Top 10 Moments of Twin Peaks (1990-1991)

Ah, yes. A "Top 10" list. I can do that. I can definitely do that. Not difficult at all.

Anyhoo the title is pretty self-explanatory here. This list is my ten favorite moments from the first two seasons of Twin Peaks. Why just the first two seasons? Well, I see Fire Walk with Me and Season 3/The Return/A Limited Event Series/(2017) as their own separate things and I didn't understand Season 3 at all I am not currently able to take screenshots from Blu-ray discs. I'll do lists for those, eventually. And maybe the books.

Oh, did you think this moment was going to make the list? Sorry to disappoint.

It goes without saying that there are major spoilers on this list. Just so you know. So, here we go. Counting down from #10, because that's what you do with a "Top 10" list. Or perhaps... honorable mentions first. Because a few things nearly made the cut...

Honorable Mentions

• "This is the date that made Andy call in sick?"
• The introduction of Dick Tremayne in Episode 10. Not only are we first meeting the finest example of a Washington native who is convinced that he is English, but we're also given one of Deputy Hawk's greatest comedic moments.
• Any moment from the Civil War subplot.
• Quit fooling yourself, this subplot is pure gold.
• The introduction of Gordon Cole
• This one nearly made the list. But it didn't. I wasn't terribly familiar with David Lynch the first time I watched Twin Peaks. I had seen Eraserhead, knew what he looked like, and of course knew he co-created Twin Peaks, but I had no clue he acted in the thing. I vividly remember the moment he walked past the interview room in the Sheriff's Station and thought, "Was that David Lynch?!" And then I recall thinking this would be just a brief cameo, à la Hitchcock. But I am so glad that Mr. Lynch had hours of screentime to come.
• "I love you Sheriff Truman."
• I love Albert. This moment shows us exactly where his heart's at and brings a mutual understanding between Albert and Sheriff Truman. Absolutely beautiful. I can't help but get a little teary-eyed at this scene ever since Miguel Ferrer passed away. I had a hard time not putting this on the list.
• Cooper's penguin joke
• Anyone who personally knows me and is reading this is probably surprised this didn't make it into the top ten.

#10: "YOU ARE WITNESSING A FRONT THREE-QUARTER VIEW OF TWO ADULTS SHARING A TENDER MOMENT."

Episode: Episode 26/Variations on Relations/S2E19

The very first Gordon Cole moment didn't make the cut, but the very last one of the original series managed to. Gordon has become smitten with our favorite waitress, Shelly Johnson, the only gal in the world that he can hear perfectly well. Before leaving Twin Peaks, he requests a kiss from her, or else he'd regret not doing so for the rest of his days. Shelly's boyfriend, Bobby, witnesses this and is completely dumbfounded. Lynch's delivery of the subsequent lines is absolute gold and sealed Gordon as one of the greatest characters of the franchise.

#9: Agent Cooper Gets Ventilated

Episode: Episode 7/The Last Evening/S1E8

I'm not usually the biggest fan of cliffhangers, but I had the advantage of my first Twin Peaks experience being on DVD, so I didn't have to wait months to see how Cooper fares from being shot by series co-creator Mark Frost by an unknown assailant (who, of course, we find out to be the lovely would-be doorknob, Josie Packard). However, when I first watched the show, I did not expect there to be such a cliffhanger at the end of the first season. It intrigued me even more, as it was adding yet another mystery to the mix and I wondered whether it had any connection whatsoever to who in the world killed Laura Palmer.

Read more: https://www.springfieldspringfield.co.uk/view_episode_scripts.php?tv-show=twin-peaks&episode=s02e03

#8: Andy is a whole damn town

Episode: Episode 12/The Orchid's Curse/S2E5

God bless Andy Brennan.

#7: Major Briggs' Vision

Episode: Episode 8/May the Giant Be With You/S2E1

This scene is just absolutely beautiful. Major Garland Briggs tells his son Bobby of a vision he had, where he and his son reunited at a beautiful home, where their relationship was in perfect harmony, in contrast to what we see throughout most of the series. The Major's story moves his son, showing us the Bobby that exists beneath the rebellious teenage exterior. He admires his father and wants to be the man that his father hopes he will become. Does this vision of Bobby's future pan out in Season 3? Maybe. I'm not here to spoil Season 3; I'm here to spoil the original series.

#6: "Look to the light, Leland."

Episode: Episode 16/Arbitrary Law/S2E9

As he dies, Leland comes to the horrifying realization of what he's done to his only child under BOB's dominion and reveals that he, too was a victim of BOB. This symbolizes the cycle of abuse that has taken course in the Palmer family and Leland describes Laura's ability to stop it, by not letting BOB in, which I'm glad we got to see first-hand in Fire Walk with Me. And here we get a beautiful moment as Leland dies in Cooper's arms, where he is forgiven by his late daughter before he expires. Exit Leland Palmer.

#5: Ronette's Nightmare 

Episode: Episode 8/May the Giant be With You/S2E1

This is easily one of the scariest scenes from the original series and it is the only glimpse we get of Laura's murder until Fire Walk with Me. This sequence graphically reminds us (in the season 2 premiere) what sparked the series in the first place and adds more mystery to this long-haired "BOB" fellow.

#4: Cooper's Dream

Episode: Episode 2/Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer/S1E3

I've often referred to this scene as the one that separates the men from the boys. If you're watching Twin Peaks and are not hooked by the time Cooper wakes up from this dream, you're most likely not going to get into it. I was hooked from the first scene of the pilot, but from what I know, some get addicted because of the dream. It is perhaps the most famous scene of the entire franchise and gives us our first big taste of the supernatural. I wish I could recall my first reaction to this scene, but I'm sure I was loving every second, because I still do.

#3: "How's Annie?!"

Episode: Episode 29/Beyond Life and Death/S2E22

You knew it was coming. Along with the immortal scene I've quoted, I'm including the entire Black Lodge sequence. This is perhaps one of the most horrifying sequences of the entire franchise (Sheryl Lee has one of the best screams I've ever heard. And it only gets more unnerving when you reverse the recording, as Lynch did here) and it ends with one of the most infamous cliffhangers in television history. And even with nearly a thirty-year gap, the stage is perfectly set for the events of Season 3.

#2: "She's dead... wrapped in plastic."

Episode: Pilot/Northwest Passage/S1E1

Here's where it all began. By the time Jack Nance delivered this immortal line, I was completely sold on this show. I wish I remembered the extent of my knowledge about Twin Peaks prior to watching it. All I recall is that it was at the top of my "want to watch" list for reasons that no longer come to mind. But I never get tired of hearing that line each time I watch through the original series.

#1: The Whole Ending of Episode 14

Episode: Episode 14/Lonely Souls/S2E7

Exterior shot of the Bang Bang Bar Roadhouse. The sound of Julee Cruise's "Rockin' Back Inside My Heart." From this moment through the rest of the episode is what defines Twin Peaks for me. Even having watched Fire Walk with Me and Season 3, this segment is my absolute favorite thing. Margaret Lanterman, or the Log Lady, goes with Cooper and Truman to the Roadhouse, as something is happening. Indeed, the Giant appears to Cooper, telling him "it is happening again." Meanwhile, Leland is revealed as the vessel of BOB, and Maddy is brutally murdered. The Giant leaves and Julee Cruise performs the mournful and beautiful "The World Spins" whilst the elderly waiter expresses his condolences to Cooper. The song moves both Bobby and Donna (the best crying Lara Flynn Boyle ever did during her run, I must say), portraying the effect Laura's death still has two weeks after her untimely passing. Cooper looks on thoughtfully as the episode closes with the song.

This scene is both horrifying and beautiful, but it would not be if anyone other than David Lynch had directed. I remember the first time I watched it and I had to just sit there for a while after it ended, speechless. I've seen it so many times now and I'm still amazed by it, especially when considering that Lynch and Frost never wanted to reveal the killer and were pushed into doing it by ABC. I've never seen someone do something they didn't want to do so masterfully.

What's next?

So it seems we've reached the end of this list. Not sure where I'm gonna go next. I will definitely do lists like this for Fire Walk with Me and Season 3, but not sure when. Hopefully I'll get an external Blu-ray drive soon so I can take those screenshots for Season 3...

But anyway, I think my next major post will be something other than Twin Peaks... perhaps you'll want to enjoy my next post with a vodka martini -- shaken, not stirred.