The general consensus on Twin Peaks is that the first season is one of the best in television history, and it’s straight down from there, into self indulgent directionlessness. I would disagree with that on a number of levels, for one, the first nine episodes of this season, in which the Laura Palmer murder is resolved, is just as powerful, if not more so, than the first season. After that, things are certainly more uneven, but only on a couple of occasions is it as bad as it’s reputed to be. The creators of Lost claimed that they didn’t their show to “pull a Twin Peaks,” but even at its low ebb, Peaks has more vitality and emotional power than Lost did at its best. Plus, the slide is pretty much all redeemed when Lynch returns to direct the series finale, the single greatest episode of any TV show ever. That episode alone makes this box set an essential purchase.
I’ve been waiting for this DVD for a long time, and it’s a great relief to finally have these episodes available on something other than a second generation VHS tape. The picture looks great, if you’ve seen the first season and haven’t caught the end, this is an essential purchase. There’s a decent smattering of extras, but it’s the high quality presentation of the episodes that I wanted, and that’s what we get.
While there were some great series before it, Twin Peaks was the first show to redefine what television could do, show that it could be just as beautiful and strange as cinema. In the past ten years, television has surpassed film as the primary visual storytelling medium, and nearly ever major series can be traced back to Peaks in some ways. The X-Files was the first major descendant, Mulder’s eccentric passion a clear tie back to Cooper. That show’s grisly violence and overarching mythology also tie back. Lost and Desperate Housewives each took different aspects of the show’s serial narrative, and David Chase has openly cited Twin Peaks as an inspirations for The Sopranos’ many dream sequences. Even shows like CSI wouldn’t exist without Peaks’ graphic autopsy scenes.
But, I would argue that Peaks remains the greatest TV show of all time. Other shows have had fantastic narratives, but I can’t think of another work that has the sense of place that you feel watching this one. It’s not so much about seeing the story, it’s about getting lost in a world where girls dance to crazy 50s music in diners, and angel-voiced singers entertain a crowd of bikers at a rundown road house. In his films, Lynch is able to create moments of ethereal beauty like no other, and at its best, Peaks manages to sustain that feel through entire episodes. No other show has ever pulled off a sequence like the murder at the end of episode 2.7, which contrasts the re-emergence of Laura’s killer with a moment of revelation at the Road House, backed by Julee Cruise singing ‘The World Spins’ with otherworldly beauty.
Article comments
1 - Brad Schader
Brilliant show with the dumbest DVD releases known to man. First they release the first season without the pilot. They still have yet to release the pilot on DVD and they waited to release season 2 until well after no one can find season 1 on DVD anymore. It would have made some sense to possibly still have season 1 around if they want people to buy season 2. AND RELEASE THE DAMN PILOT!!! The first episode of season one is well after Laura's body is found and all characters are introduced.