Intergalactic Comics: Twin Peaks Revival: Pure Heroin and Some Speculation

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Twin Peaks Revival: Pure Heroin and Some Speculation

By Jessica Alewine (@awkwardalewine)

The day was June 10, 1991. One of the most iconic shows of the 20th century had just come to an end with a stunning cliffhanger. Twin Peaks, the cult classic created by David Lynch, ran for two seasons before it met its untimely end, much like the show’s own Laura Palmer. While the series did answer the question, “Who murdered Laura Palmer?” before it’s cancellation, viewers were left with more questions than answers after the final episode of the beloved series aired.

SPOILERS AHEAD

Fans have spent 25 years speculating about that finale and about the insane second season. Would Bobby and Shelly ever be able to move on without fear of Leo? And what in the world is going on with the Red Room? And, the most important question, what happens to Agent Cooper now that he is possessed by Bob, the spirit responsible for the death of Laura Palmer?

Many fans had hope that some of these questions would be answered when the movie Fire Walk With Me was released in 1992, but they faced disappointment when the movie only served as a prequel to the series. While more was known about the town and and Laura Palmer, there were no answers for those still lost after the series finale.

Showtime gave fans hope for answers when they announced that they would be reviving the much-loved series. Fans were even more ecstatic when it was announced that the show would be written and directed by Lynch. Initially, dates in 2016 and 2017 were thrown around, but a concrete release date was not announced until January 9th, 2017 when Showtime posted that the show would return May 21, 2017 on the show’s twitter account, @SHO_TwinPeaks.

With only a few month left until fans are hopefully given the many answers they crave, speculation grows as fans attempt to predict the quality of the show they will be receiving. With Lynch at the helm, once again, it would appear that we will be receiving a fitting conclusion to the beloved series. But will Lynch be creating a treat for fans of Twin Peaks or for the Lynch die-hards?

With the release of an off the wall cast list (link here: http://variety.com/2016/tv/news/twin-peaks-cast-list-revealed-1201759934/) including the likes of Michael Cera, Ashley Judd and Amanda Seyfreid, there’s some concern that the charm of the original show might be lost with the influx of celebrity fans. Will the small town feel get lost in the endless stream of familiar faces? Fire Walk With Me saw this, to a small degree, with the introduction of David Bowie. While fans of the show and of Bowie might have been thrilled at the crossover, it detracted from the quaint tone of the town and of the Twin Peaks universe.

It will also be interesting to see what Lynch will do with the series without the censorship of network regulations. When given this same freedom with Fire Walk With Me, Lynch left many fans confused and frustrated, because they found themselves watching the characters they loved in a world they were not used to. He stretched the world to its limits in the movie, and we can only speculate that he will do the same with the freedom Showtime will give him.

According to David Nevins, the president and CEO of Showtime Networks, the Twin Peaks revival is going to be, “the pure heroin of David Lynch.” Whether this will the be drug of choice for fans of Twin Peaks or fans of Lynch himself stands to be seen, but this writer will be tuning in to see what Bobby Briggs, Shelly Johnson, Audrey Horne and the always caffeinated Dale Cooper are up to come May.