Twin Peaks: The First Season (1990)
Damn Good
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
Buy Twin Peaks: The First Season on DVD.
"She's dead... wrapped in plastic," says Jack Nance (star of Eraserhead) -- thus
beginning the weirdest and second-greatest TV show of all time (after
"The Simpsons"),
"Twin Peaks: The First Season" (1990, Artisan, $59.98).
David Lynch and Mark Frost ostensibly based the premise
of the show around solving the murder of Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee), but
it was just an excuse to build a bizarre collection of soap opera
characters who could function on their own even without a murder
mystery. Our key into Twin Peaks, was of course, FBI Special Agent Dale
Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) who was just weird enough himself to fit in.
This DVD box contains only the first seven episodes (out of 29 total)
and glaringly omits Lynch's 2-hour pilot episode (currently available only
on import DVDs). The various directors,
from Blue Velvet editor Duwayne Dunham to River's Edge director Tim Hunter,
provide commentary tracks, but Lynch himself -- who directed episode 2
-- does not. Nevertheless, what's here is still enough to tingle our
senses and make us beg for more.
Starring: Kyle MacLachlan, Lara Flynn Boyle, Sheryln Fenn, Michael Ontkean, Madchen Amick, Dana Ashbrook, Richard Beymer, Warren Frost, Peggy Lipton, James Marshall, Everett McGill, Jack Nance, Kimmy Robertson, Ray Wise, Joan Chen, Sheryl Lee
Written by: David Lynch, Mark Frost, etc.
Directed by: David Lynch, Duwayne Dunham, Tim Hunter, etc.
MPAA Rating: Unrated (suitable for TV)
Running Time: 336 minutes
Date: February 1, 2002
