Connections

Three of my favorite shows right now are Better Call Saul, Fargo and the new Twin Peaks.  Each is the TV highlight of its day, but all have certain problems.

Better Call Saul, the most realistic of the three (allowing for dramatic exaggeration), has a built-in problem.  It's really two separate storylines.  You've got the tale of Jimmy McGill turning into Saul, and you've got Mike's machinations, which tie in closely to Gus Fring.  Except we know from Breaking Bad that Saul doesn't know Gus, or at least doesn't know who he really is.

So even though Mike works for Jimmy now and then, what you've got is two different shows.  They're both entertaining, but it's not like BB, where everything, one way or another, tied into Walter White's arc.

Season 3 of Fargo has a similar problem.  Each season is about a bunch of distinct people who are brought together by crime.  But this season, the stories seem further apart than usual, and while they'll no doubt (mostly) join by next week's finale, things have been too segregated.

Once again, while the individual stories may be enjoyable, it's a lot better if they combine into a satisfying whole.

Then there's the return of Twin Peaks.  Unlike the previous two shows, this one is only at the midpoint.  But it's got completely separated stories--in some cases, you have no idea how it is they're in the same show.  Most of them aren't in set in Twin Peaks.  The only thing that really holds the show together, and just barely, is Kyle MacLachlan, square in the center of things.

But somehow, with David Lynch, it doesn't matter.  His story, and style, is so surreal, that you just enjoy what's in front of you.  I expect it to all tie together (though not necessarily make sense) along the way, but otherwise, I'm just happy to be along for the ride.