Where (and when and who) were you when you found TP?

[LostInTheMovies]

Here are the two alt.tv posts I mentioned:

Barb Miller, 9/1/90

"Just to see if I can get some talk going here, I would like to say something about the White Lodge/Black Lodge story that built up after the death of Leland. While I would not make a statement that "they should have ended the series after Leland's death", I do remember thinking when it became clear that they were going to focus on the Lodges that the show was in over its head, and for me that story never had the epic sense that a story like that has in some of the literature and mythology which has also treated it.

I realize I risk being flamed unmercifully, so I am trying to tread carefully here. I don't really have time to carefully analyze just why it might have fallen short for me, but a few possibilities include:

1. That there was not a single writer or perhaps even a strong individual creative vision by that time which could carry the theme through.

2. That Lynch's talent for showing quirky characters and bizarre everyday details of life fit much better into showing how all the members of a small town could be tied in with the death of its homecoming queen than into an epic and rather abstract story like the Lodges.

3. That it was never clear whether the Lodges were psychological (the confrontation of the Dream Souls), spiritual (concentrating on the Souls rather than the Dream), or moral (basic good/evil dichotomy), so it never could completely treat any of these.

4. (Discussed earlier on the net) That showing so much of Windom Earle to the audience in some way diminished his power, compared with BOB, who remained a mystery all the way through.

5. That I almost never watch TV so I am not able to really evaluate the medium realistically--there may have been things going on that I missed because I have more of a literary and psychological approach to things than is perhaps appropriate for TV.

6. That the subplots didn't fit in as well with the main Lodge story as the earlier subplots fit with the Laura Palmer story. (i.e. it was easier to see Harold Smith or One-Eyed Jack's in the context of "there is a dark and mysterious side to this seemingly idyllic small town" than to accept Little Nicky or Evelyn Marsh or Audrey's love affair as being intimately tied in with the Black Lodge or White Lodge) Anyway, I would very much like to hear what other people think of this. What did people particularly like about the Lodge story? I should hasten to point out that I watched Twin Peaks with interest through to the end, and I was very glad that they were even ATTEMPTING such a theme. But I'm trying to figure out why it is that I feel as though it never quite managed to live up to the theme's possibilities in the way that it brilliantly treated the murder."

Joe Zitt, 8/30/90

"- The most obvious thing not in the movie? The Black/White Lodge. My guess? That was not part of the original conception, and, like almost everything else after episode 2009, was tacked on to extend things. The movie got rid of the Plotburger Helper and got back in focus. (Actually, I think Annie mentioned the Lodge. That was a hook to what I think will be another movie, where they try to reintegrate the show.)"

[Sid]

If I remember correctly I perceived the Lodges as a totally different plotline until episode 26 when they discovered the petroglyph.
The tall man (Giant) and the little man (LMFOP) stood out to me.
I recorded each episode on vhs and froze the picture to study it in good old "Andy-Style"

Maybe if they hadn't shown BOB and the LMFAP after Josies death I wouldn't have made that connection though.

After so many years of rewatching, reading and talking about TP it is really hard to remeber my inicial thoughts and feelings about each aspect of the show. But I do remember that I was pulled into this world in a way I never was before regarding anything that was on tv.

[UnderTheSycamores]

Going to guess around junior or senior year of high school, so around 01/02. A friend recommended FWWM to me as an oddity, he didn't know there was a show connected to it, and neither did I so I went in blind wondering who the hell all the characters were

The imagery fascinated me though and truly hadn't seen anything like it before. Only introduction to Lynch prior was Blue Velvet but this is what really set me off on seeking out his full catalog, even went to Scarecrow Video in Seattle and put down a three hundo desposit on their only copy of Eraserhead to see it, that was before the dvd reissue obv.

If anything seeing FWWM first made me more fascinated in the world due to its darker tone and more abstract emphasis on the paranormal aspects of the world. Maybe not the ideal setup for others but it certainly gave me exploration of the show proper an interesting perspective. All these years later I'm still in love with it

[Valaquen]

Back in 2003 the UK's Channel 4 showed a special called "100 Scariest Moments" which covered film and TV. Twin Peaks came in at no. 21, and the clips they discussed was Cooper thrusting his head into the mirror, revealing Bob. Well, I decided I wanted to watch it, but back then there were no DVD sets available and downloading movies was an impossibility (certainly through a dial-up connection in a pre-Torrent age) and there were no channels showing it either.

So, I had to quite a few years until I was able to see the series on US Netflix. Unfortunately, I'd never forgotten that image of Coop and Bob in the mirror, so the final surprise of the series was ruined for me. I think the first time through was quite hard: I'd seen Blue Velvet but hadn't quite adjusted to how raw and uncomfortable much of the pilot episode was -- most movies prefer crying and grief to look almost attractive, but Lynch just went for the nerve and showed it in all its unrehearsed and guttural reality. That, and much of the humour was lost on me (why was it so soapish? was it deliberately hammy?) and I couldn't wrap my head around it until I rewatched Blue Velvet and then proceeded with the first episode of Twin Peaks. That, coupled with Lynch's second episode, sealed the deal. There was certainly a learning curve, but it's one I'm so happy to have taken.

I've actually only watched the entire series once. My first rewatch stopped at Leland's death and hopped right to the finale, as did my most recent rewatch -- when time is so precious, I can't bring myself to watch those middling episodes, but I suspect I'll come around for a re-evaluation sometime. I think I've seen more of FWWM (which I finally managed to see last year circa The Entire Mystery's release) than the series!

[Framed_Angel]

I was just out of college and my new roommates sharing a flat w/ me had begun watching Season 2 after getting hooked on #1. I'd missed the whole thing while in transition from school. But apparently ABC was re-broadcasting S1 that fall, because I remember joining the roomies to watch whenever I could. They provided background for me to fill in the gaps, but I found the characters easy to get into, it was almost as if the story/ whodunit served the characters more than the other way around! Most vividly recalled impression at the time was with certain scenes:

- Audrey tying the cherry stem in a knot w/ her tongue;
- Ben Horne's flamboyant habit of hand gesturing while talking
- Piper Laurie's seeming understated but brilliant portrayal of Catherine
- Laura's mom bringing over-the-top dramatics to her brief scenes
- Lovebirds Shelley & Bobby and Leo's effective menace
- The sleaziness of the roadhouse scenes and seeming incongruity of Julee Cruse's luminous music w/ that backdrop

And of course Dale Cooper's chemistry with Sheriff Truman, zany Lucy & Andy..
I was thrilled to see Piper Laurie in prime time, I was a huge Carrie fan. I'd seen Zabriskie in bit roles like Private Idaho and loved her face. And when I learned eventually Mark Frost was co-creator and his ties with Hill St. Blues, it made sense how I was able to keep up with all these TP characters, for I'd loved HStB as a kid!

What didn't make sense, though, tended to frustrate me. I didn't appreciate "Diane" for the show's non-priority of explaining who she might be. I laughed each time the show revealed ANOTHER "Laura" connection with a possible suspect in her murder, for it grew to nearly impossible length the list of her extracurriculars: tutoring Josie in English, helping with Johnny's rehab, driving for Meals on Wheels. I was like, "REALLY?? Ok!"

But after viewing it again over the years I learned what experiencing this unique drama/ comedy entails: suspending disbelief at times because you suspect TP's creators were embedding an in-joke for laughs themselves; at other times because Lynch seems to want to encourage us to savor the mystery. Unanswered questions like Diane's identity can be managed if one lets go of the need-to-know and indulges lots of "Why" and "What if"~