Twin Peaks: The Show That Time Remembered

On June 10, 1991, the final episode of Twin Peaks’ second series aired. Save for a follow-up prequel film in 1992, it’s been 23 years since we last visited the enigmatic town where Laura Palmer met her grisly demise.

That’s a frighteningly long period of time, and it means that a whole generation – myself included – were not even born in time to witness David Lynch and Mark Frost’s bizarre, revolutionary televisual creation. But there’s no better time than the present to get acquainted (or re-acquainted) with this quintessentially nineties show, which is set to return in 2016 for a limited series.

There’s no better time than the present to get acquainted (or re-acquainted) with this quintessentially nineties show, which is set to return in 2016 for a limited series.

Earlier this month, Showtime announced a new series of Twin Peaks to be hitting our screens in 2016 (source: youtube.com)

For those out of the know, the show followed the investigation into the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer in the rural town of Twin Peaks, headed by the iconic suit-wearing FBI Agent Dale Cooper (played with brilliant camp sincerity by Kyle MacLachlan). As the investigation wears on, dark secrets soon begin to emerge from the seemingly idyllic image of small-town normalcy.

Of course, fans of the series know that barely even begins to cover what made Twin Peaks so special. It came from the mind of David Lynch, a director with a reputation for dark and surreal films – his previous screen credits included The Elephant Man and Blue Velvet, and the latter can now be seen as a precursor to the series, since the two share a fascination with the dark undercurrent of American society.

Behind the bright sunshine, bustling sawmills, and cheerful diners where you can get a delicious slice of cherry pie and a cup of coffee, there was something decidedly sinister lurking. In Blue Velvet, it was Dennis Hopper’s perverted Frank Booth. In Twin Peaks, it was more than that – the entire town seemed, in some way, responsible for Laura Palmer’s death. And then there were the unforgettable supernatural elements, namely the dream sequence where a dwarf spoke backwards and danced to soft jazz music in a red-furnished room. Remember – this show ran opposite Cheers.

The series still remains a definitive moment in television history, in many ways a precursor to the best of our current “Golden Age” of television

Twin Peaks was driven by the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer (source: youtube.com)

Of course, not all good things can last forever. During the show’s second season, the network put increasing pressure on Lynch and Frost to reveal the show’s murderer, a secret they never wanted to reveal, for it would remove the overarching mystery driving the story. Yet halfway through the season they did exactly that. Laura Palmer’s killer was caught, and the series had to struggle on for another painful twelve episodes (which it did, albeit by the skin of its teeth).

By June 10, 1991, the show was cancelled. Lynch attempted to revive the universe with a prequel film, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, but critical reception was so hostile by this point that Lynch inadvertently sealed the show’s grave for good. Or so we thought.

Flash-forward 23 years. Time has been surprisingly favourable to Twin Peaks. Many of its long-standing fans came out of the woodwork recently to celebrate the announcement of more episodes in production, and rightfully so – the series still remains a definitive moment in television history, in many ways a precursor to the best of our current “Golden Age” of television.

Yet the question still remains: how will the series fare after 25 years? Will it feel dated, without any momentum now that Laura Palmer’s mystery has been put to rest? Or will it revitalise the genre, simultaneously solving old mysteries and posing newer, more engaging ones? I’m still not quite sure, but with Lynch and Frost at the creative helm I’ll certainly be tuning in every week, preferably with a big slice of cherry pie and – excuse me – a DAMN fine cup of coffee.