Twin Peaks

This was originally on TV in 1990-91 for two seasons.  I recall a big fuss at the time, so I ignored the show precisely because everyone made such a big fuss about it.  In fact, that’s the only thing I remember.  For some reason – probably sheer boredom – I decided to check it out now.  This review will serve to possibly entice non-viewers to watch (the entire series, plus the movie, are on DVD now) and also remind former viewers of the show.

Premise.  In a small town in Washington State, Twin Peaks, a young girl, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), is found dead, wrapped in a shroud in the local body of water.  For reasons not explained until later, Special Agent Cooper of the FBI (Kyle MacLachlan) investigates the crime (not aware of any federal angle) with the helpful cooperation of local sheriff Harry Truman (Michael Ontkean).  [Apparently Cooper is investigating the disappearance of a colleague, played in the movie by Chris Isaak, who was investigating a similar murder which may have been connected to this one.]

Fortunately we do learn who killed her and why.  However, many other things happen which serve more to confuse and mystify us for the sake of doing so than anything else.  So there’s a healthy (???) dose of WEIRD SHIT which makes it compelling and you wonder how the hell this got on network TV.  But it clearly inspired “The X-Files” (FBI agents investigate weird shit) – and David Duchovny is here.  It was directed by David Lynch, famous for his weird shit (e.g. “Blue Velvet”, also starring MacLachlan) and who actually shows up as Cooper’s FBI superior, hard of hearing so he has to speak loudly – except to Shelly.

 

By the end of season two, things have picked up dramatically:  In addition to (A) finally solving Laura’s murder, there’s (B) Miss Twin Peaks, a beauty pageant in which practically every major female character except the Log Lady is competing, Norma Jennings being a former winner; (C) Cooper matching wits with Windom Earle to prevent further murders, and (D) Cooper matching wits with Windom Earle to find a gate to a dark and evil place (the Black Lodge) with red curtains and a midget speaking forwards-backwards in a red three piece suit.  [In fact, that part was the ONLY part I recall from when the show originally aired.  They recorded the actor (Michael J. Anderson) reading his lines normally, forwards.  Then they played the recording backwards, and recorded him reading those lines sounding how they sounded backwards.  Then they played THAT recording backwards.  Clever.  Maybe not.]  

Major Characters.  Naming them all would be silly, but here are the most important.

Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan).  Talks into his tape recorder to “Diane”, his unseen assistant who doesn’t turn out to be anything else.  He loves the local coffee and is not shy about complimenting it way too many times.  Maybe it was Starbucks.  He has all sorts of weird dreams and visions, probably not techniques taught at FBI Academy before Agents Fox and Mulder.  He does not dream of J. Edgar Hoover.  His quirks make him very likable.

Sheriff Truman (Michael Ontkean).  Helpful and smart, generally likeable.  For awhile he has a big funk (major character died suddenly) but snaps out of it.  He actually has a framed picture of President Truman on his wall.

Deputy Horse (Michael Hawk).   Bad-ass Native American deputy who occasionally utters mystic shit but is usually simply competent.

Deputy Andy Brennan (Harry Goaz).  Dopey, simple deputy all us smart people from big cities can look down as typical sheriff’s deputies from small towns.

Lucy Moran (Kimmy Robertson).  The ditzy blonde receptionist who is nevertheless marginally smarter than her BF, Andy.  She gets pregnant but is uncertain who the father is.  Maybe Dick Tremayne.  Possibly Bob.

Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee).  Homecoming queen seen in a few flashbacks.  It turns out she was into some seriously nasty shit which few had any clue about – except Donna and James.  The circumstances of her death (fully shown in the movie, by the way) are extremely messed up.  As we could expect.

Leland Palmer (Ray Wise).  Her dad.  Goes seriously apeshit – even his hair turns white.   Ostensibly the well-dressed middle-aged father but turns out much worse.  Did I mention how twisted the show is?

Ben Horne (Richard Beymer).  Owner of the hotel and brothel.  Audrey’s father.  He also goes nuts, but thinks he’s Robert E. Lee at Gettysburg and re-enacts the whole battle with a CSA victory.  Highly unethical.  Possibly Donna’s father.

Audrey Horne (Sherilynn Fenn).  Ben’s slutty daughter.  For awhile I couldn’t tell her apart from Donna.  She’s actually pretty smart.  Briefly she hooks up with Billy Zane’s character.

Donna Heyward (Lara Flynn Boyle).   Hot babe, involved with James and a close friend of Laura’s.  Actually very likeable.  In real life, Boyle and MacLachlan were a couple during the show. 

Doc Heyward (Warren Frost).  The town doctor and Donna’s Dad.  Mainly acts as a coroner.  Nothing strange about him.

Josie Packard (Joan Chen).  Owner of the steel mill, formerly from Hong Kong.  [Chinese GF recognized her (Chen) as well known actress from Shanghai].   Has a relationship with Sheriff Truman.  It turns out she had some shit going on back in Hong Kong which comes back to bite her big time.

Catherine Martell (Piper Laurie).   Josie’s sister-in-law.  She’s an older woman who is very shrewd and not to be f**ked with.  Schemes with Ben Horne.

Pete Martell (Jack Nance).  Catherine’s husband.  Loves to fish and excellent at chess, advises Cooper when Windom Earle comes around as serial killer with a chess angle competing against Cooper.

Major Briggs (Don Davis).  Stuffy Air Force colonel.  Eventually we learn that he was involved with Area 51 type stuff which he says “I’m not authorized to disclose that information”.  Then he gets weird.

Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook).  Son of Major Briggs. Secretly hooked up with Shelly Johnson.  High school athlete, coke dealer, kind of a punk asshole.  Later tries to hook up with Audrey Horne.

Ed Hurley (Everitt McGill).   Runs the local garage.  He always looks unhappy and confused.

Nadine Hurley.  Ed’s seriously messed up wife.  She has an eyepatch and is super strong.  For awhile she thinks she’s back in high school and tries to hook up with one of the boys, Mike. 

James Hurley (James Marshall).  Kind of a James Dean motorcycle riding loner.  Quiet and unassuming but cool.  He was in a triangle with Donna and Laura, later Donna and Laura’s cousin Maddy (also played by Sheryl Lee).

Norma Jennings (Peggy Lipton Tea).  Runs the local café.  Having an affair with Ed, which Nadine initially suspects until she goes into clueless cheerleader mode.

Hank Jennings (Chris Mulkey).  Her husband.  Somewhat of a nasty crook, ex-felon still involved in illegal activities – if there was a legitimate target for Cooper, it would be him.  Instead, Cooper investigates Laura’s death.

Annie Blackburn (Heather Graham).  Norma’s cousin, formerly in a convent but comes back and romances with Cooper.

Leo Johnson (Eric Da Re).  Shelly’s abusive husband.  Major league violent asshole, but winds up being incapacitated in a comically cosmic justice kind of way. 

Shelly Johnson (Madschen Amick).  Leo’s attractive but much-abused wife, works as a waitress serving Damn Fine Coffee to Agent Cooper.  Seeing Bobby Briggs on the side.

Lawrence Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn).  Super cool shrink, probably romantically involved with his female patients.  Does not fight-dance (West Side Story) here.  Loves Hawaii.  Surrenders at Appomattox.

One Armed Man (Al Strobel).  Actually Mike, a rival and enemy of Bob.  Another character who mainly says weird shit.

Log Lady (Catherine Coulson).  Seriously messed up older woman who carries a log everywhere and utters mystic bullshit.

Windom Earle (Kenneth Welsh).  Cooper’s former partner at the FBI.  He had a major nervous breakdown but returns as a serial killer, assisted by Leo Johnson.  I found him extremely annoying.  Terrence Stamp would be been better cast in this role.

Bob (Frank Silva).  Bob is special.  Mostly VERY annoying.  What is Bob?  Never quite explained very well.  You’ll see.

Short Red Dude (Michael Anderson).  Talks funny to Cooper in dreams and the Weird Zone.  Not much more than that.  Did not get his own show.  Sorry.

All these characters interact in a way that remains extremely confusing – deliberately so.  Ideally I should watch it again now that I know what happens.  The ending (S2/E22) is extremely frustrating.

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992) (DVD).  Two seasons were not enough, so we got this.  Everything written about this says “part prequel, part sequel”, but the “sequel” part is 1 minute at the very end of questionable meaningfulness because it’s of the same “WTF” caliber as the weirdest parts of the series, though it does include Agent Cooper (MacLachlan).  The remaining 2 hours and 13 minutes is prequel material, essentially, “who was Laura Palmer?”  Her depraved, slutty lifestyle is fleshed out in tedious detail, and we finally see her being murdered, and by who – and by that point we no longer care.  Donna is here, played by Moira Kelly instead of Lara Flynn Boyle.  Cooper has a minor role, as do Chris Isaak, Kiefer Sutherland, and even David Bowie, having what appears to be a largely superfluous role. 

Season 3.  Not only greenlighted but filmed and recorded – it’s IN THE CAN.  It will be broadcast starting May 21, 2017, on Showtime.   Fortunately most of the original actors, including Kyle MacLachlan, have participated, and David Lynch directed it.   We can expect something weird, hopefully as good and weird as the original, and better than the movie.  Please do not bring Bob back (though I imagine they will).