Episode 1

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Harry Dean Lynch
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Re: Episode 1

Post by Harry Dean Lynch »

LostInTheMovies wrote:I really enjoy watching this episode; everything is still so fresh and it's fascinating to see the writers and actors adapt what by all rights should have been one-off experimental "pilot" into something ongoing. Watching this episode is like catching a whiff of when we first fell in love with Twin Peaks ourselves. That said, it's also probably the weakest season 1 episode (I used to feel that way about ep. 3 but it's grown on me).

It coasts quite a bit on the pilot without truly busting upon any new doors, the way the next episode will. And as mentioned in the ep. 18 thread, Duwayne Dunham just isn't great with atmosphere. There are some striking shots - like the one-armed man entering the blue room - but, other than that sizzling long take of Audrey dancing and maybe that first pan across Cooper's room, nothing much interesting in the way of camerawork. This is definitely the least stylish episode of season 1 (by comparison, Rathborne's and especially Deschanel's episodes has a very lush lighting/colors, Hunter is far more adventurous with lens and composition, and Glatter and Frost craft striking scene transitions/openings). Most of these scenes are just characters talking, without much going on visually.

That said, what the episode has going for it is precisely that: character. Many of the people just barely established in pilot really get fleshed out in this installment. We barely glimpse Leo - I think he had one 90-second scene - in the pilot whereas he emerges as the major villain in episode 1, and Audrey also transforms from a purely vixenish sex kitten (with almost no dialogue) to a more deeply developed individual (her relationship with her father and romance with Cooper emerge only in this episode). This is true across the cast but those are the two most notable examples. Of course this episode also has more quotable dialogue than any other. I do find myself wondering how much Lynch really contributed to the script, even though he's equally credited with Frost. It feels much more like a Frost episode, as does the next one (whose most Lynchian qualities - the dream sequence, Audrey in the diner - were improvised and not in the script).

The transition from the pilot to this episode fascinates me for a number of reasons but they can all essentially boiled down to the idea that Twin Peaks is now officially becoming a TV series with one foot in the strange, moody world of the pilot, the other in the demands of ongoing serialized storytelling. This is honestly one of the things that keeps me coming back to Twin Peaks over and over again, that both excites and, at times (especially in the second season), frustrates me: that Twin Peaks is divided in this way. I love stuff that's hard to pin down and that Twin Peaks can be at once a genuine nineties soap opera, an absorbing mystery yarn, an eccentric postmodern pastiche, a surreal experiment in mood and atmosphere, AND a truly deep and thematically profound work of art makes it more fascinating to me than if it was just any one of those things.

Episode 1 is where we see the humor emerge in a much more casual, engaging way than the pilot (where it is more aloof/tricky, we always kind of catch ourselves while we're laughing). Cooper seems more relaxed and personable, cementing his status as our beloved hero. And we also start to get the sense that maybe everyone in town isn't totally suspicious: we're beginning to trust certain characters (although not TOO much, there's still a thrilling intangibility/possibility to the whodunit).

Additional thoughts:

- It doesn't seem like they've figured out how to incorporate Laura as an actual screen presence. James' flashback feels jarring in the full context of the show, which usually emphasizes intangible memories of Laura, just out of reach, rather than easily recalling her. (If I'm not mistaken, this is the ONLY flashback in the entire series, unless you count Cooper's dream re-emerging in ep. 3 & 16 - and it's certainly the only time we go back to witness something we didn't see the first time around.) And of course the gauzy, goofy quality of the flashback feels somewhat dissonant though many have interpreted this as James' own dopey take on "reality." It's kind of jolting to realize that Sheryl Lee actually played pre-murder Laura this long before Fire Walk With Me. If nothing else, I'm glad this scene exists just because it makes such a fascinating juxtaposition.

- On that same note, the whole "Help me" (Laura's slo-mo voice over the video flashback) thing feels unusually on-the-nose and further evidence that Lynch/Frost (and Dunham himself) really wanted to keep Laura "alive" in some sense but hadn't figured out how yet. I wonder when they came up with Maddy. Her appearance in ep. 3 does seem somewhat last-minute. Plus, the story goes that Lynch called Sheryl Lee in Seattle and said come on down, and she said I'm dead, and he said we'll figure something out. It seems like maybe they had committed to her before Maddy was fully developed? Dunno.

- If the girl in the window behind Ronette's parents was supposed to be Ronette, then it looks like they re-cast her as well as her dad (and Johnny Horne, if we want to jump families). Which I guess makes more sense than flying an actress down from Seattle for background extra work. This hammers home the idea that they thought they were done with her character. I knew that our glimpse of Phoebe Augustine in ep. 8 was our first in a while, but I never realized that she had ONLY appeared in the pilot up to that point! It really emphasizes how important it was for Lynch to continually touch base with the pilot; it seems like he always gets a lot of flack for being "random" but not enough credit for keeping his eye on that ball in a way that others did not. It's also interesting to me because I consider Ronette to be an immensely important element in Laura's - and ultimately Twin Peaks' - narrative arc.

- Leland is really, really low-key in this episode. I've sometimes wondered if Lynch/Frost didn't solidify the idea of him being the killer until after the dancing-with-Laura's-portrait scene in ep. 2 (maybe even after it was shot, although this would mean they actually didn't know until season 1 had been completed, since Lynch shot ep. 2 out-of-sequence near the end of production). He really does seem like the conventional/sturdy husband figure here, the anchor for his hysterical wife, and not even in a sly bait-and-switch sort of way. Then again, notice how Leland rushes in IMMEDIATELY after Sarah has seen Bob...

- I've been speculating about how the rest of season 1 was charted out when this episode was written (I know that Frost has said the story arc was really tight going into production, but I wonder to what extent everything was outlined before the actual scriptwork began, especially since Lynch's timeframe was limited by Wild at Heart). But it's definitely clear that they are setting the groundwork for Cooper's dream already, what with the appearance of BOTH the one-armed man and Bob. How fascinating that even at this early stage, Mike is established a person in the real world while Bob only appears in visions. Which definitely suggests they had the whole Leland/Bob-killer thing already established in their minds.

- I wonder if/when it the Cooper/Josie romance was nixed. In this episode Cooper does not seem to be into her the way he was in the pilot (at least I didn't catch it) plus he's already flirting with Audrey. I know it was supposedly because MacLachlan and Chen didn't have chemistry but when/how was that determined?

- Many have noted that Laura's tape at the end is different from ep. 7 (in performance, if not actual dialogue). I like this version better - the other feels too campy. Not only is her delivery more convincing than the later one, we get to cut off before those godawful lines near the end of the tape: "You'd be history, man!" and "really lights my F-I-R-E..." I like that this episode pushes Leo so hard as a suspect, and then twists to consider Jacoby right at the end.
Yeah it never bothered me to be honest. Think it highlights that it is a flashback or at least some sort of dream or vision. Love the shot of her and Donna dancing on the video. How it highlights Laura's face like its frozen in time is very powerful.

Didn't know that about Cooper and Josie. Thanks for pointing it out. Yeah they made the right call. The extremes of Dale and Audrey is why they work so well together. And I think Harry is a much better fit for Josie.
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Re: Episode 1

Post by Harry Dean Lynch »

Audrey Horne wrote:I love this episode. While the pilot is filmed by a master, and compiled like a painter applies paint, the second episode has the confidence of a team of smart writers, directors, creators kicking off a show that they have mapped out for a seven episode stint. Here they are making a very polished television show.

The differences that you note most likely stem from the fact of time. Time between shooting a pilot that they never fully thought would be picked up, and getting a seven episode deal from the network.

Most likely it stemmed from getting the green light and Lynch and Frost mapping out the new plot points for this soap opera world. And with the advantage of now knowing their actors and their strength and what they're chemistry is with one another. As opposed to theorizing it all before on paper. They can now mold and shape the characters from the actors' strengths.

Note the difference in Cooper himself. In the pilot he has a slightly harder edge. His quirks are still there, but there is now a more playful whimsy to him that is enhanced and works even better.

Audrey and Shelly (formerly Shelley) are great examples of the time differences. Both actresses basically auditioning for the only ingenue role of Donna, Lynch and co. liked them and wanted them in the pilot, creating parts for them on the fly. Now with the advantage of time, Lynch and Frost could reevaluate their initial germ of an idea and now go full throttle with their box of toys. In the pilot, Lynch basically painted and experimented and in the end was able to establish the world. Now they could go to town (literally).

The opening sequence from Cooper hanging upside down dictating to Diane about the Kennedy's and Marilyn Monroe, to the wonderfully written Audrey breakfast scene, ending with Truman's gulp of the full donut might be the best sequence of events in the entire series. What a world!

So many fantastic moments here, where we are reintroduced to these characters with the security that the show in now confidentially being produced.

Beymer and Laurie are such pros and their chemistry is first rate. Such fun!

And we get the Briggs home life scene. The three of them orbiting in their own world. The cigarette in the meatloaf is priceless.

Fenn and Beymer also have great chemistry, and Audrey can go round for round with Ben.

Fish in the percolator!

Shelly and the bar of soap!

And this is where I loved the power of Laura. Laura exists through different people's perceptions of her.
James memory of her is fuzzy and warm and she is sickeningly sweet. That is his perception of her. She can never be defined because she is different to each and every person in the town. (which to me is why the character's power was lost in Fire Walk With Me because she became defined through first person point of view.)

If the pilot hooks the viewer, this one is important in reinforcing that we are in very capable hands!
Totally agree here. I mean if you think about it everyone in Twin Peaks has a link to Laura, and so many people have either loved her, or been obsessed with her in some form. Think they frame it as different people's experience or idea of Laura. Just like memory is anyway, it can often be unreliable or at least just one version or view point of someone. Think you may have a point about that power being lost in Fire Walk with Me too.
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Re: Episode 1

Post by Snailhead »

See, I don't see Fire Walk With Me that way. I agree that it was incredible early on the way Laura couldn't be defined and existed differently in people's minds, however with the focus straying too far from Laura in S2 took away her power, and FWWM re-asserted the power of her character by showing her side of things.
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Re: Episode 1

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This is a random question that will probably be left answered, but does anyone know if the album at the front of Dr Jacoby's record collection has ever been identified?
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Jonah
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Re: Episode 1

Post by Jonah »

Rewatched Episode 1. Not much to add. The comments on the first page of this thread are particularly excellent and insightful. It's a very good episode, interesting mix of cozy and menacing. Its narrative really expands out from the pilot and begins adding layers and storylines to a lot of elements that were established there, developing an overarching plot. A lot of really good stuff in this episode, but I think you would have really needed to see the Pilot to fully get into it and understand what's going on.

A couple of thoughts:

I think the flashback to Laura from Jame's POV was probably biased by his feelings and not an actual flashback--it feels almost too sweet to be a real memory of actual events.

The chemistry between Cooper and Audrey is great and the rapport between Cooper and Harry is great too.

ETA - One thing I wondered about: We see the shot of Cooper walking into the sheriff's station - when was this shot? I thought all on-location filming was done for the pilot episode, with only exteriors being used for subsequent shots and all the rest filmed in LA. So was this scene shot for the pilot?
(More about this here: http://www.dugpa.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 5&start=15)
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I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.
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Re: Episode 1

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Something I always think of when I watch this episode, but something that may be bloody obvious to even the casual viewer, is what exactly is the motive for Jacques spiking Ed's drink? Surely he wouldn't have had the foresight to suspect that a fight would break out any moment, or maybe it's just a vendetta? Is it knowledge of Ed's membership of the bookhouse boys, and therefore his involvement in attempting to bust the drug running operation that Jacques is involved in?

It's not exactly pertinent to the overall arc of the show, but it's something I always wonder when I re-watch this episode. Perhaps I'm missing something; I often do. :oops:
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Re: Episode 1

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hopesfall wrote:Something I always think of when I watch this episode, but something that may be bloody obvious to even the casual viewer, is what exactly is the motive for Jacques spiking Ed's drink? Surely he wouldn't have had the foresight to suspect that a fight would break out any moment, or maybe it's just a vendetta? Is it knowledge of Ed's membership of the bookhouse boys, and therefore his involvement in attempting to bust the drug running operation that Jacques is involved in?

It's not exactly pertinent to the overall arc of the show, but it's something I always wonder when I re-watch this episode. Perhaps I'm missing something; I often do. :oops:
I've never thought twice about that plot point -- but that is an interesting observation.

Reading into it now, my guess is that Big Ed wasn't drugged, but rather he was swooning so intensely over Norma that Bobby and Mike were easily able to fell him during the scuffle. And Big Ed attributed this all to Jacques' machinations, because it was simply easier to blame Jacques than to talk about his feelings with Sheriff Truman and the boys.

Yeah, it doesn't make a lot of sense For Jacques to drug him.
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Mr. Reindeer
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Re: Episode 1

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

Cappy wrote:
hopesfall wrote:Something I always think of when I watch this episode, but something that may be bloody obvious to even the casual viewer, is what exactly is the motive for Jacques spiking Ed's drink? Surely he wouldn't have had the foresight to suspect that a fight would break out any moment, or maybe it's just a vendetta? Is it knowledge of Ed's membership of the bookhouse boys, and therefore his involvement in attempting to bust the drug running operation that Jacques is involved in?

It's not exactly pertinent to the overall arc of the show, but it's something I always wonder when I re-watch this episode. Perhaps I'm missing something; I often do. :oops:
I've never thought twice about that plot point -- but that is an interesting observation.

Reading into it now, my guess is that Big Ed wasn't drugged, but rather he was swooning so intensely over Norma that Bobby and Mike were easily able to fell him during the scuffle. And Big Ed attributed this all to Jacques' machinations, because it was simply easier to blame Jacques than to talk about his feelings with Sheriff Truman and the boys.

Yeah, it doesn't make a lot of sense For Jacques to drug him.
If memory serves, he says he was there on a stakeout. Maybe Jacques was moving some merchandise that night and this was the easiest way to make sure Ed didn’t interfere?
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Cappy
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Re: Episode 1

Post by Cappy »

Mr. Reindeer wrote:
Cappy wrote:
hopesfall wrote:Something I always think of when I watch this episode, but something that may be bloody obvious to even the casual viewer, is what exactly is the motive for Jacques spiking Ed's drink? Surely he wouldn't have had the foresight to suspect that a fight would break out any moment, or maybe it's just a vendetta? Is it knowledge of Ed's membership of the bookhouse boys, and therefore his involvement in attempting to bust the drug running operation that Jacques is involved in?

It's not exactly pertinent to the overall arc of the show, but it's something I always wonder when I re-watch this episode. Perhaps I'm missing something; I often do. :oops:
I've never thought twice about that plot point -- but that is an interesting observation.

Reading into it now, my guess is that Big Ed wasn't drugged, but rather he was swooning so intensely over Norma that Bobby and Mike were easily able to fell him during the scuffle. And Big Ed attributed this all to Jacques' machinations, because it was simply easier to blame Jacques than to talk about his feelings with Sheriff Truman and the boys.

Yeah, it doesn't make a lot of sense For Jacques to drug him.
If memory serves, he says he was there on a stakeout. Maybe Jacques was moving some merchandise that night and this was the easiest way to make sure Ed didn’t interfere?

Yeah, it just seems like drugging someone at his place of legitimate work would be a surefire way to draw further scrutiny to his activities.

Then again, Jacques wasn't exactly a criminal mastermind.
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Re: Episode 1

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That “Help me” moment has always been one of the more confounding touches in this episode. I wonder whose decision that was. Dunham’s? Frost’s? It’s especially weird because the voice doesn’t seem to be Sheryl Lee. Maybe it was such a last minute choice she wasn’t available? But that doesn’t even make sense because the whole season’s edit was locked before anything aired, right? In a weird way, it almost makes more sense now post-P18, with Laura being lost between realities, although that obviously wasn’t the intent at the time. And whose perspective is that supposed to be from? Again, if it’s Cooper’s perspective, it fits with what we later learn of his misguided obsession with saving Laura, but the surrounding scenes don’t feature Cooper.

Audrey to Dale: “Do you like my ring?”

I really love the scene between Ben and Audrey. Beymer and Fenn are both SO good here, and I love that it plays in one continuous take. Beymer’s theatricality when he throws open the doors makes me laugh every time.

This episode’s edition of Dale’s Daily Diet:
— Breakfast at the Great Northern: a “damn fine cup of coffee” (he calls it “incredible” and one of the best he’s had in his life); two eggs over hard; bacon super crispy (“almost burned, cremate it”); and grapefruit juice (“as long as those grapefruits are freshly squeezed”)
— Coffee (“black as midnight on a moonless night”) at Blue Pine Lodge (“There was a fish in the percolator!”)
— Coffee at the Double R and three slices of cherry pie (which he calls incredible)

EDIT: Also worth noting that in a deleted scene from this episode, Lucy says that jelly donuts are Cooper’s favorite.
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Re: Episode 1

Post by AXX°N N. »

Mr. Reindeer wrote:That “Help me” moment has always been one of the more confounding touches in this episode. I wonder whose decision that was. Dunham’s? Frost’s? It’s especially weird because the voice doesn’t seem to be Sheryl Lee. Maybe it was such a last minute choice she wasn’t available? But that doesn’t even make sense because the whole season’s edit was locked before anything aired, right? In a weird way, it almost makes more sense now post-P18, with Laura being lost between realities, although that obviously wasn’t the intent at the time. And whose perspective is that supposed to be from? Again, if it’s Cooper’s perspective, it fits with what we later learn of his misguided obsession with saving Laura, but the surrounding scenes don’t feature Cooper.
It also now heavily invokes the scene where Cole sees an out-of-context Laura outside his hotel door.

Been enjoying your write-ups, btw!
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Re: Episode 1

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In the Donna/Eileen scene, Eileen is designing a poster when the scene starts. My notes say that a production document (presumably one of the documents in the Gold Box/Entire Mystery gallery) indicated this is a “Stop Ghostwood Now” poster (later seen in the Double R in many episodes). Interesting that Eileen is passionate about this cause in light of her history with Ben!
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Re: Episode 1

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A noticeable shift in tone watching this straight after the pilot. It's a lot warmer, the grief a lot less raw, the town more welcoming. A lot of the quotable dialogue shows up in this episode too. I was going to say it seemed a bit disappointing on this rewatch, but the entire episode seemed to fly by so it can't have been *that* disappointing.

A few observations that have likely been observed before:

Leo's red corvette visible in the background when Shelly puts the washing on.

That clearly isn't Phoebe Augustine in the hospital, and Ronette appears to have new parents too.

Hawk following the One Armed Man makes more sense when this episode follows the international version of the pilot. Coming after the broadcast pilot, it's not clear why he breaks off the Pulaski interview to follow him
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Re: Episode 1

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Henrys Hair wrote:A noticeable shift in tone watching this straight after the pilot. It's a lot warmer, the grief a lot less raw, the town more welcoming. A lot of the quotable dialogue shows up in this episode too. I was going to say it seemed a bit disappointing on this rewatch, but the entire episode seemed to fly by so it can't have been *that* disappointing.

A few observations that have likely been observed before:

Leo's red corvette visible in the background when Shelly puts the washing on.

That clearly isn't Phoebe Augustine in the hospital, and Ronette appears to have new parents too.

Hawk following the One Armed Man makes more sense when this episode follows the international version of the pilot. Coming after the broadcast pilot, it's not clear why he breaks off the Pulaski interview to follow him
I tend to find this perhaps the least interesting and most “workmanlike” episode of the first season. It has some great moments, but it doesn’t really have its own “flavor” the way the other S1 episodes do.

In regards to Hawk following Gerard, I wrote this in the Ep 2 thread awhile ago:

“There’s something comically ableist (and very much of its time) in everyone just immediately assuming the one-armed man is in some way sinister solely because he’s deformed! “There was a one-armed man.” Immediate response: “Did you question him?” :lol: And then Cooper instructs Hawk to beef up Ronette’s guard. Ohhh, 1990.”
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Re: Episode 1

Post by Henrys Hair »

Mr. Reindeer wrote:
Henrys Hair wrote:A noticeable shift in tone watching this straight after the pilot. It's a lot warmer, the grief a lot less raw, the town more welcoming. A lot of the quotable dialogue shows up in this episode too. I was going to say it seemed a bit disappointing on this rewatch, but the entire episode seemed to fly by so it can't have been *that* disappointing.

A few observations that have likely been observed before:

Leo's red corvette visible in the background when Shelly puts the washing on.

That clearly isn't Phoebe Augustine in the hospital, and Ronette appears to have new parents too.

Hawk following the One Armed Man makes more sense when this episode follows the international version of the pilot. Coming after the broadcast pilot, it's not clear why he breaks off the Pulaski interview to follow him
I tend to find this perhaps the least interesting and most “workmanlike” episode of the first season. It has some great moments, but it doesn’t really have its own “flavor” the way the other S1 episodes do.

In regards to Hawk following Gerard, I wrote this in the Ep 2 thread awhile ago:

“There’s something comically ableist (and very much of its time) in everyone just immediately assuming the one-armed man is in some way sinister solely because he’s deformed! “There was a one-armed man.” Immediate response: “Did you question him?” :lol: And then Cooper instructs Hawk to beef up Ronette’s guard. Ohhh, 1990.”
Exactly - and Cooper even gives Gerard a suspicious glance as he exits the lift in his first appearance. Almost as if the majority of people with missing limbs had been touched by the devilish one and cut off the offending limb to cleanse themselves rather than, y'know, having suffered a life-changing accident or some similar misfortune...
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