Twin Peaks is a Timeless Nightmare & Tragedy (2024)

Twin Peaks is one of the most unique TV experiences in history. The product of movie director David Lynch, an aficionado of all things strange and surreal, the series was destined for weirdness and greatness from the beginning. Debuting on the ABC Network on April 8, 1990, Twin Peaks startled and compelled audiences with its genre-defying blend of mystery, drama, horror and comedy. From the dreamy title sequence set to the ethereal instrumental of "Falling" to the horrifying discovery of a body wrapped in plastic on a foggy beach, Twin Peaks set the stage for a terrifying mystery and revolutionized TV forever.

Twin Peaks didn't last long on television. It ran for two seasons, with a total of 30 episodes aired over the course of one year. Its influence, however, would last and continue for decades. Thanks to its devoted following, it gained cult status, spawned a similarly acclaimed prequel film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, in 1992, and a revival third season, airing over 25 years later in 2017. What started as a simple whodunit soap opera ended up as something that was simultaneously frightening, outlandish, inexplicable and oddly beautiful. But more importantly, Lynch re-wrote the rules for television serials as we know them today – and perhaps even set the stage for today's binge-watching.

Twin Peaks Defied All Known Expectations & Conventions

David Lynch Used a Simple Murder-Mystery to Subvert and Critique American Nostalgia

Twin Peaks started off with a simple question: "Who killed Laura Palmer?" The debut episode, "Northwest Passage," began with the heartbreaking discovery of the murdered homecoming queen, the heartrending reactions of the bereaved townsfolk, and the entrance of the whimsical and effervescent fish-out-of-water FBI Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan). He had a recorder in one hand and the love of a good cup of coffee in the other. At this point, audiences had an idea of what to expect: a mystery, a list of suspects, and a hero to solve the crime. But Twin Peaks ended up being something different. The show was genre-busting and ahead of its time, for both better and for worse.

Despite the whodunit angle getting top billing, Twin Peaks ended up being less about Laura's murder, as it focused more on the daily lives of the town's quirky characters. The town of Twin Peaks, Washington is introduced as nothing less than idyllic. It had everything from a charming high school, a classic diner, a bustling lumberyard, serene suburban homes, a beautiful country club, and gorgeous Pacific Northwestern natural scenery. The residents all fit well-known American archetypes, such as the ruthless businessman, the sad waitress, the football captain, the greaser, the good girl, the doctor, the sheriff, the spoiled heiress, the mysterious widow, the former high-school has-been, and a funny lady with a log carried in her arms. But through a series of uncanny events, these familiar and comforting figures were subverted, raising existential questions for viewers about the validity of the supposed American ideal, especially at the time (namely the '90s).

Nowhere is this critique more apparent than with the murder victim herself, Laura. At first, Laura is more of a symbol than a person in the tiny town of Twin Peaks, the personification of the American Dream and teenage perfection. She seemingly had it all and did it all. She had loving parents and good friends, dated the captain of the football team, scored straight A's in high school, volunteered to help the community, and so forth. Arguably, Laura represents the wholesome veneer of Twin Peaks, which, when uncovered, slowly begins to unravel, revealing a much more troubling truth. Laura's murder set in motion the deconstruction of American small-town life, revealing her life, and the world of Twin Peaks, to be really rife with drug addiction, corruption, deceit, abuse, incest and evil. This evil manifested in the truly otherworldly and the deeply and painfully mundane. It's fitting that Laura's destruction was caused by the ultimate betrayal of safety and security not only from the institutional corruption of the town, but from within her own home and her happy family.

Lynch's works are all linked by their dark subversions of classic Americana and suburbia.Blue Velvet, from a few years prior, is a particularly infamous take on this subject. Twin Peaks, thanks to its broader setting, large cast and long-form story, had more liberty to explore the sinister underbelly of the most familiar and nostalgic parts of American suburban and small-town life. It also did so in a subtler and arguably more effective manner. Everything, from the set designs, costumes and even the color palette exuded wistful, hazy nostalgia. The world of Twin Peaks is that of '50s America through a funhouse mirror. Elements such as saddle shoes, cardigan sets, leather greaser jackets, layers upon layers of fuzzy sweaters and flannel, and endless swaths of plaid were all chosen specifically due to how ubiquitous and inseparable they were to the decade. What more, their iconography looked nice yet ominous through the coral lenses of Lynch and the costume department's specially-made glasses. This beautiful and unified art direction created a town that is both familiar yet warped; a world straight out of the most gorgeous and blurry fever dream.

Twin Peaks Created Iconic Characters by Inverting Stereotypes

David Lynch Recruited His Favorite Actors, Established Stars and New Talent to Comprise His Quirky Cast

The beauty of Twin Peaks and its inhabitants lends well to the dark, subversive storytelling. Despite their calm aura and beauty, the gorgeous Pacific Northwestern mountains, waterfalls and forests belie owls have less-than-noble or natural intentions. Similarly, the pretty log cabins, country club and diner – not to mention the pretty red decor of One-Eyed Jack's – are, in truth, the hotbeds of prostitution, domestic violence, drug rings, conspiracy and institutionalized abuse and exploitation. And that's not even touching upon the murders just yet.

The richest man in town, Benjamin Horne (Richard Beymer) is in cahoots with a deadly human trafficking scheme. His spoiled daughter Audrey (Sherilyn Fenn) has her pride broken when she uncovers the dark secrets of the town. Laura's best friend, the girl-next-door Donna Hayward (Lara Flynn Boyle), discovers skeletons in both her dead friends' closet and her own family's. Laura's boyfriend, the seemingly miscreant football player Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook), ends up being a more heroic, if broken character, by the story's end. He's motivated to save the troubled diner girl Shelley Johnson (Mädchen Amick) from her abusive and culpable husband, Leo. The seemingly innocent, and stylishly dressed, owner of the lumber mill, Josie Packard (Joan Chen), is not the victim she first appears to be. And most startling of all is the epitome of all evil, Killer BOB (Frank Silva), who is nothing but a shaggy man in a denim vest. This is just a brief list of the complex and strange oddballs caught in the tangled web of Twin Peaks' intrigue. With so much of the show dedicated to their interwoven antics, it's a good thing that they are as weird, yet recognizable, as they are.

Twin Peaks would not have had half the charm it does without its remarkable cast of familiar faces and then-newcomers. TV veterans such as Piper Laurie, Russ Tamblyn and Beymer found renewed fame as the town's more ambiguous characters. The show also cemented the stardom of Lynch's favorite leading man, Kyle MacLachlan, who previously displayed his chops in Blue Velvet, as the original "adorkable" hero, the philosophical Agent Cooper. Holding her own against MacLachlan was Sherly Lee as Laura Palmer herself. She dazzled both the characters and audiences whenever she was onscreen, even when she was dead or spoke backwards. So magnificent was her presence that Lynch gave her the dual role of cousin Maddy, who Lee played for all it's worth until her horrifying, game-changing end.

Stealing the show was Ray Wise as the maudlin, troubled and subtly sinister Leland Palmer, who perfectly mimicked the manic mannerisms of Silva's performance as BOB to startling effect. The entire cast clearly had some affinity for their characters, given how neatly their archetypes were presented and then turned upside down. For example, Sherilyn Fenn as the spoiled little rich girl Audrey Horne believably went from co*cky and entitled to vulnerable, fearful and painfully matured. Never on TV has a precocious crush been more sympathetic or understandable. It goes without saying that Twin Peaks assembled one of the most impressive ensemble casts in history to bring some of pop culture's most disturbing and tragic characters to life. To this day, no other show has come close to achieving what Lycnh did with his chosen cast of actors and the performances he fostered.

David Lynch Brought Cinematic Aesthetics to the Small Screen

The Show’s Distinct Visuals, Sound Design and Storytelling Raised the Standards for TV

Lynch is among the top directors and showrunners in the world thanks to his distinct approach to sound and aesthetic, rivaling the likes of Wes Anderson and Sofia Coppola when it comes to color, dreaminess and oddness. Combining horror and supernatural elements with soap opera melodrama and offbeat comedy, Twin Peaks has a unique and immediately recognizable sonic and visual flair. The show's odd dialogue set the template for many of today's deadpan, quirky comedies. One cannot help but wonder if Joss Whedon had been inspired by Lynch's writing for his own uniquely-written supernatural series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The ethereal and wistful soundtrack from composer Angelo Badalamenti is its own character. Badalamenti made a moody amalgam of smooth, snappy jazz, '50s pop and lulling torch song instrumentals that can never be forgotten once heard. The most recognizable tune besides the theme "Falling," is the mournful synth and synth combo, "Laura Palmer's Theme," an instrumental that toes the line between dirge and ballad. This effect was later replicated through flutes in "Love Theme from Twin Peaks."

Lynch is a director who wears his influences on his sleeve. In line with the show's use of '50s small-town Americana, Alfred Hitchco*ck's 1958 film Vertigo is a major influence on Twin Peaks. There are many parallels between Lynch's show and Hitchco*ck's movie. For one, both had a mystery centered around a beautiful blonde woman whose idealized image clashed with a darker reality, her earthier darker-haired counterpart being played by the same actress. Both were also thematically centered around the clashes between the supernatural and the mundane or that of life and death. Most of all, both had so many twists and turns that they exuded distrust not just among the characters, but between the audience and the TV show itself. Nobody knew who to trust, not even themselves. That being said, Lynch clearly has a gentler and more human touch than Hitchco*ck. This still didn't stop him from ramping up the suspense by disorienting the viewer through the use of dramatic irony to illicit unease and discomfort.

Lynch also took visual cues from Vertigo, specifically its bold and vivid color palette, which was achieved back then through Technicolor. His art direction also veered deep into warm earthy tones layered with a soft gaussian blur to realize a world that was equally romanticized and comforting as it was dangerous and eldritch. Twin Peaks was a world ruled by patterns, colors and soft light. It's no wonder that the series' most famous sequences are set in the iconic Black Lodge (aka the Red Room), a setting so bold, graphic and completely out of context and reality that it practically personifies the series and its phantasmagorical, dreamlike tone. The Red Room sequences come out of left field, but even during a first watch, its introduction – with its bold chevron striped floor, red velvet curtains, the backwards speech, the dancing man (aka "the arm") and Laura Palmer herself – is as natural as it is jarring. Through this room, it's made abundantly clear that something paranormal lies beyond the deceptively simple murder-mystery. To this day, black and white chevron paired with red is shorthand for all things Twin Peaks. This is a testament to Lynch's vision and the series' powerful and enduring iconography.

Twin Peaks Expertly Created a Mystery, But Crumbled When it Prematurely Revealed its Resolution

Season 2 Was Confusing and Frustrating, but the Show’s Overall Impact Is Still Undeniable

For all its beauty, mysteriousness, and influence on TV as an artform, Twin Peakswasn't completely successful at telling its story. Thanks to its unconventional writing style and the way it veered into uncharted territory following the climactic reveal of BOB and the identity of Laura's killer, Twin Peaks alienated viewers of its time. In other words, Twin Peaks is not the most user-friendly viewing experience. It's also worth noting that Season 2 was all but ruined by ABC executives, specifically then-CEO Bob Iger, who demanded that Lynch reveal who killed Laura right away when he intended to take his time before doing so. Twin Peaks' inconsistency and descent into full abstraction, especially in Season Two, confused viewers in 1991, and still confounds the average viewer today in 2024.

To modern eyes, Twin Peaks' momentum significantly dwindles after the mystery of Laura's murder is solved. The ensuing drama is just average soap opera fare about lost love and interpersonal drama that paled in comparison to what came before. The only real difference between Twin Peaks' latter half and more generic melodramas was the former's signature unconventional, eccentric and spooky flair. It was, and still is, very frustrating to see a compelling mystery get unceremoniously shafted for the sake of townsfolk hijinks, peppered with the lingering threat of BOB and the supernatural. Worse, these all led up to one of the most vexing cliffhangers in TV history. Twin Peaks' ratings collapsed shortly after Laura's murderer was exposed, and Iger has since admitted that throwing his weight on Lynch was a grave mistake. Still, it was too late. Audiences had to wait 27 years for answers and resolutions in Twin Peaks: The Return, and even then, many things were still left for interpretation. Of course, for a franchise like Twin Peaks where nothing – especially not the owls – are what they seem, this was the best and only appropriate ending.

However, when Twin Peaks got it right, it got it right. At its best, Twin Peaks is an amazing example of peak world-building and mystery building. It amped up intrigue in such a way that viewers would immediately be drawn in. In comparison to many shows of the time – specifically soap operas with long, banal and convoluted plots of romance and betrayal, or episodic series with little interconnected story – Twin Peaks was unique for its long-form storytelling and idiosyncratic presentation. Every week, viewers tuned in to get closer to the mystery of who killed Laura, and unearth the many dark secrets that the seemingly upright townsfolk kept. It wouldn't be far-off to claim that Twin Peaks set the template for modern TV and the binge-watching format. Such a viewing style benefited TV shows that were really one big story split up into episodes, such as Twin Peaks. Although this template would later be perfected by The X-Files in 1993 and Buffy the Vampire Slayer in 1997, Twin Peaks laid the necessary foundations.

Tonally, the intermingling of the mundane, endearing and comforting with the uncanny and inexplicable was unique at the time. One can spot Twin Peaks' influence on series, films and countless homages made long after its original ending. Clearly, Lynch's quaint sense of aesthetics is nothing short of aspirational. Twin Peaks was, and still is, peak eccentricity. To this day, it defies explanation, rationality and convention. For all of its shortcomings, especially in Season 2, it still proved itself to be one of the best shows ever aired on TV.

Twin Peaks is now available to own or rent physically and digitally.

Twin Peaks

TV-MA

Drama

Mystery

8

10

An idiosyncratic FBI agent investigates the murder of a young woman in the even more idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks.

Release Date

April 8, 1990

Cast

Kyle MacLachlan , Mädchen Amick , Dana Ashbrook

Main Genre

Crime

Seasons

3 Seasons

Creator

Mark Frost, David Lynch

Producer

Mark Frost, David Lynch, Sabrina S. Sutherland

Production Company

Lynch/Frost Productions, Propaganda Films, Spelling Television, Twin Peaks Productions, Showtime, Rancho Rosa Partnership

Number of Episodes

48 Episodes

Pros

• The series is a uniquely surreal murder-mystery and critique of American culture
• The series' cast deliver incredible and unforgettable performances
• The story's focus on the townsfolk greatly humanized the series

Cons

• The series can be too abstract and surreal for newcomers
• Season 2 almost ruins the series by revealing Laura Palmer's killer too early
• Season 2's second half is more melodramatic than tragic and emotional