Retrospective: Twin Peaks

David Lynch’s Twin Peaks affirms the notion that nothing is like it seems.

Twin Peaks is a town shrouded in mystery, nostalgia and really good coffee. The show follows Special Agent Dale Cooper (played by Kyle MacLachlan of Desperate Housewives fame), an out of town FBI agent who arrives in Twin Peaks to solve the murder of local girl and homecoming queen Laura Palmer.

Now Palmer’s case is not your run-of-the-mill murder – it gets very weird, very quickly. Every single character on the show is strange and suspicious – you get to know the small town incredibly well, learning who to love and who to hate.

The investigations themselves string you along throughout the show’s duration – small clues and riddles frustrate you, and there are some moments that you never truly get to understand. However, for a show based on a murder, there is something oddly calm about Twin Peaks. It is a town in a strange world of its own – just like its residents.

The relationships formed in this show develop so naturally and are some of the most interesting I’ve seen on TV. There are several other mysteries in Twin Peaks that attribute to the overall investigation and to the evolution of the characters, making it very difficult to tire of the show.

Everything from the sets and costuming to the dialogue and soundtrack is remarkable.

Originally aired in 1990, Twin Peaks is a programme that brings with it a lot of nostalgia, not only because of what it might remind you of but also due to how the town operates. It is self-functioning and fulfilling, with its local diners and hotels featuring the same faces you see there every day. In a way, it is like you are missing a community that you never even experienced.

The programme is well worth a watch, if only so you can answer the big question: who killed Laura Palmer?