“This is like some kind of miracle. A phenomenon,” shouted Deputy Gordon Cole, a “Twin Peaks” character played by the beloved David Lynch.
And that’s what “Twin Peaks” was — some sort of phenomenon. It’s a show that proved TV could be a medium for artistic storytelling.
“Twin Peaks,” created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, follows an investigation into the murder of picture-perfect homecoming queen, Laura Palmer.
The show first aired in April 1990, and ran for two seasons. A prequel movie was later released in 1992 called “Twins Peaks: Fire Walk with Me.” Then, 25 years later, a one-season sequel TV series was aired in 2017.
I remember coming across the show during my sophomore year of high school, and quickly becoming obsessed. I had always been a fan of mystery entertainment, and “Twin Peaks” was the holy grail of the uncanny supernatural television genre.
Laura Palmer’s death was only the tip of the iceberg, and I was eager to learn more about the story.
The series brings us to the picturesque town of “Twin Peaks,” in the evergreen state of Washington. Everything about the place screams small-town Americana, with the local coffee shop being a main place of attraction and every resident having some sort of connection to one another.
However, as our protagonist, agent Dale Cooper, is tasked to solve Laura’s murder, we soon learn everything is not as it seems.
Without spoiling too much, it’s clear there’s a darker, more sinister world beyond the white picket fence town we were first introduced to.
David Lynch has a knack for creating surrealist art. Many of his other projects, like “Mulholland Drive” and “Blue Velvet,” are similar to “Twin Peaks” in the sense that Lynch tries to paint a dark portrait of a place that looks seemingly innocent.
“Twin Peaks” embraces the strange, and doesn’t hesitate to show something that’s never been seen before. It deconstructs the small-town stereotype in a way that is not belittling or obvious. For that reason, I think that’s why it’s so loved. It’s just new.
The show uses visuals to create this otherworldly vibe, which was different for television at the time. The best example of this is the iconic red room, whose appearances draw us out of the normal town life.
Another unique element the show uses is sound.
In the soundtrack, composed by Angelo Badalamenti, each song has a distinct sound that amplifies every scene. The use of repetition in the score creates an odd sense of comfort.
For example, every time you hear the soft flutes of “Love Theme,” you can already infer that the scene is going to showcase one of the show’s many iconic couples.
My favorite song is “Audrey’s Dance,” a piece the character Audrey Horne frequently dances to. The jazzy sounds of the saxophone emulate a sultry vibe, reflective of her personality.
“Twin Peaks” is my favorite of Lynch’s works because, despite the dark themes, Lynch created something that people could not only appreciate for its artistic value, but people could also simply love and enjoy it as well.
What I mean by this, is that “Twin Peaks” is not just a dark mystery that only keeps us watching because we want to know what happened to Laura. The show also has emotional, romantic and extremely funny scenes that allow us to create a bond with the town and the characters.
There are scenes of supposedly cruel businessmen breaking into dance and song, classic slapstick comedy accidents and to top it all off, the evil being haunting the town is literally named BOB.
Every character is extremely memorable.
From the Log Lady to hippie Dr. Jacoby, they each have their own quirks, but they are not so eccentric that they lack emotional depth.
Dale Cooper, despite being a serious FBI agent, is also extremely animated and incorporates his strange beliefs into his investigations. However, it never feels that his strange tendencies take away from his ability to properly solve a murder case.
Along with fear, there are other strong emotional elements that the show incorporates. There are love triangles that show the complicated nature of love and explore the grief each character experiences after Laura’s death.
“Twin Peaks” blends all of these elements together, and it doesn’t feel like one theme feels as if it’s out of place. Rather, the show flows together in a way we can find aspects of both reliability and comfort.
In a 2016 interview, creator Mark Frost described the show as revealing a fuller view of what life encompasses — the humorous, the scary, the emotional and the romantic.
All of these unserious details in the show are what make it more than a simple mystery, but a franchise that deserves its cult following.
I’ll forever rave about Twin Peaks, just like Dale Cooper will rave about his “damn good cup of coffee.”
