I watched the alternate ending to the pilot from the Gold Box for the first time today.

Could anyone tell me what the idea of shooting this was? I believe it was shown in Europe?

It's just that it is such an unsatisfying way to end the mystery, with Mike shooting BOB, after we only just learnt who those characters were. Even if you couldn't watch any of the rest of the series, you would still surely be better off just watching the normal pilot. I did appreciate watching it though, as I thought I'd seen almost all the TP that's out there, but the alternate ending is actually about 20 minutes or so. Even if as an idea, it's pretty rubbish, it does have the same magic to it that the rest of the pilot does. BOB's just as creepy (why is he in the basement of the hospital?!) but it was weird seeing Frank Silva actually have a substantial piece of dialogue to speak, instead of BOB's usual grunts and growls.

"Before TP was sold to ABC as a series, Lynch/Frost raised money to finance the production of the pilot episode by signing a contract with Warner Home Video. The contract gave Warner Home Video the rights to sell the pilot episodeas a movie on video in Europe (not knowing whether the pilotwould result in a series, Warner wanted to ensure they couldmake their money back.) In order to sell it as a movie, the contract stipulated that the pilot must stand on its own and have a "closed ending" where the murder of Laura Palmer was resolved."

The website, mind you it's dated info, also tells where all the pilot has been broadcast and distributed. It was the only version of the pilot that existed in stores until the S1 DVD box set. So in the old days if you started watching TP on your own this weird ending was really hard to reconcile as a dream in ep 2. And it ruined who BOB and Mike were right away.

Thanks for the info 12.

That actually makes a lot more sense than I thought it would.

I'm from Montreal and remember renting that one around 2000 and thought it was fantastic. watched it at 3am and all that - semmed so fucking unreal. then I only watched the series about a year and a half ago, but couldnt remember how it ended (good thing, that).

watched the european ending after that and couldnt believe how shit (or funny) it was. scene with andy and lucy was pretty cool though (wtf!)

Yes! That was a scene that should have been kept. Imagining a lot of the FWWM deleted scenes, I think they would play like that.

A fan at a Fest asked Kimmy what Lucy and Andy were doing, with the trumpet as they got ready for bed. I shouted, "Foreplay!" and Kimmy said, "That's exactly right." Ha.

In episode 3 (after the pilot's alternate ending was shortened into a dream sequence for Cooper in episode 2 - counting the pilot as episode 0) Cooper recalls the entire dream to Lucy and Harry at breakfast.

In his recounting, he tells about the entire sequence that was in the alternate ending.  He tells about Lucy being there, and getting a call from a one armed man, and Mike shooting Bob.  I asked Al strobel at one of the fests if the entire sequence originally going to be included in episode 2, and he said his impression was it had to be cut down for time constraints. 

so I prefer to think of the alternate ending of the pilot, as the UNCUT dream sequence for episode 2.  It also makes the red room stand out more....because you are so unsure if it is a dream or not....it makes the viewer think, "what the hell is this?"  Awesome.   Love that stuff! plus the red room sequence is LONGER with the little man and laura holding hands for a moment...and little mike's weird smile as he does so.