Interesting points, but I think it's all a matter of how you look at it all, and at Nevins' statement. INLAND EMPIRE certainly fits the "pure heroin" comment, but I think The Return does just as much. It's raw, uncut, a return to the full-on, dread-inducing pacing of his earliest film and the complex, fragmented storytelling of his latest, and it has all sides of him, from the abstract to the warm, from the horrific to the hilarious, and was told in a way that offered little concessions to typical modes of storytelling, the fanbase, or revivals. I don't believe that pure heroin simply means non-stop intensity, but of course it's open to interpretation. As far as whether some of that intensity was diluted and would have manifested itself in stronger doses if Lynch only directed a handful of "special" episodes, maybe. But, I'm glad that The Return exists in its full-Lynch state as I find that it is pure and powerful regardless or perhaps precisely because of how those aspects manifest.NormoftheAndes wrote: ↑Sun Oct 10, 2021 8:10 am In terms of the jokey comment I added to about a Twin Peaks universe, I really only meant in terms of broadening the scope of the show from purely Lynch taking the helm as with The Return. Certainly, if you have so many hours of Lynch is it really going to be as intense in feel in terms of his input compared to a season with a number of episodes directed by him throughout it, like in the first two seasons? This quote of 'pure heroin Lynch' I just see as David Nevins trying to make a statement that sold The Return to the big Lynch fans - which I think it did. But was it really 'pure heroin' Lynch? I don't think so. In comparison, I would view FWWM as a project more fitting that description. Whilst The Return had its more stand-out 'Lynch' moments you could say they were spread out evenly and almost tamed a little.
As far as the sandbox where the ideas of many contributors emerge, I'm happy with that approach for the original series, and it does enhance the feeling of the sandbox. But--and this goes without saying--that was then and this is now. While there's debates to be had about the pros and cons of the modern, more directorial and "cinematic" mode of TV-making and whether or not Lynch would have just directed the whole thing (up to a point) back then if such a thing was more common and how it might have turned out differently, with the singular vision of The Return being what it was, I don't think it would have been done any favors by having multiple contributors and made in the same way as in the 1990s. Perhaps for some that would have been delightfully old-fashioned, but I think you'd have to reconstruct the entire vision from the ground up, which would have resulted in a wholly different version of Season 3. But, I just couldn't see it working. At any rate, if there is any more Twin Peaks, as many have pointed out it will likely be all Lynch in the director's chair. Maybe we'll get something shorter where he can bring a different type of feeling to it (more overtly intense, less scattered) that will sit better with more fans. I just think The Return was very purposefully its own, unique thing, and if we see more I'm hoping it will differentiate itself once again.