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-director Jane Schoenbrun teased the possibility of a sequel to their psychological horror film. Initially set in the 1990s,I Saw the TV Glowcenters on isolated seventh grader Owen (Ian Foreman) and high school loner Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), who bond over aBuffy the Vampire Slayer-esque young adult series calledThe Pink Opaque. When Owen’s father, Frank (Fred Durst), pointedly callsThe Pink Opaquea show for girls, 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, isolating suburb will kill her one day, she asks Owen to run away with her. Instead of taking the necessary action, Owen becomes even smaller, pushing down the truest parts of their identity. When Maddy returns to town, she suggests 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 TV Glow’s ending,it’s abundantly clear that Owen has refused to confront their transness until one of the movie’s final (and incredibly surreal) sequences.
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AlthoughThe Pink Opaque, which centers on two teenage girls with a psychic connection, might seem like a disposable piece of pop culture for some, it’s clear that the TV show was fundamental to Owen understanding their trans identity.One ofThe Pink Opaque’s main characters, Isabel, is so much an echo of who Owen wants to be that Maddy suggests Owen is Isabel— and always has been. For many reasons,A24’s movie is perfect forTwin Peaksfans, fromI Saw the TV Glow’s unique aesthetic of neon and menace to the way itperfectly revivesTwin Peaks: The Return’s Roadhouse.
When asked about a sequel… Schoenbrun once again drew on Twin Peaks for inspiration.
Schoenbrun has cited both the originalending ofTwin Peaksseason 2 — at the time, it was theseriesfinale — and its 2017 revival,Twin Peaks: The Return, as inspiration forI Saw the TV Glow. Lodged in Schoenbrun’s subconscious,the cliffhanger ending ofTwin Peaksseason 2, “felt like unfinished business, if not like trauma,” to them, so their own film became about wanting to resolve that feeling (viaIndieWire). When asked about the possibility of a sequel to the very standaloneI Saw the TV Glow, Schoenbrun once again drew onTwin Peaksfor inspiration.
Twin Peaks
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.
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DespiteI Saw the TV Glow’s intriguing cast of characters, it doesn’t naturally call for a sequel. Still, Owen’s story is left a bit ambiguous, with the now-adult character unhappily working a dead-end job. Owen goes through the motions, keeping their authentic self buried.When Owen can’t take it anymore, they reach into their own chest, where a TV glows brilliantly with static.It’s the same kind of disconcerting 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 bunch of puzzle pieces up front, but asks viewers (and characters) to figure out how they fit together.
InTwin Peaks: The Return, the real Dale Cooper does eventually return to try and set things right. However,by seemingly thwarting Laura Palmer’s murder, Coop opens up a whole new tangled thread of mysteries, pushing him to wonder what year it is in the series finale. The loose ends persist, but they’re different loose ends. Unlike the original two-season outing, which saw characters unearthing clues and stitching them together to solve Laura’s murder,The Returnpresents a bunch of puzzle pieces up front, but asks viewers (and characters) to figure out how they fit together.
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 seasons, but it takes a different approach. Instead of cashing in on nostalgia or giving way to something satisfying and finished,Twin Peaks: The Returncomplicates the story.“I don’t think it’s something people will be expecting, but it will be something that’s very much in the same world,” the writer-director said in an interviewof their potentialI Saw the TV Glowsequel, “[but] from the other side of a looking glass” (viaIndieWire).
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Schoenbrun didn’t go into specifics during their interview, but they did say that, “There’s another side of the prism I’d like to glance through.” At one point,the camera focuses on a message scrawled in chalk in front of Owen’s house: “there is still time.“The message speaks directly to Owen, asking the character to finally take action and live openly. WhileI Saw the TV Glow’s harrowing ending may seem incredibly sad at first, it can also be looked at as hopeful — Owen is finally taking the needed steps — and a sequel could drive home that point.
I Saw the TV Glowis now playing in theaters.
I Saw the TV Glow
I Saw the TV Glow follows teenager Owen, who navigates suburban life until introduced by classmate Maddy to a mysterious late-night TV show.
