Twin Peaks

 

Everywhere I have been over the years, I often hear people say: "Ben, you've got to watch Twin Peaks! It's just up your street." Recently I got the opportunity to do just that when I visited my friend "AnotherBlonde" and borrowed her DVD box set, see here for background: http://hpanwo-tv.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-secrets-of-newbury-2.html. I remember one of my mother's best friends was really into the series when it first appeared in 1990. At the time I assumed it was some kind of typical soapy mini-series. It does in fact have that element; it is a somewhat affectionate parody of classic American soap operas and made-for-TV movies. Some of the characters and scenes are straight out of Dallas or Falcon Crest. However, it is far more than that. As I would expect from its creator, David Lynch, it is highly surreal and depicts the characters' inner thoughts as well as their words and actions. It starts off as a murder mystery and, excuse the spoiler, by the end of the series that mystery is not comprehensively resolved. In fact, to this day, Twin Peaks fans are still quibbling over who really did it. Despite the abandonment of this cliff-hanger, the end titles of almost all the episodes show a school photograph of the victim. The mystery is the focus of the feature length pilot, but then over the course of the first season it twists and turns until it eventually segues into a new multifaceted storyline along with medley of subplots. It has a dark ambiance with a sinister score and spooky connecting shots. In between this are a few scenes of slapstick comedy. In this age of soundbite TV, I'm pleased to say that Twin Peaks has a slow pace. Almost the entire first third of the pilot consists of one after another of the characters' reactions to the initial tragedy. Very quickly a supernatural element is revealed. One of the characters experiences prophetic dreams in which he encounters strange beings; such as a giant and a dwarf, as if he is accessing some kind of real life mythology. The series is set in a fictional town called Twin Peaks in Washington USA, population 52,201; although that figure drops quite a bit before the end.
 
It is rare for modern American fiction to be set in a rural environment and I got a powerful sense of atmosphere from it. There is a lot of Amerindian iconography in the scenery and costumes, especially in the local hotel; and there is a distinct message that ancient spiritual forces are at work in the community. This includes demonic possession; in fact the story is primarily a horror movie. Some of the characters undergo radical personality shifts as a result of illnesses or accidents. There is also a reference to government conspiracies and Project Blue Book. The most intriguing character is probably "the Log Lady", an elderly woman who has a strange habit. She carries around a small log which she cradles in her arms like a baby. She tells people: "my log talks to me." It is easy to dismiss her as the village idiot, but at times one gets the impression that she is the only person who really understands what is going on. In fact Lynch later recut the series to include an introduction by the Log Lady to every episode. (The DVD viewer is given the choice whether to watch these or not.) These intros are just one or two minutes long, but very well designed and acted. In them she delivers an uncanny and cryptic message about the story to come. She reminds me of my own character from the Roswell trilogy, Flying Buffalo, see: https://hpanwo-bb.blogspot.com/2018/12/roswell-redeemed-is-here.html. Twin Peaks really is just up my street. It is very gripping and some of the characters grew on me a lot personally. It is very well written and acted. I couldn't stop watching it. The ending is highly abrupt and open-ended, as if there was meant to be more. Apparently there is an extra season, but it came much later. I'm not sure if I want to see it because sequels of great movies tend to be far worse. The series was made over a decade and a half after Lynch's breakthrough film, but it includes many cast members who have features in his past productions. One of them is the man who plays the main character in Eraserhead. It's well worth watching and if you're a fan of mystery, conspiracy and the paranormal then it will satisfy you; but don't expect to know what happened by the end. Some things the viewer has to work out for themselves, and maybe that's not a bad thing.
See here for more information: https://hpanwo.blogspot.com/2014/01/gone-to-seed.html.
And: https://hpanwo.blogspot.com/2014/05/voyage-of-unicorn.html.