PILOT COMMENTARY      

 I always delighted in the extended version of the credits in the Pilot because it
slows you down to the pace of the universe you are about to enter as it hypnotizes the
viewer with its lush imagery of a bird in its natural habitat, the sawmill equipment going
about its daily business merging industry with nature, the falls mightily roaring next to
the Great Northern Hotel, and the meandering stream with reflections of the majestic woods
in its current slowly crossing the glorious landscape.  Once you have gone through this
rite of passage, you find yourself in the fairy tale world of Twin Peaks.
       When I saw the opening scene initially back in 1990, I knew there was something
different and special about this show.  The somber ambience supplied by Angelo Badalementi's
Laura Palmer Theme overpowered yet enhanced the images onscreen at the same time.  Nowadays
the site of a dead body wrapped in plastic wouldn't even make a viewer bat an eye, but back
then it was a shocking, powerful image that lured the viewer instantly into the story.  It
was a similar feeling to discovering a new band not yet at the height of their power and
influence, yet knowing how much of an impact they were going to have on society and the music
scene in general.
        It's also quite jarring to go from the macabre scene of the body washed up on the
shore to Lucy's comedic ramblings to Sheriff Truman about which phone to use to talk to
Pete Martell.  Not many shows can have fluidity moving between stark and slapstick scenes
like Twin Peaks.
         Cynical Peaks fans may not blink at this scene any longer, but when Deputy Andy
Brennan cries followed by Truman and Doc Haywards' horrified reaction to the discovery the
body is homecoming queen Laura Palmer, this shows the flood of emotions that are about to
pervade the small close-knit town that grew up with this girl so to speak.
         Then comes the interesting perspective of watching Sarah and Leland Palmer discover
their daughter is missing and eventually something terribly wrong and finally the non-
verbal communication that she is dead.
          Rotary phones are the latest technological advancement in Twin Peaks.
          It's also funny how a Twin Peaks has a modern yet timeless appeal as shown by the
fashion stylings of Miss Audrey Horne.  These types of details will help keep the Twin
Peaks phenomenon from never fading away.
          Upon initial viewings, I would get Benjamin Horne and Leland Palmer mixed up
because they look eerily similar especially in this marvelous Pilot.
          I wonder if Sarah Palmer "knew" what happened once she found out Laura was missing
and tried to supress the thought or pray it wasn't true.
          All of this has to be the most powerful opening fifteen minutes in television
history.
          I know there are numerous soap opera elements of the show, but it is somewhat
disturbing the lack of faithfulness in couples and marriages first exhibited by Shelly (Leo)
and Bobby (Laura).  Morals are not a priority in this neck of the woods.  I suppose it would
be boring if they were.
          Establishing shots between scenes on this show are a work of art in themselves such
as strong winds gusting through the noble douglas firs.
          Being a teenager when it aired brought me a strong identification with the high
school characters such as James, Donna, Bobby, Mike, Audrey, etc.  As a matter of fact, I
wanted to be a living, breathing incarnation of Bobby Briggs.
          When the teacher in Laura's homeroom says there will be an announcement shortly,
Audrey reacts in a bizarre manner with this sly sort of smirk across her face.
          I love the ticking clock once again showing the leisurely pace of the show as
Truman questions Sarah after Doc gives her a sedative.
          I must give credit to the good ole boy Pete Martell and the character you love to
hate Catherine Martell because I never had much interest in the convoluted Packard Sawmill
plot.
          I laugh every time now when I view the Fred Truax dismissal.
          Big Ed should have eliminated Nadine in the Pilot to save viewers from the
monstrosity that is SuperNadine.
          Little do we know our hero Cooper has entered the town to save the fallen angel
in another "place".
          Even the camera shots of the Pilot are liberally unconventional showcased by
Lynch's longshot down the hospital hall of Truman and Cooper first meeting.
          Another quick serious/funny tone shift is when Cooper tells Truman about the
Bureau being in charge of local law enforcement followed immediately by a fascination with
the type of local trees instantaneously morphing back into coroner's report queries.
          Dr. Jacoby comes across as downright cheerful when he mentions the Laura Palmer
tragedy. 
         "Would you leave us, please?"  "Jim."  Classic.  Jim must be either really dumb
or hard of hearing.
          When Big Ed hugs Donna concerning Laura's passing, Donna hugs him leaving her lower
half far away from him.
          I wish Mike would have stayed the jerk he was in the Pilot instead of turning into
Donna's BFF in Season 2.
          Little did Cooper or Truman know that the diary they have is the first in a series
of two diaries.  Why did they bring in a small box of chocolate bunnies as evidence?
          The headset Lucy uses weighs more than her head.
          I like when Cooper interrogates Bobby he puts him in his place and deftly controls
the conversation.
          I didn't realize Mike didn't know who James was.  I don't know if it it was because
Twin Peaks High School was so large or because he was an introverted geek.
          Why would Donna lie for James about who filmed the picnic if he didn't commit the
murder?  She could get in a big heap of legal trouble for this.
          Was Leo ever nice?  If not, what attracts Shelly to him?
         "Who's the babe?"  "That's one of the most beautiful women in the state."  Barfs.
          The Log Lady is first glimpsed at the twon hall meeting.  Is she okay with people
calling her the Log Lady?
          "I will remind you that these crimes occured at night." - followed by shot of green
to yellow to red stoplight that is both ominous and beautiful.
          No wonder Leland didn't need a sedative like Sarah because he did it!
          I am surprised at Doc Hayward's acceptance of Mike and Bobby drinking and driving.
          I love the Nightingale scene in the Roadhouse where Mike screams at Donna and a
brawl ensues.  This song is right up there with Falling as the best Cruise song on the OST
with Into the Night a distant last.
           The meeting scene in the woods between James and Donna has a intimate film quality
not witnessed before on the television screen.
            I love the FWWM retroactive references to Sam Stanley in the morgue and that James
tells Donna "Bobby killed a guy".
            It must be pretty unsettling for Truman and Josie staring out at the lake knowing if
they were in the same spot the previous evening they would be seeing Laura's body wash up
on the shore.
 INTERNATIONAL PILOT ENDING
             I wonder what viewers thought of the experience who only saw the European Pilot
(especially the 25 years later scene).  It was very lame to make BOB human and just some
random character, but in this ending were the seeds of what would become the dream sequence
and the Black Lodge characters that would mystify viewers all the way through to FWWM.

Great post! Now, i know this is lazy of me, but i'm at work and shouldn't really be on the net (shhh!), but i agree with virtually everything you said. Inparticular the long shot of Cooper and Truman's first meeting, i've always loved how that part is filmed. And also how cheery Jacoby seems just after (and the "that guy's a psychiatrist?" line always cracks a smile).

Coop's reminder of the crimes all taking place at nighttime followed by the traffic lights at night always gives me goosebumps. Bloody awesome stuff.

EDIT: Almost forgot about the extended intro, i loooooove it. When the S1 box set first came out, i actually burnt the entire pilot onto my laptop just so i could crop out the intro, changed it into a 3gp file and sent it to my mobile so i could just watch that bit whenever i wanted. Yes, yes, a bit sad. LOL. It was years ago, in my defense.

Confusing Ben and Leland? Hmm. I've watched the series with at least 2 people who couldn't tell Audrey and Donna apart. The hair, the clothes, the same dad (I guess.)

     
Not many shows can have fluidity moving between stark and slapstick scenes like Twin Peaks. 

 a lot of his violence is really slapsticky, like how bobby peru bought it or the guy who manages to die by coffe table in lost highway

it's a pretty solid dramatic technique imo

Buster Keaton's movies can be pretty effective since you know it's all for real. Like how he almost broke his neck when filming Sherlock, Jr.

I really like Buster Keaton.

where would i start with him i am woefully ignorant

Anything he did during the period 1920-1928. Don't watch anything he made after The Cameraman. Consult imdb for further details.

People generally call The General his best movie. I'm going to watch it again today.

thanks

Building a prefab house (One Week).

Great post J...I totally agree with your commentary, especially about "jerk Mike".  I think the pilot has to be one of my favorite episodes. 

I guess I'm going to have to go home and watch it tonight since you've flung a craving on me!

I played FWWM last nite after a long hiatus. Now tonite, The Pilot and a run at the series to follow. It has been several years since I viewed TP. Perfect (relatively lousy--- 48F and clouds) weather here, and it's February in Twin Peaks. 

Going to cue up now.    

Some of the Log Lady intros you can imagine DL dictating, like the Pilot one: 

"Welcome to Twin Peaks. My name is Margaret Lanterman. I live in Twin Peaks. I am known as the Log Lady. There is a story behind that. There are many stories in Twin Peaks--some of them are sad, some funny. Some of them are stories of madness, of violence. Some are ordinary. Yet they all have about them a sense of mystery--the mystery of life. Sometimes, the mystery of death. The mystery of the woods. The woods surrounding Twin Peaks.

"To introduce this story, let me just say it encompasses the all-- it is beyond the 'fire', though few would know that meaning. It is a story of many, but begins with one--and I knew her.

"The one leading to the many is Laura Palmer. Laura is the one."

I can imagine him explaining to Mark Frost why Margaret hates fire, too. Like, because it's the enemy of the woods. (And by extension, the mystery in the woods. Which makes ABC the devil, hiding like a coward in the flames ) But I could be way off, maybe Mr. Lanterman's firey demise was Frost's idea. Somehow I doubt it, though... 

I played FWWM last nite after a long hiatus. Now tonite, The Pilot and a run at the series to follow. It has been several years since I viewed TP. Perfect (relatively lousy--- 48F and clouds) weather here, and it's February in Twin Peaks. 

Going to cue up now.    

 january/february is always the best time to watch it imo.

we even had an unseasonably gorgeous sunny week 2 weeks ago here in seattle just after that thread about how filming fwwm in sunny weather ruined it :)

Some spot on comments esp -

"I will remind you that these crimes occured at night." - followed by shot of green
to yellow to red stoplight that is both ominous and beautiful.

That sudden rush of wind and that dark image...amazing...i remember literally being mesmerised when watching the Pilot for the first time. Just watched it again the other night, and noticed for example in the Cooper/Booby interrogation scenes, the ever present wind that can be heard in the background.

And although the mystery of who grabbed the necklace from underneath the rock is resolved next episode, that moment of SHOCK brought on by the screams, the sound design...and just that feeling of sheer MYSTERY of this person lurking in the darkness.  When i first actually watched season 1 i got it into my head that there were 3 parts of the necklace- Laura's, James' and Jacoby's- In my mind this added to the manipulative nature of Laura...plus cos of the denim lifting up the rock, i thought it was Bob...Am i the only one who misinterpreted this???

I think it's flippin' awesome that an instrumental version of The Swan off of Julee Cruise's album Floating Into the Night can be heard in the Truman/Josie scene in the Pilot.

1) Bobby and Shelly were boning, after all, just as Laura suspected!

2) Bobby at school- the tough guy thing is all an act.

3) Leland at the hospital and upstairs at home with Hawk- You did it, you fucker!

4) Laura's prom photo, Sarah distraught- Like realizing a friend is dead. Kind of unbelievable. Some people mourning around you, dealing with this empty space, while others go on with their lives.

5) Ben Horne- you dirty old man

6) Audrey- was always jealous of Laura; it figures she'd be happy

7) James and Donna - so much for true love and a best friend. Assholes!

8) I love all these characters that were in the background, coming to the foreground.

9) This empty space that Laura left behind... filled by policemen and questions.

10) Principal Woljcheck (sp)- Was he doing Laura, too?

I distinctly remember viewing the pilot when it originally aired.  I didn't have to go to church that night because there were no services in the evening on Easter sunday.  It changed my life.  Being a farm girl from Iowa, I had never seen or heard anything like that in my life.  It made me think that this was my town, this could happen where I lived.  The seedy underbelly of small town life was very appealing.  I also thought, I am so in love with Bobby Briggs.  I want to be Laura, you know, without the dead in plastic thing.

Don't take this the wrong way, MayRay, but I had no idea you were a girl.

10) Principal Woljcheck (sp)- Was he doing Laura, too?

 he looks exactly like dr. giggles to me. if she's up for jaques she's up for anything

10) Principal Woljcheck (sp)- Was he doing Laura, too?

Don't take this the wrong way, MayRay, but I had no idea you were a girl.

 In some circles I may even be called a woman.

I think Shelly liked the camaro and men like Leo are never that way when you first meet them.  I thought you had some great points on the pilot. 

I dug up Gordon's DYNC, Pilot installment, for its relevance:

http://www.twinpeaksgazette.com/community/topic.cfm?topicid=1880&page=1