October 06, 2014

Returning to Twin Peaks

I graduated from high school on June 11, 1991 and as important as that milestone happens to be in my life, the date has double significance because the next most important thing I had to do that evening was camp out to watch the series finale for Twin Peaks.


The logline is simple enough: an investigation into the brutal murder of the local homecoming queen in a seemingly idyllic Pacific Northwest town draws in esoteric FBI agent to uncover all of the mysteries, seen and unseeable, hidden within.  



Landmark for both its cinematic style (when most tv was still being shot like theater) and it's completely original tone (how can one show be both the most hilarious and most terrifying thing you've ever seen in your living room?) nothing really compares to the impact that show has had on pop culture. 


So I nearly jumped out of my seat to learn that David Lynch and Mark Frost are bringing back, just like Laura Palmer promised, 25 years later to Showtime.


I love this show and these characters, but I hope my nostalgia doesn't blind me to the high wire act this could be. Mixing old and new casts in revivals rarely works ("Dallas", "Get Smart", "Star Trek: Generations", and soon "Star Wars"?) And as much as I would love to see Sherilyn Fenn return as my high school crush Audrey Horne, I hope the creators realize that the vibe and the atmosphere is what made that show work. Audrey and Cooper and Dr. Jacoby and Bobby Briggs can't be who they were 25 years ago. But that doesn't mean new characters can't fill those roles and that these old characters don't have a place beside them. 

Keeping my fingers crossed