In 1989, high school homecoming queen Laura Palmer's body is found wrapped in plastic on a riverbank. The characters within the small American town just south of the Canadian border goes into a shaken state, and an FBI Agent by the name of Dale Cooper helps the local police force of this town investigate. This town is called Twin Peaks. This is the start of the show that changed television forever.
This pilot was written by Mark Frost and David Lynch, with Lynch in the directors chair. Lynch is synonymous in film circles for eccentric direction and surreal storytelling, and one would think that Lynch would restrain himself from his trademark weirdness, but thankfully he doesn't, and television today is all the better for it. I can see traits of Twin Peaks' cinematography in works like Breaking Bad, I can see the eccentric cast of characters in works such as Bates Motel, I can see traits of Twin Peaks' surreal imagery in The Leftovers. Twin Peaks' influence can still be felt to this day.
I'd say the main theme of Twin Peaks is found within its humorous and complex cast of characters, the type of people you find within a Soap Opera, the kind that is found in the idyllic concept of small-town America, but each character has a darker element to them. It's about the inner darkness within people. And Twin Peaks can get disturbingly dark, but is balanced with an off-kilter sense of humour that only a person like David Lynch could pull off.
The standout of the cast of Kyle MacLachlan, who plays the main character, FBI Agent Dale Cooper. Cooper has the deductive skills akin to the likes of Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, but is an eccentric and polite man akin to a Mr. Rogers type. Most of the cast is also very good, particularly Ray Wise in my opinion. However, some of the cast is quite wooden (Michael Ontkean, I'm so sorry to say), and James Marshall is almost downright terrible in some parts.
I could go on, but there's only so many words I can use to describe this masterpiece of a pilot episode. Even if this was the only episode, it could stand proud amongst David Lynch's own filmography. Even if you don't like Lynch's work, you should still find a way to watch this episode if you haven't already. Because its influence is too important to simply pass by.
A masterpiece.
This pilot was written by Mark Frost and David Lynch, with Lynch in the directors chair. Lynch is synonymous in film circles for eccentric direction and surreal storytelling, and one would think that Lynch would restrain himself from his trademark weirdness, but thankfully he doesn't, and television today is all the better for it. I can see traits of Twin Peaks' cinematography in works like Breaking Bad, I can see the eccentric cast of characters in works such as Bates Motel, I can see traits of Twin Peaks' surreal imagery in The Leftovers. Twin Peaks' influence can still be felt to this day.
I'd say the main theme of Twin Peaks is found within its humorous and complex cast of characters, the type of people you find within a Soap Opera, the kind that is found in the idyllic concept of small-town America, but each character has a darker element to them. It's about the inner darkness within people. And Twin Peaks can get disturbingly dark, but is balanced with an off-kilter sense of humour that only a person like David Lynch could pull off.
The standout of the cast of Kyle MacLachlan, who plays the main character, FBI Agent Dale Cooper. Cooper has the deductive skills akin to the likes of Hercule Poirot and Sherlock Holmes, but is an eccentric and polite man akin to a Mr. Rogers type. Most of the cast is also very good, particularly Ray Wise in my opinion. However, some of the cast is quite wooden (Michael Ontkean, I'm so sorry to say), and James Marshall is almost downright terrible in some parts.
I could go on, but there's only so many words I can use to describe this masterpiece of a pilot episode. Even if this was the only episode, it could stand proud amongst David Lynch's own filmography. Even if you don't like Lynch's work, you should still find a way to watch this episode if you haven't already. Because its influence is too important to simply pass by.
A masterpiece.