The writing in Twin Peaks is really phenomenal

[TVC15]

It does strike a bizarre balance between realism and surrealism.  For example, the scenes in the first half of the pilot, detailing the granular, "small" effects of Laura's death are all ultra-realistic.  If this were a tiny town, this is about exactly how things would happen, how the town "scandal" would unfold, the school cancellation, the many, many awkward moments.  People that have dealt with death know that the reactions of Laura's parents are, at least in the pilot, very realistic.  The chick that plays Laura's mom is absolutely brilliant, and she should have gotten every acting award in the book based on her performance in the first episode.  She plays a 100% realistic hysterical mother whose daughter has just been murdered.  The performance of Laura's dad, Leland, is also very convincing.  Very masculine in that he is just as emotional as the mother, but he feels the need to try to repress the emotion, be the strong one.  Naturally, he fails at this, and the emotion bleeds through in ridiculous ways that are at the same time both very realistic, and surreal.

In a way, that's what the series, at least the first season, tries to explore.  Surreality can just be a natural consequence of reality taken to very rational extremes.  Real life devolves into a cheesy soap opera for someone everywhere, every single day, of every year.  What Twin Peaks does, in its first season, is explore the line where reality and surreality meet.  Maybe it fails, even in the brilliant first season, of maintaining that illusion, but it at least manages to maintain it for a significant portion of the time.

I can't fucking believe anyone ever okayed this show.  It's so fucking brilliant.  Lynch

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

I always have to laugh at the moment when Mrs. Palmer recieves the phone call about Laura's death.  Music swells, camera pans on the phone cord while in the background you can hear her scream and wimper.  Or the moment when the principle breaks down after announcing over the PA that Laura died....lol.  It's so over the top but I love it anyway.

[TVC15]

I always have to laugh at the moment when Mrs. Palmer recieves the phone call about Laura's death.  Music swells, camera pans on the phone cord while in the background you can hear her scream and wimper.  Or the moment when the principle breaks down after announcing over the PA that Laura died....lol.  It's so over the top but I love it anyway.

Oddly enough, the first moment you mentioned is what inspired this thread.  That scene on the phone is the perfect mix of "what would happen" and "TV dranatization."  It is ridiculous as we see it, but considering the circumstances, isn't that as logically as things would have happened?

I have a direct frame of reference for the Principal speech almost.  I went to high school in a small enough town that a kid killed in a car accident was enough to have school canceled.  The ensuing announcement from the administration wasn't THAT dramatic, but it very realistically could have been had it been an actual murder. 

Also, the musical swelling is great.  Immediately after the music swells into emotional orgasm mode, it goes into deep depressing mode, without giving the viewer a chance to rest.  It is amazing manipulation.

[border]

I'm in the second season now, though I watched through the first (sans pilot) about 4-5 months ago.  So far it is better than I remember it......the only massive nosedive I recall is when James leaves town and starts sleeping with some married woman.  WTF?

I doubt Lynch would ever talk about it, but this show always makes me wonder what sort of show Mulholland Drive was going to be.

[TVC15]

I had trouble getting into 2 when it came out on DVD.  That 2 hour first episode (directed by Lynch) is one of the worst in the series.  It might have been a decent 45 minute episode, but zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

[Hitler Stole My Potato]

Oh there's plenty of worse episodes than the first episode of S2.  Take anything from the point Leland dies onward.  Pure shit. James' little foray as the wealthy couple's mechanic/fuck stud is the most mind numbing side story in the entire series.  Worse than Ben Horne's Civil War breakdown, worse than Audrey's romance with Billy Zane, even worse than when Donna learns that she's somehow Ben Horne's illegitimate father.  Holy fuck was season 2 bad.

I actually liked the first half dozen or so episodes and the season finale was a nice way of TP at least trying to go back to their roots, though you could really tell they were working on a limited budget at that time....the Black Lodge stuff looked noticeably cheaper. 

[Barry Egan]

TVC: I just rented the entire twin peaks boxset, and after reading your blog post on the pilot I'm ambivalent about whether I should watch it or just start with the next episode.  What do you think?

[The Sceneman]

the second season is amazing, way better than the 1st

MAF have you watched my dvds yet

[TVC15]

Oh there's plenty of worse episodes than the first episode of S2.  Take anything from the point Leland dies onward.  Pure shit. James' little foray as the wealthy couple's mechanic/fuck stud is the most mind numbing side story in the entire series.  Worse than Ben Horne's Civil War breakdown, worse than Audrey's romance with Billy Zane, even worse than when Donna learns that she's somehow Ben Horne's illegitimate father.  Holy fuck was season 2 bad.

I actually liked the first half dozen or so episodes and the season finale was a nice way of TP at least trying to go back to their roots, though you could really tell they were working on a limited budget at that time....the Black Lodge stuff looked noticeably cheaper. 

I agree with you, but I think episode 1 of season 2 is like, the obvious shark jumping point.  It is evident right from the get go that the show has lost its careful balance, and it dives immediately into ridiculous nonsense.

Yes, the post reveal episodes are probably worse from a sheer terribleness perspective, but by that point, the show was pretty much dead anyway.  It was episode 1 of season 2 where it dropped the ball.

TVC: I just rented the entire twin peaks boxset, and after reading your blog post on the pilot I'm ambivalent about whether I should watch it or just start with the next episode.  What do you think?

I think you should start with the pilot if you have the opportunity.  It really is one of the best things with Lynch's name on it.