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Rating:  -
I enjoyed this series when it first ran in the 90's, and thoroughly enjoyed watching this series in a more continuous sitting over the span of several days, like reading a novel in video form. I also enjoyed the additional material, interviews of David Lynch and actors, etc. on the final disc.
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A cultural phenomenon during its 1990-92 run, "Twin Peaks" holds up wonderfully well almost 20 years later. The gold box edition offers both the original pilot and the international version, as well as all the episodes from "Twin Peaks" all-too-brief two season run. After reading of some viewers' problems with discs, I was concerned that I might run into some of the same. Happily, that was not the case. The set that I ordered from Amazon was perfect. The episodes themselves have beautiful clarity, perhaps more so than when they originally aired, and I found the extras to be both informative and entertaining.
For those not familiar with "Twin Peaks", it was a strange and exhilerating television experience, the likes of which I had never seen when it first aired. Conceived by David Lynch and Mark Frost, it is a dark and deeply disturbing journey into the psyche of a seemingly normal, all-American town. The sudden bursts of violence were shocking for a network television show in the early '90's, and those images still pack a punch today; there is an unsettling eeriness that prevails through most of the episodes, leavened by quirky, sometimes oddball humor supplied by the eccentric inhabitants of Twin Peaks.
The brilliant David Lynch has stated that Twin Peaks belongs to the same universe as his underrated "Lost Highway", and there is a certain similarity of themes that are constant, I think, through not only "Highway", but "Mulholland Drive", and the earlier "Blue Velvet". They all seem to be part of a macabre world that looks familiar, but is, somehow, not our own.
The cast of "Twin Peaks" is enormous and everyone seems to inhabit their characters to an impressive degree. I can't think of a villain in television history who is more terrifying than the diabolical Bob; the very sight of him slithering and cackling makes one want to scream. As played by Frank Silva, he is the essence of unending horror and the stuff that nightmares are made of. Even the madman Windom Earle (Kenneth Welsh)can't hold a candle to Bob's demonic presence.
On the flip side of the coin, the series' lawmen--FBI agent Cooper and Sheriff Harry S. Truman--are wonderful, stalwart, brave men, vividly brought to life by, respectively, Kyle MacLachlan and Michael Ontkean. "Twin Peaks" was, perhaps, the finest hour for both actors. MacLachlan has gone on to lesser (I think), husbandly roles in "Desperate Housewives" and "Sex and the City", but I'll always remember him chiefly for this turn as Dale Cooper. Of the many other cast members, the great Piper Laurie is deliciously malicious as scheming Catherine Martell, with Jack "Eraserhead" Nance on hand as her clueless, cuckholded husband, Pete; Joan Chen is convincingly demur and devious as the traitorous Josie; and Richard Beymer is both touching and amusing as nutty, rich hotelier/bordello owner, Benjamin Horne. Ray Wise and Grace Zabriskie offer a touching and, ultimately, chilling portrait of a grief-stricken married couple. The younger cast members are also compelling, especially Madchen Amick, Sherilyn Fenn, Lara Flynn Boyle, and Sheryl Lee, who plays both the ill-fated Laura Palmer (whose murder sets the series in motion) and her lookalike cousin, Maddy Ferguson. In fact, it would be difficult to single out any performer in the series who isn't dead-on with their characterizations.
While the pilot and Season 1 are pretty much flawless, Season 2 almost sinks a few times, due to some seemingly superfluous plot developments that do nothing to advance the plot. In fact, getting through episodes 17-22 may require some patience and a certain level of tolerance for out-and-out inanity. It's worth hanging in there for the remaining episodes because they come close to recapturing the essence of the earlier shows, and, in some cases, surpass the exhuberance and sheer weirdness that was displayed in the first season. Anyone expecting everything to be neatly wrapped up in the finale will be sorely unamused, although, for me, "Twin Peaks" is more a case of the journey being more important than the destination. I think "Twin Peaks" is as close to a television series masterpiece as has ever been produced for American television.
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I have been wanting to watch this series and was gonna rent it on netflix until I saw another customer comment that the pilot episode is missing from the regular Season 1 disc. So I figured it was pointless. Then I saw that this special edition was being released with the pilot episodes but everyone is complaining about problems with the discs and scenes being missing. My suggestion, and this is what I am gonna do: You can find *ahem* unofficial copies of the pilot episode on ebay and such and just buy the regular season 1 and 2 discs. I guess you will miss out on extras and deleted scenes but at least you will have the full series with nothing messed up. Just a suggestion.
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I was a big fan when it was on TV, very dissappointed the network morons canceled it...this happens every time there is too much script, guess the majority of the people watching TV only care about explosions, murder and death...feeble brains is my guess.
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This dvd set is practically flawless. Never has the viewer seen the town of Twin Peaks so crisp and clear until now. Watching my old vhs tape of the pilot and watching it on this set is like night and day. Every episode is intact and the mystery and plot thicken with each episode.
I'm not usually interested in special features, but this set has got some REALLY great extras. Did you know that the cast and crew actually preferred peanut butter pie instead of the infamous slice of cherry? You also find out, in an exclusive interview, which female beauty David Lynch had a giant crush on. Another great feature is the making of the soundtrack. You get to meet Angelo Badalamenti, the composer of the dark and eerie background music that truly made the dramatic scenes. He and David show you how they created and set the mood for the town of Twin Peaks.
If you're an old or new fan of this show and do not own this truly golden boxed set, what are you waiting for?
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