Not a fan of the "I'll write 3000 words of drivel about a bar of soap to get myself an E" ...
Not a fan of the "I'll write 3000 words of drivel about a bar of soap to get myself an E" school of Ciao-ing. I think it's more important to write something well and succinctly. Of course, I may be in a minority!... :)
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A decade and a half having now passed since I first saw David Lynch's masterpiece Twin Peaks, I've decided at last to put pen to paper (in a virtual sense) and write something about this truly exceptional and extraordinary series.
"Exceptional" and "Extraordinary" are words that are perhaps overused these days in the English language; however, I remain, fifteen years later, utterly convinced that Twin Peaks deserved to be draped with such superlatives, and more. In a nutshell, this is in my experience the greatest TV drama series ever made. It is also so much more than a drama series, combining elements of the supernatural, of surreal and unfathomable events inextricably linked but in a way that defies explanation.
Before delving into the intricacies of this one-off work of genius, let me provide an introduction to the background and the plot, hopefully without giving any of it away for those of you who have somehow missed out on this.
FBI agent Dale Cooper (played brilliantly by Kyle
McLachlan) is sent out to a remote logging community not far from the border with Canada, to investigate the death of local teen Laura Palmer whose body was found in the lake. What he finds in Twin Peaks, however, goes far far deeper than this, and soon he finds himself not only investigating the murder and trying to find out who, out of a bewildering array of suspects, could have done this, but also finding himself being dragged deeper and deeper into the murky intrigues, plans and plots of Twin Peaks' colourful residents. What begins as a rural whodunnit (and it would have been a very good one just as this) soon becomes a rollercoaster ride of intrigue, horror, supernatural mystery, and amongst it all a healthy dose of black humour, which is often overlooked.
It is absolutely essential that I don't spoil the plot, for those of you wishing to investigate this series. However, some of the characters are well worth mentioning- such as Audrey Horne, played by Sherilyn Fenn who is perfectly cast in the role as the sultry, pouting girl who somehow manages to move more languidly and fluidly than anyone else I've ever seen on television. One of my other favourites is Deputy Andy Brennan, the nervous, stammering sheriff's deputy played by Harry Goaz, whose timid disposition hides a truly brave heart, not to mention one hell of a trigger hand. Kyle McLachlan play main man Dale Cooper with sympathy and quiet urgency, and it soon becomes evident that the seemingly coldly efficient FBI agent is becoming immersed in a far more emotive set of circumstances than he would wish. He soon evolves into a far more human character, and episode after episode you cannot help but warm further to him.
Aside from the twisting, turning plot, which excites and confounds in equal amounts, it really is the characters, their strength, depth and variety, that truly make this compelling viewing. It is impossible not to feel something for each of the characters in Twin Peaks, whether it be sympathy, empathy, comradeship, disgust, hatred... never has a TV series managed to wring quite as much emotion from is viewers, without resorting to the emotional manipulation which is all too common these days.
There are a number of cameos in Twin Peaks, notably from blues-rock crooner Chris Isaak, from David Duchovny (soon to become famous in his own right as Mulder in the X-Files) and even director David Lynch himself.
Yet another facet of this magical series that makes it so different is the soundtrack, which is one of the best ever written, especially the beautiful title theme itself, and a number of songs by Julee Cruise, the best of which is probbly "The Nightingale". This songs is played during an especially outstanding scene in one of the episodes, which serves to make both the scene and the song unforgettable.
You may well find Twin Peaks difficult to get hold of. I have the first seven episodes on DVD, whih came out a few years back- as yet I have not seen the remaining episodes come out on DVD, but I'm constantly on the lookout for them. They are available on VHS, although when I say available, I mean you will probably have to tour round many dusty second-hand video stores to find them all.
All in all, Twin Peaks is one very good reason why David Lynch is my favourite director. Somehow he manages to achieve things on screen, through a world tilted at forty-five degrees to what we perceive as reality, which no one else really comes close to achieving. Yes, there are other surreal and awe-provoking series (early X-Files, American Gothic, etc. etc.) but there has been nothing remotely like Twin Peaks, before or since. It truly is the defining masterpiece of alternative television, and succeeded in influencing many of the pale imitations that followed in its wake through the 1990s and beyond.
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I loved this so much when I was at school - both series and the film. They are absolute masterpieces of televisual/cinematic beauty and I don't think there's ever been anything as good on television since. Channel 5 also showed the first few episodes when it first started out but never seemed to finish, more's the pity. Thanks for the reminders of when telly was brill!
Ryan74 17.02.2005 19:01
I didn't see the TV series but I saw the movie a while ago... very bizarre...
MAFARRIMOND 05.02.2005 15:52
I haven't seen so much as one epidode of this series. I feel I have missing out. Maureen
Advantages: Fun, fun, fun! A consistently entertaining TV show. Disadvantages: Sometimes has dodgy rubber monsters - but that's not what we watch it for, right?
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