World of Blue - Archived Forum 2007-2022

They've got a thread with this title going over on reddit, but I prefer it here so thought I'd start our own version.

Gosh...I feel like it’s really tough to think of one, because the fandom is so diverse in its opinions. Every opinion is popular in some part of the fandom and has decent support!

I do find Ernie funny though. I really enjoy him. I get the sense that literally no one else does. So I guess I’ll go with that.

Funnily enough, in one of the episode threads, I once wrote something like "i know people like Ernie but..." and LostintheMovies replied "they do?" I guess you were the person I was thinking of ha ha!

Edit - found it, it was here, Episode 15 http://www.dugpa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=2870. I wrote "I know a lot of people like Erine (sic) but, for me ... also ugh. Groan-inducing." Lol. Though he wasn't that bad, I suppose.

oh I like Ernie Niles.
James Booth was a fun character actor.

He played the tax collector second banana villain in 'Zorro: The Gay Blade', which was a big childhood favorite of mine.
which was also an unpopular film,
but I rewatched it a few years ago,
and I still find it fun and engaging.

I also think Ernie is quite funny!

Point proven. There are no unpopular opinions in the TP fandom.

Looks like I was right with my initial assessment when I said I knew people liked him lol. I'm not sure I did really, but now I do.

Gosh, where to start: I think TP works best when various writers and directors contribute, with Lynch occasionally stepping in to give it a jolt of his very special spirit; the back half of season 2 is terrific, and there's no such thing as the S2 slump; Windom Earle rocks as the hero's archnemesis; Annie's romance with Cooper is aces, and I much prefer that things turned out this way instead of him winding up with Audrey; the Cooper-Audrey romance as the show's driving force was a terrible idea; James & Evelin subplot is not half-bad and actually gives me the creeps; I think the characters they brought in in the second half of S2 are by-and-large more interesting than the high-school crew of the first half... I may remember more!

Oh, and Scott Frost's My Life, My Tapes book should be considered an absolute cannon in every regard and is, I think, a better book than the Laura's Secret Diary one.

Great answers, Agent Earle - perfect for a thread like this! Agree with some but not all, though I have to say one thing I do like about the original season and missed is that thrill of coming upon a Lynch directed episode, like you knew you were going to be in for a good time and often the episode would always be a highlight, not to mention extra weird and supernatural. It was always a really pivotal moment in the narrative too, like a pivotal "event" episode. Having a Lynch episode pop up here and there was almost better than all Lynch all the time. Don't get me wrong - I think it's great he directed every episode of The Return and I know that was a gift for a lot of people, and I hope he directs every episode of the next season if there is one, but there was something special about those handful of Lynch episodes in the first two seasons. Because they were rarer they were extra special.

I agree with your assessment of Lynch-directed episodes coming across as more powerful and overall greater assets when sprinkled throughout the show instead of constituting a "whole damn town". I just thought of another unpopular opinion (maybe I should have started with this one): S1 can't hold a candle to S2!

I always preferred Season 2 - at least the first few episodes - to Season 1 as well. Whenever I rewatch it, though I appreciate Season 1's strengths, I'm usually impatient to get to S2, which is where the "real" TP begins imo.

New Peaks is better with old Peaks music.

People will say: ''never redo lynch!'' and ''the silence fits!'' to which I say: ''the more badalamenti, the merrier.''

good example:


The old tracks aren't long enough for TR's scene's though. So okay, it shouldn't be plastered with it, but a little more would be nice.

I think the music works well here.

Agent Earle wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 3:26 pmWindom Earle rocks as the hero's archnemesis

I was intrigued by Windom Earle since the first time they mentioned him, and I still consider him one of my favorite characters. I do think they could have used him a bit better - for example, if they introduced him a bit earlier, and skipped all of that dressing up stuff - but overall I enjoy every moment when he's onscreen, and I really like the atmosphere he brings along with him, like in the scene when we first see him, which is so good aesthetically; a deranged FBI agent in a suit, in a cabin in the middle of the forest, playing chess. I love it.

Agent Earle wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 3:26 pmAnnie's romance with Cooper is aces, and I much prefer that things turned out this way instead of him winding up with Audrey; the Cooper-Audrey romance as the show's driving force was a terrible idea

Exactly. I didn't even really feel that kind of chemistry between Cooper and Audrey. I see him more as an older brother figure to her, and it would have felt out of character for him if they had hooked up. On the other hand, I absolutely adore his romance with Annie; he seems so innocent and happy around her, and it is just so sweet to watch, which also makes the ending of season 2 so much more tragic.

Agent Earle wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 3:26 pmThe back half of season 2 is terrific, and there's no such thing as the S2 slump

I have to agree with this too. For me, first 9 episodes of season 2 are probably the strongest batch in the whole series, and the back half is great too, especially the last 3 episodes, with episode 29 being my favorite of all time. I admit that there is a bit of a slump in the middle, however it only seems that way because the rest is so great, so it pales a bit in comparison. But it is still mostly gold. I love Dick Tremayne, I don't mind Lana at all - I actually find her enchanting as most of the male characters in the series do - I find the Thomas Eckhardt subplot interesting, I really enjoy the new music introduced in season 2, etc., etc.

It bothers me when fans of the series recommend skipping these episodes. I was myself influenced a bit by the backlash to season 2, because I didn't do a rewatch for years after having seen the series for the first time, but I kept reading about how big part of season 2 is horrible and such, and I started believing it a bit. When I finally rewatched the whole series, I was surprised how much I actually enjoyed the so-called slump of season 2, maybe precisely because it is so overlooked in discussions and pop culture that it was much more refreshing to me than the story of Laura Palmer, which I remembered very clearly.

Agent Earle wrote: ↑Mon May 03, 2021 3:26 pmOh, and Scott Frost's My Life, My Tapes book should be considered an absolute cannon in every regard

Agreed, I loved the book. Not exactly Dostoevsky, but it doesn't need nor try to be. Looking forward to reading it again.

Some of my own potentially unpopular opinions:

- I prefer Moira Kelly to Lara Flynn Boyle, and would have loved if she played the part in the series too.

- I like the Harold Smith subplot very much, and I probably relate to him the most (even though I would probably want to be Benjamin Horne, if I had to choose someone )

- I like Johnny Jewel's contributions to The Return much more than Angelo Badalamenti's.