80 meaningful moments to get you back in that Lynchian spirit.
Twin Peaks is bar none the most daring program ever shown on network TV, especially for its time. But it wasn’t just the show’s narrative that was so bold, it was also the way co-creator and director David Lynch established a decidedly cinematic aesthetic for his series, a television first. Until Twin Peaks, television was largely shot for economic and efficiency concerns, it was the fast food to the filet mignon of film, a quicker, cheaper, more common alternative. Today that’s not the case, some of the best, most daring, and cinematic work out there is happening on TV, and this isn’t a coincidence: Twin Peaks caused this, it birthed the “Golden Age” of television we’re currently enjoying, thanks to the giant strides it made in the realms of both narrative and filmic storytelling. And even though Lynch wasn’t at the helm for every chapter – in fact just the pilot and six of 29 episodes – the look of Twin Peaks remained constant throughout its run. This is owed, in part, to having just two cinematographers for the entire series: Ronald Victor Garcia, who only shot the pilot and the prequel follow-up film Fire Walk With Me, and Frank Byers, who shot all 29 episodes.
A little bit noir, a little bit soap opera, and dashed with visual tropes from crime, sci-fi, comedy and horror, Twin Peaks is an amalgam of genres the likes of which has been often imitated but never replicated. It is its own genre, in fact, an uncategorizable feat of filmmaking that just happens to take place on television, and the new season promises to be all this to the Nth degree, and perhaps the first literal example of the “one giant movie” most prestige TV shows claim to be.
So in honor of the aesthetic uniqueness of Twin Peaks in advance of its return this weekend (the new series is shot entirely by Peter Deming, who shot Mulholland Drive [!!!]) we proudly present 80 perfect shots from Twin Peaks, including some from Fire Walk With Me.
A reminder here that a “perfect shot” isn’t just an eye-catching, breathtaking frame of cinematography, it’s about imagery that informs, elucidates, and in fact propels the narrative and those within it; a perfect shot isn’t just beautiful, it’s integral, it’s iconic in the definitive sense in that it’s a visual representation, in this case of a narrative’s themes, tropes, and intentions.
Twin Peaks season three begins this Sunday, May 21st, with two episodes back-to-back on Showtime, followed immediately by the release of episodes three and four on the network’s digital platforms.
And this should go without saying, but just in case…SPOILERS BELOW!!!
Pilot | dir. David Lynch
Notice the figure reflected in the mirror over Sarah’s shoulder…
Episode 1 | dir. Duwayne Dunham
Episode 2 | dir. David Lynch
“My father killed me…”
Episode 3 | dir. Tina Rathborne
You’ll never see more cast members in the same photo than right here, at Laura’s funeral.
Episode 4 | dir. Tim Hunter
Episode 5 | dir. Lesli Linka Glatter
A steel “X” over the secret love of Norma and Ed.
Episode 6 | dir. Caleb Deschanel
RIP Waldo
Episode 7 | dir. Mark Frost
Season one ended with a bang…three of them.
Episode 8 | dir. David Lynch
This, to me, is the scariest image of the entire series.
Episode 9 | dir. David Lynch
“Just yoooou….And Iiiii….”
Episode 10 | dir. Lesli Linka Glatter
Yes. Yes he has.
Episode 11 | dir. Todd Holland
Episode 12 | dir. Graeme Clifford
Episode 13 | dir. Lesli Linka Glatter
Episode 14 | dir. David Lynch
The reveal heard around the world…
Episode 15 | dir. Caleb Deschanel
History repeating.
Episode 16 | dir. Tim Hunter
The truth is known.
This, to me, is the series’ most powerful scene. Ray Wise is AMAZING.
Episode 17 | dir. Tina Rathborne
A total Wizard of Oz moment. Lynch’s work is littered with them.
Episode 18 | dir. Duwayne Dunham
Episode 20 | dir. Todd Holland
Leo’s back and ready to party…
Episode 21 | dir. Uli Edel
Sweet Caroline…
…and introducing Windom Earle.
Episode 22 | dir. Diane Keaton
Episode 23 | dir. Lesli Linka Glatter
The weird, wooden fate of Josie Packard.
Episode 24 | dir. James Foley
Episode 25 | dir. Duwayne Dunham
It’s all coming together…
Episode 26 | dir. Jonathan Sanger
But we know this guy. It’s Ted Raimi.
Episode 27 | dir. Stephen Gyllenhaal
Like an evil eye peering through dimensions…
Episode 28 | dir. Tim Hunter
Someone’s been playing in The Black Lodge…
The end begins.
Episode 29 | dir. David Lynch
Yeah you will!
The end of Earle.
Doppelganger!
Best. Twist. EVER.
Fire Walk With Me | dir. David Lynch
One ring to rule them all…
And so it ends…and begins.
See you Sunday night in Twin Peaks…
Related Topics: David Lynch, Twin Peaks
