TWIN PEAKS
THE DEFINITIVE GOLD EDITION

Starring:
Kyle MacLachlan, Michael Ontkean, Madchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook, Richard Beymer, Lara Flynn Boyle, Ray Wise, Sherilyn Fenn, David Lynch and Sheryl Lee

Series Created by:
Mark Frost and David Lynch

Out to buy on DVD 22/03/10

The small northwest town of Twin Peaks, Washington is shaken up when the body of the Homecoming Queen, Laura Palmer, is discovered washed up on a riverbank, wrapped in plastic. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (MacLachlan) is called to the small better known for its damn fine cherry pie, than murder but as the slightly eccentric Cooper starts his investigation, he soon realises that this could be the work of a serial killer. With the help of Sheriff Harry Truman (Ontkean), Cooper interviews the town’s folk but as he is drawn into their small community, something sinister is stirring and it might just have been Cooper’s destiny to come to Twin Peaks.

When it comes to naming a show that redefined television and became the definition of a cult classic, for most TV fans one show would come to mind, Twin Peaks.

When surreal director David Lynch decided he was going to move into TV, his avid fan base and the film community were mesmerised by what he was going to produce. Captivating and confusing audiences with ‘Eraserhead’, ‘’The Elephant Man’, ‘Dune’, ‘Blue Velvet’ and ‘Wild at Heart’, Lynch’s visual style and love of the bizarre was encapsulated in the mountain town of Twin Peaks.

Over thirty episodes and in a prequel movie, ‘Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me’, Lynch and his creative team took us to the idiosyncratic town of Twin Peaks. This was a town rocked by the murder of their Homecoming Queen Laura Palmer. Discovered on a river bank, wrapped in plastic bag and with Sheriff Harry Truman struggling to cope, FBI Special Agent Dale comes arrives in the town to investigate. He arrives with his own unique way of looking into the murder but the town itself is also very unique and some of its residents make Twin Peaks a town that has many secrets to reveal.

After appearing in ‘Dune’ and ‘Blue Velvet’, David Lynch cast Kyle MacLachlan as FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper and he introduce a new form of law enforcement for television. Before Twin Peaks, the TV lawman was always a hard man, someone who could enforce the law by themselves. Agent Dale Cooper was an investigator, someone who would embrace new techniques and had an open mind to the possibilities that the crime could have been committed by forces beyond our comprehension. Without him we might not have ever seen Agents Mulder and Scully. This is the role that Kyle MacLachlan will always be remembered for and one of the true defining characters in television history.

Along with his leading man, Lynch also cast women that quickly became the pin-ups of the start of the 90s. Madchen Amick played Shelly Johnson, the sweet pretty waitress at the Double R Diner. Lara Flynn Boyle is Donna Hayward, Laura’s best friend who is shocked to discover that she didn’t really know her at all. Joan Chen is Jocelyn Packard, the young wife of Mill heir Andrew Packard, who has a past she wants to keep quite. Sherilyn Fenn is the beautiful, mysterious, moody and unpredictable Audrey Horne. You should see what she can do with a cherry stem. We also have Sheryl Lee playing two roles, Maddy Ferguson, Laura’s cousin and Laura Palmer herself. There are also key roles for Ray Wise as Leland Palmer, Piper Laurie as Catherine Martell, Michael Horse as Deputy Tommy ‘Hawk’ Hill, Michael Ontkean as Sheriff Harry S. Truman, Dana Ashbrook as Bobby Briggs, Frank Silva as the mysterious Bob and even David Lynch himself as FBI Regional Bureau Chief Gordon Cole.

With it’s damn fine Cherry pie, its twisting, turning surreal plot and its ability to complete baffle it audience, Twin Peaks was a show that once you what you can’t help but be captivated. When it comes to defining a cult TV show, you can’t go any further than this show but it is one that will stay with you as soon as you watch and a show that needs to be a must buy for any David Lynch fan.


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