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410 out of 451 people found the following review useful:
How to watch Twin Peaks, 4 February 2006

Author: tombrun from Norway

This is the order in which you should watch Twin Peaks

1. The pilot (aka the first episode of the series).

90 minutes. This was filmed in 1989 but aired on TV in April 1990 along with the rest of the first season as a mid-season replacement. When they shot this episode, it was uncertain that it was going to be a series, so Warner Bros demanded that they came up with an ending to it so they could sell it as a direct-to-video film in Europe. It is now known as the European version of the pilot. It has about 20 minutes of footage that's not in the TV version. If you're going to see the series, do NOT see the European version. The rest of the series continues after the TV version. (Some of the scenes in the European version was put in the series' second episode).

2. The first season (7 episodes aka episode 1-7).

45 minutes each. Aired along with the pilot in 1990.

3. The second season (22 episodes aka episode 8-29).

Episode 8: 90 minutes. Episodes 9-29: 45 minutes each. Aired 1990-1991. The whole series (pilot, season 1, season 2 and the European version of the pilot) is now available in a 10-disc DVD box set.

4. Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.

130 minutes. A movie made as a prequel to the series. People tend to think that they should see this first, but as it was made and released a year after the final episode aired on TV, you should see this after you've seen the series. Two reasons:

1) there are MAJOR spoilers in this movie. You'd ruin most of the series.

2) you won't understand anything of what's going on if you haven't seen the series first.

Released in 1992, this is available on at least R1 and R2. I recommend R1 because this is the best release yet. A french R2 version is soon to come with (maybe) an hour worth of deleted scenes. If this is true, then it's a joyous time for "peakers" around the world. It would be the first time since 1992 the world gets to see "new" twin peaks material.

189 out of 212 people found the following review useful:
my all-time favorite television show, 16 September 2004

Author: rosenfield10-1 (rosenfield10@yahoo.com) from Louisiana, U.S.A.

Angelo Badalamenti's sweet theme begins as smokestacks billow, and a robin assures the viewer of the presence of love in a little town located through the pines, just this side of sanity...or reality. Either way you choose to look at it (and the choice is yours), every episode of this groundbreaking television show grabbed the viewer in its seductive and destructive web... and wouldn't let go. "Twin Peaks" began a string of weird television shows in the early 90's, but, unlike those later shows, "Twin Peaks" would be beloved and remembered long after it was off the air. "Twin Peaks" has earned a spot next to "The Twilight Zone", "Night Gallery", and "Star Trek" in terms of pioneering television and in terms of a cult following deserving of conventions and fanzines. I believe that F.B.I. Special Agent Dale Cooper is one of the most enjoyable and inspiring characters in television history. His simple passions and quirky behavior was a welcomed sight in our living rooms every week during the shows very short run in the late 80's and early 90's. "Twin Peaks" started out on fire, gaining exposure during the pilot's multiple airings. The mystery of Laura Palmer's murderer practically invented conversations at the water cooler. However, the shows second season was scheduled to air on Saturday nights at 10:00, an advertiser's no-man's land. And, with the shows fan base out on the late weekend nights, the shows network decided to cancel it. David Lynch, the shows co-creator, directed a theatrically released film prequel to "Twin Peaks", showing all who missed the shows airings what really happened to Laura the week of her death, and, finally, her killer. As a huge fan of "Twin Peaks", I will tell you that the circle of events that occur within the story enable the viewer to relive the events over and over, each time around with more intensity than before. When you view the movie prequel, diving right back into the series becomes the natural path, allowing one to see things again for what they really are... or aren't. I highly recommend owning the entire series. Without a network messing up your viewing time, you can see the mystery unfold at your own pace. Viewing "Twin Peaks-Fire Walk With Me", along with the television pilot and the entire 29 episode series (about 33 hours all together), is the most fascinating and satisfying viewing experience that the entertainment industry has offered me so far. The music, costumes, editing, acting, and direction all received Emmy nominations, leading one to conclude that "Twin Peaks" not only satisfied the public, but the critics as well. An incredible achievement, "Twin Peaks" is my all-time favorite television show.

161 out of 188 people found the following review useful:
Fantastic, 21 June 2002

Author: John (J-Eire) from Cork, Ireland

Possibly one of the best TV dramas ever, "Twin Peaks" managed to be a challenging and unique (not to mention intelligent) piece of television.

Daring and provocative, it shattered the boundaries of most standard soap operas/TV dramas.

Terrified of it by a child (and in particular by BOB) I have since returned to it on DVD, only to find myself just as terrified and intrigued by it as I was when I was twelve years old and crouching behind my late grandmother's couch.

A piece of groundbreaking television history... WATCH IT

141 out of 168 people found the following review useful:
Everyone's Talking About It. The Talk Is Good and Bad. It Definitely Strikes a Nerve., 31 October 2003
Author: tfrizzell from United States

Stunning and explosive, completely misunderstood by many when it ran from 1990-1991 and definitely trail-blazing for the art of television production, "Twin Peaks" is one of those could-have-been, should-have-been television series that ended up being remarkable anyway. A teenage girl (Sheryl Lee) is murdered. A strange police detective (Kyle MacLachlan) is brought in to solve the mystery as the local police just cannot cope with the crime. Strange situations continue to pop up all over the landscape of the titled Pacific Northwestern town though and it becomes sadly apparent that the crime will likely never be solved. Side-stories galore confuse and intrigue and the viewer is left wondering, "Does this have anything to do with the initial crime?". Then just when you think the puzzle is about solved, total chaos strikes with whacked dream sequences that make you question your own sanity. What is really happening in the town and do we really want to know or are we happier letting the mystery suck us in? "Twin Peaks" was created by David Lynch (arguably the finest American film-maker, along with Martin Scorsese, living today) and over two very abbreviated seasons (only 29 total episodes) television reached an age that may never be experienced again. At the time many (perhaps myself included) did not know what to make of the show and even more panned it completely. The fact that the series did not really end the way it should have is sad, but in another way it just adds to the legends and myths involved here. There were eight writers on this series and a mind-blowing 15 different directors (Lynch did some of the work and even Diane Keaton got an opportunity to add to the program). Performers like Ray Wise, Piper Laurie, Joan Chen, Lara Flynn Boyle, Sherilyn Fenn, Russ Tamblyn and Madchen Amick appear, disappear and re-appear so frequently that you become confused as to what their roles in the show truly are. Monumental, gigantic, legendary, interesting, dominant and definitely thought-provoking, "Twin Peaks" is one of those television shows that amazes and dazzles with its highly unique brand of commentary. Followed by a theatrical movie ("Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me") in 1992 that was made to answer the questions presented throughout the program, it was also sadly misunderstood by most in the viewing public (even being rubbished by some who loved the series). A real gem in the history of television art. 5 stars out of 5.

82 out of 90 people found the following review useful:
Damnfine series, 11 December 2000
Author: Tom May (joycean_chap@hotmail.com) from United Kingdom

One of the truly great, original TV dramas, Twin Peaks was far from perfect; however, quite a few of its run of 29 episodes undoubtedly were. Speaking just after watching the finale, I'm torn between satisfaction at a superb final episode, and tenterhooks over what is a stark cliffhanger ending. The initial Laura Palmer murder case is unravelled expertly, by episode 16, with many great surreal and shocking moments, notably the scenes involving Bob. The show's brand of off-the-wall deadpan humour was perhaps at its best in the initial episodes, for example, Cooper's rock-throwing in the woods and Leland's bizarre, impromptu dance with Ben and Jerry Horne. The main characters were all well introduced; Kyle MacLachlan is on career-best acting form here as Agent Dale Cooper. Jack Nance is lovably gruff and likeable as Pete Martel, while Ben and Jerry Horne are wonderfully brought to life by fine writing, and acting from Richard Beymer and David Patrick Kelly. The strange spirit-like characters are introduced aptly; the Giant, the backwards-dancing Dwarf, One-armed Man, the bizarre Tremonds and killer Bob. Ray Wise deserves much credit for a sensitive portrayal of Leland. Once the initial mystery is more than adequately resolved, the focus was lost for a while. For around 7 episodes, the series comparatively treaded water: the comedy became more laboured and conventional, some tedious storylines dragged on and on - eg. Evelyn Marsh, Andy/Dick; the guiding hand of David Lynch was missing. These episodes are still very watchable; as other aspects of the mystery are mused over, but things move slowly. There is welcome characterisation of Major Briggs, but the acting and writing is at times more ordinary. While still a comfortably above-par TV show, the sublime atmosphere had been squandered to an extent. The arrival in the town of Windom Earle and, later, Annie Blackburn saw the stakes rise once more. Windom Earle is a truly sadistic, convincingly evil character, with a dry wit, wild expression and an effective penchant for disguise. His contribution to the series is immense, as a new focus is provided; climaxing with the stunning end to the penultimate episode at the Miss Twin Peaks Contest. Annie Blackburn also helps to enliven the programme, proving a subtle and effective character. Gordon Cole, played by David Lynch himself is a wonderful creation, up with Pete Martel, Albert Rosenfeld and Jerry Horne in the comic mould. I love that whole episode (c.25) where he enjoys life in the cafe, contemplating writing an "epic poem" about the wonderful apple pie and kissing Shelly in front of her boyfriend Bobby; "what you are witnessing is an intimate moment between two consenting adult human beings!" or somesuch quote.

Ben Horne is well developed; the Civil War stuff fails to amuse quite as it should, yet once he is rehabilitated, the change in his character is refreshing and nicely handled. Twin Peaks is a beautiful series aesthetically, from the wonderful titles sequence, Angelo Badalamenti's stunningly evocative music scores to some wonderfully innovative photography and direction - usually in those episodes helmed by Lynch. Got to say the female quota of Twin Peaks is ample, with the beauty of Madchen Amick, Sheryl Lee, Lara Flynn Boyle and especially Sherilyn Fenn, adding poignancy. General negative comments seem irrelevant considering the overall quality of the series, but it's true tricks were missed. With the characters they had, some more imaginative situations and wit wouldn't have gone amiss. The comic possibilities of having Jerry Horne and, say, Gordon Cole interacting were unfulfilled. Some of the characters were bland - the spotless Norma Jennings, James Hurley, Audrey's boyfriend in the later episodes - and some failed to really work - Nadine I feel added little to the series.

The very final episode is, I would say, as good a series ending as they could have come up with; tantalisingly placed, as the battle between the good and evil forces in Twin Peaks is hotting up. I declare that there are some brilliant images and directorial touches in that final one. There were however loose ends untied; what happened to Leo, Audrey and especially Ben Horne and Doc Hayward? A moot point is the absurdity of its ill-availabilty on video; I wouldn't have caught it if it weren't for the Sci-Fi Channel UK. Got to say though, that while harbouring some fantastical elements, Twin Peaks is assuredly far from the realm of Sci-Fi. It is, to be pointless categorical, like a surreal soap opera with a strong flavour of its own. There are so many great scenes, moments, lines and nuances, coupled with a magnificently dreamy, tenderly moving atmosphere when at its best, that I must say Twin Peaks ranks pretty much up there with the finest TV dramas of all - Edge of Darkness & The Singing Detective. Majestic it is. Rating:- ***** (out of *****)

69 out of 76 people found the following review useful:
A brilliant escape from reality; what TV shows should aspire to be, 13 June 1999
Author: Opio from Oklahoma City, OK

If you get a chance to watch Twin Peaks now, and I highly recommend that you do, it may seem strange that such a show was ever on TV at all. This is because most of television is so bland and boring and repetitious while TP is fresh and original and effective. And eerily frightening. I have watched the complete series about 3 times, but the first time was the most memorable, as I screened all 29 episodes in around 4 days. I emerged from this trance completely in the show's spell and began to notice pictures of owls and references to coffee with intense interest. The point is the show can take you completely into its reality; part of this relies on the fact that each episode built on the one before it, and it is necessary to see the previous one to make sense of the next. While this might not have been ideal for network ratings, it is perfect for becoming hooked on the entire series. There are great characters sprinkled throughout, my favorites being: Ben and Audrey Horne, Leland Palmer, and of course Coop, but really they're all interesting. BOB is completely frightening, as is the incredibly bleak final episode which is also, in a way, ideal to ensure the series' cult status. Still, the final episode must be appreciated with some distance; it's likely to initially anger a viewer after all that had come before. I think the episodes that Lynch actually directed do stand out as the best. A couple of the subplots in the second season are misjudged, but the finale makes up for them and throws the show back into the hinterlands of TV surrealism. Although parts, and only parts, of the subsequent movie "Fire Walk with Me" are good, the real spirit and brilliance of the show lies within the episodes. Watch them to get a sense of true mystery, and then you can ask,

"Do you see creamed corn on that plate?"

74 out of 87 people found the following review useful:
brilliant and hilarious, 5 September 2004
Author: mullerjoseph55 from St. Louis, MO

This is one of the shows that I started watching because many people, whose opinions I valued, stated, repeatedly, that I "absolutely must see this." Let me say that I was pretty much hooked from the first scene when they discover the body. The one deputy crying at the body was both touching and kind of funny. It perfectly introduced the entire series which is serious and ridiculous all at once. There is so much to talk about this incredible series which burned too bright to burn for very long.

For starters, Agent Cooper is the single greatest character ever captured on film (go ahead, try and think of a better one). He's brilliant, genuinely caring, incredibly funny, exuberant to the nth degree, unbelievably likable, but also with a sordid past which haunts him. Nobody, but nobody, could have delivered the pie and coffee compliments with so much gusto.

However, he is just the brightest star in the sky. There are so many crazy, yet somehow believable characters that grace Lynch's universe. The swift descent of Ben Horn into madness is sad, pathetic, surreal and hilarious. No other series would have dared contain a man believing that he was General Lee commanding the south at Gettysburg (it also provides the funniest line from the show, when Audrey Horn is talking to his psychiatrist and he remarks that "What he (Ben Horn) needs now is our sympathy, understanding and a confederate victory."). All of the characters create a amazing tapestry where one is genuinely anticipating which character is going to lose it somehow (but one never anticipates correctly). In this reviewers opinion, the plot takes a backseat to the characters which are too strange, or too ordinary but never dull, to exist in any other show anywhere (minus James, who gets irritating right when he starts singing and never stops). Fantastic actors all around with more career launching cameos than any show or movie ever.

Sadly, the second season is not as good as the first, plot-wise, but still is as quirky and entertaining with an unbelievable ending to the series. Many have criticized the show for being excessively intellectual, but I never found the show pedantic or hopelessly cryptic. Rather, it seemed as though David Lynch just decided to employ every weird idea that popped into his febrile mind for the sheer joy of it.

To finish, one needs to watch this show. It's not uniformly brilliant and sometimes just plain weird, but always rewarding and truly one of the landmarks of American television. Go get a nice piece of cherry pie, a cup of coffee, take four days off work and start watching it.

60 out of 73 people found the following review useful:
David Lynch's masterpiece, 9 February 2003
Author: Mike from St Louis, MO

I have to admit when I first watched the pilot episode of Twin Peaks a couple of years ago, I wasn't sure what to think. I knew about David Lynch, having recently seen Blue Velvet, and I knew he was a director that was on the outlandish side. I borrowed the rest of the series from a friend, and after I watched the first 3 or 4 episodes, I was still scratching my head. I thought the murder premise was well done but I kept asking myself "why are these characters so strange?"

However, as I got more into the series, I found myself obsessively hooked. The series, in it's own ominous way, was extremely funny and there were so many great one liners ("that's a damn good cup of coffee") and the characters kept you second guessing. Though some characters were obviously villains, others had intentions that were often indistinguishable.

As I relentlessly watched the show over a three week period, I found myself laughing out loud and being disturbed at the same time. Ben Horne's meltdown is one of the funniest things I have ever seen in any TV series, I chuckle just thinking about it. Only David Lynch could think of something that was so eccentric and funny at the same time.

So in the end, I must say I found this show endlessly amusing. Almost every person on the show has their own idiosyncrasy, appearances by future stars like Heather Graham and David Duchovny injected humor and depth into the show, and heck, there was a sheriff named Harry S Truman, what else do you need?

I am glad to see the first season is on DVD, I can't wait until the rest is released. I wish this show had been on much longer but it is such a bizarre show that I can understand why mainstream America did not understand it. I wouldn't recommend this show to anyone that likes TV shows which are light-hearted or straightforward. Be warned, the final episode is completely bizarre, and not necessarily funny.

As a whole, the show has a very alien feel to it and may chase many people away, but if you understand David Lynch's warped sense of humor and can see the sheer lunacy of the show, you will find it endlessly entertaining.

52 out of 76 people found the following review useful:
Surreal and one of the best TV series..., 21 August 2000
Author: terp_92 from Bethesda, MD

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This is definitely one of the best things David Lynch has ever done. What attracted me to this series was it's quirkyness and surreal nature. If there was ever a TV series that identified the 90's, this is one of them.

Personally, I think they should've stopped the series right after they solved Laura Palmer's murder, but oh well. I hope they someday make another movie to tie up some of the loose ends such as the way the series ended on a cliffhanger.

Anyways, onto my lunch of a baguette with butter and brie and some cherry pie.

37 out of 49 people found the following review useful:
Absolutely a must see!!!, 24 March 2007

Author: jacquesf-1 from Czech Republic

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Twin Peaks... a very famous series - that really deserves all the praise it gets!

The story begins as special FBI agent Dale Cooper (perfectly impersonated by Kyle MacLachlan) comes to the little town of Twin Peaks to investigate the murder of the local beauty queen, Laura Palmer.

As the series proceed, Laura's killer is eventually found and the main plot line turns and twists to eventually end in a place where you would never expect it to be...

Twin Peaks begins as a crime story with quite a lot of comical moments, the picturesque characters of this little town where everybody knows each other are very nicely sketched out and developed in a very interesting way, most of them having quite a lot of secrets, thus providing secondary story lines that come and go, more or less intertwined with the main one.

As the story proceeds, the comical tone slowly fades away, slight touches of sci-fi and paranormal events come in and as you grow more and more fond of all those lovely people of Twin Peaks, a much darker and intriguing plot comes to the surface, dipping the whole series into an ever more and more mysterious and sometimes even scary atmosphere...

And there suddenly comes the final episode. Of course, everyone expects the final episode to be something special, but no one could expect THIS! I will not get into the details of the story so as not to include any spoilers, but the final episode is a must see! It is a must see! Never ever in my life have I witnessed such an ending!!! surprising, unhappy, happy, good, bad... the ending of Twin Peaks is far beyond that. The only word I can find to describe it is ABSOLUTELY AND UTTERLY NEGATIVE, not leaving the faintest little spark of hope... I was still schocked by the end even a couple of hours after having seen it and still feel somewhat uneasy just recalling it... I admire the person (D. Lynch and M. Frost) who got the idea and - most importantly - had the guts to write a finale like that...

See if you have the guts...

See how far you can go...

See if you can cope with Twin Peaks...

A must see!

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