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Sell me on Twin Peaks?

C

CelticKnight

Member
Can't believe you haven't even seen the man, the myth, the legend... Special Agent Dale Cooper.

At least keep watching the pilot until he appears. His first scene was what sold me on the show.
 
B

Bronx-Man

Banned
Everyone keeps saying the pilot will decide whether or not you'll enjoy the series when in reality it's Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer.
 
C

Courage

Member
I'm also going through Twin Peaks for the first time currently. The show is unparalleled in its atmosphere and sense of place over almost any other show I've seen. It's got a very warm, watchable vibe to it, although my favorite parts of it so far are when Lynch is at the helm and takes the show to some weird, fucked up places. I've never seen anything like it frankly. Just need to make it through this season 2 slump.
 
D

digitaldevmike

Member
Twin Peaks is to Alan Wake what Berserk is to Dark Souls and I love all of it. Season 3 has been great so far and the story seems to be progressing at a good rate. Can't wait for Sunday!
 
H

hiphoptherobot

Member
This show is many things, one of those things is a parody of 90's prime-time soap operas. So in many places it is going to be over the top and sappy and that is purposeful. I don't think the show is for everybody, but OP should at least finish the first episode. Admittedly, I had trouble getting through that episode back in the day and now Twin Peaks is one of my all time favorites.
 
J

jstripes

Banned
lifeexpectancy said:
I get that the show is SUPPOSED to have terrible overly dramatic acting. But theres a difference between 'so bad its good' and 'so bad its terrible'. Does it ever let up or is the entirity of both seasons filled with interminably long pauses and people screaming/crying at the slightest bit of bad news?
Click to expand...

How old are you? Depending on the answer, that could explain why you're befuddled by the slow pacing.

1989 was a different time, and well-directed drama used pauses. Then the "MTV generation" grew up, and brought their short attention span to drama.
 
B

BTails

Member
Yup, I agree with everyone here. Watch until the introduction of Special Agent Dale Cooper. Phenomenal character that really ties the show together. Then watch until *THE* dream sequence (Episode 3, I want to say). By that point, you're either 100% committed, or it just isn't for you.
 
B

big ander

Member
Respectfully, why the fuck would anybody want to try to convince you to like it? Not only have you already admitted to not giving an entire episode a chance and reductively lumped it in with the asinine so-bad-it's-good viewing trend (melodrama/soap opera has an extensive tradition outside of fucking The Room, and it usually requires a viewer not be narrow-minded or closed-off like someone scoffing at a person crying about a raped and murdered teenager might be), but it's one of the most written-about tv shows ever. You can go to www.google.com and convince your own self, and seeing as you already skimmed one article and made a decision I don't see what the point of this is. Don't watch it.
 
R

rgoulart

Member
I really liked the pilot but what really got me hooked on the series was the end of episode 3. I was half asleep during that scene and I actually thought I was having a nightmare. Great, great stuff.

I just have 3 episodes to finish the second season now (which has a half bad half good ratio), then I'm off to "Fire Walk With Me" and then the new season. I absolutely love David Lynch, Lost Highway and Mullholand Dr. are two of my favorite movies ever. It was a blast to watch Twin Peaks.
 
P

| Praxis |

Banned
I love LOVE Lynch's films (except Dune, that's just alright) much more than Twin Peaks. Fire Walk With Me is a better Twin Peaks than the show in everything but the understandable exclusion of certain characters like Cooper. It is still fantastic though, season 2 is a mess but everything up to that is great, and the last two episodes are excellent.

Sounds like it's just not for you though.

Can't wait to watch the third series, sounds far more Fire Walk With Me than the original series, which is fine by me.
 
S

Spotless Mind

Member
30 mins into the first episode and bored? Eek. A small town murder mystery show may seem old hat at this point, but Lynch's direction of the Pilot is sublime. The show overall is MUCH more than just a murder mystery, though. Soooo much more. Watch the whole episode at least.

Season 3 has been radically different (in a good way) thus far, so if the soapy melodrama doesn't appeal, maybe you may like it more (after watching season 1 and 2 of course). It has tonnes of lingering shots that seemingly might push your patience, based on your reaction to the Pilot, however.
 
B

Bronx-Man

Banned
Also OP, I was kinda where you were when I first started watching on Netflix a couple days ago. I heard about Twin Peaks for years and I always thought it was this X-Files/Gravity Falls type of thing where weird sci-fi spooky shit happens every episode. I got shocked, but I learned to re-adjust when I realized it's not that at all. Halfway through season 2 right now and I think it's just a pretty great soap with some quirky aspects and gets real trippy every now and then.
 
J

JBourne

maybe tomorrow it rains
Lifejumper said:
How is season 3 so far? Just curious before I commit to watching everything.
Click to expand...

The first two episodes have not left my mind since I watched them on Sunday and Monday. It is significantly weirder than the first two seasons, but so far it is haunting.
 
Mohonky

Mohonky

Member
C.Mongler said:
The moment I got into Twin Peaks:

giphy.gif
Click to expand...

Everytime she's on screen;

justin-timberlake-jizz-in-my-pants-12.jpg
 
J

Joe Shlabotnik

Banned
You seem completely and utterly new to David Lynch, so watch Blue Velvet or Mulholland Drive.

Sounds like you had no idea what to expect.

Poster above who described Lynch's wheelhouse as a co-mingling of the banal and macabre is spot-on. I assure you Lynch does nightmares well, you jyay didn't get to them.
 
C

Chained Prometheus

Member
JBourne said:
The first two episodes have not left my mind since I watched them on Sunday and Monday. It is significantly weirder than the first two seasons, but so far it is haunting.
Click to expand...

Yup, the first two episodes of Twin Peaks S3 are outstanding. There's one or two sequences in there that I think might potentially go toe-to-toe with some of the iconic horror scenes in Lynch's other works (i.e.
the Winkie's Diner scene
in Mulholland Drive).
 
F

Futureman

Member
Not everything is tailored to you. It's ok if you don't like it. Giving a show that spans dozens of hours 30 minutes and writing it off is a sign that you lack critical thinking/intelligence (Lynch is my favorite director/TP my favorite show, I'm allowed to get riled up).

Just checked on Netflix and Coop doesn't show up until 36 minutes in. Good job OP.
 
Z

zethren

Banned
As terrifying and strange as the world of Twin Peaks is, it never fails to make me want to be there. To be a part of it, in some way. Be it the quirky characters, the romanticized locales, or the intrigue. Watching it makes me want to eat cherry pie at the R&R Diner, take a walk in a forest just to smell those Douglas Firs, or have a damn fine cup of coffee blacker than midnight on a moonless night.

Twin Peaks is simply the most compelling television series I've ever seen.
 
D

Dalek

Member
zethren said:
As terrifying and strange as the world of Twin Peaks is, it never fails to make me want to be there. To be a part of it, in some way. Be it the quirky characters, the romanticized locales, or the intrigue. Watching it makes me want to eat cherry pie at the R&R Diner, take a walk in a forest just to smell those Douglas Firs, or have a damn fine cup of coffee blacker than midnight on a moonless night.

Twin Peaks is simply the most compelling television series I've ever seen.
Click to expand...

This is absolutely true. I wanted to be an FBI field agent or work in the Twin Peaks police station.
 
Airola

Airola

Member
The pilot, in my opinion, isn't as incredible as people say. And I've been a huge fan of the series since 1991.

For me most of the highlights of the series happen during season 2.

Timeaisis said:
If you don't like S1, it's not for you. S2, though, I totally understand people losing interest. It's markedly weird, semi-aimless television.
Click to expand...

It could go other way around too.
Some people who might not like Season 1 might like Season 2 more.

I usually say that people should watch the first episode of season 2 and if they are not interested after that, then it might be better to stop watching. But even then I'd recommend people to watch the half point of season 2 and the finale. If those episodes spark interest, then they could see the earlier episodes to get context.

That season 2 opener brings the metaphysical aspects, the comedy and the terror in one package.
 
M

minor effort

Banned
I've been pleasantly surprised by Season 3. I was never overly charmed by the "quirky" aspects of Twin Peaks like the coffee, pie, the town's cast of characters, or the soap opera pastiche. I've tried several times and I still find the midsection of Season 2 a joyless chore to watch (which, to be fair, was when Lynch began stepping away from the series).

I've always been far more interested Lynch's film work and the more surreal aspects of Twin Peaks, and I like the fact that Season 3 hasn't been mono-focused on the town and inhabitants of Twin Peaks itself.
 
P

| Praxis |

Banned
minor effort said:
I've been pleasantly surprised by Season 3. I was never overly charmed by the "quirky" aspects of Twin Peaks like the coffee, pie, the town's cast of characters, or the soap opera pastiche. I've tried several times and I still find the midsection of Season 2 a joyless chore to watch (which, to be fair, was when Lynch began stepping away from the series).

I've always been far more interested Lynch's film work and the more surreal aspects of Twin Peaks, and I like the fact that Season 3 hasn't been mono-focused on the town and inhabitants of Twin Peaks itself.
Click to expand...

Did you enjoy Fire Walk With Me more? I feel that bridged the gap between the show and his films.
 
M

minor effort

Banned
| Praxis | said:
Did you enjoy Fire Walk With Me more? I feel that bridged the gap between the show and his films.
Click to expand...

Actually, yes I did. I should have mentioned that.

And to be fair, Fire Walk With Me was my introduction to Twin Peaks. I happened to watch it before watching the series itself. A mistake in viewing order, I know.
 
D

Dusk Golem

A 21st Century Rockefeller
It's my favorite television show. It's going to get harder to directly sell with the new season though.

So the first two seasons are something like a mixture between a parody of a soap opera with quirky characters, a murder mystery at the heart of it, surreal horror moments, and an off-beat sense of humor. The first season I think gets the strongest with the 'crime investigation' feel of the show, Season 2 ups the surreal horror and comedy elements, then the killer is revealed and after that the show gets almost cartoonishly comedic and kind of unfocused, until it finds its focus near the end and then has one hell of a finale.

Season 3 is currently airing and the first four episodes released less than a week ago still (with 14 more to come), but my opinion so far is that it dropped the soap opera element and has become more like some concoction of Lynch's other films, but I am absolutely in love with the new season so far. It's elevating what was already my favorite TV show, but it certainly won't be for everyone and even some people who liked the original seasons may not like Twin Peaks (reversely, people who liked Lynch's other films and were never big on Twin Peaks may love the third season).

Why I love it would be a bit hard to explain, but I love the quirky characters, the surreal strangeness of the showI find things in the show absolutely hilarious, I love the setting(s), I love the sort of horror it deals with which is very atypical to about any other work that isn't Lynch's, the small observations and odd connections things have, and on a deeper level I just love the scene by scene occurrences in the show.
 
Hari Seldon

Hari Seldon

Member
minor effort said:
I've been pleasantly surprised by Season 3. I was never overly charmed by the "quirky" aspects of Twin Peaks like the coffee, pie, the town's cast of characters, or the soap opera pastiche. I've tried several times and I still find the midsection of Season 2 a joyless chore to watch (which, to be fair, was when Lynch began stepping away from the series).

I've always been far more interested Lynch's film work and the more surreal aspects of Twin Peaks, and I like the fact that Season 3 hasn't been mono-focused on the town and inhabitants of Twin Peaks itself.
Click to expand...

I started with Fire and Walk with Me, and I absolutely loved the surreal aspects of it. After about 45 minutes in and not knowing what was going on, I googled and people recommend to start with the show and not the movie, so I turned it off and went to the show. Then I go to the show and it is some campy version of 90210 mixed with a detective story that no one seems motivated to solve. Where is the dwarf and david bowie shit that I liked so much from the movie?
 
J

Joe Shlabotnik

Banned
I honestly would never expect Twin Peaks or Lynch to be for everyone (or even most) but I'm getting more annoyed the more I read the OP.

You're seriously asking if you "maybe didn't watch far enough" after a quarter of the first episode of a 30-episode series? You didn't even get to the main character.
 
old

old

Member
Tried the pilot. The pacing sucked. The acting sucked. The music really sucked.

And where the hell is the supernatural stuff. Haven't seen anything.
 
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