Twin Peaks: Absurd Brilliance

In retrospect, the early '90s can be pointed to as an inspired time for television. Seinfeld had just begun and The Simpsons was entering its golden age and its standard for which cartoons are judged by. But it can be argued that just as much of what we see today on television can be traced back to a show that barely made it through two seasons before its cancellation. Twin Peaks was a seemingly odd pairing of co-creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. Lynch was known primarily for his surrealist and horror tinged films such as Eraserhead and Blue Velvet, and it seemed like prime time TV was his last move. Fortunately for the show, Lynch's more fantastic tendencies were tempered by Mark Frost's more traditional approach to television and their end product was Twin Peaks.

Set in the titular small town of Twin Peaks, the show immediately throws the viewer into the town after the tragic murder of a popular high school student, Laura Palmer. When Agent Dale Cooper (played fantastically by Kyle MacLachlan) arrives to investigate the crime, he along with the viewers find that many of Twin Peaks inhabitants carry dark secrets, including Laura Palmer herself. To many viewers, the show appeared to be a classic mystery intertwined with a soap opera backdrop, and the shows ratings skyrocketed on this pretense, but as the show continued, it became less focused on the murder plot line and began to focus more on the idiosyncratic characters, losing many of the viewers interest. It was in the shift that the show's daring moments confused most while fascinating a cult fan club. Lynch's influence became more apparent as the show plunged in to surreal dream sequences that featured a small man speaking backwards and an evil presence hilariously only known as BOB.

The surreal set of one of Agent Cooper's dreams

The show eventually made it obvious that its more melodramatic moments were borderline parody of soap opera culture and its murder plot line a vessel to focus on the evils of a small town's inhabitants. Unfortunately for the show, its network ABC began to pressure Lynch and Frost to reveal Laura Palmer's killer to pull up the show's waning ratings. Lynch was adamant that he never wanted to reveal the killer while Frost felt otherwise. The result was the killer revealed mid Season Two, and left the show with little other plot lines to bring to the forefront. This left the show scrambling for something to keep their audience's attention and proved to be a particularly aimless low point for the show. Though it began to reach its previous levels of brilliance by the end of the second season, audience interest had long left and Twin Peaks was not renewed for another season, leaving the show's finale cliffhanger unresolved and the show thrust into obscurity.

Why you should watch this: Twin Peaks boasts one of the most unique approaches to its characters that I can say I have never seen since. Dialogue is often hilarious and off kilter and acting mistakes are frequently and intentionally left in. One instance of this comes in this unplanned appearance of a llama mid scene (take note of the old lady laughing in the background of the scene):

Moments like this litter the series and highlight the lighthearted approach Lynch and Frost take to the series' writing. These moments are juxtaposed with scenes of daring cinematography and even horror movie influence. This creates a thoroughly unique viewing experience that is very much dissimilar from any show since. Yet Twin Peaks' influence on television can not be denied. It's almost impossible to watch an episode of Lost and not see elements of Twin Peaks seeping through; such as the long, complex story lines that stretch over seasons and often go unresolved. As recently as 2010, the USA Network show Psych dedicated an entire episode to Twin Peaks under the name "Dual Spires." Many of Twin Peaks' cast members returned for cameo appearances and the episode was littered with nods to the show. Ultimately, if you're a fan a television and want to dive in to a show that can amaze, enthrall, confuse and terrify, Twin Peaks is prepared to deliver.