Twin Peaks: The Review Run

Discussion in 'Science Fiction & Fantasy' started by Joe Washington, Feb 2, 2010.

  1. UncleRogi

    UncleRogi Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    A Masterpiece of television; I bet the pwers that be went "Huh?" while lynch is going "Trust me! Tust me!!"

    I don't think I really got FWWM totaly; Maybe I'll go back and watch ass-well.
     
  2. Steve Roby

    Steve Roby Rear Admiral Premium Member

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    Oh, yeah. Even towards the end, when it's kind of lost in some storylines that don't really work, there's always something to make you keep watching. I originally saw the show as daily reruns and could hardly wait for the next day's episode. When I watched through the gold box I generally watched a few in a row. It really immerses you in that world; watching it as a weekly TV series with occasional breaks must have been a very different experience.

    I bought Blue Velvet on video while on my first TP runthrough, never having seen it before. It really does have a similar feel. That weird timelessness, the mix of humour and horror, the distinctive characters and setting, they're all there.

    They're well worth it. There's the original TV soundtrack, the FWWM soundtrack, the much more recent second volume of the TV soundtrack, the two Julee Cruise albums from back then, and the Blue Velvet soundtrack has its moments, too.

    As for FWWM... watching it first would be a bad idea. It gives too much away. I first saw it the day after watching the end of the Laura Palmer storyline and found it devastating. It's really grim and creepy; I didn't watch it after going through the gold box a few months back, but I might watch it today. I've only watched it twice but a lot of it stays with you.
     
  3. trevanian

    trevanian Rear Admiral

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    I must be the only one who didn't absolutely love the pilot; in fact, it is the only installment I don't even own, since I only had it on VHS taped from BRAVO, whereas the rest I have on DVD.

    Mood is right but pace seems off, or perhaps the town's oddness is pointed up a bit much compared to the rest of the series.

    Except for the 'james on road,' 'nadine/mike' and 'lil nicky' stuff, I don't think there are any plot threads in the whole series that I don't like to at least some degree. I don't have a problem with the second half of season 2, because the Annie stuff and the Earle stuff really work well for me.

    The little speculation I have read about what was intended for season 3 suggests I would have liked that even more (assuming Lynch hadn't assumed a more hands-on position, which is possible, considering how much he messed with the last episode after being away for awhile.)

    All things considered, CARNIVALE and TWIN PEAKS both could have had longer runs, but I am pretty damned happy with what we got from both (I find each equally rewatchable, too.) For those RonMooreers out there, he was a major player on CARNIVALE's first season.
     
  4. Joe Washington

    Joe Washington Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Sorry for the long delay. Busy with college work. As payment for my tardiness, I have written two reviews, one posted now and the other posted later (not so long from now) since I'm not completely done writing that one.

    1x02 “Traces to Nowhere”

    Good second episode and that's saying a lot because not a lot of shows are able to keep the goodness rolling by its second episode. Usually you have to wait later on in the show for it to come back.

    There’s definitely some chemistry going on between Cooper and Audrey but I don’t how I feel about something more than chemistry happening between them concerning that Audrey is a high school girl.

    Now I know I’m not the only one but I just want to say this for the record: I REALLY DON'T LIKE LEO. He’s one abusive, controlling asshole that I wouldn’t mind if he got killed off anytime soon in the show. Seeing the bloody shirt among his dirty clothes would make you think that he may have had something to do with Laura’s murder. But I rather watch a few more episodes before I would agree with you on that one because it’s just as likely that the blood may have come from someone else, which brings up the question: who else got killed? And come to think of it, is that shirt really Leo's?

    The flashback with Laura and James made me want to cry badly for James who I feel this strange impulse to hug every time I see him and for Laura. The more I learn about Laura, the more I feel sorry for this poor, troubled girl and ponder on the growing question that seems to be on Cooper’s mind: what got her so scared that she would run away from James who she felt so happy around before? That she would change her mind about giving the other half of the money due to Leo to Bobby?

    In Twin Peaks fashion, this episode like the one before and like the others that’ll follow has unveiled a number of things about the characters and the plot. Secret relationships are exposed (at least to us the audience), which I can’t go into without spoiling the reveals for those wanting to watch Twin Peaks for themselves. Plans for the downfall of the Packard sawmill are being made by shady figures and something wicked is in the air which was the feeling I was getting from Laura’s mother seeing the weird long-haired guy looking up at her. Who is he and what is his connection with what’s going on with Laura’s death? What role does the one-armed man in the hospital play in the story? What did the log lady’s log saw the night Laura was killed?

    The joke with the fish in the coffee and the expressions on Cooper and Truman’s faces when being told about it had me laughing. The strained relationship between Audrey and her father, Mr. Horn, continues to carry on a Lionel/Lex vibe. A glimpse of life in Bobby’s home made me sorry for the bastard with his father hitting him for his disrespect and his mother carrying on like nothing happened. I feel there was something weird going on between Laura and her shrink, who may have been in love with his patient. And to be ranked one of my favorite scenes of “Traces to Nowhere” is the scene in which Donna shares with her mother her torn feelings about Laura’s death. On one hand, she feels deeply sad about it but on the other, she’s glad that it has given room for her and James to have their own special something (Possible motive for a possible suspect?). Maybe that’s the reason why she hung out with Laura when she, Laura, and James spent time together: so she could get close to James. But she was afraid of admitting it and acting on it because what it would do to her friendship with Laura.

    Like I said before, it was a good second episode and it had me left wanting more like the all other Twin Peaks episodes that I have watched.
     
  5. barnaclelapse

    barnaclelapse Commodore Commodore

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    I still think the movie was awesome. I don't care what anyone says.

    The show itself loses steam around the middle of season two, but the whole thing is still well worth a viewing or six.
     
  6. Kirkman1987

    Kirkman1987 Commodore Commodore

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    This a great episode of television. Honestly they will all be great until mid season 2.

    My biggest question regarding this episode is not about the murder at all, but how a fish would come to be placed by accident in a coffee filter. :lol:

    It's interesting how this show is actually somewhat normal in the beginning, the next episode will amp up the weirdness, so this episode in retrospect is the calm before the storm. Not that it isn't exciting, it is.

    Leo is an ass, but he sure is entertaining. Not to give too much away, but I feel the show loses some of that menace later on, and it hurts the series. Also remember that Twin Peaks is meant to be darkly comic, and Leo can be hilarious at times. He's just so awful it's funny.

    I always thought Bobby's father, Major Briggs comes off much harsher in this episode than he would in later episodes. He becomes more thoughtful and likeable as the show wears on.

    Anyway, Glad to see you are back to the reviews Joe. I'm happy to see another's thoughts on one of a favorite shows. Really look forward to the next episode, one of greatest.
     
  7. Joe Washington

    Joe Washington Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    1x03 “Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer”

    “Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer” has a little bit more of a focus on the Horne family which starts off with the episode opening with what would be perceived to be a normal family dinner in their household. But things on the Horne front get kicked into gear with the arrival of Uncle Jerry. I’ve learned from this episode and the one before it that Benjamin Horne is quite the manwhore and it seems like so is his brother, Jerry. I’ve also noticed once Jerry came into the picture, we get to see the side of Benjamin’s personality that’s relaxed and acts like something of a partying bad boy. Maybe that says something about his past prior to him becoming a successful businessman. And I’m getting this feeling that Jerry’s life expectancy won’t run long on the show.

    I love the developing romance between James and Donna. It’s sweet and it looks like those two may be meant to be which is why it pains me to say that a part of me fears for the worst for them. It’s just that feeling of mine.

    The visit to One-Eye Jack’s is a bit of an eye-opener to Twin Peaks’ not-so-seedy underworld that lies beneath the surface of this seemingly quaint town. I’m wondering how much of a role this place is going to have in the story of the show, especially after Cooper finds a mysterious message left in front of his door hinting that One-Eye Jack's may have a connection to what happened to Laura.

    I have never seen anything like Cooper’s Tibet method in all my life and watching it being performed was really something. I can tell by the look on Truman’s face that he can’t tell if Cooper’s plain crazy or strangely brilliant. But with Cooper being more or so right about this case so far, I can understand Truman being willing to go along with all this weird stuff as long as it yields results on the solving of Laura’s murder.

    I think Bobby may actually love Shelly by the way he reacted to her abuse at Leo’s hand. But I’ve been noticing the show’s tendency to show us one thing only to hit us with another so there could be a hidden layer to Bobby’s affections for Shelly. Speaking of unexpected twists, it turns out Bobby and Mike are very involved with Leo’s drug-smuggling business. But I don’t know if they’re buying drugs for personal use or if they have some kind kind of arrangement with Leo in which they sell drugs to the students of their high school and give Leo the money they received for selling the drugs only to be given more drugs to sell. And in the scene when Bobby and Mike secretly meet Leo in the woods, there was someone hiding behind a tree in the dark. Who is it? Does he or she work with Leo or does Leo work for him or her? Is this shadowy individual this Renault character Ed was talking about last episode?

    Audrey is quite an enigma. You don’t know if she truly cares about anyone or not by the way she casually switches from the subject of Laura to the diner music like Laura never existed before. Half of the time, she acts like she’s high off some drug. I think Audrey suspects an affair was going on between Laura and her father which I wouldn’t find surprising with Laura’s troubled personality and Ben’s womanizing ways. Though parts of the Audrey characters are confusing to me like the Bobby character, I do love her dancing to the diner music in a trance-like state. It felt like something out of a soothing dream.

    Cooper’s expert Albert is a prick. Truman wants to hit him already and he’s only known him for a minute. Even the delightful Lucy doesn’t like him which she expresses by sticking out her tongue at him behind his back. Cooper keeps on giving his happy smile, apparently having great confidence in Albert’s abilities as a forensic expert and not in his hardly functioning social skills. Ed’s one-eyed wife Nadine is crazy as always, surprisingly strong, and finally accomplished her desired goal of creating her perfectly soundless drape runners. Now that she’s done this, I wonder what she’ll obsess about next. Good old boy Pete is helping Josie uncover possible embezzlment and his hell of a marriage with Catherine continues (No wonder they sleep in separate rooms!). What did Pete saw in her when they first met which would have compelled him to marry her? Was marrying her even his idea?

    Leland’s dance with a framed photo of his daughter was to me creepy and disturbing. To say he was handling his grief over his daughter’s death badly would be an understatement. I feel there’s something more to it. Maybe guilt. I’m suspecting that guilt may have had something to do with him possibly having sex with his daughter which would have contributed to Laura’s downward spiral.

    For those of you wondering why a show like Twin Peaks is being discussed on the Science Fiction & Fantasy forum, I suggest you watch the ending of this episode which is when the show’s supernatural elements really begin to come into play. All I’ll say about it without spoiling the experience for you all is that Cooper’s dream is one out-there moment of the show that’s both surreal and thought-provoking. Not as mind-blowing as Laura Means’ breakdown in the Millennium Season 2 finale but close.
     
  8. jefferiestubes8

    jefferiestubes8 Commodore Commodore

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    Twin Peaks series


    It was said on the audio commentary on the DVDs if I remember right that David Lynch really put everything into the first 6 episodes of season 1 and also came back with full force for the finale episode of season 2.
    He got weighed down with the pressures of creating a weekly show and pulled way back creatively after that 6th episode. So that's like making 2 feature films back-to-back (about 260 minutes of running time) with his intensity.


    also
    http://www.teevee.net/2002/10/
     
  9. Kirkman1987

    Kirkman1987 Commodore Commodore

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    One of the best in the series. They're all great in the first season, but the iconic dream sequence and Tibet rock throwing scene, along with the introduction of Albert push this one very far.

    Albert was a lot of fun in the series. The show before this episode was desperately needing someone with a bit of witty cynicism and edge.

    The Dream Sequence is one of the strangest things to air on television, and I know when I first saw it my mind was blown.
     
  10. Joe Washington

    Joe Washington Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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  11. sidious618

    sidious618 Admiral Admiral

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    Terrified me, too.
     
  12. nevermore

    nevermore Admiral Admiral

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    That pretty much sums up Lynchianism in general, doesn't it? :lol:
     
  13. J.T.B.

    J.T.B. Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I was 20 years old in 1990, but I don't mind saying, when Sarah Palmer first saw Bob lurking at the end of the bed (or was it a couch?) it really gave me the chills.

    So much tv has passed under the bridge since then, it's hard to remember how far-out it was and how it knocked everybody out. I remember newspapers having Twin Peaks guides with diagrams connecting all the characters. David Lynch was on the cover of Time.

    Also, re-watching the series a year or so ago I realized that was the last thing Hank Worden ever did, God bless him. Also, I'm pretty sure that when James and Donna listen to "blues" on the jukebox it's LA roots-rock stalwart Dave Alvin on guitar, but I haven't found any confirmation on that.

    --Justin
     
  14. Steve Roby

    Steve Roby Rear Admiral Premium Member

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    I was at least 30 when I first saw it, in the mid-'90s, and in my mid-40s the most recent time I saw it, but that scene has given me the chills each time I've seen it.
     
  15. Joe Washington

    Joe Washington Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    1x04 “Rest in Pain”

    I knew it when Cooper said he knew who killed Laura at the end of last episode that it was too good to be true, that it was more complicated than that. "Break the code, solve the crime." I don't think we'll be seeing the complete breaking of the code anytime soon.

    The flirtation between Cooper and Audrey continues and I’m not quite sure if Cooper’s really into her or is just indulging her in that area to communicate with her.

    The fight scene at the morgue I thought was bound to happen with Albert’s disrespectful attitude towards the people of Twin Peaks. I applaud Truman for punching him but while I understand where Truman, the doctor, and Horne were coming from with their desire to lay Laura to rest; I understood Albert’s point as well. If they are to catch Laura’s murderer, they need evidence and evidence from Laura’s body can prove to be the most crucial in bringing Laura’s murderer to justice. Tests on the body like that can only be done at a certain time before the body is buried.

    Laura Palmer’s funeral was one of the most emotional scenes of the series so far, nearly toe-to-toe with the scene when Laura’s parents realize that their daughter is dead. From Bobby’s speech to the townspeople that they all knew Laura was troubled and did nothing to save her to Laura’s father falling into the grave and grabbing hold of Laura’s coffin for dear life. It was an emotional mess all around.

    A part of Cooper’s Red Room dream is fulfilled when Laura’s cousin Madeleine enters the show possessing such a striking resemblance to Laura Palmer that you would think it was Laura herself in disguise. I remember in Cooper’s dream, the dwarf saying that dream Laura was his cousin and asking Cooper if she looks exactly like Laura.

    I’m wondering if there’s something up with Twin Peaks’ show-within-show Invitation to Love, if it has a connection with what’s going on in the show. Like the Black Freighter comic in Watchmen, which started out as something unimportant but after reading the rest of the story, you begin to put the pieces together.

    Cooper’s relationship with the people of Twin Peaks continues to strengthen. He refuses to help Albert file a complaint against Truman for punching him. He thinks about living in Twin Peaks after his investigation is over and then attends Laura’s funeral even though he never had the chance to know her personally before her death. The biggest development in Cooper’s developing relationship with the townspeople is when he’s introduced to the Bookhouse Boys. The Bookhouse Boys are a secret society whose members have sworn to protect Twin Peaks from people like drug dealer Jacques Renault who’s selling drugs to high school kids with the help of Lee Johnson, Bobby, and Mike. The Bookhouse Boys are like the Others of Twin Peaks with the town taking the place of the Island. They are aware that Twin Peaks is different from any other place on Earth and that there’s an ancient dark presence in the old woods which is the cost of all the good things Twin Peaks has. Could this dark presence be the Bob from Cooper’s dream?

    Catherine is evil and conniving as always, thinking two steps ahead of Pete and Josie just when they thought they finally had proof something was wrong with the mill’s finances.

    Dr. Jacoby’s visit to Laura’s grave makes me wonder how close he and Laura really were.

    Shelly has a gun. Does she plan on using it to protect herself from Lee?

    The romance between Truman and Josie feels flat in chemistry to me though I’m happy Truman has someone to go home to at the end of the day.

    Hank’s talk about a person having more than a soul is beautifully thought-provoking and Leland’s unraveling starting with last episode is terribly tragic. I would think Laura’s mother would have gotten this bad by now but somehow she still possesses a somewhat stable state of mind.

    On another note, has anyone noticed that the Bob and Mike from Cooper’s dream have the exact same names as Bobby Briggs and his friend Mike? Is it a coincidence or is there some significance to it?
     
  16. Joe Washington

    Joe Washington Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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  17. Kirkman1987

    Kirkman1987 Commodore Commodore

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    Speaking of Twin Peaks, I'm having a good time playing Deadly Premonition right now on Xbox 360 right now. Some of you may remember it when it was know as Rainy Woods, and was actually delayed for too closely resembling Twin Peaks.

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EbbhwO7pRHA[/yt]

    Utter Theft, but the game was changed a bit, and has finally been released. I reccomend it for anyone wanting a fun Peaks like story, but the gameplay is a bit rough. It is a budget title though, so the investment is small.

    It really has the quirky touch though, and an awesome soundtrack :lol:

    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8sDacMDYtk&feature=related[/yt]
     
  18. Davros

    Davros Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I would say Twin Peaks was possibly the most artistic show ever to reach prime time network television.
     
  19. Mallet

    Mallet Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    A little late to the discussion, but I have been giving some thought to the order on how to watch TP since I'm going to watch it again soon with my girlfriend (her first time).

    I am thinking that maybe we should start by watching the first act of Fire Walk With Me (the Chet Desmond, Sam Stanly part and the murder of Teressa Banks (since it takes place a full year before the series starts)) then stop the film and switch to the tv series. After the tv series is over we can go back and finish watching the movie (the last seven days of Laura Palmer).

    What do people think of that plan? It's probably the closest way to watch it in chronological order, without giving away all of the spoilers that are in the last half of Fire Walk With Me.
     
  20. Joe Washington

    Joe Washington Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Good idea but I rather stick with the plan I have going now: watch the entire series, then the movie.