Episode 4
Posted: Mon Feb 09, 2015 2:11 pm
I've heard a lot of people remark that it feels like a "filler" episode, marking time between the dramatic first arc (leading up to Laura's funeral, in which Cooper gets to know the town) and the second (in which, Laura in the ground, the individual investigations and storylines hit full blast and we zoom toward the finish). I wouldn't say that - to me it belongs to the second arc pretty tightly (Donna/James invite Maddy in, Cooper investigates the one-armed man, Audrey hatches her OEJ plan) but even so, that quieter quality is something I kind of like about it. There's a nice sense of relaxation in which we're really able to sink into Twin Peaks' world while slowly moving forward into the mystery instead of just gazing it impenetrably (though that can be fun too - but by the end of ep. 3, I always feel this itch of "c'mon, let's start looking for clues!" which is of course what they're going for with all the build-up of grief/guilt/malaise).
I love Tim Hunter's stylistic touches here too, which feel wonderfully "cinematic." This may be my favorite direction of season 1 next to Lynch - it's got a pronounced style without going too far over-the-top. Funny thing is, I don't care much for his work in season 2 even though ep. 16 & 28 are fan favorites (well, 16 anyway, although I've heard 28 praised too). I think he's better at handling a moody, relaxed story like this than attempting to build up to some grand climax. I also like Engels' work on the script - it has a very Howard Hawksian feel to it, and like Hawks he pulls off a relaxed camaraderie with both the guys and the gals: the shooting range scene and the high school bathroom are both gems. I particularly love Donna's and Audrey's tense repartee and wish they had more scenes together though the reasons they didn't seem obvious enough.
It's a pity - and kind of odd - that whenever he is interviewed (at least that I've read) Engels talks mostly about the goofy sci-fi stuff like planets of creamed corn. He has a really nice touch with the human drama (and comedy) on his TP outings. I remember when I aligned which episodes he wrote with the fact that he'd co-written FWWM, it made sense to me: Engels episodes always seem to dig into the high school characters' relationship with Laura. I always wonder if these sort of things are coincidental or if different writers got different episodes/characters/stories based on their strengths (Brad mentioned that Peyton and Engels were probably assigned different parts of the scripts they co-wrote; that said, they were obviously both adept at picking up different threads).
Anyway, I've been writing these episode responses after watching the episodes in question, but this one has been extemporaneous because my ep. 4 disc is having trouble at the moment. Maybe I'll go back and watch the parts I can; this discussion has certainly whet my appetite.
I love Tim Hunter's stylistic touches here too, which feel wonderfully "cinematic." This may be my favorite direction of season 1 next to Lynch - it's got a pronounced style without going too far over-the-top. Funny thing is, I don't care much for his work in season 2 even though ep. 16 & 28 are fan favorites (well, 16 anyway, although I've heard 28 praised too). I think he's better at handling a moody, relaxed story like this than attempting to build up to some grand climax. I also like Engels' work on the script - it has a very Howard Hawksian feel to it, and like Hawks he pulls off a relaxed camaraderie with both the guys and the gals: the shooting range scene and the high school bathroom are both gems. I particularly love Donna's and Audrey's tense repartee and wish they had more scenes together though the reasons they didn't seem obvious enough.
It's a pity - and kind of odd - that whenever he is interviewed (at least that I've read) Engels talks mostly about the goofy sci-fi stuff like planets of creamed corn. He has a really nice touch with the human drama (and comedy) on his TP outings. I remember when I aligned which episodes he wrote with the fact that he'd co-written FWWM, it made sense to me: Engels episodes always seem to dig into the high school characters' relationship with Laura. I always wonder if these sort of things are coincidental or if different writers got different episodes/characters/stories based on their strengths (Brad mentioned that Peyton and Engels were probably assigned different parts of the scripts they co-wrote; that said, they were obviously both adept at picking up different threads).
Anyway, I've been writing these episode responses after watching the episodes in question, but this one has been extemporaneous because my ep. 4 disc is having trouble at the moment. Maybe I'll go back and watch the parts I can; this discussion has certainly whet my appetite.