(Image taken from: online-enquirer.com)
Now, don't get me wrong. I love, love, LOVE David Lynch. Love him. I consider all of his films classics (Except for Dune, which blows, and Inland Empire, which is unwatchable). But Twin Peaks, which ran for two seasons back in 1990 and 1991 is, well, weird. Not only weird, but David Lynch weird, and I'm surprised that anybody really liked it back when it was on.
Now, I'm not saying that I'm surprised that David Lynch has his fans, because as much as I would like not to believe it, there are actually people out there who are just as weird as I am. But how did this show become SO popular back then? I watched the pilot last night, and man, it's as strange as it gets. The characters act all goofy, which is typical of Lynch, the plot is reeeeeally slow, and the atmosphere is more important than the story (At least, this early on, it is), so I'm really wondering how people would have enjoyed such a show like this. I mean, it's not like any of Lynch's movies are blockbusters or anything like that, so how did so many people cling onto THIS show like they did?
(Image taken from: tv.ign.com)
I hear a lot of people compare it to Lost these days, but no, so far, from what I've already seen, Twin Peaks is NOTHING like Lost. I mean, just watch this:
What the hell was THAT? For Lynch fans, that's normal, but for everyday America? How could they have accepted that? I guess people were just more accepting of the abstract in the early 1990s.
Here's the excellent intro to the show. It's so serene, but haunting, which again, is typical of Lynch.
And for those who don't even know what the term "Lynchian," means, I try to display it here in this video. I'm not sure if I really do it any justice though.
5 comments:
I stopped reading after the "love, love, LOVE David Lynch" part.
How can you NOT love David Lynch though?
LOL we were *just* watching the midget scene, and i just quipped to my wife "how was this so popular then?" i decided to google "twin peaks weird", and got this article.:)
What i like is how that other federal agent comes in and tries to tell them that they are interfering with federal jurisdiction. Even if everyone seems weird at first, Cooper plays along and soon I start to realize they aren't weird at all. He gets more evidence and more cooperation by playing along with everyone rather than asserting his federal jurisdiction.
It took me a while to get into Twin Peaks too. The first few episodes are very slow moving and the camp-cheesiness can be off-putting. Maybe that first scene where Laura's body was found was dramatic in the early 90s, but watching it nowadays with the over-the-top music and soap-opera acting is quite hilarious. I know Twin Peaks is supposed to be a part-parody of soap operas, but it was hard to get into. I remember watching those first few episodes and thinking, "What the hell?? Was THIS what all the hype was about?"
And yet...I kept watching. I loved Dale Cooper and his kookiness and I loved how the people of Twin Peaks just accepted his eccentricities, and he accepted their's. I didn't just want to find out who killed Laura Palmer; I also wanted to get to know more about the town and its people. And the more I watched, the more I grew to love it. It really picks up after those first few episodes.
It's funny though...the first season really isn't all that wacky. At least, not compared to the absolute BATSHIT INSANITY of the second season. Sometimes I wish the show hadn't become so supernatural oriented, but other times I love it for what it is.
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