I Saw the TV Glow

Spoilers are ahead for I Saw the TV Glow and Twin Peaks : The Return .

Summary

In the wake ofI Saw the TV Glow ’s theatrical success , writer - film director Jane Schoenbrun tease the possibility of a subsequence to their psychological horror moving picture . ab initio determine in the 1990s , I see the TV Glowcenters on isolated 7th grader Owen ( Ian Foreman ) and high schooling loner Maddy ( Brigette Lundy - Paine ) , who bond over aBuffy the Vampire Slayer - esque young grownup serial publication calledThe Pink Opaque . When Owen ’s father , Frank ( Fred Durst ) , pointedly callsThe Pink Opaquea show for girl , prompting Owen to view VHS tapes of the supernatural series in secret , Schoenbrun ’s trans allegory comes into focus .

After Maddy explains that their crushing , isolate suburb will obliterate her one day , she asks Owen to course off with her . rather of hire the necessary action , Owen becomes even smaller , pushing down the reliable parts of their indistinguishability . When Maddy returns to townspeople , she suggest that their real lives are those ofThe Pink Opaque ’s main characters , Isabel and Tara , and that they ’re being killed by what seems like their reality . ByI Saw the telecasting Glow ’s ending , it ’s extravagantly clear that Owen has reject to confront their transness until one of the movie ’s last ( and incredibly surreal ) sequences .

I Saw The TV Glow 2 Would Use Twin Peaks: The Return’s Sequel Approach

Jane Schoenbrun Drew Inspiration From Twin Peaks For I Saw The TV Glow

AlthoughThe Pink Opaque , which revolve around on two teenage girls with a psychic joining , might seem like a disposable piece of daddy culture for some , it ’s unclouded that the TV show was fundamental to Owen understanding their trans identity . One ofThe Pink Opaque ’s main characters , Isabel , is so much an sound reflection of who Owen wants to be that Maddy intimate Owen is Isabel — and always has been . For many reasons , A24 ’s picture show is perfect forTwin Peaksfans , fromI Saw the television Glow ’s alone esthetic of neon and menace to the agency itperfectly revivesTwin Peaks : The Return ’s Roadhouse .

When asked about a continuation … Schoenbrun once again take out on Twin Peaks for inspiration .

Schoenbrun has abduce both the originalending ofTwin Peaksseason 2 — at the time , it was theseriesfinale — and its 2017 revival , Twin Peaks : The Return , as inspiration forI insure the television incandescence . Lodged in Schoenbrun ’s subconscious mind , the cliffhanger cease ofTwin Peaksseason 2 , " felt like unfinished business , if not like trauma , " to them , so their own film became about wanting to settle that feel ( viaIndieWire ) . When asked about the possibility of a sequel to the very standaloneI Saw the TV Glow , Schoenbrun once again drew onTwin Peaksfor inspiration .

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believe by Mark Frost and David Lynch in 1990 , Twin Peaks is a supernatural closed book - drama series that bring FBI Agent Dale Cooper to the quiet townsfolk of Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of a vernal woman named Laura Palmer . As Dale continue his investigating of her death , he learns that Laura ’s aliveness was n’t as she advertised it , and the township itself is hiding far more secret than they let on . The show received a revivification for a third and final season two decennary after to decide the cliffhanger left at the remnant of the second season .

Why I Saw The TV Glow 2 Aiming For Twin Peaks: The Return’s Approach Is So Exciting

I Saw The TV Glow’s Jane Schoenbrun Wants To Revisit The Same World From A New Side Of The Prism

DespiteI determine the television receiver Glow ’s intriguing cast of characters , it does n’t course call for a subsequence . Still , Owen ’s narrative is left a bit equivocal , with the now - grownup character sadly work a utter - oddment job . Owen function through the movement , keeping their authentic ego buried . When Owen ca n’t take it anymore , they reach into their own pectus , where a TV glows brilliantly with atmospheric static . It ’s the same kind of disconcert conclusion as Dale Cooper ’s ( Kyle MacLachlan ) doppelgänger escaping the Black Lodge and smashing his head into a mirror : It ’s traumatic and unresolved — though it could be rectified .

The Returnpresents a crew of puzzle piece up front , but asks spectator ( and characters ) to figure out how they fit together .

InTwin Peaks : The Return , the material Dale Cooper does eventually return to try and plant thing ripe . However , by seemingly scotch Laura Palmer ’s execution , Coop opens up a whole fresh convoluted thread of whodunit , pushing him to inquire what twelvemonth it is in the series finale . The slack ends persist , but they ’re dissimilar loose ends . Unlike the original two - season outing , which saw characters unearth clues and stitching them together to solve Laura ’s slaying , The Returnpresents a bunch of puzzle pieces up front , but ask viewers ( and fictitious character ) to figure out how they fit together .

Evil Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and BOB in the Twin Peaks season 2 finale with I Saw the TV Glow Black Lodge color scheme

Custom Image by Kate Bove

Twin Peaks : The Returncomplicates the story .

For some fans of the originalTwin Peaks , The Returnwas jarring . After all , it ’s not only darker than the first two season , but it takes a different approaching . Instead of cashing in on nostalgia or giving room to something cheering and cease , Twin Peaks : The Returncomplicates the story . “I do n’t think it ’s something people will be expecting , but it will be something that ’s very much in the same world , " the author - director order in an interviewof their potentialI take care the television receiver Glowsequel , " [ but ] from the other side of a await glass " ( viaIndieWire ) .

I get wind the TV Glow make up court to the 1990s - epoch television system shows that pep up it , but this Buffy cameo holds supernumerary resonance for queer viewers .

Twin Peaks Poster

Conceived by Mark Frost and David Lynch in 1990, Twin Peaks is a supernatural mystery-drama series that brings FBI Agent Dale Cooper to the quiet town of Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of a young woman named Laura Palmer. As Dale continues his investigation of her death, he learns that Laura’s life wasn’t as she advertised it, and the town itself is hiding far more secrets than they let on. The show received a revival for a third and final season two decades later to resolve the cliffhanger left at the end of the second season.

What Could A I Saw The TV Glow Sequel Actually Look Like?

Like Twin Peaks: The Return, I Saw The TV Glow 2 Would Still Have Loose Ends

Schoenbrun did n’t go into specifics during their audience , but they did say that , " There ’s another side of the prism I ’d like to peek through . " At one distributor point , the camera focus on a message scribble in chalk in front of Owen ’s house : " there is still time . “The substance speaks directly to Owen , asking the character to at last take activeness and live openly . WhileI Saw the television Glow ’s harrowing ending may seem incredibly sad at first , it can also be looked at as hopeful — Owen is finally lease the needed footstep — and a continuation could drive home that stage .

I Saw the TV Glowis now playing in theatre .

I see the TV Glow watch teenager Owen , who voyage suburban life until introduced by classmate Maddy to a mysterious late - night TV show .

Amber Benson smirks in The Nightmare Gallery with images of Owen (Justice Smith) and the Pink Opaque episode guide from I Saw the TV Glow

reservoir : IndieWire

I Saw the TV Glow

Twin Peaks