What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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Stavrogyn
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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JackwithOneEye wrote: Thu May 06, 2021 3:10 pm whenever David Lynch talks about the origins of Lost Highway,
he mentions the words Lost Highway in Barry Gifford's Night People being an inspiration,
but just about never mentions that when Gifford used it in Night People, it was in reference to Hank Williams' song on the radio.
I didn't know that; nice! I knew of the film before the song, because I started listening to Hank Williams a few years after having already seen most of David Lynch's work, and always assumed that the two titles are unrelated. The irony is that Lost Highway, one of Hank Williams' signature songs, was not actually written by him, but by Leon Payne, so it is a cover.

As Colin Escott writes in his book about Hank Williams (a quote from Wikipedia): "In recent years, 'Lost Highway' has been the title of several books, a stage show, a record label, and a television series. In 1997, director David Lynch used it as a film title. It's seen as one of Hank's defining records, if not a defining moment in country music, which makes it ironic that it barely dented the charts on release and doubly ironic that it's not even one of Hank's songs."
All those years living the life of someone I didn't even know - Knight of Cups (2015)
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underthefan
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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I'm not sure if this falls under unpopular opinion but I believe FWWM to be the best, most emotionally affecting part of the entire TP saga. And this is how I would rank the seasons:

S3 - consistently excellent and inventive, despite some dips and lulls
S2 - highest highs, lowest lows
S1 - consistently excellent, though fairly conventional and soapy
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Jonah
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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underthefan wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 2:39 am S2 - highest highs, lowest lows
Definitely!

Mostly agree on S1 too. Still not sure how I feel about S3 - I think some of it is great, but I prefer the original series. I really like FWWM too, but not as much as the original series.
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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underthefan
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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Yeah, I think S3 and FWWM are definitely more acquired taste. They don't have that comfort of S1/S2 but I think that's why I love them the best (even though my 3 favorite episodes are 8, 14 and 29 from S2).
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Jonah
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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My favourite episodes are the Lynch ones from the original series too but I'd also add E9 and the pilot. I don't dislike S3 or FWWM, just don't know quite how to rank them!
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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underthefan
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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Totally understand, Jonah. That's why I figured mine was an unpopular opinion. :)
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Jonah
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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It might not be as unpopular as you think! I think a lot of people on here (and on reddit) seem to prefer the new series to the original. I was actually surprised, but I guess it makes sense as I think there are two types of TP fans - those who are TP first, Lynch second; and those who are Lynch first, TP second. Maybe it's the second group that prefers The Return, but I've definitely seen a lot of people on here say they prefer the new series, at least when it was airing. The consensus might be more split now. There was a poll someone did on that and I think the results were in favour of the new series, but I'll have to check.

Edit - here's the poll, as the new series was airing. The results were much higher for The Return.
http://www.dugpa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=3673
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underthefan
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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Yeah, I think you're right on that division of Lynch fans vs TP fans. I also generally find on Twitter that most older fans prefer the original seasons but the younger fans prefer The Return.
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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I think that's probably right, given the opinions on reddit too - which I presume is mostly a younger audience (though some older ones too). I'm mid-range heading towards older lol so that's probably why I prefer the original too - also the nostalgia, memories of it as a kid.

One thing I felt sorely missing in the new series and it's difficult to explain - but that feeling of a special Lynch-directed episode like the 5 in the original series, like you'd be watching/rewatching the original series and once you came upon a Lynch directed one, you knew you were in for a special treat or major event. I missed that feeling in the new series.
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underthefan
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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I'm glad you mention nostalgia as a factor. I found that often when I mention it with older fans on Twitter, they get really defensive about it. Btw, I count myself as an older fan since I watched TP back when it first came out but I also consider myself primarily a Lynch fan (even though I did discover him through TP). When I talk to younger fans (under 30), they mostly discovered The Return first and find the original seasons too old school so to speak.
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Stavrogyn
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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underthefan wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 2:39 am I'm not sure if this falls under unpopular opinion but I believe FWWM to be the best, most emotionally affecting part of the entire TP saga. And this is how I would rank the seasons:

S3 - consistently excellent and inventive, despite some dips and lulls
S2 - highest highs, lowest lows
S1 - consistently excellent, though fairly conventional and soapy
This is almost exactly how I feel! :D I just don't think there are any "dips and lulls" in the third season. For me, Fire Walk with Me and The Return are the best, but my favorite episodes are 14 and 29, from the second season.

Regarding the Lynch vs. Twin Peaks discussion, I don't like Lynch films nearly as much as I care about Twin Peaks (besides Fire Walk with Me, obviously), but he is still my favorite director; it's just that I care about Twin Peaks maybe a little bit too much. I was also very much into his work before I've ever seen Twin Peaks, and I guess I fall among the younger spectrum of the Twin Peaks fandom, since I'm a few months younger than Twin Peaks itself, so everything you two discussed above seems to make sense :D
All those years living the life of someone I didn't even know - Knight of Cups (2015)
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underthefan
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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Yeah, I think that's generally the impression I get though I'm sure there may be exceptions. And I'm with you 100% percent, FWWM and S3 are my favorite parts but 14 and 29 are my favorite episodes! :D
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

Post by Agent Earle »

underthefan wrote: Wed May 19, 2021 2:58 am Yeah, I think S3 and FWWM are definitely more acquired taste. They don't have that comfort of S1/S2 but I think that's why I love them the best (even though my 3 favorite episodes are 8, 14 and 29 from S2).
Despite its very different, almost radical tone, FWWM feels like a part of that universe, tho'. S3 never does - not for one moment. Ha, I guess that's also an unpopular opinion? At least around here...
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

Post by Mr. Strawberry »

I get you, Earle. I found the latest installment to be enthralling but at times very off-putting. There were many ups and downs. It's hard to explain because I loved so much of it. Guess I can't get over how much precious time and effort was wasted on things like bad musical performances that had nothing to do with the show, and random characters that were not interesting and had no bearing on anything meaningful. It was very difficult to see the main characters reduced to cameos peppered throughout the story as well.

So I loved it overall but felt that it had some major flaws which, just as with Season 2, I am willing to overlook for the greater good of the experience.

Speaking of the interludes, I recently saw The Wicker Man for the first time and found that the integration of music into the story was handled in a way more artistic fashion, while the music itself was interesting and fitting. Overall the film could have been much better but it definitely nailed that aspect of the art.
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Re: What is your Twin Peaks unpopular opinion?

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I still really love Season 3 -- but in the time that has passed since its initial airing, I've been able to look at without the air of excitement that surrounded its debut in 2017, and I now can admit there are some things about it that maybe aren't perfect.

I generally like most of the musical acts... although there are a few scenes that just drag on way too long. Most of the time that works with Lynch, but some of the Audrey/Charlie stuff, Ben's monologue about that bike, a few other sequences probably could benefit from being cut down somewhat; either that or being set to background music. There's just such a preponderance of silence (or almost-silence) in S3. I get that it generates a tension and unease for viewers, but there's just so much of it.

Look at a scene like Dougie scribbling on paperwork, or Dougie consuming pie and coffee with the Mitchum bros. Without the background music, they could've been a lot more cold and impersonal.

That being said, I found some of the scenes without music or scoring to be incredibly effective, like most of episode 18.
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