I am in the middle of rewatching Season 2 (I will watch Episodes 22 and 23 tonight). What is the consensus amongst fans where Twin Peaks goes downhill, followed by a late gathering of steam and climbing back up the hill?  Right now, I would say the dropoff really starts with Episode 18 and goes thru episode 26( around episode 23 they elevate to average Twin Peaks).  I would also like to know what episode late in Season 2 is where Twin Peaks starts to regain its footing (Episode 27 with the final scene montage).  What episode is the beginning of bad Twin Peaks and the end of bad Twin Peaks?  And also, what episode is it where Twin Peaks rises from the ashes in Season 2?

The decline starts when the naivete of the central idea catches up with them and they have to solve the mystery. Episode 16 should have been the finale.
After that there's nothing really worth watching except the last episode, but that doesn't constitute a "rise".

I would agree with Booth, the Lynch-directed episodes are always great but that doesn't mean there was much of a rise at any point past episode 16.

I would agree with Booth, the Lynch-directed episodes are always great but that doesn't mean there was much of a rise at any point past episode 16.

Right now I agree to a certain point, but I will make a final decision during this current rewatch.  For some reason, the ending of Episode 27 comes to mind as the path towards redemption. 
 

Whenever gap tooth hits the scene I start FFW'n

Whenever gap tooth hits the scene I start FFW'n

 That would be Episode 18.

Whenever gap tooth hits the scene I start FFW'n

 That would be Episode 18.
 That one ;)

I can't quite pinpoint it, because it isn't discrete. Some of the bad episodes have good parts and vise versa.

In general, though, the series picks up once they start preparing for the "miss TP" contest, and Windom Earle starts to go out in public. I don't remember what episode that is in. I think of those days as the "end times". If you've watched the series before, you know what it is leading to and so there is a spectre of doom hanging over those last few episodes.  

for me it picks up in the last episode gordon cole appears. ep 25 if im not mistaken. the RR scene is heartwarming and bellyachingly funny, and tho i admit theres was still a bit of fluff in ep26, ep27(apart from audrey losing her virginity to friggin john justice) i have always thought was the best episode directed by a non TP regular, meaning frost, engels, payton et al. it has a very strong narrative, self-contained but not too self contained, all those shaking hands, and of course BOB's return.

For me the show starts to lose it's footing from about Episode 13 or 14. Can't quite recall at this stage.

Then found my interest re-established by Episode 26. (Basically the last two.)

That said, as mentioned earlier, I think there were some good bits among the not so interesting episodes. 

I agree with the belief that with Episode 17 begins the unfortunate series of episodes. Until that episode, I did enjoy the conclusion of the investigation. Although Episode 26 was not completely ideal (the wine-tasting, for example), Gordon Cole's appearance, Cooper and Annie's relationship, even the Miss Twin Peaks contest preparations were not as awful as some of the previous Season Two story arcs. Episode 27 was more of a complete "rise", but I believe Episode 26 was the instigation of this.  

I find that during the season 2 'slump' you don't even feel like the quality of the show is declining in any way till you're past it and Windom arrives on the scene. And i mean this in a good way as well. Even during that part of the show where the Laura case has been cracked and before Earle, it's still entertaining and brilliant. It's just not as entertaining and brilliant as other parts.

The disturbing thing to me on my recent rewatch is the discovery of the weaker section of Season 2 becoming borderline unwatchable in some spots, which I have never felt before.