Well it’s that time of the year when all of our favourite shows wind up their respective seasons (or in the case of Lost, it’s the end of the series). Judging by the amount of content on my PVR waiting to be viewed, there’s an abundance of shows wrapping up around this time that I’m actually interested in. Believe me, I’m pretty surprised that I actually care about how Desperate Housewives finishes off its season. I don’’t know how that happened. Or maybe I do. I’ll admit it.  Growing up, the only series that I ever got excited about its final episode of a season was Dallas.

Yes, Dallas.

I really can’t explain it. Ok, that’s not true either. I probably have to blame my mother, who was a huge fan of the saga of the Ewings. I vividly remember us visiting family in Toronto and staying in a hotel, but rushing back to the room to see the memorable sixth season finale when Bobby Ewing died in a car accident. What a moving season finale, one matched only by the seventh season ending which brought Bobby back from the dead. You know, the famous shower scene.

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Pam’s bad dream brought Bobby back from the dead and sent a once powerful prime time soap on its downward spiral.

There have been other season finales that are memorable in my mind. Buffy The Vampire Slayer caped off its fifth season and its final one on the WB before switching to UPN with one of the show’s greatest moments. When, if ever, has the title character of a television show been killed off at the end of an episode? Pure brilliance, full of emotion and heartache.

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Buffy would carry on for two more seasons full of highs and lows, but it would never scale the heights that it did during its fantastic fifth season.

On another bit of a downer, if you enjoyed the rebooted Battlestar Galactica that ruled much of the 2000’s, the cliffhanger ending that split Season 4 in half was surely one of the series most defining moments, since it delivered on the promise the show had made the from the very beginning; that it’s beleaguered survivors would finally find the mythical planet of Earth. Of course, it’s not exactly what they hoped it would be.

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Sure it was a mid-season finale for BSG, but as far as I’m concerned a wait of more than 6 months makes this a finale, and a memorable one at that.

Another favourite finale of mine shouldn’t come as much of a surprise for regular readers. It’s the episode that ended Twin Peaks second and final season. Knowing that the show wasn’t going to be renewed following its ratings challenged sophomore year, I remember being extremely eager to see how the show would finish. Of course, I never could have guessed what I’d receive. At the time I was thoroughly dismayed that David Lynch was ending the series with a total cliffhanger, over the years I’ve come to appreciate the infinite possibilities that the final scene of Twin Peaks leaves you with.

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Those are just a few of my favourites. And who knows. Maybe by the end of this week I’ll add the season finale of V or the series finale of Lost to my list as well. 

Maybe even that episode of Desperate Housewives I have waiting on my PVR. You never know, right?

Filed under: Andy Burns/Andy B, Battlestar Galactica, buffy, Dallas, tv shows, Twin Peaks

Earlier this year the writers of Biff Bam Pop! paid tribute to David Lynch and Mark Frost’s groundbreaking ABC tv series Twin Peaks, which this year celebrated its 20th anniversary. For those of us that watched the series during its initial two season run all those years ago, it’s still hard to believe that so much time has passed since we (along with Pete Martell) discovered Laura Palmer, wrapped in plastic; Agent Dale Cooper, Douglas Fir and coffee enthusiast; the seductive Audrey Horn, who had a way with a cherry stem. Leland Palmer, The Log Lady, Deputy Andy, Bobby Briggs, The Man From Another Place, BOB – all of them have been engrained in my memories since encountering them way back in 1990. And while the series may have done well during its first season, part of the series’ legacy is how spectacularly it crashed and burned during its second and final season, plagued by a horrible timeslot and muddled storytelling. However, those of us that love Twin Peaks love it something fierce.

That’s the case with James Roday, one of the stars of the USA Network’s Psych. It was his love of Twin Peaks that led to “Dual Spires”, last week’s episode of Psych and full-blown tribute to the series. The cast and creators even managed to lure some series alumni to guest star – Ray Wise (Leland Palmer), Dana Ashbrook (Bobby Briggs), Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horne), Lenny Van Dohlen (Harold Smith), Robyn Lively (Lana), Catherine Coulson (The Log Lady) and Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer). According to various interviews, Roday, who plays psychic detective Shawn Spenser on the series, grew up on Twin Peaks, even befriending Dana Ashbrook when the two worked on a series together about ten years ago. It was the unabashed admiration for Twin Peaks that helped bring all of the former cast together again.

The story is simple – Shawn and his partner Gus receive a mysterious email telling them to get to the small town of Dual Spires, population of 288 and home of a Cinnamon Festival. Soon enough, the duo are investigating the murder of a young girl, Paula Merral, whose body is discovered washed up, wrapped in plastic. Thus begins an episode that is more than just a nod and a wink to Twin Peaks. From the very first line about a woman in Washington building silent drape runners, I knew I was in for a treat.

There was so many shout outs to the series, I probably lost count and even missed a few. But there I was sitting next to The Queen, whispering things like “Windham Earle was Coop’s enemy in season 2″ or “Maudette Hornsby’s name is pretty close to Audrey Horne” when every little homage revealed itself. I laughed at the score, clearly inspired by the great work of original Twin Peaks composer Angelo Badalamenti and was literally thrilled with the long shot of a ceiling fan and stairs that Shawn and Gus were walking up. If you’re a fan, you totally get it, I’m sure. As someone who really has missed Twin Peaks since it went off the air, this episode of Psyche was like some sort of crazy television crack. While I won’t ruin the story for you or give away the culprit, I will say that the final scene of the show manages to throw in every essential reference that may not have appeared throughout the hour.

While I’d heard of Psych, I’d never watched an episode before this past week. I have to admit, even without the Twin Peaks aspects of the series, I think I could very well enjoy watching it. There’s quite a few pop culture references throughout and the two leads are very appealing. But really, this episode was all about celebrating the magic of a series that inspired those that watched it and countless network shows that have appeared in the last 20 years. If you were ever a fan of Twin Peaks, you must find a way to watch Psych’s “Dual Spires”.

Preferably with a cup of damn good coffee in your hands.

You may not know the name Frances Bay, but you definitely would recognize the actress who passed away in Los Angeles last Thursday at the age of 92. Some may know her from her work in Happy Gilmore or on Happy Days (those are the first two career mentions the L.A. Times cite); others may remember her as the woman Jerry steals a marble rye from in a classic episode of Seinfeld. But for geeks like myself (and likely my Biff Bam Pop pals David Ward and Ian Rogers), Ms. Bay will have a place in my heart for two specific roles.

The first is her appearance as Mrs. Pickman in John Carpenter’s hugely underappreciated 1995 film In The Mouth of Madness, where she plays the owner of a small hotel in the town of Hobb’s End. The second is her role as Mrs. Tremond/Chalfont in David Lynch’s Twin Peaks – acting alongside Lynch’s son Austin, she added a serious creepiness to the series as an inhabitant of the mysterious Black Lodge.

You can check out footage from her more popular appearances below, including her Seinfeld appearance. Rest in peace, Frances Bay.

In the crazy world of Twin Peaks, more than a few of my favourite characters were slightly off their rocker. Ok, let’s get real – they were close to certifiable. Some comically so, while others in a dark and twisted way that would haunt your dreams. So, as part of March Madness, here are my personal picks for the five craziest Twin Peaks characters,

5) Mayor Dwayne Milford (played by John Boylan)

He couldn’t hear and you couldn’t be sure if he had it all together, but this was the man that was supposed to run Twin Peaks? Mayor Milford was played pretty much for laughs on Twin Peaks, but his crazy decision to marry his dead brother’s ex Lana leant itself to some pretty funny moments in the middle of the lacklustre second season of the series.

4) Windom Earle (played by Kenneth Welsh)

Canadian Kenneth Welsh added a much needed spark to the second season of Twin Peaks when he joined the show as Windom Earle, Agent Cooper’s former partner who had gone crazy, killed his wife and was now out to get Cooper and gain entry into the Black Lodge. In his various disguises, Earle made his way into the town, committing murder and making the formerly diabolical and now impaired Leo Johnson into his own lackey. In a show full of mad characters, Welsh maniacal Earle managed to stand out by being just plan evil.

3) Nadine Hurley (played by Wendy Robie)

Ok, there’s the eyepatch. But that doesn’t make you crazy. Super strength? Still not grounds for being committed. No, when it comes to Nadine Hurley, I’ve got three words for you – silent drape runners.

2) Agent Dale Cooper (played by Kyle McLachlan)

There’s no question that Agent Cooper is the hero of Twin Peaks. And he is a complete and utter good guy. But that doesn’t mean he’s not as mad as a hatter. Think about his crime solving methods – throwing rocks to nail a suspect? That’s pretty out there. Or his complete and utter acceptance of the evil spirits that inhabit the Black Lodge; it just seems slightly creepy to me. Perhaps Cooper’s craziest minutes comes during the final episode of the series, when the real Dale meets his frightening doppleganger. For a series full of surreal and mad moments, the final half hour is surely its defining one.

1) Leland Palmer (played by Ray Wise)

There’s no argument that there’s a hugely tragic element to Leland Palmer. Possessed by the spirit of BOB, the evil, malevolent spirit that haunts Twin Peaks, he goes on to commit the most heinous of acts. But even before the big reveal, Leland was one of the most damaged and distraught characters – how could he not be, with the murder of his teenage daughter Laura. All credit goes to Ray Wise for his amazing portrayal, which veers from joy to sadness to madness, more often than not in the span of one scene.

Mr. Bellavance wants his $500,000 back. And whoever may have stolen it is going to whacked, with the polaroids to prove it.

That’s how The Aggression Scale kicks off. And for the next 84 minutes it doesn’t let up. It’s a fly under the radar flick that action fans definitely shouldn’t miss out on. And if you grew up loving Twin Peaks, you definitely have to watch this one.

Mr Bellavance is played by Ray Wise, who TP fans know as Leland Palmer, while his main hitman, Lloyd, is portrayed by Dana Ashbrook, aka Bobby Briggs. In the acting world, Wise is a given talent, a character actor who has turned in countless memorable performances throughout his storied career. Ashbrook is no doubt best known for his time on time on Twin Peaks, but he’s really a standout in The Aggression Scale. He’s aged very well and comes across as the badass his character requires.

Back to the story. Bellavance’s hitmen (among them Ashbrook and Derek Mears from the recent Friday The 13th reboot) track down a the Rutledge family, one that includes the emotionally disturbed Owen (Ryan Hartwig), who sets about protecting himself and his new sister when things turn very bad for the family.

Under the direction of Steven C. Miller, The Aggression Scale is a kickass thriller that will hopefully find an audience after it got strong notices at the 2012 SXSW Film Festival. With all sorts of crap that makes it to movie theatres, it’s too bad that the film didn’t score a wider release. It’s quick and clever and has some great action scenes. The performances are all strong, with the standouts coming from Ashbrook and Mears, who act and react exactly how you think hitmen in their situation would. That’s one of the strongest aspect of The Aggression Scale – the characters feel real.

A refreshing take on home invasion films, The Aggression Scale is well worth tracking down. It’s out today on Blu-ray and DVD and can be ordered here.

I think my memories of “Twin Peaks,” as with those of many folks, are scarred by how the series faded away, rather than how it started. The phenomenon began with a sizzle then very quickly transformed into an inferno. The problem was that very few people stayed around to see what was left when the smoke cleared. Once the initial ‘Who killed Laura Palmer?’ furor died down, no one much cared any more, and when things got a bit weird, even the network backed off. My thoughts on the rise and fall of, as well as my return to, “Twin Peaks” are after the jump.

The Phenomenon

I can’t honestly remember ABC’s advertising campaign for the series, if any, or how they promoted the show, but I do remember quite clearly that everyone was at home in front of their TV that Sunday night. And equally, everyone was talking about it Monday morning, and throughout the week until the next episode.

I remember talk TV and radio were obsessed with the show. The buzz was non-stop, whether it was compiling clues to the murder, suggesting theories, or just trying to figure out why it was so popular – everyone was talking “Twin Peaks.” Folks were quoting it, and it may well have been the first of the water cooler shows.

I remember coffee, pie, and log viewing parties where folks would dress as the characters and then verbally dissect the episode afterward. It was one of the first TV shows, along with “Batman The Animated Series,” that I obsessively taped with my brand spanking new VCR.

The magic even extended to other media. The haunting soundtrack by Angelo Badalamenti was in everyone’s car stereo and on the radio as well. Even the album featuring Julee Cruise’s melodic vocals over the show’s theme did serious time on the air and on the charts. Twin Peaks mania rivaled that of the original 1960s “Batman” TV show. But like the Adam West caped crusader, its day in the sun was fleeting.

The Fall

Television networks have a bad habit of letting things go on too long. ABC also did this with “Moonlighting” and “Lois and Clark.” AMC did it just this year with the startlingly familiar “The Killing.” They stretch when they should close.

“Twin Peaks” just took the whole ‘Who killed Laura Palmer?’ thing too long and too far. Viewers gave up, they didn’t care, or they were aggravated it was taking so long to tie up the case and reveal who did it. The network demanded the case be closed and the story moved on. As forced as that was, it was far too late.

And then things got weird. Really weird. Prophetic giants? Dancing funny talking little people in red leisure suits? Red curtains, zig zag carpets and strobe lights? WTF? I wanted to throw something through my TV at the end of the final episode, the first time I saw it, and yes, the second time I saw it just today.

Second Chances

It’s been over two decades since I’ve seen “Twin Peaks.” After a recent discussion with my Biff BamPop! peeps about the theatrical epilogue to the series, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, I decided to view the whole shebang again. Here are my thoughts.

The first thing that struck me on my rewatch of “Twin Peaks” was the quirkiness of characters just for the sake of quirkiness, not because it was important to their personality or motive. Second, the music of Angelo Badalamenti, so new and refreshing to TV of that age… in hindsight, and in reviewing, I found it unintentionally funny, striking an almost melodramatic 1950s soap opera chord.

Watching the pilot again I was struck by how much it reminded me of AMC’s aforementioned “The Killing.” That’s really not so odd because “Twin Peaks” was the first thing I thought of when I saw that show. The problem is I was recalling “Twin Peaks” through the cloud of a nearly two decade memory. Seeing it here now, it seems almost a parody of itself, with “The Killing,” itself a remake of the Danish TV series “Forbrydelsen,” being almost the superior remake.

Conclusions

I recall “Twin Peaks” being quirky and fun, creepy and refreshing. I don’t remember it being funny or campy. I had to stop and wonder, rewatching it, was this David Lynch and Mark Frost’s intent all along? I really can’t help thinking of the 1966 “Batman” TV series. At four years of age it was serious as a heart attack but at twenty-four, it was hilarious. Was “Twin Peaks” nothing more than a two level Warner Bros. cartoon where we won’t get half the jokes until we’re adults? I’m really afraid so.

While the show created stars, renewed careers, was full of stunt casting, and changed television forever, the truth is, in hindsight, it is full of melodrama and heinous overacting, all for the apparent camp effect.

“Twin Peaks” was an enjoyable, and painful rewatch, and as much as I liked it, I don’t think I’ll do it again. The 1990s were enough the first time around, for me at least. Perhaps I’ll look forward to giving the movie/sequel/continuation Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me another shot. I do recall David Bowie being quite good in it, but little else, but then again, Bowie is always good. “Twin Peaks,” not so much…

Hey Biff Bam Poppers! I wanted to share with you the cover to next month’s issue of Rue Morgue Magazine, which features a cover story on Twin Peaks written by me! It features my interviews with various cast and crew, including wonderful Sheryl Lee. The issue is out April 1. So don’t forget to buy one :)

I’ll be pimping out my book on the series next February!

Rejoice! FAN EXPO Canada is back, T-Dot (resident and visiting) peeps!

What’s “T-Dot”, you ask? Well, that’s just me shouting out the glorious city of Toronto with my best urban inflection. FAN EXPO Canada, of course, is the third largest pop culture event in North America, a worthy happening for any lover of comic books, sci-fi, horror, anime or gaming.

Now entering its 20^th year (you’re all grown up!), and boasting over 1000 exhibitors over 750,000 square feet comprised of both the north and south buildings that make up the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, FAN EXPO Canada expects to host well over 100.000 fans.

If you plan to be one of them over the next four days, follow me after the jump for a highlight list of some exciting events on a schedule brimming full of exciting events!

Look, I’m primarily a comic book fan, but I also dig the sci-fi and horror stuff to a certain extent. Luckily, FAN SXPO Canada has it all.

Checking out the schedule in advance is a must. Because the convention centre will be buzzing, you’ll need to know where you’re going, what room you need to be in and at what time, and where to find your buddies on a regular basis.

You can find the master schedule list right here. I generally print mine up in advance and highlight the programming I’m most interested in. It’s useful not just to plan your day, but there will be times when you just want to grab a cold drink (or a hot, caffeinated beverage) and just find a room to sit in and rest your weary feet whilst listening to something interesting about some fragment of pop culture.

Here are some of the events that have tickled my fancy this year. Maybe I’ll see you at one of them:

THURSDAY AUGUST 28

6:30 PM – Room 713 – Steampunk 101

You know, the Steampunk niche ain’t so niche anymore. I’ve seen its devoted fan base grow larger and larger each year. If you want to know more about this corner of pop culture, Stempunk 101 is the place to be. Of course, you could always ask Biff Bam Pop’s own Steampunk Granny, Marie Gilbert!

6:45 PM – Room 705 – Working Digitally In Comics

More of the comics we read these days are in digital form, aren’t they? Here’s how they’re made.

8:15 PM – Room 206 – Life Inside A Dalek – From The Doctor Who Society Of Canada

I’m not a huge Who fan, but I know there are a ton of you out there who are. Meet all the others here. It should be interesting.

FRIDAY AUGUST 29

11:15 AM – Room 703 – Life After Archie

Holee molee! They just killed Archie! Shake your fist at the panelists – or shake their hands as they regale you with stories of Riverdale and the fallout of the death of one of comicdom’s most beloved characters!

12:30 PM – Room 701A – Remembering The Shining With The Grady Twins

One of the all-time classic horror films! Let the Grady Twins (remember those freaky sisters from the flick?) walk you down memory lane with stories about the production. Tales of Nicholson and Kubrick? You gotta be there!

5:30 PM – Room 714 – Prisoners of Gravity 25th Anniversary Reunion

Back in the day, TVO’s Prisoners of Gravity was one of the most important pop-culture news, views, and interviews television shows to watch. Sure, maybe you have to be of a certain age to be interested in this particular event – but the importance of that show still lives on today. At 5:30, that’s where you’ll find me. Drop me a Tweet is you’re coming too: @jpfallavollita

8:00 PM – Room 105 – The Legendary Stan Lee

Maybe you’ve heard Stan “The Man” Lee talk before. If you have, you’ll probably want to hear him regale with stories again. He’s that good at it. The man’s a legend. What more needs to be said?

SATURDAY AUGUST 30

12:00 PM – Room 206 – 25^th Anniversary Of Twin Peaks Reunion

The cult classic television series that has gone on to inspire so many films and TV programming since it originally aired 25 years ago is having a reunion! Huzzah! Look for legendary actors Ray Wise (Leland Palmer), Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer) and Sherilyn Fenn (Audrey Horn) to share thoughts and stories on the production. Biff Bam Pop’s own Editor-In-Chief, Andy Burns will be there as well – he’s got his new book, Wrapped In Plastic: Twin Peaks, set to be unveiled in 2015, didn’t ja know?!?

2:30 PM – Room 714 – DC Comics – Batman 75: The Eternal Dark Knight

Celebrate Batman’s 75^th Anniversary with the writers and artists and fans that were and still are inspired by one of the world’s greatest pop culture icons.

3:45 PM – Room 715 – The Black Museum Presents: The History of Horror On Home Video

I love archived, historical talks. And that’s what you’re gonna get here – a history of horror like only the Black Museum can present! Get educated!

Sunday August 31  

12:30 PM – Room 105 – Celebrity Q&A Session With The Star Of Arrow Stephen Amell

I’m thinking this will be a fairly popular event. How could it not be? A great series about to enter an exciting 3^rd season. A charming, funny, and genuinely likeable lead actor. Who also, you know, just happens to be not so hard on the eyes. Hell if I know, how he makes that salmon leap exercise routine look so damn easy.

5:00 PM – Room 105 – The Two Captains Patrick Stewart And William Shatner

Now that’s the way you end a convention. Beam me up to this event, Scotty! (Just make sure you beam up with your pre-purchased tickets!)

So there you have it. A small sampling of some of the more interesting scheduled events at FAN EXPO Canada this year. Well, interesting by my standards and curiosities. By no means is this an exhaustive list. I implore you: make your own.

Don’t forget to check out the available FAN EXPO Exclusives. I’ve got dibs on DC-The Multiversity #1 variant, the Image-Wayward #1 variant, the HBO Game of Thrones Lannister Shield Wall Plaque (they always pay their debts!) and the pretty awesome Nerdblock-designed Fan Expo Canada T-Shirt #1. And don’t forget to spend some time in Artist Alley and the Indy Press Pavilion – easily one of the largest and best artist collectives of any convention in any part of the world!

In the meantime, I’ll see you around, wandering the halls, floors and breakout rooms of 2014’s FAN EXPO Canada. I’ll be the hipster with the coffee in his hand. Come say “Hi”.

Enjoy the four-day event and the city!

It’s the return of the Biff Bam Popcast, featuring Andy Burns, Glenn Walker, JP Fallavollita, and the newest addition to the BBP family, Ms. Amanda Blue. In this edition, we’re talking about the return of Twin Peaks to television after 25 years.

We can’t watch everything, right? I mean, who has the time to watch every single show that you think you might like on the tube? Not me, and I bet not you either. What that means is that the best of us often miss out on tv that we could very well be loving.

That’s how it went with me and Durham County, the critically acclaimed Canadian television program set north of Toronto starring Hugh Dillon as Mike Sweeney, a big city homicide cop who’s relocated to the ‘burbs, and Justin Louis as Ray Prager, his not so good new neighbour. The show’s first 6 episode season aired over a year ago on The Movie Network and recently made its way onto free tv, but I kept missing my chance to catch the show. As fate would have it, last night I was flipping channels and landed on Showcase, which was showing the first episode of Durham County. I felt like I’d lucked out, and sat back to watch. How would I sum it up? One word:

Wow.

The premier episode of Durham County has got to be one of the best hours of television I’ve seen in years. Both Hugh Dillon and Justin Louis give spectacular performances; Dillon’s character is a slow burn. He’s a good man with a temper, coping with the death of his partner, a wife battling cancer, a rebellious teenage daughter, and a secret he’s keeping from his family. I haven’t seen much of Dillon the actor (I’m more familiar with him as the frontman for Canada’s legendary band, the Headstones), but unlike most rock stars turned actors, he’s actually great in his new role. His ability to play subdued is all the more commendable when it comes time for him to let loose.

Meanwhile, there’s no doubting that Justin Louis’ Ray Prager is a bastard, a horrible husband and father that has clearly cracked. I can’t remember the last television character that was so clearly evil as Prager. There’s no subtle smile or Lecter charm to him; Louis plays him straight, which makes the performance that much more disturbing. There were at least two instances where Prager’s actions actually caused me to gasp outloud, and believe me when I say I can’t remember the last time I did that while watching a tv show.

In looking at some of the comments regarding Durham County, comparison’s to David Lynch’s Twin Peaks often come up. For once, they’re completely warranted. Like the trees, wildlife, and train tracks that were as much a character on that show, the power lines of Durham County cast their own shadow throughout the premier episode. In some ways, the quick shots of them act as transitions between scenes, but they also give off a real sense of foreboding. That something in the sleepy suburbs isn’t quite right. I think that every time I have to go to one.

I have no idea where Durham County is going to with its remaining episodes. I’m sure I could find out easily enough since I missed it during its first go around, but I’m not going to. I’m going to wait until next week to see what happens, because I want to discover the show’s secrets on the screen, as I’m supposed to. But really, I can’t recommend Durham County enough. This is dark stuff that’s well worth your time. If you missed it the first time around, and I bet many people did, you can catch it again Wednesday nights at 8pm on Showcase. It’s also available in Canada on DVD.

WARNING: HERE THERE BE SPOILERS!

“Lost” has come a long way in four years.

What started as a show about a group of plane-crash survivors living on a funky island in the South Pacific has turned into a time-hopping pseudo-sf series about fate vs. free will, with a smoke monster and some polar bears thrown in for good measure.

Part of the show’s initial charm was its storytelling technique of featuring character flashbacks throughout each episode. At the end of the third season, the writers turned this concept on its head by introducing “flashforwards” — glimpses into the future where six of the Losties have escaped the island. That’s right, the show that defined itself as “Gilligan’s Island” meets “Twin Peaks” actually moved the story off the island. Okay, only part of it, but it’s a pretty big part. Not everyone left the island, but to confuse things up for the left-behinders, the island is now skipping through time like a needle hopping across a screwy record. Lost yet?

So it begs the question: Is “Lost” still “Lost” if part of the story is set off the island?

I say yes. Why? Because even though the show is set on an island, that’s not what it’s really about. If it was, the producers would have called the show “The Island.” They called it “Lost” because not only are the characters lost on a mysterious island, they’re also lost in their lives. Deep, eh? But it’s true. Jack the spinal surgeon seems like a rock, until you put him in a leadership role or ask him about his daddy. Kate? Please. That girl runs away so fast from her problems she could compete in the Olympics. Sawyer? He took the name of a con man responsible for the death of his parents and ended up becoming a con man himself. Yeah, he’s clearly got it together.

Same goes for the rest of the Losties. They were lost long before they hopped onto Oceanic 815. And even though Jack, Kate, Sayid, Sun, Hurley and Aaron managed to leave the island, they are all still lost. They may have gotten fat settlements from Oceanic, and they may be bigger celebrities now than Brangelina, but none of them are happy in their respective lives. Sun wants revenge for the death of her husband. Kate, the born runner, is forced to stay put and raise a child that isn’t her own. Hurley, unable to live with the lie they’re forced to live, puts himself back in the psych ward. Sayid finds his lost love, Nadia, loses her, and allows himself to be recruited as an assassin for Ben. And Jack, the one who wanted to leave the island more than anyone, becomes an alcoholic and a drug addict who wants nothing more than to go back (“We have to go BAAACK!”). Leaving the island was clearly a smart move for all involved.

I haven’t even mentioned the other people who left the island. Michael? Dead. Walt? Left fatherless — and he doesn’t even know it yet! Desmond? Living on the run (sure, he’s got Penny and Charlie, but it’s not exactly a stable life with Ben and Widmore hunting them).

The show may have moved back to civilization, but the island hasn’t relinquished its hold on those who left. Jack, Michael, Desmond and the rest can take off to Los Angeles or New York or Edinburgh, but the island remains a powerful presence in their lives. They might think they’ve found happiness, but they’re still lost, and the island is there to remind them of that fact.

They’ve still got work to do.

Check out Ian’s home on the web, ian-rogers.com, here.

Thursday April 8th marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of Twin Peaks, one of the most influential and memorable programs in the history of television. Over the next two days Biff Bam Pop writers share their memories of the show. We begin with JP:

I missed David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks the first time it aired but caught it, appropriately I suppose, on its second run.

Of course, I had been aware of the series when it premiered – it was the darling of television critics everywhere and I read my TV Guide as thoroughly as the Entertainment section of the Toronto Star but for one reason or another, the pilot eluded me and I didn’t want to start my “detective work” on the show in the middle of the following seven episodes. So I waited, caught it on repeat and then dove headfirst into season two, transfixed by the strangely meandering soap opera-like story of unsolved small town murder, the surreal yet transfixing cast of characters, the sultry female actors, the haunting musical score and, of course, the amazing Kyle Maclachlan as the now mythical Agent Cooper.

Twin Peaks is a series that will stay with me forever – not because of the story. No, to be honest, I found the series too perplexing and impenetrable for that aspect of the show to be deemed classic. In fact, I found the second season to be so much filler to what the story was supposed to be about. Twin Peaks will stay with me for the timeless imagery it served up to my young eyes: sometimes pleasing, sometimes horrifying, sometimes bizarre – but always fascinating.

There are four specific images from the series’ two “seasons” of broadcast that are imbedded within my consciousness. The first two typify both the sublime and the ridiculous nature of the series: how could I ever forget the beautiful visage of Madchen Amick serving cherry pie at the Double R dinner? Yeah, I fell in love at that greasy spoon every time she was onscreen. And then there was the strange dwarf, the Man From Another Place, as he was called, dressed in a 1930’s leisure suit, walking and talking backwards in a mysterious lounge decorated with sweeping red velvet curtains, illuminated only by the light of a strobe. Disturbingly whacky.

But there was also another side to the show. A dark side.

The other two images that haunted me in the early nineties, just as they do now, revealed the antagonist, Bob, a tall, thin drifter with long and wiry gray hair and maniacal eyes, malevolently leaping over a couch and coming straight for me, the viewer! And in the final episode, heroic Agent Cooper, not immune from the wickedness he’s investigated for so long, slamming his head against a washroom mirror, revealing a broken reflection of the evil Bob, as he incessantly asks “How’s Annie?”

Those kind of primordial images entrench themselves within you, stay with you, both in the conscious and the subconscious. So powerful were they that they have also informed – and continue to inform – my own creative outputs ever since I first witnessed them twenty years ago.

Thursday April 8th marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of Twin Peaks, one of the most influential and memorable programs in the history of television. Over the next two days Biff Bam Pop writers share their memories of the show. Up next is Andy Burns:

Like anyone who watched the show about cherry pie, damn good coffee, and dancing dwarves, Twin Peaks had an indelible effect on my life. It introduced me to the brilliance of David Lynch, and gave me an appreciation of surrealism that continues to this day. I didn’t know what a long tracking shot was in cinema until Lynch utilized it during the pilot episode. Lynch (and co-creator Mark Frost) created strangely compelling characters that lived in a town that seemed so normal on the surface, but who led dark, strange, and haunted lives.

I loved Twin Peaks. Loved it, bought the “I Shot Agent Cooper” t-shirt, and read the book (The Secret Diary Of Laura Palmer, penned by Lynch’s daughter Jennifer). I owned the Angelo Badalamenti soundtrack on cassette and went to my first movie all by myself when Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me was released in August 1992. Heck, I even bought the new video game Deadly Premonitions, which had been in development hell for three years, after trailers for the game under its original name Rainy Woods showed it to be a blatant Twin Peaks homage (ripoff, depending on your point of view). I see it in the trailers for the new tv show Happy Town, set to debut on ABC later this month, the same network that first broadcast Twin Peaks twenty years ago.

I remember when the HBO series Carnivale debut a few years back and Michael J. Anderson, the Man From Another Place on Twin Peaks, was on a promo tour, visiting the radio station where I worked. Upon expressing my love of Twin Peaks, Anderson recited a poem that any fan would have loved to have heard whispered in their ears:

Thru the darkness of Future Past the magician longs to see/one chants out between two worlds/ Fire – walk with me.

Every six months or so I have a Twin Peaks nightmare. I wake up in a cold sweat after seeing the leering face of BOB rushing towards me, just like Agent Cooper did in the series finale, one of the greatest and most unique hours of television ever produced. I carry Twin Peaks with me wherever I go. While I had a seven season love affair with Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Twin Peaks is and likely always will be my most beloved television show.

While I’ll never understand why ABC moved the show from its Thursday night time slot during its first season to Saturday nights for its second, that move wound up giving me the final memory of the show I’ll leave you with. On Saturday November 10th, 1990, Twin Peaks was going to reveal who killed Laura Palmer. I was visiting my Dad that weekend and my ten- year-old sister wanted to stay up to watch the show with me. My step-mom was a little hesitant, but I told her it would be ok for my sister to watch the show.

“It’s weird, but not scary,” I reassured her.

Boy, was I wrong. At the end of that hour of television I didn’t want to go upstairs, I was so scared. I know my sister didn’t slept right for months. Just how scary was it? Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails once called the scene “the scariest, most violent thing (he’d) ever seen on television.” See for yourself if you’d like, but if you watch the scene below make no mistake, you will know who killed Laura Palmer. There will be no going back. You’ve been warned.

Showing THAT to a ten year old? Yeah, bad call on my part. I guess I pay for it every six months or so, when BOB haunts my dreams.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of Twin Peaks, one of the most influential and memorable programs in the history of television. Over the next two days Biff Bam Pop writers share their memories of the show. Up next is Ian Rogers:

On this day twenty years ago David Lynch and Mark Frost introduced us to a logging town in the Pacific Northwest called Twin Peaks. It was the kind of small town that generally goes unnoticed in America. But Twin Peaks was special, and it was catapulted into television history on the wave of a single question: “Who killed Laura Palmer?”

We had a pool going at my high school on who killed Twin Peaks’ homecoming queen. I had put my money on Benjamin Horne… and lost. I don’t think anyone in the pool actually guessed who the killer was. And if you haven’t seen the show yet, go check it out on DVD, because I’m not going to reveal the answer here.

Twin Peaks was a show of unforgettable visuals: the waterfall next to the Great Northern Hotel; that lonely traffic light at Sparkwood and 21; Agent Cooper hanging upside down in his boxer shorts. And who could forget that powerful second season premiere in which we actually see the brutal killing of Laura Palmer. I’m still surprised that one made it past the censors.

And let’s not forget the sounds: wind blowing in the trees; fifties music playing on the Double R Diner’s jukebox; Gordon Cole’s constant yelling (“Coop, today you remind me of a small Mexican Chiwowow!”); and, it goes without saying, Angelo Badalamenti’s haunting score.

Like any show, Twin Peaks was defined by its characters. A quirky ensemble cast that included Sheriff Harry S. Truman, Deputy Hawk, Deputy Andy, Lucy, Big Ed Hurley and his wife Nadine, Donna and James, Maddy Ferguson (Laura Palmer’s cousin, played by the same actress), Audrey Horne, and Gordon Cole (played by Lynch himself). And what about the other, even weirder characters, like the Log Lady, the One-Armed Man, The Man From Another Place (aka, the dancing, backwards-talking dwarf from Cooper’s dream), the Giant who haunted the Great Northern, and, of course, BOB.

The standout performance of the series belongs to Kyle MacLachlan, whose portrayal of FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is legendary. Who can forget Cooper’s cowlick, his black suits, his boyish enthusiasm for Douglas Firs, cherry pie, and that “damn fine” coffee. Cooper was like a boy scout exploring the underworld, using a combination of Tibetan philosophy and deductive reasoning to uncover Laura Palmer’s killer. And I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Cooper’s unseen sidekick, his trusty pocket recorder, into which he recited all of his quirky observations (“Diane, I hold in my hand a small box of chocolate bunnies…”)

Twin Peaks had a powerful effect on me when it first aired, and it still does today. Last year my wife and I rewatched the entire series on DVD while we were vacationing at a cabin in the woods. This was probably not our brightest idea. Every night, after I turned out the lights, I kept expecting to see BOB’s face leering in through the window.

My own work as a writer has been heavily influenced by Twin Peaks, both in terms of its quirky characters and its mythology of strange and malevolent forces residing in the woods. Few shows balanced horror and humour with as much skill as Twin Peaks. The show embraced both these qualities. Take, for example, the opening scene of the pilot episode in which Pete Martell (played by Jack Nance, a David Lynch regular since “Eraserhead”) discovers the body of Laura Palmer on the shore near his house. “She’s dead,” he tells the police. “Wrapped in plastic.” The phrase would become synonymous with the show (it would also become the title of the Twin Peaks fanzine). A few episodes later the same character ends up coining another phrase after a disastrous incident in which he serves coffee to Agent Cooper and Sheriff Truman. “Don’t drink that coffee!” he warns them. “There was a fish… in the percolator!” Only on a show as bizarre as Twin Peaks could a character who coined one of the most ominous catchphrases in TV history also coin one of the funniest.

Unfortunately the show got too weird for its own good. David Lynch may be a master at creating mysteries both beautiful and terrifying, but he has never gone in for the kind of linear storytelling that is required of network television. Throw in a few subplots that people didn’t care about (James Hurley anyone? Or how about Little Nicky?) and the show’s days were numbered. Leaving a bunch of unanswered questions in its wake, and a theatrical movie that looked backward to the days before Laura’s murder instead of forward to tie up loose plot threads, and the fans were left feeling angry and unsatisfied. Opportunities to resolve the show’s lingering storylines via another movie or a graphic novel have come to nothing, and it seems unlikely that we’ll ever find out what happened to the people in that poor, doomed town.

It’s been twenty years since Twin Peaks first aired. I can still remember seeing that opening sequence for the first time. Those great big trees. The lumber mill. I miss Twin Peaks. The show and the town. It entertained me as a viewer and taught me as a writer. It continues to inspire me today. Every few years I find myself going back and revisiting that creepy little town. That place where you don’t want to go walking in the woods after night, where everyone has a secret, where the owls are not what they seem.

Today marks the 20th anniversary of the debut of Twin Peaks, one of the most influential and memorable programs in the history of television. Over the next two days Biff Bam Pop writers share their memories of the show. We conclude with David Ward:

I remember Twin Peaks fever during the summer of 1990. It was insane – from t-shirts emblazoned with “I killed Laura Palmer” to Kyle McLaughlin hosting Saturday Night Live to books, books, and more books popping up every few books. I even owned The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, because I, like so many other foolish people, thought I could figure it all out from a book sent out by the makers of the show.

Twin Peaks is a difficult show to describe, and what I find even more difficult to describe is the effect it’s had on me over the past twenty years. A murder mystery? A supernatural horror story? A town with too many questions? What was the appeal? To this day, I find it difficult to either quantify or qualify.

It is scary, though. Amusing, quaint in places, but truly terrifying in others. During some of the reveal scenes in the second season, your eyes widen and hair stands up on the back of your neck. The first season, which gets the ball rolling in terms of the murder mystery and the town’s denizens, also has its moments, but between BOB, MIKE, and the Black Lodge, well, there’s enough there to send you to therapy for years if you’re particularly sensitive.

Perhaps that’s why I find it appealing. I’ve always liked to be scared. Or perhaps it’s the uncanny ability of Lynch and co. to blend character and setting so seamlessly. Twin Peaks, and the land that surrounds it, is infused with darkness and is also a living and breathing entity unto itself (and The Bookhouse Boys are only too aware of this). All of the settings are characters: the woods, the Double-R, the mill, the Great Northern Hotel, the sheriff’s department, the hospital, One Eyed Jack’s, the Bang Bang bar – they’re as real, and as important, as Cooper, Truman, the Palmers, the Haywards, the Log Lady, the Hornes, Big Ed and Nadine, the Renaults, etc. Land and person sit on equal footing in this show.

And let’s not forget the truly weird shit. I’ve already mentioned BOB, MIKE, and the Black Lodge, but there’s also The Man from Another Place (a.k.a., The Arm), the Giant, the White Lodge, and the surreal dreams. The supernatural in this show, or at least the perception of the supernatural, is some of the most original stuff I have ever seen, and I still stand by this. These aren’t classic monsters; they’re physical manifestations of the darkness in us and in the land that surrounds us. They’re also us. They’re really unnerving, from the moment we first see BOB on-screen, to the show’s very last scene. Lynch has used this before and since – in the face of absolute personal horror, the monstrous manifests in either physical or dream-like form. Are they real? It’s strange to say, but I hope so. I’d rather it be monster than man.

Oh, and lastly I wanted to mention the horse. Still don’t get the horse.

Well it’s that time of the year when all of our favourite shows wind up their respective seasons (or in the case of Lost, it’s the end of the series). Judging by the amount of content on my PVR waiting to be viewed, there’s an abundance of shows wrapping up around this time that I’m actually interested in. Believe me, I’m pretty surprised that I actually care about how Desperate Housewives finishes off its season. I don’’t know how that happened. Or maybe I do. I’ll admit it.  Growing up, the only series that I ever got excited about its final episode of a season was Dallas.

Yes, Dallas.

I really can’t explain it. Ok, that’s not true either. I probably have to blame my mother, who was a huge fan of the saga of the Ewings. I vividly remember us visiting family in Toronto and staying in a hotel, but rushing back to the room to see the memorable sixth season finale when Bobby Ewing died in a car accident. What a moving season finale, one matched only by the seventh season ending which brought Bobby back from the dead. You know, the famous shower scene.

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Pam’s bad dream brought Bobby back from the dead and sent a once powerful prime time soap on its downward spiral.

There have been other season finales that are memorable in my mind. Buffy The Vampire Slayer caped off its fifth season and its final one on the WB before switching to UPN with one of the show’s greatest moments. When, if ever, has the title character of a television show been killed off at the end of an episode? Pure brilliance, full of emotion and heartache.

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Buffy would carry on for two more seasons full of highs and lows, but it would never scale the heights that it did during its fantastic fifth season.

On another bit of a downer, if you enjoyed the rebooted Battlestar Galactica that ruled much of the 2000’s, the cliffhanger ending that split Season 4 in half was surely one of the series most defining moments, since it delivered on the promise the show had made the from the very beginning; that it’s beleaguered survivors would finally find the mythical planet of Earth. Of course, it’s not exactly what they hoped it would be.

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Sure it was a mid-season finale for BSG, but as far as I’m concerned a wait of more than 6 months makes this a finale, and a memorable one at that.

Another favourite finale of mine shouldn’t come as much of a surprise for regular readers. It’s the episode that ended Twin Peaks second and final season. Knowing that the show wasn’t going to be renewed following its ratings challenged sophomore year, I remember being extremely eager to see how the show would finish. Of course, I never could have guessed what I’d receive. At the time I was thoroughly dismayed that David Lynch was ending the series with a total cliffhanger, over the years I’ve come to appreciate the infinite possibilities that the final scene of Twin Peaks leaves you with.

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Those are just a few of my favourites. And who knows. Maybe by the end of this week I’ll add the season finale of V or the series finale of Lost to my list as well. 

Maybe even that episode of Desperate Housewives I have waiting on my PVR. You never know, right?

Filed under: Andy Burns/Andy B, Battlestar Galactica, buffy, Dallas, tv shows, Twin Peaks

I confess. I didn’t watch “Twin Peaks” when it premiered on ABC in 1990. I have no excuse except that life got in the way. “Twin Peaks,” created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, focused on the murder of a young girl, Laura Palmer. Thanks to its creators, “Twin Peaks” became the flagship for groundbreaking television. This year when Andy Burns, Editor-In-Chief of Biff Bam Pop!, published his book Wrapped in Plastic: Twin Peaks, I was curious as to why he loved this series so much. He wisely suggested that I read his book which is not only for diehard fans of the show, but for newbies like me who’d never seen the series. I’ve started watching the show on Netflix. Do I like it? Grab yourself a cup of damn good coffee and find out.

The Body

While the theme song written by composer Angelo Badalamenti plays in the background, Pete Martell (Jack Nance), who works at the Packard Saw Mill, gives his wife, Catherine (Piper Laurie) a kiss before heading out for a relaxing day of fishing. He finds something on the beach.

Laura’s Parents

Unaware that her daughter is missing, Sarah prepares breakfast. When Sarah can’t find Laura, she calls Laura’s boyfriend. Betty Briggs tells Sarah that Bobby (Dana Ashbrook) is at football practice. Was Laura with him? Sarah calls her husband, Leland (Ray Wise), who is with his business partner, Ben Horne (Richard Beymer). Richard played Tony on West Side Story. They are closing a deal on land they don’t own to visiting Norwegians.

Lucy Moran, (Kimmy Robertson) the dispatcher for the Twin Peaks Police Station, receives the call that sends Sheriff Harry Truman (Michael Ontkean) and his deputies to investigate the dead girl wrapped in plastic. Now it’s up to the sheriff and his two deputies Hawk and Andy to find out how she died. Andy is crying uncontrollably; a hint to his personality. He does this at every crime scene. Dr. Hayward recognizes the girl. It’s Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee).

Leland is speaking with his frantic wife, when the sheriff walks in with the news. Leland had to identify the body of his seventeen year old daughter; he is inconsolable. While Sheriff Harry speaks with Sarah, Deputy Hawk and Leland search Laura’s room. They find a diary. Andy tells Harry that another girl is missing. Ronette Pulaski is found later that day, badly beaten, raped and in a catatonic state.

Laura’s Friends

Not only did Bobby miss football practice, but according to the coach Bobby’s been late for the past two weeks He’s having an affair with a very married waitress at the Double R Diner. Shelly Johnson’s (Madchen Amick) husband, Leo, is abusive and a crook.

At school, we meet some of Laura’s school chums, Donna Hayward (Lara Flynn Boyle), James Hurley (James Marshall) and Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn). The Principal makes the announcement that Laura is dead and Bobby is arrested by the sheriff. Audrey is one of my favorite characters. She does everything possible to muck up her father’s business plans with the Norwegians. She plays dumb sex kitten, but she’s one smart bunny.

Big Ed

Ed Hurley is (Everett McGill) James Hurley’s uncle and the owner of a gas station. His wife Nadine (Wendy Robie) wears an eye patch and is obsessive about drapes; quiet drapes. Ed has a lover, Norma Jennings (Peggy Lipton) owner of the Double R Diner and wife to jailbird Hank Jennings. James leaves a note for Donna with Ed; meet him at the Roadhouse.

Packard Saw Mill

There is palpable hostility between Josie Packard (Joan Chen) and Catherine Martell who fight over the running of the mill. The mill is losing money. Josie was married to Catherine’s brother. She’s not happy that Josie inherited the business after her husband’s death.

Agent Cooper

It isn’t until Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachian) arrives on the scene, that you realize that this isn’t your average weekly serial drama. Speaking to the unknown Diane on his recorder, Cooper talks weather, location, trees, cherry pie and coffee. He’s meeting with Sheriff Truman about the crime. The camera’s long shot between the meeting of Cooper and Truman is mentioned in Andy’s book; another clue into Lynch’s directing techniques.

Cooper tells Truman that the Feds are now in charge. On the way to the morgue, they bump into one of the wackier characters on the show. Dr. Lawrence Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn), who you may remember from West Side Story, is a psychiatrist. Laura was his patient. Cooper finds evidence under Laura’s fingernail. Cooper has seen this. The letter R is printed on the speck of paper. They read the diary found in Laura’s bedroom and find a key to a safety deposit box.

A crying Deputy Andy locates the area where Ronette and possibly Laura were raped. One of the clues is half a gold heart on a chain and a note with the words, Fire dance with me. Cooper questions Bobby. They have a video of Laura and Donna dancing. Was Laura seeing someone else? Cooper is one smart agent. He may babble on about coffee, trees and pie, but he knows his shit and he knows who filmed the girls by something reflected in Laura’s eyes. Lucy overhears Bobby and Mike planning to find the biker.

Cooper and Truman head over to the Roadhouse where a fight breaks out. James and Donna bury the other half of the heart and decide to do their own investigation to find Laura’s killer. James Hurley is arrested along with Bobby and Mike.

Laura

When we meet Laura, she is dead. We don’t know much about her, but there are many clues: We know Laura was cheating on Bobby with James; that she and Donna were BFF’s; that she had a safe deposit box that contained a porno magazine which featured an ad for Ronette. There was also ten thousand dollars inside that box. What the hell was Laura into?

Conclusion

I can see why Andy Burns feels that “Twin Peaks” was one of the most influential shows in television history. Nothing was done like this show before. Even the music for the series is different. It’s hip, cool and sets the mood for what’s taking place on the screen.

Even though the subject matter is dark, it also has comedic moments like the dear head on the table, Nadine playing with her curtains, Cooper’s obsessive interest in Douglas Fir trees, coffee and cherry pie and, the rows and rows of donuts set out for the sheriff’s and his deputies.

At the end of the pilot, Cooper has checked in at the Great Northern Hotel. Sheriff Truman is spending the night with Josie. And, someone digs up the heart that James and Donna have buried. The game is on!

Last summer, when I was at the Twin Peaks Festival outside of Seattle, Washington, I met a woman named Gina Lee Ronhovde. It was very brief, on a bonus tour that her husband, Twin Peaks expert and filmmaker Josh Eisenstadt, took a few of us on. Through that, I became Facebook friends with them both, where I discovered that Gina herself is a filmmaker. On her page, she was often talking about her short film Boudoir, which stars Dominique Swain, who many of us know from Adrian Lyne’s outstanding mid-90s take on Nabokov’s Lolita. I asked Gina if I could see the film, which she graciously allowed and which, I’m happy to say, I really enjoyed. Boudoir has a cool, mysterious feel; there’s a definite David Lynch vibe throughout it, no surprise considering the filmmaker’s long love of Lynch’s work.

I was impressed with what my friend accomplished, and who she managed to have work on this writing and directorial effort that’s already been winning awards. I thought Gina would have a lot to talk about, and she did, as you can see from this email interview we did about Boudoir.

Andy Burns: When did you decide you wanted to make a short film?

Gina Lee Ronhovde: There wasn’t one moment (see below answers lol). I first learned filmmaking at the Los Angeles Film School and made short films while in school – one of them was a finalist for the Jay Leno show – and my graduating thesis short film Bereft Left went on to festivals and was nominated for awards. After graduation I worked at a variety of studios, management and production companies, and also on set – producing, writing, and script consulting. So, I had that background behind me already when I just suddenly decided to write something down one day.

Andy Burns: Tell me about your writing process – how long did it take, where and when did you do it?

In the pilot of “Twin Peaks” we were given the facts: there was a murder, there may have been witnesses, there are several suspects and the FBI has joined the investigation. But, nothing is as it seems and there are plots within plots. Will Agent Cooper be able to solve the crime?  Let’s check in at Room 315 at Great Northern Hotel.

Agent Cooper

We find Cooper (Kyle MacLachan) hanging upside down from the rafters as he leaves another detailed report for the mysterious Diane on his recorder. The topic of his report deals with everything from the pleasantries of the hotel service to who killed JFK. The one thing we know from the start is that Agent Cooper loves coffee and pie. On this episode Cooper meets Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn). Her dad owns the hotel. It’s obvious that there is a mutual connection between the two, but Cooper has to be careful. Audrey is jail bait.

Audrey tells Cooper that Laura tutored her brother Johnny who is 27 and in the third grade. She mentions that emotional problems run in the family. This is a freaking understatement! Audrey is a free spirit and well aware of her sexual persona. Unfortunately for our little sex kitten, she’s in big trouble with daddy dearest for scaring the Norwegians away. Ben Horne may think he’s a powerful man, but like every other father on this planet, he can’t control his little girl.

I have to keep reminding myself that this is a drama. When Cooper stops at the jail to talk to Sheriff Truman (Michael Ontkean) we’re quick to note that the entire police department is addicted to donuts. Cooper wants to question James Hurley (James Marshall). Did Laura confide in James about her relationship with Bobby? Cooper shoots out his itinerary for the day while Truman chokes down his donut. This is when we and Truman realize that his position on this case is more like that of Dr. Watson. But, hey that’s okay because I’ve always considered Dr. Watson the unsung hero of the Sherlock Holmes stories; the calming voice of reason.

Dr. Hayward (Warren Frost) has the autopsy results and it’s nasty. Laura was tortured, her death caused by loss of blood. They’re not sure who made the bite marks on her shoulders and tongue, but there is evidence that at least three men had sex with her. Dr. Hayward thinks the same men attacked Ronette. So, who killed Laura?

We get a clue on a possible suspect when Shelly is doing the wash and finds a bloody shirt belonging to Leo.  She hides it before going to work. Leo is a cruel man, who in this episode uses a bar of soap inside a sock to beat up Shelly (Madchen Amick). The obvious fact on this show is that the men call the shots. Shelley is a victim of domestic violence. Donna’s boyfriend orders her around, and I’m pretty sure that Bobby was no prince charming with Laura. Think about when this show was filmed. In the 1990’s there weren’t as many support groups as we have today, or the stringent laws for domestic abuse and this is why Leo feels so righteous in his beating of Shelly. Leo would not have survive the day, if he lived in South Philly. We don’t play those games and, he would probably wind up buried next to Jimmy Hoffa.

Interrogation

Cooper is a profiler. He just doesn’t know it. After asking a few questions, he already knows that James was in love with Laura and, that Laura and James used cocaine. How he figured that James might have the other half of the heart is amazing. The more I watch Cooper in action, the more he reminds me of Adrian Monk. Cooper is meticulous in his investigation, picking up clues that others don’t notice and, like Monk, Cooper’s brilliant deductions are sometimes eclipsed by his quirkiness.

There is a connection between Leo, Bobby and Mike and it has to do with drugs. Bobby owes Leo ten thousand dollars, but it’s in Laura’s safe deposit box. Cooper releases Bobby and Mike from jail, but not before telling them to keep away from James.  Bobby Briggs is every bit the bad boy, James Dean, street rebel persona. Unfortunately, his father Major Garland Briggs has no idea what his son is into.

This episode also introduces one of my favorite characters of the series. Cooper talks on the phone to the fast talking, quick witted and sarcastic FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield (Miguel Ferrer). Albert needs to do forensic tests before Laura is buried.

Big Ed has a clue for Harry. Jacque Renault may have drugged his drink. Ed is part of Sheriff Truman’s secret posse. Ed is a cool guy, but his wife, Nadine is crazy. Does she know that Ed and Norma are seeing each other? This is something you’ll notice about “Twin Peaks.” Everyone is cheating on their spouses. In fact, Catherine Martell is cheating on Pete with Ben Horne. Catherine and Ben are planning on destroying the mill via fire.

Josie

I don’t know what to think of Josie. She plays the poor helpless widow who is left to run her dead husband’s mill, but I think she knows more than she’s letting on. Cooper, always on the ball, surmises that there is some hanky panky going on between Josie and Harry.

While Donna is visiting the Palmers, Sarah sees a strange man hiding next to the sofa. She is the only one who sees him. Deputy Hawk is interviewing Ronette’s parents and learns that she was working at the perfume counter in Ben Horne’s department store after school.

Log Lady

You never know when the next comedic moment will show up. We meet the Log Lady on this episode. The Log Lady (Catherine E. Coulson) tells Cooper that her log saw something the night that Laura died. When Cooper hesitates to interview the log, Log Lady leaves in a huff. I love the Log Lady. She sure as hell would fit in with my wacky family.

Conclusion

While Donna and her family entertain Bobby, Dr. Jacoby is listening to Laura’s tapes and, we learn, he dug up the other half of the missing gold heart. Was weirdo Dr. Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn) also in love with Laura and, if everyone loved Laura, then who killed her?

One thing is for sure, the money and the magazine found in the safe deposit box, are important clues. Maybe, Agent Cooper should question the log.

Andy Burns mentioned this episode in his book, Wrapped in Plastic: Twin Peaks. Did I mention how much I enjoyed reading the book? I did! I thought I was prepared for the bohemian characters in this series, but I was wrong. In episode 2 of “Twin Peaks,” Cooper uses a rather bizarre method for his investigation and has one hell of a dream. Grab your coffee and follow me.

The Hornes

I personally think that most families are dysfunctional entities. I’m a child of such an entity, and right off the bat, I recognized the disconnection in Ben Horne’s family while watching how they behaved during dinner. There is no happy chatter about the day’s events. No interaction with the two children or his wife. Ben’s son, Johnny, is in his own little world. Who acquired the Native American headpiece for Johnny? Was it mom? I don’t see Ben caring enough to buy it. Sure, Ben eats with his family, but the look on his face spells B-O-R-E-D-O-M.

In fact, Ben doesn’t perk up until his brother Jerry returns from Paris with sandwiches. The two men are so ecstatic over eating the sandwiches their behavior is close to orgasmic. Ben is downright arrogant as he bids his family goodbye before leaving the room. I have a feeling that Ben is an emotional abuser and even though he leaves no physical marks, that distain that he shows towards his family is just as painful. Ben tells Jerry the deal is off with the Norwegians and about Laura’s death.

Jerry (David Patrick Kelly) is upset until Ben tells him that there is a new girl at the One Eyed Jacks. Blackie (Victoria Catlin) has some special entertainment planned for the brothers. Ben is an alley cat, but his sleeping with the girls that work for him, reveal a more dangerous side to this man. I don’t think the girls at One-Eyed Jacks have a choice when Ben points his finger their way. He’s the boss. He’s a pig and he gets what he wants, when he wants it. Ben is taking advantage of under-aged girls which makes him a sociopath in my book.

While Donna and James make out in her parent’s living room, we get to meet Twin Peaks’ version of the mafia. Yep, I’m talking the wiseguys! Bobby and Mike are scared stiff. They owe money to Leo. Where is the money? It’s in Laura’s safe deposit box. Leo doesn’t care. He wants his money and he wants it now. Leo is a mean sucker, but he’s no Don Corleone. There is someone over Leo, but who is really running the drug business is still undecided. I have a feeling we’ll find out soon. Leo tells Bobby that he thinks his wife is cheating on him. Like I said, Leo is no Don and that will be his downfall. When Bobby sees the bruises on Shelly, he promises her that he will kill Leo. Someone please kill Leo.

Wacky Couples’ Corner

You find yourself feeling sorry for Ed. As sensible as he is, Nadine is just the opposite. She is a nut job who obsesses over curtains; quiet curtains. Thankfully for the town of Twin Peaks, Ed accidentally helps Nadine when he drips grease on her cotton balls. Don’t ask! Nadine is crazy, but she knows that her husband is fooling around with Norma (Peggy Lipton). Norma has her own problems and a husband that’s in jail.

Unhappy couples are a big part of Twin Peaks. Pete is married to the sarcastic Catherine who is having an affair with Ben. Pete may or may not know this. Pete Martell played mischievously by Jack Nance, is like a Rubik’s cube. You can’t make out what his game is. Does he know that his catty wife Catherine is sleeping with Ben? Does he care? He always comes out with comical remarks whenever his wife is bitching at him. I love the characters on this show. They are a unique bunch, I’ll say that.

Let’s not forget the parents of Laura Palmer. Leland is a strange duck and so is his wife, Sarah. They seem incapable of helping each other grieve. You watch them go through the motion of being a couple, but during this tragedy, they’re not connecting. They act more like strangers. Leland’s dancing with the photo of his daughter seems a bit weird even for him. Sarah’s reaction, more so. I’m new to the show; 25 years behind everyone else, but maybe this is helpful in understanding the dynamics of what I’m seeing or not seeing in this family. Did Leland ever love Sarah and, if he did, when did he stop?

Audrey

Audrey enters the diner where Donna and her family are eating. Donna and her talk about Agent Cooper and Ben Horne. Audrey knows things about her father, but she doesn’t know how to talk about it. The fact that Audrey asks Donna if Laura ever talked about Ben, is such an important clue. Audrey says that her dad used to sing to Laura. How does she know this? Did she witness her father and Laura together?

I love the Audrey character. The writers throw us off on how smart she is by playing her like a sex kitten, a troubled teen, but Audrey’s character has been the most interesting of Laura’s friends so far. Children are smart. Daughters are more so, especially, when it comes to their fathers. I wonder if adults would be so cruel to each other if they realized how much it damages their children.

Tibet

Cooper learns two facts from Hawke: Ronette worked at the perfume counter in Ben Horne’s store and, a one-armed man was snooping around the Intensive Care Unit. The man got away before Hawk could question him. Cooper finds a note at his door; a clue.

Holy Criminal Justice! This type of investigation would never happen on “Law and Order.” Cooper, Hawk, Harry, Andy and Lucy are out in the woods and, there is plenty of damn good coffee and donuts. Cooper gives a history lesson on the country of Tibet. His dreams about Tibet will help him solve this crime. How? They need to concentrate on the letter “J”.

As Harry calls out names that begin with “J” Cooper throws a stone at a bottle, if he misses the bottle, the people are innocent. If the bottle is struck but not broken, this is noted. But when Leo Johnson is mentioned, Cooper strikes and breaks a bottle. They have their suspect. I had to replay this scene over and over because it was hilarious. It was so freaking funny that I kept expecting Abbott and Costello to make an entrance.

Albert

Agent Albert Rosenfield (Miguel Ferrer) arrives at the police department. I’ve been waiting to introduce this character to you. I love him. He’s cocky and demanding, and he reminds me of Sgt. Joe Friday (Jack Webb) from “Dragnet.” Although Cooper raves about Albert, Harry is not at all impressed with the obnoxious agent. Albert is no dummy. He’s an expert on forensics, but his people skills are lacking and that’s what makes him so funny.

Cooper’s Dream

I thought I had freaky dreams, but Cooper’s dream of the red room is LSD weird. Not that I would know anything about LSD, but I’m a child of the 60’s and I had friends who tried it. Between Mike (Al Strobel) the one-arm man telling Cooper that there are two worlds and, Bob (Frank Silva) claiming that he will kill again, you know this is more vision than dream. But, the weirdest part of all was The Man from Another Place (Michael J. Anderson). That dude gives his clues by speaking backwards.

A young girl is there. Cooper asks if she’s Laura Palmer. Her reply is also a clue, “I feel like I know her, but sometimes my arms bend back.” What the hell? Laura whispers something in Cooper’s ear. He knows who killed Laura Palmer. The vision ends when The Man from Another Places starts dancing to the cool easy jazz music of Angelo Badalamenti. The music in this series is kind of cool, hippy cool, sitting in the back of a Volkswagen van, smoking weed kind of cool. Just for the record, I did smoke weed, but I didn’t inhale. Honest. Would I lie?

Conclusion

I think Cooper is so good at his job because as a Federal Agent, he’s developed a sort of psychic ability from working cases. You could disagree and say that it’s part of profiling, but his fascination with Tibet and their beliefs may have opened his mind to accepting the impossible; to seeing what other’s miss. The dream was a premonition of things that were and, will be. There is something about the town itself. Twin Peaks is a strange place with strange people who have good taste in music.