Twin Peaks

*Introduction to Twin Peaks*

It was only prior to the release of "Fire Walks with Me", that I was really brought to the attention of Twin Peaks. I did try to watch the series on T V, but after missing one or two episodes, I found that I couldn't keep up with the story line and finally gave it away. Since then however, I have watched the series on video repeatedly, and have bought the video of "Fire Walks With Me" (I currently own the first series of Twin Peaks on DVD up to episode seven. I hope that one day, I'll own the whole series instead of renting). Here is a short summary of the series, although a short version of anything relating to Twin Peaks is not enough.

This is my very basic outline of Twin Peaks from co-creator/producer/director David Lynch ("Blue Velvet", "Dune", "Lost Highway", "Mulholland Drive").

The body of high-school homecoming queen, Laura Palmer is found floating in the lake, and the m.o. appears identical to a murder one year earlier.

Then in a very traumatised state, another girl wanders out of the woods, badly wounded and terribly shocked. She is unable to say what had occurred.

At this stage, FBI special agent Dale Cooper arrives in Twin Peaks. His investigations uncover more than just a murder suspect, as the strange activities in and around the town are revealed and the many incredulous secrets of the seemingly typical townsfolk are uncovered. This unravels a chain of events: bizarre, fantastic and often heinous.

How does one describe the genre of Twin Peaks? I remember reading somewhere that it was part soap spoof, part murder mystery, part "X-Files (although that series commenced later), but always a cult-type series. It has everything in it, the music is surreal, the story line full of intrigue and twists, and the characters in Twin Peaks hold their own in being more original than those in any other series. We will meet some of these characters in the pages coming up. But to understand Twin Peaks, I think we will start with The Lodge.

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