After the recent death of artist/director/everyone’s favorite weirdo David Lynch, I rewatched the entirety of Twin Peaks for what was probably the 30th time. These are some thoughts I’ve had about season one of the show over the years, reposted here for posterity.
I missed the initial showing of the first season of Twin Peaks when it hit the airwaves in the spring of 1990. By the time summer came and ABC was ready to rerun the series before the start of season two, the hype behind this thing was so intense that I had no choice but to check it out. Boy, was I glad I did. It’s a show that sucked me in like no other. I’ve owned every media release of the series and every book written about it. Even to this day I find myself rewatching the episodes on a semi-regular basis, enjoying their goofy goodness over and over again.
Created by Mark Frost and David Lynch, Twin Peaks initially tells the story of a murder investigation in a small Washington town. Popular high school girl Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) has been brutally murdered, and FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is called in when another girl from Twin Peaks is found alive, possibly attacked by the same killer. The clues in the case also fit a murder from the year before in the same state.
Once arriving in town, the wide-eyed FBI man discovers that it’s a place like no other. But since Cooper is nearly as bizarre as the town he’s come to investigate, it’s a perfect match.
Reviewing each individual episode is difficult, since each is simply a continuation of the main storyline and they all essentially play out as one long, excellent movie. There’s nothing I can point to that’s distressing storywise. I can’t say something like “Oh, I don’t like the direction the story took in episode five” because every twist and turn the series takes in these seven episodes is simply wonderful. The first season of Twin Peaks is without a doubt the most compelling whodunits I’ve ever seen.
And this cast might be the most gorgeous assortment of actors and actresses ever assembled for a television series. As each new character appears in the story you’ll audibly gasp at their attractiveness. One of the main problems with season two of the show is how stories move away from the main cast and storylines start focusing on the oldest people ever to still be alive, somehow. But that’s a complaint for another time.
If I was forced at gunpoint to gripe about something from season one though, all I could come up with would be that in episode three Cooper describes *the dream* rather differently than we saw it at the end of the previous episode (what he describes are details seen in the European version of the pilot episode that Lynch recut for episode two), and that some of the stylistic decisions director Lesli Linka Glatter uses in episode five are a little hokey. And, well… the amount of sex everyone in town has had with everyone else is extremely worrisome from a public health standpoint. This is all just nitpicking though. Please don’t force me at gunpoint to do anything, let alone pick on season one of Twin Peaks.
The second episode after the pilot stands out of course, since it was directed by Lynch himself (Lynch does amazing work when within the constraints of television, strange as that sounds). His episodes move at a virtual snail’s pace, yet still manage to pack in as much information and plot development as all the other episodes. And the season ender is one of the best cliffhangers ever on TV (sharing that high honor with the third season finale of Star Trek: The Next Generation and the fourth season finale of The X Files).
We live in an amazing time where, a few years ago, the entire series was remastered for high definition. Everywhere you’ll find the series now will showcase the episodes in their original full-frame format and glorious HD. Comparing them to their VHS counterparts is like comparing a Porsche to a wheelbarrow. The show was released on VHS twice: First, each of the initial seven episodes were released on individual tapes (recorded in SP) and again as part of the full series box set (recorded in LP). Having rewatched my tapes not long before the original DVDs were released, I noticed how their quality was starting to resemble low budget, Canadian direct to video dramas… with washed out picture and muffled, tinny sound. Also, my tapes were suffering from considerable wear and tear, since they’ve been played dozens of times. Seeing these episodes in high def is like a revelation. The picture is crisp and clear, and the sound is delightful. Despite a faint hint of flicker and the occasional shot where you can tell the original film elements couldn’t be found, this is the best Twin Peaks has ever looked. A word of warning though: The creepy Lynch/Frost Productions logo that concludes every episode will scare the crap out of you depending on the volume level you have set.
If you’re still questioning whether or not you want to invest any time watching Twin Peaks, give the pilot and first two episodes a try. You’ll know by then if you’re hooked or not. The show is certainly dated if you’re a newcomer, and if you’re used to the speed of modern prestige television shows you may not be into the very slow, methodical pace of the series. Me? I still love this first season of Twin Peaks even after my 30th viewing, and I’m forever thrilled that more people are still getting a chance to experience its world.