Approaching Twin Peaks: Critical Essays on the Original Series

by Eric Hoffman (Editor), Dominick Grace (Editor)

Though it lasted just two seasons, Twin Peaks (1990-1991) raised the bar for television and is now considered one of the great dramas in TV history. Its complex plots and sensational visuals both inspired and alienated audiences. After 25 years, the cult classic is being revived. This collection of new essays explores its filmic influences, its genre-bending innovations and its use of horror and science fiction conventions, from the original series through the earlier film prequel Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me and subsequent video releases.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film

203 pages, Paperback

First published June 27, 2017

Reviews

[C.T. Phipps · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent collection of essays which discuss the original series and Fire Walk With Me. We get discussions of the darkness in Twin Peaks and his motifs of incest, family abuse, the supernatural, and religion. Some of it is completely wrong like the idea that Twin Peaks is a Post-Religion America (despite Cooper being a pseudo-Buddhist) even as a sequel essay discussing its Christian influences. There's also a really good for analyzing the impact which Twin Peaks had on television as a whole. Great stuff.

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm up to my eyeballs in Twin Peaks critique collections right now and will simply say that this volume feels like a product of haste on the parts of writers and editors. As with any such volume, there are some very insightful moments, but not so many solid essays as I'd hoped.