OK, hi everybody!

I popped out of nowhere, I know, sorry, I was aware of this site, I found it before but I avoided signing up while watching the series so as not to run into major spoilers.

So... I'm one of those unfortunate fools who watched Fire Walk With Me first. I figured... Why watch through a whole TV series if I can get a cross-section of it from the movie? I loved what I had seen of David Lynch (I've always been a huge fan of surrealism but I'm a little late to the Lynch party), particularly 'Rabbits' which disturbed me about as much as a series of eight nonsensical short episodes can.

Of course, all the 'top 100 scariest...' lists and TV shows every Halloween are constantly reminding me I should be watching Twin Peaks, showing clips of Cooper's dream, etc. and it was a couple of years ago on a trip to London that I picked up Fire Walk With Me on DVD. I didn't get it! The atmosphere was amazing for sure, and some scenes were incredible, in particular the harrowing murder of Laura, the flashing lights, the screams etc., but it all felt like I was watching a movie where scenes were being skipped, where I was 'missing something', I just couldn't make sense out of it (well, out of the bits I was supposed to make sense out of).

Some idiot at the college I went to had told me the movie was standalone and you didn't need to see the series. Yeah. Imagine my position... Probably similar to that of the audience at Cannes and the critics who sealed the fate of the rest of the series by slating this film (sigh).

So, eventually I find out that this movie is a prequel of sorts, and, of course, a prequel to a murder mystery should obviously be viewed afterwards! This also explained to me why some things seemed so 'skippy', since lots of moments not featured in the movie are things explained in the series which you don't really *need* to see if you know, like who Bob is, who Mr. Smith is and why Laura talks to him, why Leland and Bob appear to be the same person etc. etc.

And finally, I got my hands on the box set and I just this evening have completed the final episode.

What can I say...? Honestly, this is the best series I've ever watched. That final episode is one of the best, most nightmarish sequences... Totally blew me away. After the movie, though, I was surprised at how 'down to earth' the series seemed (the movie, at least before seeing the series, seemed much more abstract), but at the same time as more and more of the plot was revealed, what I could remember of the movie started to actually make sense as well! It pains me that through such a silly mistake, Laura's killer was spoiled etc. for me, but it was great fun to have so many instances of "Wow! THAT's what that part in the movie was all about!" and I'm sure that going back to Fire Walk With Me (which I will be doing tomorrow) will prove an exhilarating experience! :D

It's a crying shame that the show never got to be truly 'finished', so many unanswered questions... Sure, I don't think any Lynch production ever ends with all questions answered (I believe many of his questions aren't meant to be answered outside of your own personal interpretation) but it was heartbreaking to not see any kind of resolve to Cooper's entrapment in the Black Lodge, how the townspeople would react to Bob's new Agent Cooper body... Also to not find out if Audrey survived the explosion, if Donna can resolve things with her family, if Ben was ever able to truly become a good person, the ultimate fate of Leo... How unfair!! At least Lucy and Andy's story was resolved, though. :)

So, for how many people on here also felt this was the best series ever after watching it? And are there any other shows or movies, by Lynch or otherwise, that you would recommend to me? Anyone else here see the movie first? Did the movie come out different for you afterwards?

Oh and hi, I'm new. ;)

Twin Peaks is my 2nd fav TV show ever or my fav US TV show...that is after Dennis Potter's 'The Singing Detective' (BBC) which just pips it to the post. (the reason being that the writing of TSD is unmatched imo and that as a whole, it works better, unlike the tailing off of TP in series 2 etc).  Much of the Donna/James story arc , esp series 2, is some of the most excruciating viewing in TP overall and I wish that it could somehow be extracted.

In terms of visualisation (thanks to David)...Twin Peaks is the greatest. 

Programmes like this prove that TV can transcend the 'medium' and be a true 'art form' in its own right.

Tbh...I don't have much time for 'TV' as a whole and I have found that over the years, it has degenerated even further in terms of artistic merit...more so than even I thought possible.  I find it childish, neanderthal, panders endlessly to the lowest common denominator and thoroughly dis-engaging...the 'idiot lantern' term...really does seem to apply. 

As for not having TP series 3...well (to paraphrase Potter) do we want 'all solutions and no clues' or 'all clues and no solutions'.  Thankfully Lynch seems to be more inclined to...'all clues and no solutions'.

Apparently the 'dumbheads' (quoting Marlow) want 'all solutions and no clues'....but life isn't like that is it, ultimately its 'all clues and no solutions'.

So what I'm saying is...perhaps, it's best that series 3 wasn't made, although when you do make it to the final episode...you do just want it to keep on going and going...becuase it really is that good.  Perhaps there is much beauty to be found...in the series ending on this kind of high...leaving you wanting more, but not actually getting it!

I keep hearing good things about the Danish series Von Trier's 'The Kingdom/Riget' and how many compare it to Twin Peaks etc...but I have yet to view.  Hopefully that will change in the near future.

Nice post!

Yeah, I do like a good open-ended story but a few elements in Twin Peaks suggest a start of something which wasn't finished, especially Agent Jeffries and stuff like that.