Please post any thoughts or questions you have about the episode we watched in class. There is a great deal of information and culture connected to this show available online, including reviews, fan clubs, fan art, news about the series reboot on Showtime, etc.; feel free to post or share and links for interesting things you find!
This episode that we watched in class is one of the most visually striking of the entire series. In addition to the visuals, the relationships between all characters are very scandalous in a romantic way. It seems that everyone in this small town is having an affair of some sort. I think this is partly a reflection of the modern human containing desires so strong that they supersede traditional western values of nuclear relationships. At the same time, it is a reflection of a much deeper, more primitive nature that resides in the modern man in the sense that the world is getting smaller in social contexts. The rise of technology and new forms of communication inevitably leads to new relationship dynamics, represented in the small town of Twin Peaks, where everyone knows everyone, yet there are still deep and mysterious secrets that lie within each individual. I think two symbols throughout the series that can accurately portray this perspective of satisfying ones inner desires lies in the coffee (stimulation) and pie (sweet, tasty) motifs. The combination of these two things is irresistible in this town as it appeals to such primal senses. The overly abundant coffee and pie jokes throughout the series indicates that the creators of the world of Twin Peaks wanted these things to represent both a bodily satisfaction as well as a social one.
ReplyDeleteMatt Ferremi
ReplyDeleteAfter finding out that we would be watching Twin Peaks in this class. My suite mates said they were going to watch the show one night. I figured to join them and see what the show is all about. We watched the pilot episode, which ran for about an hour and a half, and I was intrigued by the series. What I liked about the episode we watched on Monday was that it incorporated different genres in the episode. What I mean by this is that it includes comedy, as an example of that would be the coffee and doughnut jokes. The episode has gut-wrenching scenes such as when Laura’s father starts dancing near the end of the episode. There is also the dream sequence scene which is one of the most memorable scenes from the series. What makes this series so good is that in one episode, you could go from laughing, to getting angry (The way Leo treats his wife), to being sad (the grief Laura’s parents are showing).
Watching this episode I immediately felt like I was watching an episode of The Twilight Zone in color. Everything about this episode reminded me of the show. The dream sequence is something I could totally see in The Twilight Zone. I'm curious if The Twilight Zone actually provided some inspiration for Twin Peaks, as they seem to be extremely similar in genre. Both shows have that eerie feeling to them, with unexpected and odd twists and turns in the plot. Even the acting is similar, at least I think so. Since I enjoy watching The Twilight Zone, I'm sure I'd enjoy the rest of Twin Peaks as much as I did this episode.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThe show really caught my attention because it is so stimulating. It does a lot to get the audience to be really embedded into the show. Lighting help create moods for certain scenes like Leo in the woods with the hard up light created by flashlights. I think the audio plays a big part in the experience as well. It sets the mood for the scene and It gives insight to the characters. The audio also helped to create story beats that further the episode and transition scenes.
ReplyDeleteI think the dream sequence at the end of the episode was surreal in its own way. It felt like having a dream. The events in it feel like they are vivid at first, but as soon as you wake up, it's all a blur. The distorted dialogue coming from the characters and the room itself felt like you were within the character's mind, which you were in a way.
ReplyDeleteLike Jeffrey Beaumont in "Blue Velvet," Kyle McLachlin in "Twin Peaks" acts as the understand-er of the weird culture in whatever location he finds himself in. He finds the seedy underbelly of every suburban town and digs into it to find more information. His private detective skills seem to have improved since the film came out in 1986. His Americana-inspired habits and interests have been elevated and his fetishization of food seems to be an example of this. The doughnuts which are very clearly linked to the typical American cop are used in a way that highlights the strangeness of this small town.
ReplyDeleteDavid Lynch's "neo-noir" style has been peaking it's head through in almost every film he has done before and after Twin Peaks. His use of archetypal characters travel through every world he creates, whether in Eraserhead, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, or Lost Highway. His common themes create worlds recognizable to all viewers of his work.
I have never seen all of Twin Peaks. But now I have to continue!
There's something eerily intriguing about Twin Peaks. It's slightly distributing, like a horror movie. But at the same time you can't look away. I like how the show is, more a psychological play on the mind, rather than being grotesque or overly violent.
ReplyDeleteThe dream sequence scene was extremely creepy. I really like the distorted dialogue. The characters were talking as if they were from a different planet. I felt like I was inside of Agent Cooper's mind.
This was the first time I had heard of the television show Twin Peaks. After watching it, I began to binge watch it seeing as it does not relate to many current day shows. The show has this way of being weirdly mysteriously with a slight aspect of humor that kept me engaged from episode to episode. I agree with some of my classmates when they said that this show is like a soap opera crime show because of the acting and the interesting way it is shot. I did find the show to be a little slow at times, with random landscape shots accompanied by the strange sound track and character dialogue.
ReplyDelete