Twin Peaks Twin Peaks: the original series

Emelee

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A Swedish channel is airing reruns of the show starting tonight. So I thought I'd create this thread to discuss the show.


FYI, I am watching the "European Pilot Episode".

This is a 113-minute long alternative version of the pilot episode of the series. It contains approximately 25 minutes of additional footage that actually resolves the story of Laura's murder somewhat differently to the series, though still in typical Lynchian fashion. This version was commissioned by the show's producers ABC Television so as to be shown in European cinemas in the event that the series wasn't picked up, hence the name. This way, the production wouldn't be a loss.
Due to wrangles with Warner Home Video, who retained distribution rights, for many years this "European Pilot" was the only version available for home viewing. In fact, the broadcast version was not released on DVD in the US until 2007.

How is the "European Pilot" different from the series version of the pilot?
The "European Pilot" is identical to the broadcast pilot up to the point that Sheriff Truman says, "It must have happened about this time, 24 hours ago." The action then switches to Sarah Palmer, asleep in her living room, having visions of herself looking for Laura on the morning of Laura's murder. Suddenly, she sees the face of BOB looking through the rails of Laura's bed. In the series version of the pilot, this is intercut with footage of a second, different vision: a gloved hand digging up Laura's locket, at which point the episode ends. The BOB footage would later be recycled in the series when Sarah has a vision of BOB in the presence of Leland and Dr. Hayward.

---

What follows is a description of the remaining events of the "European Pilot." During Episode Two of the series proper, Cooper has a dream, which actually comprises of all of the events detailed below, as well as Sarah's vision of Bob's face. The episode ends with Cooper waking up and telephoning Sheriff Truman to tell him he now knows who killed Laura. Although the dream sequence itself only utilises some of the footage - mainly the One-Armed Man, BOB in the basement, and Cooper in the red-curtained room with Laura - Cooper gives a full account of his dream at the beginning of the following episode. The reason the footage was reused, whatever the context, was simply because David Lynch liked what he shot for the ending and wanted to incorporate it into the series.

---

Sarah calls Lucy at her home and tells her that she suddenly remembered that Laura's killer was in Laura's room that morning, and that she saw his face. Lucy-- who is playing paddle ball while Andy practices the trumpet--tells Sarah that she's going to contact Sheriff Truman and Deputy Hawk (here referred to as"Tommy 'the Hawk' Hill") to come draw a picture of the killer. (An interesting detail, as it is well established in the series that Deputy Andy Brennan is the Twin Peaks Police Department's resident sketch artist.)

Next, we see Cooper asleep at the Great Northern. He receives a call from the One-Armed Man, who tells Cooper to meet him at the hospital. Immediately after Cooper hangs up, he's contacted by Sheriff Truman, with news of Sarah's vision.

Cooper, Hawk, and Truman convene at the hospital, where they meet the One-Armed Man--calling himself Mike--in the autopsy room. Mike tells a story about he and BOB being a pair of serial killers, using phrases such as "lived among the people" and "the species" to indicate that he and Bob are not human. Mike then says that he saw the face of God and cut off his arm, because it bore a tattoo that was a mark of "being touched by the devilish one." The deputies then show Mike two sketches, one of BOB, one of a little bald man. Mike correctly identifies the sketch of BOB, and then says that BOB has been living in the hospital's basement.

Everyone travels down to the basement, where BOB is kneeling over a circle of burning candles arranged around a mound of dirt. (BOB's costume is different here than it was in the series--instead of a denim jacket and jeans, he wears a leather vest with no shirt on underneath and has a tattoo on his shoulder reading "FIRE WALK WITH ME.") BOB recites a poem about his "death bag," and then says, "You may think I've gone insane, but I promise you, I will kill again!" (This is the same thing he says in the interrogation room - through Leland - in Episode 16). Mike then charges into the room and shoots BOB to death. BOB dies; suddenly, Mike clutches his chest and says to BOB's corpse, "Wait until you get yours," then dies. Cooper stares at the two men's bodies and says, "Make a wish." A gust of wind comes out of nowhere and blows out BOB's candles.

The scene then cuts to the red-curtained room, with the caption "25 Years Later." Cooper, with gray hair and covered in wrinkles, is sitting across from Laura Palmer and the Man From Another Place. The Man From Another Place tells Cooper that his favorite gum is going to come back in style, and that "Laura" is actually his cousin. Cooper asks "Laura" if this is true, to which she replies that she knows she looks like Laura Palmer, "but sometimes my arms bend back." The Man From Another Place then tells Cooper that he and "Laura" are from a place where there is always music and birds singing. A strobe light turns on in the ceiling, jazz music begins to play, and the Man From Another Place begins dancing. "Laura" walks to Cooper and tells him something that the audience cannot hear. Cooper and "Laura" then watch the Man From Another Place dance; and as he dances, the credits roll.



My recap of episode


Series begins with Pete Martell finding a body on the shore when going out fishing. It looks like a cold morning. Mysterious music playing in the background. Pete calls the police. Lucy answers, and this is our first clue to what kind of show this is. She informs Harry to which phone she is transferring the call.

  • "Sheriff its Pete Martell up at the mill. I'm going to transfer it to the phone on the table by the red chair ... the red chair against the wall ... the ... the little table with the lamp on it. The lamp that we moved from the corner. The black phone not the brown phone."
Harry goes to the site, and here's the second clue to what kind of show it is. Police officer Andy begins to cry as he takes pictures of the body (wrapped in plastic, so we don't know yet who is dead). Harry tells Andy:

  • Come on Andy. The same thing as last year at Mr. Blodge's barn.
He can't start crying every time! So Pete, the person who found the body, takes over the camera. Then they remove the plastic from the face of the body. It's Laura Palmer. Dead and very blue in the face.

Laura's mother discovers that Laura isn't home. She calls her boyfriend Bobby Briggs to see if she's there. We find out that Bobby is having a relationship with another girl.

Audrey dancing.

Two business men, Benjamin Horne and Leland Palmer, are having a meeting regarding the sawmill. Benjamin tells Leland that the sawmill is going belly-up within a year, it's time to swoop in soon. He has a meeting with some Norwegian people, as I hear Norwegian being spoken.

All find out that Laura has been murdererd, and most people appear sad & crying. Laura's mother is hysterical. Her father, Leland, is crying. Audrey is crying.

Bobbys is questioned by the police and gets violently upset when they wonder if he could be the killer. He doesn't have an alibi, since he was with Shelley.

Catherine Martell and Jocie Packard are arguing at the mill. Jocie wants to close down production - she owns the mill and has that right. Catherine is so upset that she fires a random guy.

Then it turns out that another girl is missing. Pulanski's daughter didn't come home last night. She was in same school with Laura. But... then a girl dressed in a dirty torn-up silk dress/nighty, with ropes around her wrists comes walking. She looks terrified and shocked. She's apparently named Ronnie.


FBI agent Dale Cooper is on his way, talking to "Diane" in a recorder.


  • Diane, 11:30 am, February 24. Entering the town of Twin Peaks, five miles South of the Canadian border, twelve miles West of the state line. I've never seen so many trees in my life. As W. C. Fields would say I'd rather be here then in Philadelphia. Fifty-four degrees on a slightly overcast day. Weatherman said rain. If you get paid that kind of money for being wrong sixty percent of the time it beat working. My mileage is 79,345. Gauge is on reserve. Riding on fumes here. I've got to tank up when I get into town. Remind me to tell you how much that is. Lunch was ... uhh ... (retrieves a receipt from his pocket) six dollars and thirty-one cents at the ... Lamplighter Inn, that's on highway two near Lewis Fork. That was a tuna fish sandwich on whole wheat, slice of cherry pie and a cup of coffee. (emphasized) Damn good food. Diane, if you ever get up this way that cherry pie is worth a stop. Okay. (picks up card) Looks like I'll be meeting up with a ahh ... Sheriff Harry S. Truman. Shouldn't be to hard to remember that. That will be at the Calhoun Memorial Hospital. I guess we're going to go up to intensive care and take a look at that girl that crawled down the railroad tracks off the mountain. I'm pretty sure I'll be checking into a hotel. I'm sure the sheriff will be able to recommend a clean place, reasonably priced. That's what I need, clean place, reasonably priced.

    • Oh Diane, I almost forgot. I got to find out what kind of trees these are. Their really something.

(Dale asks Harry and finds out it's Douglas firs).

The two of them run into a weird doctor, Dr. Jacoby. He was Laura's doctor. He slightly laughs when he tells the police that Laura's parents don't know she was seeing him. He's a psychiatrist.

Agent Cooper checks the finger nails of both girls. In a morgue (without decent lights), he finds something under Laura's nail. It's the letter R.
We find out that Cooper has seen this kind of case before.

Donna and Big Ed are talking about James, who Donna is looking for. A guy named Mike orders Donna to come with him, but she refuses. Big Ed helps her get rid of Mike. Nadine, woman with an eye-patch, yells at Big Ed to get the drapes up. Big Ed and Donna both agree that "they sure know how to pick them".

Dale & Harry talks about a video tape found in Laura's room, and wanting to show it to her boyfriend at some point. They also check her diary. Her last entry:

  • "asparagus for dinner again, I hate asparagus. Does this mean I'll never grow up." And then she's written, "nervous about meeting 'J' tonight". That's the letter 'J', Diane."

Dale to Diane:

  • Diane, I just turned back eighteen days to day one. What we have taped to the page here is a plastic envelope containing a white residue and what looks to be a key to a safety deposit box. Sheriff, after you very carefully remove this key I'm going to run this envelope and my bet is it will test positive for cocaine.
A crying Andy calls Lucy and tells her that he didn't cry at the shore earlier. He's very upset about the horrible events.

Dale & Harry question Bobby and show him the tape of a happy Laura with Donna. They ask him who Laura was seeing, it begins with the letter J. Are they referring to James? Jacoby? Hmmm... Dale tells Bobby that he (Bobby) didn't love Laura anyway, so why be upset?

Norwegian guys again, talking numbers. Audrey enters to watch. Audrey tells the guys about the murder of Laura. Awkward situation.

Bobby is released. Snake/Mike picks him up. Bobby wants to hurt this guy, J.

Dale questions Donna about the video tape. Donna is sad. Dale thinks she's hiding something, protecting someone.

Lucy enters to tell them that Bobby & Mike were talking about J being a biker. In the video tape, a bike is reflected. So obviously, a biker beginning with letter J shot the video. James is seen by a bike.

The Norwegians are leaving Twin Peaks. Ben Horne is upset - Audrey is hiding, but laughing. She apparently wanted to scare them off. Probably to kill Ben's plan to take over the mill.

Dale & Harry go underground and find a pile of dirt with half a golden heart on, plus a piece of paper. On it is written in blood:


Fire walk with me

James is seen holding half a golden heart. So now we can be certain that James and Laura were involved.

Dale & Harry visit a bank to look at a safe deposit box. A deer head trophy lies on a table, after having fallen down. Laura has had a box there for 6 months. A magazine is inside of it. There's money inside the magazine. More than 10.000 Dollars. One page is marked. A picture of Ronnie Pulaski in underwear. On the other side is a picture of Leo Johnson's truck.

Cut to Shelley & Leo. He seems creepy as heck. He asks about unknown cigarettes. He is mad and threatens her.

Norma calls Ed, and they set up a meeting, even though they shouldn't. An affair going on? Nadine tries the drapes.

Dale and Harry discuss the local folks. Josies husband is dead, she inherited the mill. Catherine, his sister, is furious about that.

Then one of my favorite patentheses on TP. The lady with the log.




Dale informs the folks that Laura was victim #2 and Ronnie was supposed to be #3. He warns them and tells them that the killer could be one of the citizens in Twin Peaks.

Doctor Hayward tells Eileen, woman in wheelchair, about Laura's half golden heart. Donna overhears it and looks unhappy and sneaks out of the house. Snake/Mike arrives (with Bobby) to get Donna. Donna's sister Harriet has to tell her dad that Donna escaped. Mike is determined to find her. Dr. Hayward lets Dale & Harry in on it.

Nadine & Ed meet and there's obviously feelings there. Norma tells him she's leaving Hank, who is in jail for manslaughter. A girl is singing the Twin Peaks song at the bar (the roadhouse). Dale & Harry is outside on stake-out. Mike & Bobby arrive to look for Donna. Back-up is called in. Mike grabs Donna and screams at her. Fight breaks out. Donna sneaks out with help from another J-man on a bike (Joey Paulsen), to go see James. Dale & Harry follow them.

Donna meets James who tells her he has no alibi for last night, and that he was with Laura. But she was a different person. She had confided in James that Bobby had told her that he had killed some guy. She was upset. Then she told James that she loves him, and ran off. James cries. Donna and James kiss, but he pulls away. But then they kiss again. Donna asks James to give her his half of the golden heart. They bury it and drive off before Dale & Harry can catch up with them. When they do catch up, they arrest him. Dale believes James is probably innocent.


James is locked up in a cell opposite Bobby & Snake/Mike (who were arrested for fighting at the Roadhouse). Bobby looks angrily at James. They bark and scream at James like lunatics.

Dale & Harry enter a room filled with donuts and coffee. Apparently, Lucy does this every night. Harry tells Dale about Great Northern Hotel.

Harry goes to see Josie and they kiss. She's scared, and he comforts her. Catherine sees them and calls Benjamin Horne to inform him of Harry being there again to see Josie.

Sarah Palmer is lying on the couch and dreams of the perspective of someone walking in the forest. A hand digs up the golden heart necklace planted by James & Donna. Sarah wakes up screaming.

End of pilot episode, European version.
 

Emelee

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In episode 2 & 3, we get to know what a low-life Leo Johnson is. Poor Shels.
In the Palmer household, things are getting weird. Visions, screaming, dancing. Cuckcoo's nest.
Agent Cooper is still obsessing about coffee and cherry pie. He's also got an interesting deductive technique with the J-crew. I didn't remember how many people start with a J. James, Josie, Dr. Jacoby, Hank & Norma Jennings, Leo & Shelley Johnson, Johnny & One-Eyed Jack club. The technique singled out one of them.
He also called in Albert to go through Laura's body. Not exactly the most sympathetic man.
Brothers Ben & Jerry (!) Horne visited the sex club One-Eyed Jack. Laura apparently worked extra there too. Does that mean that she's slept with Ben Horne?!
Dr. Jacoby cries for Laura and he has the 2nd half of a golden heart necklace. He's creepy!!
How many jobs can 1 student have? She takes care of Johnny Horne, she helps Norma & works as a "pleasure girl". Did I forget a job?
Josie broke into Catherine's safe (Catherine who is having an affair with Ben), with help from Catherine's husband.
The Log Lady's log decided to keep quiet about what it knows.
Nadine is seen bending iron. Scary! But she did manage to get her drapes soundless.
Agent Cooper has a dream of a dancing dwarf & a Laura look-a-like. He wakes up, and feels sure who killed Laura...... Who? And how did that dream help?
 

Emelee

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Tonight - episodes 4 & 5

What we know regarding Laura's murder so far:

Letters R & J
A one armed man
His friend Bob
One-eyed Jack, the club
Ronnie with similar injuries
Cocain
Laura sleeping with 3 men the night she died
Laura's mom's visions, similar to Cooper's dreams
Dr Jacoby saying he tried but failed to find out Laura's deep dark secrets.
Marks from a minor bird on Laura's body
Jacques Renault owns such a bird, Waldo
2 kinds of ropes that Laura was tied up with (possibly tied up 2 times)
Signs of someone having kissed Laura

 

Emelee

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Also tonight:

Laura's look-a-like cousin Maddy arrived. James is taken aback.
Normas husband Hank got parole. And he sends Josie a message: a double-3 domino piece.
Josie told Harry about Catherine mixing with the mill's books.
Catherine found a One-eded Jacks chip in Ben Horne's clothes.
Bobby & Shelley plan to frame Leo. He plants Leo's bloody shirt for the police to find. Shelley bought a gun.
Ben Horne meets Leo to talk about their drug business. Leo has killed Jacques Renault's brother.
Audrey and Donna decide to work together to find out who killed Laura. Audrey tries to grow closer with her father for that sake.
Lucy is upset with Andy for some reason.
Ed was involved with Norma before he met & married Nadine.
The police + Ed, James & Joey has a secret club, they're trying to get to the drug dealers.
The police find the one-armed man. He was in a coma until recently. He's friends with vet Bob Lydecker.
Leland is slowly breaking apart.
Josie follows Catherine & Ben to get dirt on them.
Albert makes enemies all over town, but finds some clues in his autopsy (see previous post).
Donna & James find out the necklace they buried is gone - a suspicious looking owl eyes them from a tree.
 

Emelee

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Episodes 6-8, completing season 1, last night.

Dale & Ed infiltrated One-Eyed Jack's, and got Jacques arrested.
Leo and Jacques seem very involved in the murder, but are they? Both are shot. One later killed.
Hank was released and immidiately got started on his evil plans.
Leo had time to almost kill Shelly first. Lucky that Catherine came by. But did they survive the fire? Will Pete?!
Josie have many secrets. Is she secretly working with both Ben Horne & Hank Jennings?! Are they using her, or is she using them?
Maddy, Donna & James trick Jacoby into thinking Laura might be alive to get him out of his house so they can snoop. They find a tape by Laura. And Bobby hides drugs on James' bike, getting him arrested.
Lucy is pregnant, Andy is shocked.
Audrey gets a job at One-Eyed Jack's -- and it's time to meet the owner.......
In a really sad scene, Nadine tries to commit suicide. Did Ed find her in time?
The Log Lady's log spoke. As did Waldo the bird, before he was assassinated.
Laura's father got revenge.
And.... Who shot Dale?!
 

Emelee

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Season 2, episodes 1-2

While Cooper is lying on the floor, shot & weak, a strange servant comes with hot milk for him and hangs up the phone. Cooper dozes off and has a dream about a giant who tells him 3 things:
1. There is a man in a smiling bag
2. The owls are not what they seem
3. Without chemicals, he points

The police officers then comes to Coopers rescue.

Audrey is almost caught by her father at One-Eyed Jacks, but he's called away. She's safe... for now.

Shelley & Pete have survived the fire, but Catherine & Josie are missing. We later learn that Catherine is dead.

James comes clean about the necklace, as do Jacoby. None of them appear guilty.

Andy tells Lucy that he can't be her baby's father, as he can't have children. Awkwardness!

Norma sees Ed with Nadine in the hospital.

Leo is in a vegetable state. Bobby convinces Shelley to nurse him at home to collect the money involved.

Leland's hair turns white and he is cheerful in a very strange way.

Albert returns and witnesses Andy get hit by a loose plank. Lucky for the police, they find what Leo's been hiding under it.

Albert continues to be a funny ass when he laughs hearing about how Ed accidentally shot Nadine in the eye on their honeymoon.

Audrey is reported missing and Cooper feels personally upset about that. She is later kidnapped by the managers at One-Eyed Jack's.

The Log Lady gives Donna a clue about the Meals on Wheels project that Laura was involved with. Donna signed up for it.

Donna tries to sex it up using Laura's sunglasses, but is upset when James & Maddy gazes at each other.

Lt. Briggs tells Cooper about the mysterious text in space activity. The message from the giant in his dream and the name Cooper.
 

Emelee

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As season 3 is approaching, I am watching season 2. This weekend: 5 episodes.

So what happened?

Donna started the Meals on Wheels project and met Harold Smith, a loon with Laura's secret diary. The guy hung himself and the police found the diary.

Cooper, Truman & Hawk saved Audrey from the One-Eyed Jacks. Ben Horne finally admitted to Audrey that he had sex with Laura and loved her. Audrey told the police.

David Lynch made a guest appearance as Cooper's nearly deaf boss.

Ben Horne did business with a strange Japanese guy who turned out to be Catherine in disguise. She revealed herself to husband Pete.

Josie was forced to leave town by a shady guy. Turns out she wasn't so innocent afterall, as she came to Twin Peaks with a plan.

Leo was brought home and is showing signs of not being a total vegetable.

Nadine was also brought home, with super strenght and thinking she's a teenager.

Lucy headed to an abortion clinic as Andy got good news from the doc about his sperms.

Cooper gets a message from an old nemesis called Windom Earle.

And Leland turned out to be possessed by Bob. He killed poor Maddy in quite a creepy scene.
 

Matthew Blaisdel

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And Leland turned out to be possessed by Bob. He killed poor Maddy in quite a creepy scene.

I love Julee Cruises song that she performs at the roadhouse after that scene. It's sooooo sad and heartwarming.
Glad she's in the new episodes as well, can't wait for more melancholic songs of her. :danc:
 

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2 more episodes today. Season 2, episodes 11 and 12.

James goes off on his mc and finds a pretty woman at a bar who wants help with fixing her husband's car that she's wrecked. He agrees to come over. Her brother informs James that Evelyn's husband beats her up on regular basis. James and Evelyn kiss before her husband returns home.

Nadine has fallen for Mike at school. She tries her best to make him go out with her.

Cooper learns of 3 houses. The White Lodge, the Black Lodge and the Dead Dog's Farm. The Black Lodge is the big test. Cooper goes to the DD Farm and finds cocain there. Probably the same that was planted in his car.

Dennis/Denise, an agent with drugs crimes as special area, makes his or her entrance. David Duchovny in drag.

Milford wedding. Old guy who has married a whole lot marries for the last time. The new widow captures the interest of all the men, which angers Lucy.

Dick and Andy have troubles with Little Nicky, an orphan kid. Dick tells Andy that he believes that Nicky is the child of satan, and that they must find out how his parents died.

Josie tells Truman of her past. How she was rescued by Thomas Eckhardt, a ruthless man who thinks he owns her. But she chose to marry Andrew Packard. She believes that Eckhardt killed Andrew. She is unaware that Andrew is still alive. Catherine and Andrew plot revenge against Josie. Catherine makes Josie work for her as her maid.

Ben seems to have gone halfway crazy because of resent events. He hires Bobby to find things out about Hank Jennings who has turned his back on Ben. Bobby gives Ben pictures of Hank's secret meeting with his new father-in-law and a police officer. Audrey finds the pictures and gives them to Cooper.

Windom Earle continues to play games with Cooper in their chess game. He successfully predicts Cooper's next move, and Cooper looks concerned.

We learn that the readings that Mayor Briggs got that said "Agent Cooper" that Cooper thought came from outer space actually came from an area just outside town. Cooper also remembers hearing an owl the night the Mayor vanished.

Mayor Briggs returns home after having been missing for 2 days. Something fishy is going on.
 

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Just a few more hours, before it is happening ... again! :eck:

 

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When it comes to feelings of nostalgia I can usually connect the dots, even if I'm aware that it's probably not exactly the way I remember it.
I feel that my 1980s ended in 1988, and my 1990s started in 1992.
That period in between is blurry, dusty, hazy, dream-like, and maybe that's what makes Twin Peaks such a personal experience.
I feel something, but I can quite put my finger on it. At the risk of coming across as melodramatic there have been a few moments of unfocusedness that made me feel a little dizzy.
A long time ago my brother and I were swimming in the sea and he noticed something at the bottom (an interesting seashell or whatever) and because he wanted a clearer view he tried to remove the water with his hands. Yes, in the sea. Of course that's not possible but it was simply an instinctive reaction.
But it kind of describes my confusion when I'm trying to put the nostalgia of Twin Peaks in some sort of context.

The loss of innocence doesn't always coincide with the loss of naivety - that's the danger and maybe that's also what killed Laura Palmer.
The town's people are crying for Laura (also to suggest that they know more than they would like to admit) but maybe the sentiment is broader than this one particular and very unfortunate case.
"Who would do such a horrible thing?" - but no, the real horror is the understanding of the mature adult that such horror can exist. Not in all of them, thankfully, but it only takes one killer to make it real.
The young adults think that they can control the situation but there are hard lessons to be learnt.

But that's just my interpretation of the first two episodes of Twin Peaks. The colours are very suffocating, which adds to my feelings of disorientation and mental cobwebs, like Sarah Palmer's disturbing visions.

What really happened in 1990? Oh wait, I visited America. How typical.
 

Willie Oleson

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I think what gives Twin Peaks such a unique dynamic is the constant balance between straight drama/crime and the absurd.

A great example is when Shelly describes the events of Laura's disastrous funeral to some customers at the Double R.
It's a little macabre but not particularly unusual, I mean, what are the odds that people wouldn't talk about Leland Palmer going up and down on Laura's coffin.
But in the context of fictional dramatic narrative it has a whiff of sacrilege, even though Shelly has never been portrayed as a nasty character.

Then there's the aspect of romantic dialogue e.g. James and Donna which is as cheesy as the town's favourite soap opera "Invitation To Love".
The multiple and oh-so-familiar season 1 cliffhangers confirms that Twin Peaks is also very much a satire on the soap opera genre, but not straightforward enough to call it a no holds barred parody.
1625861407876.png

The absurdity of FBI agent Cooper's dreams as clues to the mystery are intertwined with real life in such way that it almost makes sense.
Should I laugh or be intrigued?

It's almost like watching two different shows simultaneously and it's confusing in a way no one was prepared for at that time.
But because it's so crafted and effective and mind-boggling it leaves little room for interpretation, ironically.
It's not so difficult to review Dallas or Sons & Daughters from a personal point of view, but in the case of Twin Peaks it would often feel like stating the obvious.

Maybe it's more about the experience, something that you need to watch instead of talking about it. Like watching one of those optical illusion paintings.

One of the negative IMDB comments is about relying too heavily on the music. But...as opposed to what? The excessive use of mood-enhancing Lana Del Rey-type songs in modern TV productions? All those songs - often in "montage" style - that tell you how should feel?
The score in Twin Peaks seems very subtle compared to that and it's also not necessarily indicative of what's coming. Imo, it blends perfectly with the sound of the trees and the waterfall.
Having said that, the score is absolutely gorgeous and I'm sure it has contributed to the short-lived success of the 90s cult hit.

I've decided not to binge-watch it, just one episode per day and that's why it feels it's consuming my life 24/7.
Well...actually, that's not entirely true.
I checked out a youtube video showing Suggestions For Twin Peaks Fans, and one of them is the short-lived series HAPPY TOWN.
Someone posted a link to the playlist of that series and even though it's not as fascinating as TP, it has everything I want from a gothic, American small town story.
Great locations, lots of feuds between various families, twists and turns, a conniving matriarch and Sam Neill as a collector of movie art and memorablia.
I'm doing episode 4 now and I LOVE it. It's only 8 episodes (it was cancelled, of course!) but it's better to binge-watch these uploads before they vanish into thin air.
After that I'll continue with TWIN PEAKS season 2. I don't remember much of it except that they found Leo in a giant chess piece or something?
 
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There is intentional humour with characters like Lucy and Deputy Andy (I love Lucy's complicated phone system) but I think this scene shows the best of Twin Peaks because it's so multi-layered.
It's naff and ridiculously schmaltzy but it's also very beautiful and romantic, and narrative-wise there is something going on here. I find it difficult to pinpoint what characteristic takes priority but that only works when it's very subtly done, otherwise it'll feel like "anything goes".
Watching Twin Peaks is like playing with those magic cards that shows a Donald Duck or Mickey Mouse, depending on the position of the card. Or watching a 3D movie without the 3D glasses.
BREAKING BAD is another show that did this very successfully, and initially it looked like THE POLITICIAN was going to be one those great shows.
Alas, it wasn't meant to be.
 

Willie Oleson

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One Eyed Jacks is such a fascinating location. I'm not quite sure what kind of building it is but the interior often looks like it's built inside a big tree.
Maybe it's the excessive drapery and colours that give the rooms an almost circular feel.
Philip Colby has shown up as one of the Renault brothers (how many are there?) and it wasn't Andy but Dick Tremayne from men's wear who got Lucy "preggers".

Very confusing: the Horne brothers can't decide what's more profitable, the fire at the mill that looked good in the books or the fire at mill that was almost bankrupt.
A message from outer space! The owls are not what they seem.
But it all makes sense to agent Cooper.
Major Briggs is one of my favourite characters.
 

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We now know that Maggie Gioberti's real sister (or real half-sister) is working at a diner in Twin Peaks.
Leland is dead...but where did BOB go? It feels like the end of PART I.

I know how it ends and I also remember Josie being trapped inside a doorknob (or something like that) but apart from that I have no idea what's going to happen next.
I also don't remember anything about FIRE WALK WITH ME and I've never seen season 3! That's going to be a real time-jump!
 

darkshadows38

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i haven't seen all of season 3 but as far as i know Josie is never mentioned again after she was put in that doorknob and it never explains that at all. i have seen fire walks with me what i really need to see is the fan edit that's got all the deleted scenes put back in cause a shit ton of footage was cut from the film i think it's like over an hrs worth i think? as for Bob i don't remember, Bob wasn't in season 3 at all that much i do know cause the man died some years back i think it was Cancer? but i could be wrong.
 

darkshadows38

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some do, some of them have since passed away of course but there are some that did Log Lady Catherine Coulson i think her name is? she did an episode or two before she died. she was really sick during filming so she did i think 2 episodes i think? or was it 3? i forget. there are some that actually came out of retirement from acting to do season 3 as a matter of fact.
 
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