lynch, and Kyle MacLachlan at the Twin Peaks premiere. (Photo: Showtime)
Laura Dern, David Lynch, and Kyle MacLachlan at the Twin Peaks premiere. (Photo: Showtime)

In short, the new episodes are completely unlike any version of Twin Peaks we’ve seen in the past, and that’s what’s so exciting. This is no retread; this is something new. After you’ve seen the show for yourself, I’m guessing it’s all you’re going to want to talk about. It’s going to be a wonderfully nightmarish summer.

Twin Peaks premieres Sunday at 9 p.m. on Showtime.

Read more from Yahoo TV:

From ‘Twin Peaks’ to ’13 Reasons Why’: 15 Shows That Kicked Off With a Dead Girl
‘Twin Peaks’ Season 3: Naomi Watts Doesn’t Know What It’s About, Even Though She’s in It
‘Twin Peaks’: Hear Sheryl Lee Read ‘The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer’