And now Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces rewatch. For a longtime fan like myself, these deleted and extended scenes from Fire Walk with Me are every bit as valuable as The Return. And to see them so beautifully restored and edited was a true blessing. THREAD 1/

People often ask me if I had seen the fan edit with the deleted scenes included with the film. The truth is I have a resistance to fan edits. Besides, I love how these scenes are presented and I feel they were rightly cut from the film, except where I will note below. 2/

As many of you know, the original cut of the movie was about five and a half hours long, but Lynch's contractual obligations have required him to cut it down to 135 minutes. There are still more scenes that have been shot but not included in The Missing Pieces. 3/

The full version of the Above the Convenience Store is absolutely fascinating and a joy to watch, but the movie version resembles the feeling of a dream more, which actually worked to its advantage. Once again, when Lynch runs into limitations, he creates magic. 4/

I would be remiss here if I did not mention the work of Mary Sweeney, who edited many of David Lynch's best movies and greatly contributed to their creative success. 5/

Phillip Jeffries's shock at it being 1989 sure resembles Cooper/Richard's shock at the year he finds himself in at the end of The Return. Does he subsequently disappear just as well? 6/

The brief scene with Laura and Sarah with the groceries is funny but would've killed the tension of that moment. The next scene in which Sarah tells Laura she can tell her anything and she'll understand is ironic because of course Sarah is in denial about the real truth. 7/

The one scene I do wish was included was the first Palmer dinner scene as it presented a great contrast to the second dinner scene. I also love how it's filmed in one long take in which they're framed together unlike the second one that keeps them in single shots. 8/

It's great to see characters like Josie and Pete in their final Twin Peaks scenes, but these little vignettes would have killed the tension and taken away from the power of Laura's story. 9/

I find it interesting how Laura's delivery of "I can't do the Meals on Wheels today. I just can't" was much more subdued in The Missing Pieces. For the film, Lynch clearly selected a bigger, more dramatic performance. 10/

Peggy Lipton's performance in this scene at the RR was one of her finest moments but ultimately it wasn't needed for Laura's story. 11/

The scene between Laura and Doc Hayward was touching and of course it sets up the final scene in the film. And the looks on Doc and Eileen's faces in the end seem to suggest a lot without saying a single word. Do they suspect something? Does this make them complicit? 12/

Even with a line that seems so silly on paper like "I'm the muffin," Sheryl Lee is able to create an emotionally resonant moment. The Missing Pieces prove the sheer power, beauty, and range of her performance once again. 13/

Sheryl Lee does it once again in the scene on the staircase that could have been ridiculous in the hands of a lesser actor. But since the film had already powerfully made this point in the scene with Harold, it wasn't necessary to include it. 14/

The idea that the most morally corrupt characters like Leland and Leo are obsessed with dirt hiding underneath the surface is a powerful and intriguing one. 15/

The scene in which Laura, Donna, Buck, and Tommy travel to The Power and the Glory gives us more context and information but that cut to the club from The Roadhouse felt appropriately strange and disorienting. 16/

The scenes with Teresa and Leland and Teresa and Jacques clarify her story but the snippets of info we got was enough for us to put it together. But I love this shot: this is the moment that in a way seals their destinies and dooms them but none of them know it yet. 17/

As great as it to see our beloved characters at the Twin Peaks Sheriff's Department, once again these moments would feel incongruous and would take tension and power away from Laura's story. 18/

Jacoby's call to Laura certainly makes us see him in a different light. There is a discernible disgust in Laura's voice at the way in which another person in a position of authority is trying to take advantage of her over helping her. 19/

It's interesting to compare how the scene of Laura and Bobby on the couch is presented in The Missing Pieces versus in the film. Here we stick to one long take (which often seems to be Lynch's preference in these scenes), while in the film we cut to their close ups. 20/

The scene in which Leland walks up the stairs of the house and sees Laura is effectively creepy and disturbing but wasn't necessary to build tension which was already tangible. 21/

The Log Lady scene though was brief and would've added an extra emotional beat during Laura's murder. 22/

The post Episode 29 scenes are fascinating on their own but would have diminished the effect of Laura's murder scene. At that point, we were so emotionally drained, we didn't need to cut to any other characters or see what happened post the finale. 23/

Ultimately, The Missing Pieces are a treasure for any Twin Peaks fan, especially for those who waited decades to see them. But these cuts made Lynch more efficient in his storytelling and made FWWM his fastest-paced and most tightly-edited work. 24/