Twin Peaks Season 1
Set in a remote town in the forests of the US/Canadian border, the Twin Peaks story begins when the body of seventeen year-old Laura Palmer is discovered next to a lake, wrapped in plastic. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in to investigate, and his enquiries soon unearth countless dark secrets held by the town’s strange and varied inhabitants.
Being partly the creation of director David Lynch, it is not surprising that Twin Peaks is a very unusual murder-mystery series. There are numerous plot strands tying together the characters in a complex web of secrets and intrigue, all shot in Lynch’s unique and distinctive style. The musical score works magically with the photography, giving an atmosphere of mystery, drama or foreboding depending on the mood of the scene. The characters themselves are unusual and larger than life to say the least, and give the whole affair moments of dark comedy as well as drama.
There are also some strange elements that really make this show stand out. There is a supernatural theme which drives some of the plot twists, which can should seem out of place yet somehow it still works. Cooper’s logical deductions and methodical lines of enquiry are in contrast to his habit of going on hunches and looking to his own dreams for inspiration (one such sequence was actually inspired by a dream Lynch himself had). At times, it can seem like an exercise in cinematography rather than a story with a cohesive plot, and there are unanswered questions which appear to have no definite answers. Of course, this is purely intentional: it encourages viewers to think for themselves, but it may be enough to put off casual viewers who want a cut and dried conclusion. In fact, there is a number of cliffhangers which leave the viewer impatient for the arrival of Season 2.
In Summary
Overall, Twin Peaks is a masterpiece of suspense thrillers that truly deserves its cult status. The combination of mystery, humour, romance and a brilliant musical score are a TV landmark, if not to everyone’s taste. Even if you don’t want to analyse the intricate plot in detail, you can just sit back and soak up the atmosphere.
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