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Comment by Waterluvian | Hacker News Reader

Is Twin Peaks casually enjoyable if you’re fine with everything being esoteric and weird, or do you have to really focus and study it to get much out of it?

Ie. if I don’t have the energy to really be fully mentally present for the series, should I not bother?

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You don't really need to focus on Twin Peaks at all to get enjoyment out of it, but if you describe yourself as "fine" with weirdness, I'm not sure you'll get much out of it. The weirdness is the point, and comes at the expense of pretty much all other concerns. The character development, style, and dialogue pretty much all serve the explicit purpose of creating a dreamlike atmosphere that makes just enough sense to be memorable and invoke feeling, but not enough sense to understand them or why they have an effect on you.

Aha. Hmm. When I say “fine” I mean I enjoy weird. I won’t scoff at it and move on.

But perhaps what you’re getting at is that if weird is normal to me, this may be kind of dated and dull? Like when old jokes seem bad because they aren’t really shocking anymore?

Hmm, no I think there's a very good reason why Lynch is considered the master at this kind of thing that's pretty timeless or at least still holds up. There are a lot of imitators, but they often fail for the same reason that adding more explosions to an action movie doesn't necessarily make it more exciting. It won't be "shocking" like it was when it first aired, but there's a lot of subtlety to it.

Wonderful. Thanks for your comments.

Truthfully it's both. The first 2 seasons I would say you can easily 'casually enjoy it'; but the 3rd season takes on a new dimension of complexity that requires, or rather demands for some, a much deeper dive. I ended up watching/reading numerous reviews of each episode from Season 3, along with rewatching nearly every episode a 2nd time after my research to fully get it. The 3rd season is just a stunning achievement in storytelling that I don't think the art world fully grasps just yet.

You can enjoy it without having to really focus on the details. Seasons 1-1.5 was good. The last half of season 2 is terrible. You can slog your way through it if you want to get all of the lore (and the movie Fire Walk With Me). Season 3 is my favorite, which takes place 25 years later and seems to have references to other Lynch's films.

Thanks. I’m sold on trying then.

Based on your comment about season 2, is it safe to infer that I can skip it entirely and still enjoy 3?

Check out this cheatsheet https://i.imgur.com/884kfHR.jpeg (no spoilers)

Basically, there's an important plot thread that wraps up midway through season 2, and then the quality of the show drops off a cliff immediately. I'd say all the red and yellow episodes are very skippable for casual viewing (technically there's new elements in those episodes that get referenced later, but I would argue that they are very minor, and the boring sitcom/soap opera shenanigans will just prevent you from getting to the better stuff later on). Lynch came back for the finale of season 2 which is one of the best episodes, so watch that, followed by the movie Fire Walk With Me, and then season 3.

Season 3 is pure gold and a much more cohesive vision than the first two (all 18 episodes written and directed by Frost and Lynch), so it's very much worth navigating the prior unevenness.

For what it's worth, I've never heard the opinion that the 2nd half of season two was bad. I don't view it that way, I mean there are parts of season 2 that are bad/cringeworthy for sure (the living room song with Hurley, Donna and Laura's cousin is brutal), but the 2nd half is intense, surreal and necessary to understand the full story through season 3.

Honestly I'm baffled by that comment, and my circle of artist friends is pretty deep and this is not a common opinion at all.

To each their own, of course; I would watch the show and decide for yourself.

Season 2 is very important, especially the first half. I feel that one episode of season 2 is probably one of the best episode of the whole series. But yeah, trying to get through the second half is a chore though.

It's "bad" but it sets up some important details you'd need to understand the context of a lot of stuff you see afterwards.

I'd say go for it anyway, there's pleasing aesthetics to be had, both to look at, to hear and to understand.

Sure, you might not come out the other side and "getting it" but I wonder how many really do.. But it's a wonderful journey anyway.

It was an ABC prime-time show. It's fine for casual viewing

It's not notable for being hyperdetailed. It's notable for being a wierdo spin on a noir.

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