Twin Peaks is considered one of the greatest and most influential TV series ever made. Here's how its three seasons stack up against each other.
Summary
- Twin Peaks Season 2, while not as strong as the first season, still has highlights, including the resolution of Laura Palmer's murder and the fantastic finale.
- Season 1 of Twin Peaks is a beautiful season of television, with a warm and welcoming town, lovable characters, and a captivating murder mystery.
- Twin Peaks: The Return is a monumental achievement that requires audiences to put aside expectations, offering a unique vision that explores nostalgia and the passage of time.
Twin Peaks is one of the greatest TV series ever made, with its three seasons ranging in quality. The series was written by David Lynch and Mark Frost, originally running from 1990-1991 before being canceled by ABC. The prequel films Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and The Missing Pieces werereleased in 1992 and 2014 respectively. In 2017, Showtime released a third season, Twin Peaks: The Return, which saw the original creators return along with most of the main cast for a continuation.
The series explores small-town life in the Pacific Northwest of Twin Peaks, which is permanently disrupted by the murder of high school student Laura Palmer. The mysterious murder and its connection to an ongoing case prompt the involvement of the FBI, represented by Special Agent Dale Cooper. Cooper teams up with local Sheriff Harry Truman, the police department, and various members of the town community to solve the haunting murder, diving deeper into a mystery of supernatural and other-worldly nature. Twin Peaks is commonly considered one of the best TV shows ever, and one of the most influential.
3 Twin Peaks Season 2
Released on ABC and famously saw Laura Palmer's murder solved.
Year Released | 1990-1991 |
|---|---|
Number of Episodes | 22 |
Season 2 is considered to be the worst installment of Twin Peaks, primarily due to troubles with network interference causing David Lynch to leave the show. The show's central mystery of Laura Palmer's death was explained against Lynch's original wishes, forcing him to wrap up a plot line that he envisioned remaining ambiguous. However, the conclusion of Laura Palmer's murder is far from the worst part of Twin Peaks season 2. That, along with the fantastic season 2 finale "Beyond Life and Death" are actually the highlights of the season. It's what would come in between that didn't work quite as well.
Following Lynch's exit from the show, season 2 is filled with bizarre sub-plots and character arcs that try to emulate the director's style. James' romance plot line with Evelyn, Nadine returning to high school with super strength, and the Little Nicky story with Andy and Dick Tremayne take up a shocking amount of time following Leland Palmer's death, making the journey to the finale a challenge to get through. These plots can feel endearing at times, but they ultimately fall short of the warmth and charm of season 1. In terms of the show's supernatural, other-worldly aspects, season 2 sees Twin Peaks at some of its highest points.
2 Twin Peaks Season 1
Released originally on ABC.
Year Released | 1990 |
|---|---|
Number of Episodes | 8 |
Twin Peaks season 1 contains eight beautiful episodes of television. The town of Twin Peaks is warm and welcoming to its viewers who immediately feel at home in a place seemingly uncorrupted by the larger world. Misty mountains and Douglas fir trees mesh perfectly with coffee, donuts, and cherry pie to form a comforting aesthetic. Lynch and Frost ingratiate the audience with these simple niceties, contrasting the shock and horror of Laura Palmer's brutal murder. It's a town where romance and love are still passionate, where dreams and intuition have merit in an ongoing detective case, and where one girl's life carries weight for decades.
Twin Peaks is a series filled with lovable characters. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper and local town Sheriff Harry Truman have a relationship built on partnership in the workplace, mutual respect, and healthy masculinity. Bobby and Shelly have a scandalous romance that everyone is rooting for, knowing they both have hearts of gold masked by their immaturity. Big Ed Hurley and Norma Jennings prove that it's never too late to find love. Lucy, Andy, the Log Lady, Pete Martell, and so many more offer unique and eccentric personalities that couldn't be found in any other town on any show. Season 1 brings out the best in its ensemble.
The town of Twin Peaks is rattled by Laura Palmer's death, and the mystery of her murder is instantly enveloping. Everyone is a suspect in season 1's initial whodunit premise, and the series perfectly mixes elements of soap opera drama, crime investigation shows, and innovative filmmaking to bring something to life unlike television had seen before. Twin Peaks season 1 changed TV forever, proving that it could be used as an art form just like film, with beautiful cinematography, intelligent ongoing storylines, and exploration of complex philosophical ideas.
1 Twin Peaks Season 3 - The Return
Released 25 years after the last installment on Showtime.
Year Released | 2017 |
|---|---|
Number of Episodes | 18 |
While season 1 may be regarded with deep affection, Twin Peaks: The Return is a monumental achievement for the television medium. The 18-episode season, written entirely by David Lynch and Mark Frost, with Lynch directing every episode, is unconventional and requires both Twin Peaks lovers and TV audiences alike to put aside what they know and expect and instead join the creators in experiencing their unique vision. While the narrative may not be clear, it does exist, it does make sense, and it's unlike anything that's been on TV before or since, aptly concluding the story of the original ABC series.
Twin Peaks: The Return offers a beautiful commentary on nostalgia. Even in the original series, the town of Twin Peaks represents an old-fashioned style of Americana, represented by places like the Double R Diner or the Roadhouse. By The Return, the Double R is franchised, and the Roadhouse is a hip bar filled with young people and live music from out-of-town bands. The original music queues rarely play, and the wait to see the original characters tests the audience's dedication. Not to mention, the season doesn't just take place in the town, but rather around the country because Twin Peaks is connected to the outside world now.
In a film industry filled with reboots, sequels, and spin-offs, the return of Twin Peaks is about how time has passed, and it can't be repeated. This stark contrast from seasons 1 and 2 prompts the viewer to open their minds to something new while still exploring the most integral idea of the original series, which was to never reveal the answer to the central mysteries. Thus, Twin Peaks season 3 can forever be interpreted in new ways. No solution is right or wrong, and the challenging eighteen-hour puzzle can be rearranged to the meaning of its viewer, ultimately providing a deeply rewarding experience.
-
Twin Peaks
- Summary:
- A revival of the television series about an FBI agent investigating the idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks. Artwork is from graphic artist Emre Unalyi.Twin Peaks: The Return is the revival of and sequel to the 1990 serial drama Twin Peaks created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. The story happens 25 years after the original series, and was developed and written by both Frost and Lynch. Lynch also served as the director.The story is focused on FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) as he finds his way back to the fictional Twin Peaks after being trapped in the Black Lodge.Other returning characters include Shelly Johnson (Madchen Amick), Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook, FBI Regional Bureau Chief Gordon Cole (David Lynch), Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn), Benjamin Horne (Richard Beymer), Sylvia Horne (Jan D’Arcy), Jerry Horne (David Patrick Kelly), The Log Lady (Catherine E. Coulson), Denise Bryson (David Duchovny), FBI Special Agent Albert Rosenfield (Miguel Ferrer), Doc Hayward (Warren Frost), Deputy Andy Brennan (Harry Goaz), Lucy Moran (Kimmy Robertson), James Hurley (James Marshall), Dr. Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn), Leland Palmer (Ray Wise), Sarah Palmer (Grace Zabriskie), Jacques Renault (Walter Olkewicz), Nadine Hurley (Wendy Robie), Mike ‘Snake’ Nelson (Gary Hershberger), Norma Jennings (Peggy Lipton, Ed Hurley (Everett McGill), Deputy Tommy ‘Hawk’ Hill (Michael Horse), Ronette Pulaski (Phoebe Augustine), Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), Maddy Ferguson (Sheryl Lee), Carl Rodd (Harry Dean Stanton), Betty Briggs (Charlotte Stewart), Mike (Al Strobel) and The Giant (Carel Struycken).Filming for Twin Peaks: The Return, began in September 2015 and ended in April 2016. A two-hour episode premiered on Showtime on May 21, 2017 and aired through September 3, 2017. The series is consists of 18 episodes.
- Cast:
- Russ Tamblyn, Sheryl Lee, Kimmy Robertson, Dana Ashbrook, Grace Zabriskie, Everett McGill, Ernie Hudson, Mädchen Amick, Ray Wise, Kyle MacLachlan
- Genres:
- Mystery, Drama, Crime
- Story By:
- david lynch
- Writers:
- David Lynch
- Network:
- Showtime, ABC
- Streaming Sevice:
- Amazon Prime Video
- Directors:
- Mark Frost
- Showrunner:
- Mark Frost
- Release Date:
- 1990-05-23
- Main Genre:
- Mystery
- Seasons:
- 3
