Television Pick: Twin Peaks (1990-1991)
Earlier this month it was announced that influential 1990’s television series Twin Peaks would be receiving a swanky Blu-Ray release later this year. For those that have never experienced David Lynch and Mark Frost’s eerie drama before, though, Netflix has you covered.
Set in the town of Twin Peaks, Washington, the show focuses on the investigation into the death of local beauty queen Laura Palmer. Following the discovery of another injured victim, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, played by Kyle MacLachlan, is called in to investigate the crimes. However, calling this series another crime procedural would be insulting to the work of all parties involved.
What makes Twin Peaks work is not just its central mystery, which was partially the reason for the show’s popularity, but rather the mixture of comedy, camp and drama that seemingly no one else but David Lynch could have pulled off. The show, much like the eccentric director’s numerous films, is extremely surreal and chock full of beautiful, dream-like imagery. Much like another work from Lynch, that of Blue Velvet, the show is also fascinating in its exploration of the seediness that often goes unrecognized in small town America.
Of course, all of the weirdness and intrigue the series has wouldn’t mean anything if there wasn’t a strong presence leading the show. Luckily, Kyle MacLachlan’s Dale Cooper is one of the more memorable protagonists in television history. An eccentric man who loves “a damn fine cup of coffee” and is always transcribing his thoughts to a woman named Diane, Cooper is the perfect man for investigating the world of Twin Peaks. Excellent work from the likes of Ray Wise, Laura Flynn Boyle and the ever-creepy Frank Silva, as the entity known as BOB, are just a few of the additional performances worth recognizing.
While it’s true that Twin Peaks suffers a bit in quality mid-way through its second (and final) season, the entire series and prequel movie, Fire Walk With Me, are still very much worth watching. Now, the odd nature of the show would be common place in today’s TV landscape, but back in 1990 when it debuted, there was hardly anything else like it. It’s one of the most important shows of the past 25 years and any TV fan worth their salt owes it to themselves to check it out.