Right, this may be an old topic but here goes nothing.

 ******SPOILER ALERT********

 I  noticed that when Leland is outed at BOB, it looks like they try to end it with the last scene where Harry, Cooper and Albert in the woods. But, for the middle of season 2, there are different directors and writers every episode and some of the stories like the completely pointless James Hurley story with the framing made no sense. Can anyone please clear it up? Why did Lynch let them take over? Why is there different directors/writers ever episode? Can anyone tell me the "politics" behind season 2? Oh while I remember, BOB scared me more than anything, why didn't they use him more?

 Thanks

Hey; They use different primary writers and directors for nearly every episode in all of Twin Peaks; not just after the murder is solved.

Lynch/Frost and the other members of the production team had been under great pressure from the network to wrap up the murder of Laura storyline; as such a dangling mystery had rarely run on for so long on primetime televsion; once solved, it led the absence of any sense of purpose to the show; hence the inferior plotlines (eg James/Evelyn/Donna). In addition, David Lynch was busy working on his movie Wild at Heart, and so for a time the show lost one of its most important creative influences. Cooper was obviously the main character in Twin Peaks, and so instead of simply 'pursuing bob', the writers had to devise legitimate reasons why and FBI agent would remina in town after his case is closed; hence the Jean Renault story, followed by Earle story. Luckily, it all tied up together in the end as the Black Lodge ties into Bob and Laura. Whilst the other characters story arcs in season one and earlier in season 2 seemed quirky and interesting (some of them also parodying/homaging typical soap opera plots), the loss of momentum after the murder was solved left the writers unsure of what to do with these characters once things had been wrapped up, hence their plots become boring soap opera ones, instead of a parody of them.  Hope this clears things up a bit?

No, Lynch worked and filmed Wild at Heart after the pilot was filmed in 1989.  He shot that while Peaks was greenlit and began the initial seven episodes.   Wild at Heart was releasd in May 1990 at Cannes the same time the first season was ending.

All shows have multiple directors and writers.  It doesn't mean they are the creators -just following the master outline/blueprint that the series creators dictate. 

Also, the solving of LP was pretty much decided in the fall of 1990 before the second season began.  They had already began the treatments of story arcs for after the LP resolutlion.  The main problem was the Cooper/Audrey arc was yanked out suddenly and they had to beef up the "B" storylines.

No worries.

Not sure how accurate it is, and my mind is fuzzy on facts.  Mark was involved already in Storyville.  And maybe it's that David was off promoting Wild at Heart.  Maybe that's where the WAH folklore comes from.  It's a tale that always come up, that David was off working on WAH.  But honestly, I can't ever remember back in the fall of 1990 or 1991 that David was off somewhere pushing WAH.  Regardless, I believe his mind was already onto other projects.

I'm pretty sure the resolution to LP was decided on before the second season premiered.  Especially after the backlash of the first season cliffhanger.  I think a compromise was reached where the second season could premiere with a solution (BOB) and yet still continue the mystery until the next round of Sweeps (November).   This is why the Windom Earle story is mentioned in episode 2 (second season) -to start the next thing.  And coupled with the Audrey arc.  (the next thing people were talking the most about other than Who Killed Laura Palmer). 

But realisitcally, there was little that could have saved the show no matter how birlliant and ill-compromised it was.  It was just the nature of where TV was at during that time.

Yeah, of course the seeds for the next plot were placed in  ep 9; I always forget that little conversation between Albert and Coop about Earle! Obviously it was well in the pipeline!   Ach, sorry for my half-facts!

Yeah, but luckily in this decade and a bit QUALITY shows like LOST can last for a good number of seasons blatantly throwing out mysteries for the sake of mysteries, yayayayay.   I hate Lost.