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Pop Classics #4
Wrapped in Plastic: Twin Peaks
Damn good coffee, cherry pie, and the “big bang of auteur television” ― why Twin Peaks deserves to be a pop culture classic In 1990, avant garde filmmaker David Lynch (Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Dune, Blue Velvet) and acclaimed television writer Mark Frost (Hill Street Blues) teamed up to create a television show that would redefine what the medium could achieve in a one-hour drama. With Twin Peaks, the duo entranced audiences with the seemingly idyllic town, its quirky characters, and a central mystery ― who killed Laura Palmer? In a town like Twin Peaks, nothing is as it seems, and in Wrapped in Plastic, pop culture writer Andy Burns uncovers and explores the groundbreaking stylistic and storytelling methods that have made the series one of the most influential and enduring shows of the past 25 years.
112 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2015
15 people are currently reading
781 people want to read
About the author
Andy Burns
21 books8 followersAndy Burns is the author of the book Wrapped In Plastic: Twin Peaks (ECW Press) that topped multiple Amazon charts upon its release in January 2015. He is a founder and publisher of the pop culture website Biff Bam Pop!, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2018. A former staff writer for Rue Morgue, Andy wrote cover stories on Twin Peaks, American Psycho, and Swamp Thing. Currently, he is the Interactive Content Editor for SiriusXM Canada. Andy lives in Toronto with his daughter, Anya, and their cats, Riff-Raff and Stampy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
February 23, 2015
If you're a Twin Peaks fan, as I am. you'll enjoy this appreciation of the show.
February 28, 2025
3.5 - A great beginner read for lovers of Twin Peaks, though I was disappointed with how Denise was talked about.
Read the full review on my blog!
Read the full review on my blog!
April 10, 2015
Interesting read
I've read or heard many of the stories in this book in other publications but this is a quick read that reinforces the long lasting effect that Twin Peaks has had on both pop culture and television.
I've read or heard many of the stories in this book in other publications but this is a quick read that reinforces the long lasting effect that Twin Peaks has had on both pop culture and television.
June 11, 2019
I was 12 when Twin Peaks came out and my family didn't watch it -- but that's OK. I believe I was too young to really "get" all that was going on. Fast-forward to 40 -- just finished watching the original series and Fire Walk with Me. I didn't want to look up anything about TP before I finished them because I didn't want spoilers - want the same anticipation as I would have had back in the day. So, you can bet once I was through all the eps and movies, I wanted to dig for info -- however, since TP: The Return is out, I still didn't want to peruse the internet for fear of spoilers. So, that's the long-winded way of how I came to purchase this book.
Published in 2015, it would fill me up on behind-the-scenes knowledge and fan response/pop-culture stuff, etc. without ruining the new season. I like the author's writing style and loved the size of the book - it was easy to read and digestible (read in just an hour or two). Other reviews of this book suggested it didn't tell people much that they didn't already know; this would probably be true for me, too -- but since I had just watched it for the first time, it was mostly new to me. So if others are just getting into TP, this is definitely a good read; it sounds like if you're a super fan and familiar with TP, Lynch and Frost it may be a repeat or a refresher. But it was a fit for me at this time and place.
The reason I didn't give it four stars: a lot of the quotes in the book are second-hand accounts. I would have much more enjoyed a book with original research by the author (there's some of that too, but it's mostly other sources) -- to me, this was like a reported feature story in novella form. But, I think for the size and purpose of the book, it works. But it definitely leaves me hungry for deeper research and broader insight.
There's so much more I want to know -- after I finish The Return, I'm gonna get caught up on everything there is to know about this amazing series.
Published in 2015, it would fill me up on behind-the-scenes knowledge and fan response/pop-culture stuff, etc. without ruining the new season. I like the author's writing style and loved the size of the book - it was easy to read and digestible (read in just an hour or two). Other reviews of this book suggested it didn't tell people much that they didn't already know; this would probably be true for me, too -- but since I had just watched it for the first time, it was mostly new to me. So if others are just getting into TP, this is definitely a good read; it sounds like if you're a super fan and familiar with TP, Lynch and Frost it may be a repeat or a refresher. But it was a fit for me at this time and place.
The reason I didn't give it four stars: a lot of the quotes in the book are second-hand accounts. I would have much more enjoyed a book with original research by the author (there's some of that too, but it's mostly other sources) -- to me, this was like a reported feature story in novella form. But, I think for the size and purpose of the book, it works. But it definitely leaves me hungry for deeper research and broader insight.
There's so much more I want to know -- after I finish The Return, I'm gonna get caught up on everything there is to know about this amazing series.
October 17, 2018
Aside from watching the first half of episode one in my English class, I have never seen Twin Peaks. I've only heard of it in passing. The only reason I picked up this book was that I had to read it for said English class.
That said, I did find this collection of essays on the show interesting. It was brief and I enjoyed the writing. Definitely not the worst thing I've ever read.
That said, I did find this collection of essays on the show interesting. It was brief and I enjoyed the writing. Definitely not the worst thing I've ever read.
December 23, 2024
Other titles in this series had an interesting thesis, and examined a pop culture phenomenon through that lens. This was… not that. I’m a fan of Twin Peaks, I already know it was popular and impactful — that’s why I’m reading this book. A timeline of its cultural impact and a list of facts about how it was made, with no commentary from the author, was strange & seemed like a missed opportunity.
June 3, 2024
A book chronicling the history and legacy of Twin Peaks.
This was a cool book to read in that it was written before The Return came out and was only supposed to be 9 episodes on Showtime. Boy were we in for a damn fine surprise!
This was a cool book to read in that it was written before The Return came out and was only supposed to be 9 episodes on Showtime. Boy were we in for a damn fine surprise!
August 4, 2025
Fine! Nothing new if you're already a big fan. Nice to see Deadly Premonition mentioned.
January 17, 2026
we were so lucky to have david lynch for as long as we did
January 15, 2015
This is a smooth easy read; I devoured it in two sittings of an hour each. The best parts are the interviews with the actors, particularly Sheryl Lee and Ray Wise, as well as the creators; for me the best note was Mark Frost saying he was a big fan of The Prisoner. Another great interview is Jennifer Lynch, who wrote Laura Palmer’s diary. There are some notes about David Lynch’s filmmaking style, especially how he takes advantage of bloopers and mistakes, which is technically how BOB was born. For the fan this is a whole lot of fun, and who would have expected that iconic image of the blood wiped across Laura’s photo to be. . . nope, that would be a spoiler. . .
August 14, 2016
Though I preferred Reflections: An Oral History of Twin Peaks, Brad Dukes excellent book on Twin Peaks, Burns does well in analyzing the series and its general topics. It's a quick read, you probably won't find out anything you didn't already know and though the book doesn't go as much into detail as one might wish, it's a good way to get oneself into the mood for next year's revival of the show...
January 20, 2015
Nice little book for rabid fans of Twin Peaks, which I am obviously not one as I pre-ordered it when it came out, have the series on VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray, the Fire Walk with Me Poster and the VHS movie (which I also have on DVD) signed by Chris Isaak. To be fair, I own 50% of the Chris Isaak VHS, as it was my husband's. He's not a fan either. That said, how is the issue of electricity or burning oil smells not included? I realize how nit-picky and Comic Book Store Guy that's being. Worst. Fanbook. Ever. (I'm kidding.)
March 10, 2015
Just a super fun little read. It delves into the series & its splendour without being condescending at all (which isn't easy for some Twin Peaks fans, I would argue).
September 3, 2022
Wow, what a strange few months it has been for Twin Peaks fans. After 25 years of teases and denials, Lynch and Frost finally announced we'll be getting a long-awaited continuation of the series in 2016, with Agent Cooper, Laura Palmer, and Audrey Horne already confirmed to return. In addition, Frost announced he'll be writing an accompanying novel to fill in the 25 years between the two series.
As a result, Wrapped in Plastic: Twin Peaks couldn't have come at a better time, even if the timing means Andy Burns finished the book before the news of a confirmed revival could provide a fitting epilogue.
It's a relatively short book and a quick read, but Burns does a great job of examining what made the show special, and of exploring its lasting legacy in terms of influence and inspiration. He breaks down the technical details of how scenes were framed, of how different effects were achieved, and of what kind of direction actors and writers were given to discover the characters. He talks about just how much influence Lynch's cinematic vision had on the series, and which of the other writers were most responsible for its most memorable moments. I was barely a teenager when Twin Peaks first aired, so I was largely ignorant of the technical, stylistic aspects. Looking back, and applying Burns' analysis to the scenes I remember, casts the series in a whole new light.
While the homages and tributes are obvious, such as the Darkwing Duck parody that I still quote to this day (and which he fondly recalls), the overall influence on TV is something I had never considered. We've become so accustomed to things like season-long story arcs, cinematic production values, and weird or experimental storytelling, that it's easy to forget how much Twin Peaks did first. Burns walks us through both sides of that influence, and really helps to put the show's legacy in context. We toss around terms like 'ground-breaking' all the time, but this is one of those shows where that term is completely deserved.
If you've never seen the show, this isn't likely to make you want to go back and watch the original series, but fans will find a lot to appreciate in Wrapped in Plastic: Twin Peaks. Along with reminding us of how fantastic the show was, it's a great recap of the characters and story lines, and a perfect way to get quickly reacquainted with the world Lynch and Frost created.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
As a result, Wrapped in Plastic: Twin Peaks couldn't have come at a better time, even if the timing means Andy Burns finished the book before the news of a confirmed revival could provide a fitting epilogue.
It's a relatively short book and a quick read, but Burns does a great job of examining what made the show special, and of exploring its lasting legacy in terms of influence and inspiration. He breaks down the technical details of how scenes were framed, of how different effects were achieved, and of what kind of direction actors and writers were given to discover the characters. He talks about just how much influence Lynch's cinematic vision had on the series, and which of the other writers were most responsible for its most memorable moments. I was barely a teenager when Twin Peaks first aired, so I was largely ignorant of the technical, stylistic aspects. Looking back, and applying Burns' analysis to the scenes I remember, casts the series in a whole new light.
While the homages and tributes are obvious, such as the Darkwing Duck parody that I still quote to this day (and which he fondly recalls), the overall influence on TV is something I had never considered. We've become so accustomed to things like season-long story arcs, cinematic production values, and weird or experimental storytelling, that it's easy to forget how much Twin Peaks did first. Burns walks us through both sides of that influence, and really helps to put the show's legacy in context. We toss around terms like 'ground-breaking' all the time, but this is one of those shows where that term is completely deserved.
If you've never seen the show, this isn't likely to make you want to go back and watch the original series, but fans will find a lot to appreciate in Wrapped in Plastic: Twin Peaks. Along with reminding us of how fantastic the show was, it's a great recap of the characters and story lines, and a perfect way to get quickly reacquainted with the world Lynch and Frost created.
Originally reviewed at Beauty in Ruins
April 10, 2020
It seems appropriate that on the 30th anniversary of Twin Peaks first airing on network television I picked up this little tome dedicated to the monumentally influential show. It's actually been in my "To Be Read" stack since its original release five years ago, but now seemed the right time to read it.
In a brief 110 pages, Andy Burns touches on many different aspects of Twin Peaks such as the creative freedom directors were given when they came to film their episodes and the mysticism and supernatural aspects throughout the show. My favorite chapters discussed the duality of characters, twisted family dynamics, and the lasting impact the show had on future directors and television shows. There is no disputing the effect this show had on pop culture. To this day, it ranks in my Top 10 of All-Time Favorite Shows.
This was a nice addition to the world of Twin Peaks. I'm sure each chapter could be further expanded and I almost hope the author does just that, doing a much deeper dive into the many areas his book touches upon. Until then, I will be content with this little pocket companion.
In a brief 110 pages, Andy Burns touches on many different aspects of Twin Peaks such as the creative freedom directors were given when they came to film their episodes and the mysticism and supernatural aspects throughout the show. My favorite chapters discussed the duality of characters, twisted family dynamics, and the lasting impact the show had on future directors and television shows. There is no disputing the effect this show had on pop culture. To this day, it ranks in my Top 10 of All-Time Favorite Shows.
This was a nice addition to the world of Twin Peaks. I'm sure each chapter could be further expanded and I almost hope the author does just that, doing a much deeper dive into the many areas his book touches upon. Until then, I will be content with this little pocket companion.
July 3, 2019
I had begun to watch Twin Peaks a few years back (after the announcement of the return) because I’d heard such great things and knew nothing of it. On first attempt, I watched season 1 and just didn’t “get it.” Years later, I decided to find a critical companion to use alongside it and I am beyond glad I stumbled upon this text. It not only breaks down every single episode plot wise, thematically, etc., but it incorporates interview tidbits with actors for each one, has summaries and explanations of deleted scenes and how they’d fit, and presents theories for some of the tremendously complex scenes (such as the closing of season 2). I didn’t just feel like it helped me understand the show’s importance , I felt like it took me into the world of Frost and Lynch, the actors and let me see how this thing came to be such a phenomenon (as well as why it had such a mid season lull and eventually got canceled). Highly recommend for fans of the show or for those (like me) hoping to better understand it.
August 29, 2017
The short pop-culture essay book pioneered by the 33 1/3 series has slowly become and industry unto itself, with lots of small publishers getting into the game with various media bing covered. It's a great, fun idea, and open to lots of different approaches: a book can be a semiotic deconstruction or an oral history, or use the original work as inspiration for a novella. Unfortunately, a lot of them fall into a very particular trap: writing for a mass audience who perhaps has never experienced the work being discussed, and spending way too long trying to describe it. This book is like that. It's not a history of the show, it doesn't delve too deeply into the themes, or the impact of the show. After finishing it, actually, I'm struggling to even come up with what it DOES do. It reads almost like a 100-page Wikipedia entry on Twin Peaks, which I guess would be fine for Twin Peaks neophytes, but why on Earth would they read this book in the first place?
June 5, 2020
I acquired this right when I heard The Return was happening; in preparation, I rewatched Twin Peaks seasons 1 and 2 and promptly neglected to read this. Now it's Quarantine 2020 and I have at long last convinced my partner to watch Twin Peaks with me--as of today, we're over halfway through Season 2 (thank God) and I am so excited for him to see The Return for the first time and for me to rewatch it in better spirits than I was when it originally aired.
This book makes the best of all that is Twin Peaks, and as a fan of the show, I thoroughly enjoyed it--I'd love to see what Burns thinks now, in 2020. I don't know if it's a must-read for Twin Peaks fans--a lot of the more interesting trivia (the origin of BOB, the pressure to reveal Laura's killer) I already knew--but I found it definitely worthwhile--damn good, even.
This book makes the best of all that is Twin Peaks, and as a fan of the show, I thoroughly enjoyed it--I'd love to see what Burns thinks now, in 2020. I don't know if it's a must-read for Twin Peaks fans--a lot of the more interesting trivia (the origin of BOB, the pressure to reveal Laura's killer) I already knew--but I found it definitely worthwhile--damn good, even.
March 27, 2024
A terrific retrospective!
In depth behind-the-scenes secrets of the cult TV series "Twin Peaks". Collections of stories from cast, writers, directors, and future directors influence by the show and by the work of David Lynch and Mark Frost.
A great culturally significant series that so changed television, that it is repeatedly referenced in other shows to this day ... and I expect, beyond.
Audiobook: The narrator was excellent with subtle changes for separate speakers and very enjoyable to listen to.
In depth behind-the-scenes secrets of the cult TV series "Twin Peaks". Collections of stories from cast, writers, directors, and future directors influence by the show and by the work of David Lynch and Mark Frost.
A great culturally significant series that so changed television, that it is repeatedly referenced in other shows to this day ... and I expect, beyond.
Audiobook: The narrator was excellent with subtle changes for separate speakers and very enjoyable to listen to.
June 25, 2017
This book is 100 pages of retrodden information -- old interviews and writing from other outlets -- and basic, mostly literal, plot and background discussion. If it was framed and titled as a first-step, newcomer history into the fandom and show, it would work. Instead, the "keen insight" is mainly that established by the fandom already, not the writer. Insights and information that are all over the web already.
August 15, 2017
Too short. Andy Burns writes very well, and with clear conviction, but I'm sure he could have gone on for another hundred pages. I wish he had. I feel this decision was more down to the publisher and their approach to this series of snippet books. It definitely gave me some fuel to help better understand the series and help contextualise it in a way that was difficult for me watching 25 years later, but could have been much more thorough.
May 16, 2017
A breezily written and easily readable analysis of the symbolism of Twin Peaks, complete with anecdotes about the actors, writers and directorial decisions. Though there's not much that's new here, this book provides an easy entry for anyone wanting a good explanation of some of the more complex moments of the series, but without losing any of its compelling and characteristic mystery.
June 19, 2022
2.5
I thought the analysis would dig a bit deeper, and some of the moments that Burns cites as "funny" (Andy crying over Laura's body, Leland dancing, etc) I can't see as anything but tragic. Also wild how this book from 2015 has a less respectful attitude towards Denise than the original 90s show did 😬
I thought the analysis would dig a bit deeper, and some of the moments that Burns cites as "funny" (Andy crying over Laura's body, Leland dancing, etc) I can't see as anything but tragic. Also wild how this book from 2015 has a less respectful attitude towards Denise than the original 90s show did 😬
August 14, 2025
A 3.5, but don't feel like rounding up.
A shame Burns couldn't write with the benefit of having seen The Return, but solid compilation of the show's cultural impact and history regardless. Strong culling of interviews from those involved. Maybe I'd like a bit more analysis, but this is very accessible for the casual reader.
A shame Burns couldn't write with the benefit of having seen The Return, but solid compilation of the show's cultural impact and history regardless. Strong culling of interviews from those involved. Maybe I'd like a bit more analysis, but this is very accessible for the casual reader.
February 1, 2018
Would give 3.5 stars if I could, which I must say any time I give something a 3-star rating. I will read ALL the Twin Peaks things! But seriously, good solid bit of history on the original series and FWWM, predating the revival series.
January 22, 2023
a great little behind the scenes of twin peaks. get to know the ins and outs of the show more, although this book predates the return so there is lots of speculation of what happens after the second season
May 18, 2017
Three and a half ⭐️s out of five.
May 21, 2017
if you're a fan its great
and i'm a fan
and i'm a fan
May 23, 2017
A great, short read on the lasting legacy of Frost/Lynch's series. Definitely would recommend to anyone just finishing Twin Peaks right now or getting ready for the reboot.
July 31, 2017
A fun and quick read for Twin Peaks fans.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews