In many ways, this is one of the most important episodes of this show ever. It's not an episode that sets up anything really big for the rest of the season, but it's the first episode that really highlights the tragicomedy that this show has become so famous for in the years since it's original run. The episode in itself features some of the most bizarre pieces of comedy that the show has produced, culminating in some iconic scenes, like the funeral scene and Leland Palmer's dance at the end. A lot of this laid the groundwork for what would become famous trademarks for the show as it went on, and to this day, I still think that this is one of the show's greatest episodes, and that's despite the fact that not a lot is actually happening. It's the first episode of the show that wasn't written by David Lynch or Mark Frost, so they went out and got Harley Peyton who had only written one feature prior to his work on this show and he helped bring in some characters that would become quite important for the show. As mentioned earlier, this episode is a perfect example of the show's brilliant tragicomedy aspect and because of Peyton's writing, it beautifully walks that line, never stumbling on its way, and delivers these wonderfully intimate moments that Tina Rathborne brings to the screen with her incredible skills as a director and adding her imprint to the show's unusual tone, seamlessly following in David Lynch's footsteps.
This episode feels like a nice step backwards after the insanity that was "Episode 2." It's not easy to capture the Lynchian feel without having a lot of weird instances, which is why Tina Rathborne's direction of this episode feels so fresh, because she does capture it but with a lot of scenes that are not filled with action. It's all in the conversations that the characters are having and the dynamic way that Rathborne can capture a few people sitting around a table and talking. Her skill turns static talking scenes into the most intriguing and fascinating scenarios imaginable.
A lot of this is also due to the writing, and Peyton's work on this episode is incredible. The funeral scene is a perfect example of the tragicomedy element done so well. On its surface, it could come across as very silly and a lot of the comedic bits may not feel like they fit on first viewing. But after having seen it many times, the inherent sadness of the situation and the pain that all the characters are feeling really comes to the forefront and makes it one of the single most heartbreaking scenes in the show's short history.
Once again, the show is skilled at navigating through a plot that features a lot of different characters and is able to give them all a little time to shine. There are certain individuals who are not highlighted in this episode, but it still feels like they're there. It's the lived-in nature of the town and the cast that makes them all so valuable to the story, even when they're not present. And this episode even introduces a bunch of new characters, most importantly Maddy Ferguson, played by Sheryl Lee, who has previously enjoyed playing a corpse on the show.
Other big highlights of the episode is Miguel Ferrer's performance as Albert. He's going to be named as a highlight for a lot of episodes, but with this episode serving as a proper introduction to him and his characteristics after we got a sense of him in the last episode, he did such a great job of selling all the aspects of Albert, some of the good ones he have, but mostly the negative ones that are essential to him. This episode also features an all-time great scene where he gets punched in the face and lands on a corpse.
"Episode 3" is one of the most important episodes of the show and the one that really introduces the tragicomedy aspect of the show. It features some all-time great moments and works as a perfect example of what the show can be when it doesn't focus on its weirder attributes, which can sometimes work well.
This episode feels like a nice step backwards after the insanity that was "Episode 2." It's not easy to capture the Lynchian feel without having a lot of weird instances, which is why Tina Rathborne's direction of this episode feels so fresh, because she does capture it but with a lot of scenes that are not filled with action. It's all in the conversations that the characters are having and the dynamic way that Rathborne can capture a few people sitting around a table and talking. Her skill turns static talking scenes into the most intriguing and fascinating scenarios imaginable.
A lot of this is also due to the writing, and Peyton's work on this episode is incredible. The funeral scene is a perfect example of the tragicomedy element done so well. On its surface, it could come across as very silly and a lot of the comedic bits may not feel like they fit on first viewing. But after having seen it many times, the inherent sadness of the situation and the pain that all the characters are feeling really comes to the forefront and makes it one of the single most heartbreaking scenes in the show's short history.
Once again, the show is skilled at navigating through a plot that features a lot of different characters and is able to give them all a little time to shine. There are certain individuals who are not highlighted in this episode, but it still feels like they're there. It's the lived-in nature of the town and the cast that makes them all so valuable to the story, even when they're not present. And this episode even introduces a bunch of new characters, most importantly Maddy Ferguson, played by Sheryl Lee, who has previously enjoyed playing a corpse on the show.
Other big highlights of the episode is Miguel Ferrer's performance as Albert. He's going to be named as a highlight for a lot of episodes, but with this episode serving as a proper introduction to him and his characteristics after we got a sense of him in the last episode, he did such a great job of selling all the aspects of Albert, some of the good ones he have, but mostly the negative ones that are essential to him. This episode also features an all-time great scene where he gets punched in the face and lands on a corpse.
"Episode 3" is one of the most important episodes of the show and the one that really introduces the tragicomedy aspect of the show. It features some all-time great moments and works as a perfect example of what the show can be when it doesn't focus on its weirder attributes, which can sometimes work well.