"She's dead...wrapped in plastic."
For those who don't know: Twin Peaks was the Mark Frost/David Lynch creation that aired on ABC in 1990-1991. It is a lot of things - a mystery, a soap opera, a surrealistic exploration into small-town life, eerie one moment, and slapstick the next. The central plot of the show revolves around the simple idea of "who killed Laura Palmer," homecoming queen, local beauty, and all around America's sweetheart...or so it seems. FBI agent Dale Cooper, played to stunning quirky perfection by Kyle Maclachlan, is brought in to town to solve the mystery and gets surrounded by the many unique locals there. That's the basics.
I don't claim to be a David Lynch fan - the only film of his I can say I truly enjoy is Blue Velvet - but here I think he really gets the combination of normalcy and what the fuck just right. Some of the images are just simply stunning, namely all of Cooper's dreams and journeys into the Black Lodge. As TIME says in the above link, Peaks "turned primetime TV into a giant indie art house theatre." With that we get the balance of day to day goings on in the town, everything to failed romances, baby daddy drama, and simply what's going on at the local diner - and that's why I think the show works so well for me.
The thing I like most about the show, and Blue Velvet, is the exposure that lying just below the surface of Americana, the blue collars, the homecoming queens, the cherry pie, is a dark and scary world we'd rather not think about. Take Laura Palmer for instance: Homecoming Queen. Charity Worker. Girl Next Door. Cocaine Addict. Sometimes Prostitute. Incest Victim. The appearance of small-town life from the outside and what lies beneath the surface are two very different things, Lynch shows us. There are some moments in the show that had me cowering in terror and a general unease overwhelms most episodes. BOB is as scary as villains get. With such themes as drug use, abortion, incest, and pornography, I can't believe Twin Peaks was actually on network television - it certainly wouldn't be today.
Special Agent Dale Cooper and Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Aside from the mix of the surreal and the mundane, I think what also really works is the cast. Somehow, the show manages to pull off an ensemble cast of 25 or so truly unique characters that you feel as if you've met before, and care for each one individually. Sherilyn Fenn as seductress Audrey Horne and Jack Nance (Eraserhead, that guy, who has one of the saddest life stories I've ever read) as Pete Martell, a fisherman who discovers Laura's body, are my favorites, but everyone is so good. Michael Ontkean as everyman sheriff Harry S. Truman, Piper Laurie as resident bitch Catherine Martell, Peggy Lipton as diner proprietress Norma Jennings...
I wish I would've been around for the cultural frenzy when the show first aired, how I long for a cherry pie and coffee party. My parents told me about it. The show did quite well for a while, because everyone loves a good whodunit, and then sharply decline. From cult hit to cultural phenomena to who cares, all in a year and a half. I so wish there was a third season, because the season two finale leaves more questions than any show ought to ever. There is no resolution, more questions than answers...but I don't totally hate it.
Despite my love, the show definitely tapers off a bit in season two - I've read it's because Lynch left to work on Wild at Heart - and the mystery of Laura Palmer's death is solved mid-season, leaving ten or so odd episodes where a storyline had to be made up on the fly. Still, while there are some definite moments of lag and "really?" as I find with most great television, each episode is like a small treat to be savored, enjoyed.
Then there's the movie, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, made a year after the show was canceled. There are some beautiful parts in it, but overall it feels as The AV Club states, "pointless at best, sadistic at worst." The freedom of film allowed for the rape and murder of Laura Palmer to be shown - but I didn't really want to see it. It does clarify Agent Cooper's fate, but otherwise it's a disappointment.
Twin Peaks is one of the most enjoyable experiences I've had when it comes to episodic television - it ranks in the all-time top five, without question. I'm quite sad to be finished with it, but it'll be a show I will most certainly re-visit. Now, who wants a damn fine cup of coffee?
- Some sweet Twin Peaks Nikes
- The AV Club's exhaustive, wonderful TV Club on the series
- The TIME article from when Lynch was on the cover, discussing the show
- The Rolling Stone article that inspired this gorgeous cover
- Twin Peaks Wiki
- And all the episodes streaming, for free! in great quality! Just don't forget to watch the two-hour pilot first.
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