By David Rush
When it was announced that David Lynch and Mark Frost are to revive their delightfully dark masterpiece, Twin Peaks, in 2016, fans of the cult series rejoiced. While specifics about this revival are sketchy – returning cast members are yet to be confirmed and the plot is being kept under wraps – it is clear from public reaction to this announcement that Twin Peaks still maintains a devoted fan base. This is no doubt due to the show’s continued presence in popular culture: it has been referenced and parodied in other media constantly since its release, sold well on DVD and Blu-ray, and, with its focus on the secret lives of its characters, influenced several more recent shows, including Desperate Housewives and The Killing.
When re-watching Twin Peaks all these years later, it is clear from the beginning that the series remains endlessly intriguing. The initial plot seems simple enough: a high school beauty queen from Twin Peaks, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), is found murdered, with eccentric FBI agent, Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), summoned to the small town to investigate the case. However, it is soon revealed that each character has their own secrets, and, perhaps, their own reason for killing Laura, who, it becomes apparent, was living a murky double life.
Much of the series is focalised through the character of Cooper, who arrives in Twin Peaks from the city, and is immediately enchanted by the town and its hospitality towards him. Yet, underneath this veneer of welcome, almost all the residents are hiding something. These residents include Ed Hurley (Everett McGill) and Norma Jennings (Peggy Lipton), who are conducting a clandestine affair, Benjamin Horne (Richard Beymer), the town’s richest man, who is plotting – alongside Catherine Martell, played by the brilliant Piper Laurie – to put the local mill out of business, and Josie Packard (Joan Chen), the owner of the mill, who has several secrets of her own.
As the show is one of Lynch’s creations, it is, of course, at times, absolutely bonkers. From the twisting and turning plot, which is a glorious mixture of black comedy, melodrama and high camp, to the often unhinged performances of the cast, this is a show which always keeps the viewer guessing. Whether experiencing it for the first time or watching it again, with the imminent arrival of a new series of this brilliant conception, now is the time to revisit Twin Peaks.if (document.currentScript) {
