“The 29 Greatest ‘Twin Peaks’ Moments”
On April 8, 1990, exactly 20 years ago today, ABC debuted a new TV series called “Twin Peaks”:
Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation, headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), of the brutal murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). Twin Peaks’ pilot episode was first broadcast on April 8, 1990 on the ABC Network, which led to another seven episodes being produced, and a second season, which aired until June 10, 1991. The show’s name came from its setting, a small fictional Washington town. Exteriors were primarily filmed in Snoqualmie and North Bend; most of the interior scenes were shot on standing sets in a San Fernando Valley warehouse.
Twin Peaks became one of 1990s’ top-rated shows, a critical success both nationally and internationally. Reflecting its devoted cult fan base, the series became a part of popular culture, referenced in other television shows, commercials, comic books, video games, films and song lyrics. Declining viewer ratings led to ABC’s insistence that the identity of Laura’s murderer be revealed midway through the second season, a ratings ploy which interfered with several other long-running story lines. In 1992, the series spawned a prequel, the film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, a commercial failure in America. In 2007, Twin Peaks was listed as one of Time magazine’s “100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME.”
My wife and I loved “Twin Peaks”… at least up through the time the Laura Palmer murder was solved. By then, the narrative was slipping and the second half of season 2 went off the rails entirely. But the pilot and first seven episodes — absolutely delightful.
In fact — setting aside “The Wire” which exists in its own heavenly plane of TV perfection — I’d say that the 2-hour pilot and Season 1, Episode 2 of “Twin Peaks” are probably my favorite TV experiences ever.
In honor of “Twin Peaks,” the folks at TotalFilm.com put together “The 29 Greatest ‘Twin Peaks’ Moments”. They are:
29. Leland dances (Season 1, Episode 5)
28. Hello, Audrey (Pilot)
27. The one-armed man speaks (Season 2, Episode 5)
26. Leland remembers (Season 2, Episode 8)
25. Bird witness (Season 1, Episode 6)
24. Audrey sways (Season 1, Episode 2)
23. Enter Madeleine (Season 1, Episode 3)
22. The donuts (Seasons 1 and 2)
21. You and I (Season 2, Episode 2)
20. Tibetan rock-throwing (Season 1, Episode 2)
19. There’s Bob (Season 1, Episode 1)
18. Silent drapes (Season 1, Episode 2)
17. Ronette’s dream (Season 2, Episode 1)
16. Shooting range (Season 1, Episode 4)
15. Invitation to Love (Seasons 1 and 2)
14. Enter Coop (Pilot)
13. Major Brigg’s vision (Season 2, Episode 1)
12. The Man Who Fell to Earth (Fire Walk With Me)
11. Coop and the llama (Season 1, Episode 4)
10. Gordon Cole (Season 2, Episode 19)
9. “Wrapped in plastic” (Pilot)
8. Coop is shot (Season 2, Episode 1)
7. Daddy says good-bey (Season 1, Episode 3)
6. Traffic lights (Seasons 1 and 2)
5. “I love you, Sheriff Truman) Season 2, Episode 3)
4. The Red Room (Season 1, Episode 2)
3. Cherry stalk twist (Season 1, Episode 6)
2. “How’s Annie?” (Season 2, Episode 22)
1. It is happening again (Season 2, Episode 7)
They certainly hit some high points, but how could they neglect Cherry Pie, The Flashlight Dance, and Leland’s White Hair. But my biggest problem with the list is this:
COOPER’S RED ROOM DREAM IS DEFINITELY #1!!! I mean look at this:
http://www.youtube.com/v/B0CGzPaJUOE&hl=en_US&fs=1&
His second night in town, Cooper has a surreal dream in which he is approached in the basement of the Twin Peaks hospital by a one-armed man who calls himself Mike. Mike identifies himself as an otherworldly being, and then tells Cooper that Laura’s murderer is Killer BOB, another entity like himself. Cooper then sees Bob, a feral, gray-haired man in denim who vows to keep killing. Cooper then sees himself twenty-five years older, sitting stationary in a room surrounded by red curtains which emit an otherworldly light. Across from him are a dwarf in a red business suit, “The Man from Another Place”, and Laura Palmer, whom The Man identifies as his cousin. After engaging in an apparently coded dialogue with Cooper, the Man rises from his chair and dances around the room while Laura whispers something in Cooper’s ear. The next morning, Cooper convenes with Truman and recalls the dream, telling him that it was symbolic, and that if he can decipher the symbols, he will know who killed Laura.
“The Man from Another Place” — “Let’s rock!” — is enough in and of itself to cement the scene in the annals of TV history. But Mike, Bob, Laura Palmer, backward masking, midgets dancing, whispered messages, Cooper’s bed hair… I mean TV just doesn’t get any better than this!
Anybody else out there who loved “Twin Peaks”? What were your favorite characters and moments?
Hit the TotalFilm link above for cool photos of each of their 29 fav moments.
Comment Archive