Twin Peaks - a very short ramble
I'm halfway through - so no comments on this post.
I watched the pilot of Twin Peaks as a teenager, didn’t really get it, and went years without really thinking about the show at all. Then, roundabout a year ago, my sister suggested we watch it together - she had already seen the first season or so, but I would be going in completely blind.
We were, in part, inspired by The Detective and the Log Lady podcast, hosted by Stacie Ponder and Mike Muncer - both of whom I cannot recommend enough to horror fans. The premise of the podcast is much the same as the project me and my sister undertook - one person is a fan of the show, and one has never seen it.
So, like clockwork, my sister and I did an episode a week until things got too hectic and we had to call it off until further notice. By the way, it’s absolutely great watching an episode a week of a show instead of binging it all in a few days. I recommend it, especially for telly that came out before the streaming age.
Bonus note - for a while I had the unmistakeable red room as my Teams background at work.
Anyway, with all that out the way, let’s investigate the mysteries of Twin Peaks.
There’s a lot to love about this show. The variety of directors across the episodes, the cast and characters, and the truly sumptuous music all come to mind. Like a lot of Lynch’s stuff, it’s got Angelo Badalamenti scoring and he is a fucking genius. A literal genius - R.I.P.
Speaking of Lynch, this was my first foray into David Lynch’s uniquely peculiar media. The strange and sometimes even inexplicable imagery, the dark and twisted themes and narrative paths, and the hysterically funny dialogue all did a number on me.
I’m not going to go on too much explaining who everyone is and giving context because a million others have done it first, and better than I ever could. I’ll simply say why I love some of the characters.
Special Agent Dale Cooper is a babe. Fucking weird, but cool as a cucumber, he is our protagonist - a stranger in a strange new place. He has a passion for nature, and also for coffee. These two qualities alone were enough to endear him to me, and I think he may be one of the best characters of any show, ever.
The Sheriff Harry Truman and his fellow officers are all wonderful in their own way. Hawk, who is effortlessly cool and pleasant. Andy, bumbling but well-meaning. Lucy, who is adorable and just super fun to watch. And of course, Harry - the quintessential man - good-natured, kind, but strong. They make a great team to root for.
The teens - now I’ll be so real, James sucks. I don’t know what it is about him but the guy sucks. Enough on him. Onto Donna - Donna just seems so nice, and as such is so interesting to watch as she grapples with all these nasty discoveries. Then there’s Audrey - who is fascinating, as well as stunning. She is a tragic but compelling figure, weird and happy to be so, and full of sharp cunning.
There are many others that deserve credit (Bobby and Shelly especially), but for now we have to talk about Laura. Laura Palmer is the dead girl found wrapped in plastic at the side of a lake. Without saying a word she launches the plot into horror territories. Is she just the token dead girl, though? Fuck no. She is endlessly fascinating. A manipulator, a seductress, an abuser, as we are led to believe. A drug addict, we soon discover. But the fact of the matter is, she is a victim of major sexual trauma. The circumstances of her death are beyond horrendous, and her life is sickeningly marred by sexual violence. The men around her are mostly all utterly disgusting, but most often we feel that Laura is a power unto herself. Her diary, which you can read as a novel, is a painful but fucking brilliant read. It is super rough going. Laura is a person who is being eaten alive by mental illness, by addiction and by trauma. She is haunted constantly by the worst of all demons, yet manages to be a friend to vulnerable people. Some she uses, repeating the cycle of abuse, but some she confides in, cares for. She is the most tragic of characters and I don’t know if I’m ready for Fire Walk With Me. I feel I could read a whole series of novels about her and never get bored.
All this, bear in mind, from a girl who is dead in the pilot episode.
For more on Laura, I implore you to check out this article by Tabby Knight.
On a lighter note, the show wears its weirdness on its sleeve. We are bombarded with everything from possessed amputees to references to aliens, to evil spirits and oddly prescient dreams. Giants, the supernaturally strong and crazed lunatics stalk the show. People sing and dance, everyone is fucking someone they’re not supposed to, and you’re never quite sure what’s going to happen next. And somehow the tone can bounce from silly to pitch black in a moment.
Another element that makes it so memorable is the setting. The small but beautiful town of Twin Peaks, with its strangely nostalgic diner, huge and grand hotel, and deep dark forests, is full of charm and dread in equal measure. The scenes outside the town, for example, in the tacky brothel One-Eyed Jacks or the mysterious red-curtained cabin, also have unforgettably stylised set designs.
Overall, I feel I could and should talk more on it, but the more I write, the more I feel it speaks for itself. I may come back to it at some point, but for now, that’s all.
As ever, thanks for reading,
Until next time,
H.E.