Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

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Ygdrasel
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

Post by Ygdrasel »

I must be a lesser fan than all of you because aside from obvious Lynch-involved episodes like the finale, I don't know who directed what. :lol:
Twin Peaks has layers, man. Twin Peaks is an onion. 8)
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OK,Bob
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

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Episode 14 and the Pilot are tops on my list. Followed by Lynch's other directorial contributions.

Despite some of the plot elements involved, I really, really enjoy the feel of Stephen Gyllenhaal's Episode 27 - from the palpable tension of the opening scene to the exquisite montage at the end.

The series hits an embarrassing low, in my opinion, at Episodes 21 & 22. The former - courtesy Scott Frost and Uli Edel - exhibits the worst execution of the worst storylines; the latter's direction by Ms. Keaton feels like an accidental mockery by someone who just doesn't get it.
Last edited by OK,Bob on Sun Feb 08, 2015 10:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

Post by OK,Bob »

P.S. Note that to-date we have only seen approximately 4.5 hours of Twin Peaks explicitly written by Frost or Frost & Lynch, and directed by Lynch (the Pilot and Episodes 2, 8 and 14). Just bask in the knowledge that we have 9 more hours of that caliber Peaks to look forward to!
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Ygdrasel
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

Post by Ygdrasel »

OK,Bob wrote:an accidental mockery by someone who just doesn't get it.
Oh, that's unfortunate...

If you'd like a 'mockery' that does get it, Psych did a pretty great Twin Peaks send-up. :)
Twin Peaks has layers, man. Twin Peaks is an onion. 8)
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OK,Bob
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

Post by OK,Bob »

Ygdrasel wrote:If you'd like a 'mockery' that does get it, Psych did a pretty great Twin Peaks send-up. :)
Yes - the Dual Spires episode is plenty fun. ;-) "...a little something to hold us over until Showtime [2016]."

At the 27-second mark: http://youtu.be/ID15ASgv3aU
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Ygdrasel
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

Post by Ygdrasel »

OK,Bob wrote:
Ygdrasel wrote:If you'd like a 'mockery' that does get it, Psych did a pretty great Twin Peaks send-up. :)
Yes - the Dual Spires episode is plenty fun. ;-) "...a little something to hold us over until Showtime [2016]."

At the 27-second mark: http://youtu.be/ID15ASgv3aU
...Nice. :lol: I actually only recently started watching Psych. The Dual Spires episode was just a long-ago random dip in the pool extending from the Peaks bug. I'd love to sit with James Roday and just ramble about Twin Peaks though. He's apparently the crazed fan who suggested 'Dual Spires'.

But back to topic: I really enjoy 5, 6 and 7 of season two in particular. They're put together nicely and some of the new stories are getting started, all with really good potential but before things got too silly or failed to pay off.
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

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Fun topic. Here are my five favorite non-Lynch episodes in order (favorite on top) with a little write-up on each.

Episode 27 (Stephen Gyllenhaal): This is far and away my favorite non-Lynch episode and one which did a lot to cement my love for Twin Peaks. After the previous few hours – which are really relatively positive and upbeat – 27 is where dark storm clouds start gathering on the horizon, imparting a vague and subtle yet palpable sense of dread which weaves its way consummately through the material at hand. There are so many great moments here: the shaky hands, the appearances of the Giant and Bob, the foreboding empty corridors, the fleeting shots of Pete and Ben at the Great Northern, the image of the mountain sheep when Andrew Packard strikes the puzzle box, the use of unique settings like the attic and the airport, the Windom “dugpa” tape, and one of my favorite scenes in all of Twin Peaks, the slow pull-out in the diner with the dripping coffee which foreshadows the Black Lodge. Even the dullest subplots yield fruit - for example the Mayor’s description of Dick Tremayne as “British, or bohemian, or something”, a great little zinger which almost sounds like the show self-referencing or poking fun at its own lapses in character development. Gyllenhaal - or whoever is pulling the strings here - starts to reel in the weaker material much the way David Lynch later follows through in Episode 29, establishing a sublimely menacing tone in the lead up to the finale.

Episode 6 (Caleb Deschanel): Late Season 1 tends to run together for me but after a rewatch I found that almost all the stuff I really love is in Episode 6. In some ways a series of setups for Episode 7, to me that’s precisely part of the appeal since this instils an over-arching tone as Twin Peaks plunges into nighttime (where it will remain for the season). Many viewers may forget (as I had) how many famous and classic scenes were from Episode 6. Cooper’s “give yourself a present” speech, Leo shooting the mynah bird, Audrey smoking in the closet and tying the cherry stem all occur here. Then there are little things I rediscovered - a creepy shot of Leland sitting in the dark, an absurd realization that we’re watching “Ben and Jerry” eat ice cream (with Icelanders !) and one-liners like “these grapes are on the edge”, all are among the highlights. But what really sets this episode apart is Laura (“blonde” Maddy), James and Donna luring Dr. Jacoby to the gazebo. That sequence contains some of the most powerful and haunting imagery in Twin Peaks and feels like the thematic centerpiece of late Season 1.

Episode 13 (Lesli Linka Glatter): Like 27 and 6, 13 is the lead-up to a more acclaimed episode, and while I think this one lacks some of the consistency of those other two (Nadine’s storyline in particular is completely out of sync with the rest at this point), it possesses the same kind of tension and forward momentum. David Lynch’s on-screen presence - often misremembered as a sort of “comic relief” cameo - makes its debut here and really adds a lot to the show, in a role which is both cryptic and comical and which seems to signal Lynch’s own return to the fold as Lynchian/demonic “Mike” leads us towards the big reveal. And Al Strobel’s seething histrionics as Mike - probably what the episode is best-known for - constitute a brave performance which in retrospect might have gone over awkwardly had the very nature of the character not been so fascinatingly ambiguous. Twin Peaks on the whole was truly "fire walking" out on a limb at this point, with captivating results.

Episode 1 (Duwayne Dunham): Coasting along on the opposite sort of momentum as Episodes 27, 6 and 13, Twin Peaks first stretches its legs as "TV" in Episode 1. It feels like sort of a cheat to call this one non-Lynch as it is one of three consecutive episodes co-written by Lynch/Frost, and Dunham - though he does bring things down to earth with a less stylized approach - is essentially guest-directing. After the long post-Pilot hiatus, Episode 1 hits the ground running with remarkable continuity and drive while purposefully expanding the creative palette in a few key aspects, most memorably with the introduction of BOB (a total wildcard at this stage) and the compelling romantic angle between Audrey and Cooper. As for the "fish in the percolator", I don't know who came up with the idea but if that's not the funniest moment in the entire series then I don't know what is.

Episode 25 (Duwayne Dunham): I'd be going pretty far to call this episode "better" than say Episodes 4, 5, 7, 15, 16 or others missing from this list but I just have a soft spot for 25 and 24 both. What I love about this whole stretch is the narrative of failure/loss followed by convalescence, reflection and rebirth - notably Cooper's, Truman's, and Ben's - and the way this mirrors the re-emergence of the series itself from a 10-episode slump. The whole sequence starting with Cooper's "hangover cure", followed by my personal favorite Gordon scene (this is the one with the great lines about "Bend", "Bonsai", and "Boy-Yoy-Yoing") followed by Cooper's penguin joke at the diner, is exceptionally well-written. I also love Johnny Horne's yodelling in the background of Ben and Audrey's dialogue - again here it feels like the writers may poking some fun at an underdeveloped character. Then finally there's the Owl Cave sequence. This bit does feel somewhat ham-fisted on the first viewing, but David Lynch ultimately "rescues" Owl Cave later in Fire Walk With Me by acknowledging it and probing its mythology for something more enigmatic and profound. As a result 25 may actually be a better view after you've seen the film.

My other favorites are the ones I listed above: 4, 5, 7, 15, 16, 24. My favorite Lynch (easily) is the finale, 29.
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

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p-air wrote:Episode 27 (Stephen Gyllenhaal): This is far and away my favorite non-Lynch episode and one which did a lot to cement my love for Twin Peaks. After the previous few hours – which are really relatively positive and upbeat – 27 is where dark storm clouds start gathering on the horizon, imparting a vague and subtle yet palpable sense of dread which weaves its way consummately through the material at hand. There are so many great moments here: the shaky hands, the appearances of the Giant and Bob, the foreboding empty corridors, the fleeting shots of Pete and Ben at the Great Northern, the image of the mountain sheep when Andrew Packard strikes the puzzle box, the use of unique settings like the attic and the airport, the Windom “dugpa” tape, and one of my favorite scenes in all of Twin Peaks, the slow pull-out in the diner with the dripping coffee which foreshadows the Black Lodge. Even the dullest subplots yield fruit - for example the Mayor’s description of Dick Tremayne as “British, or bohemian, or something”, a great little zinger which almost sounds like the show self-referencing or poking fun at its own lapses in character development. Gyllenhaal - or whoever is pulling the strings here - starts to reel in the weaker material much the way David Lynch later follows through in Episode 29, establishing a sublimely menacing tone in the lead up to the finale.
Wholly agree. The shot of the mountain goat after Andrew swings the rolling pin is spectacularly unsettling. One of the many great touches within 27. David Lynch reportedly commended Gyllenhaal for having his "thinking cap on" for this one....
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

Post by harmolodic »

OK,Bob wrote:
Ygdrasel wrote:If you'd like a 'mockery' that does get it, Psych did a pretty great Twin Peaks send-up. :)
Yes - the Dual Spires episode is plenty fun. ;-) "...a little something to hold us over until Showtime [2016]."

At the 27-second mark: http://youtu.be/ID15ASgv3aU
Holy crap. That's insane! He even has a knowing look on his face when he says it....
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

Post by LostInTheMovies »

p-air wrote:Fun topic. Here are my five favorite non-Lynch episodes in order (favorite on top) with a little write-up on each...
Loved reading these. You should check out the "Episodes" forum at the top of the "World of Blue" page. We've been discussing a lot of these episodes in there - in fact I just re-watched episodes 1, 6, and 13 (among others) and started threads on them.

Interesting to see you have a soft spot for episode 24 - so do I. I almost can't explain but like you say, there's just an instinctive feeling of "comeback" to it, like taking a deep breath of fresh air after being locked in a stuffy room.
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

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OK,Bob wrote:The shot of the mountain goat after Andrew swings the rolling pin is spectacularly unsettling.
Yes... at the risk of reading too much into this brief flourish, the mountain sheep/goat works well for me as either a sort of white-haired "spirit animal" of Andrew's, an omen of death, or both.
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

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OK,Bob wrote:Despite some of the plot elements involved, I really, really enjoy the feel of Stephen Gyllenhaal's Episode 27 - from the palpable tension of the opening scene to the exquisite montage at the end.
100% agree. One of the biggest problems of the show is a bunch of other directors, some of whom were very talented, trying to do imitation Lynch, a director who cannot be imitated very well in any real way. But having said that, of the Lynch imitators, Gyllenhaal does feel like he comes very close to the mark. I love the scene with Cooper & Annie in the Double R, and how the sound design is used and the verrry slow camera moves and how this sense of dread starts to build during a seemingly cute, innocent scene. Really great work, and I'm only sorry that he came into the series so late and couldn't have directed some earlier eps.

Other than Gyllenhaal, of the non-Lynch directors, I'd say Lesli Linka Glatter is consistently the best director on the show. Tim Hunter also does very strong work, even if his work does feel sort of like his own thing and not quite consistent with the style of the other episodes (esp. all the Dutch angles).
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

Post by BOB1 »

p-air, I like your list very much even if mine was much different. You make lots of great points and the way you've written brings images from those episodes back to my mind and that's really cool.

What's the funniest if not fish in the percolator? I don't know.. the agent Rosenflower scene? Nah, too easy a shot and too slapstick. The fish wins the prize, I guess!
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LostInTheMovies
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

Post by LostInTheMovies »

I have completed my out-of-order rewatch from least favorite to favorite episode, with short reviews/comments on each episode here on dugpa. Here's the full list (I changed the order since last ranking them on this thread) with links to dugpa posts:

1. Episode 29 (“Beyond Life and Death”/season 2 finale)
2. Episode 14 (“Lonely Souls”/reveal)
3. Episode 2 (“Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer”/Red Room)
4. Episode 9 (“Coma”)
5. The Pilot
6. Episode 8 (“May the Giant Be With You”/season 2 premiere)
7. Episode 6 (“Realization Time”)
8. Episode 13 (“Demons”)
9. Episode 5 (“Cooper’s Dreams”)
10. Episode 4 (“The One-Armed Man”)
11. Episode 12 (“The Orchid’s Curse”)
12. Episode 7 (“The Last Evening”/season 1 finale)
13. Episode 3 (“Rest in Pain”/funeral)
14. Episode 10 (“The Man Behind Glass”)
15. Episode 25 (“On the Wings of Love”/Gordon in the diner)
16. Episode 16 (“Arbitrary Law”/resolution of mystery)
17. Episode 1 (“Traces to Nowhere”)
18. Episode 15 (“Drive with a Dead Girl”)
19. Episode 11 (“Laura’s Secret Diary”)
20. Episode 27 (“The Path to the Black Lodge”)
21. Episode 26 (“Variations on Relations”)
22. Episode 24 (“Wounds and Scars”)
23. Episode 18 (“Masked Ball”)
24. Episode 20 (“Checkmate”)
25. Episode 23 (“The Condemned Woman”)
26. Episode 19 (“The Black Widow”)
27. Episode 17 (“Dispute Between Brothers”)
28. Episode 28 (“Miss Twin Peaks”)
29. Episode 22 (“Slaves and Masters”)
30. Episode 21 (“Double Play”)

What are YOUR rankings? I'd love to read some other rewatches using this method (or any rewatch/recaps in general, really).
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Re: Favorite episodes (and directors) of Twin Peaks

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My favourite episode probably is the premiere of the second season.
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