DVDs in Review

Twin Peaks Season One and Two Gold Box

Title: Twin Peaks Season 1 and 2 Gold Box (1992)

Release date: March 22 2010

Certificate: 15

Format: DVD

DVD RRP: £69.99

Rating: 5/5

There just isn't another series like 'Twin Peaks'. Few TV shows are so offbeat, yet compellingly structured as all of its increasingly disparate ends come together as if by random but guided by some grand design. The grand design is David Lynch's influence.

As creator of 'Twin Peaks', Lynch crafted an array of unforgettable characters and scenarios that include grieving men breaking into song, mystical giants giving FBI agents advice and a lady who is never seen without holding a log and dispensing philosophical advice. None of this is questioned in the unique town of Twin Peaks.

Laura Palmer has been murdered and now FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan re-teaming with Lynch after the flawless 'Blue Velvet') is investigating. He's helped by Sheriff Harry S Truman (Michael Ontkean) and he's hindered by many more shadowy figures in the small, industrial community where everyone seems to either be sleeping with or backstabbing each other.

It's almost like an eclectic soap opera as it jumps from character and subplot to another - the murder investigation is a backdrop to something more sinister and intriguing. What makes these characters tick? Like with the majority of his blackly comedic, intensely visual and jarringly psychological films, Lynch apparently didn't want us to ever know. 

Season one ends on a cliffhanger because the producers wanted to ensure that they'd get a second series out of it. The ploy worked and they did - and a brilliant conclusion it was too. They tried it again at the end of season two, leaving plenty of loose ends (and some admittedly poor subplots) in their wake but after falling ratings a third season didn't materialise…

Don't expect a concrete resolution to everything, but in a way that's what 'Twin Peaks' is all about - understanding every deranged action isn't the show's intention. It's not a documentary about a kooky town; it's a mystery, an enigma, a Pandora's box, an oddity disguised as a drama. It was a show that wasn't afraid to try anything, even if it didn't make sense. Especially if it didn't make sense.

Universal Playback have done a fantastic job of remastering the series, including the feature-length pilot and two seasons along with a bunch of extras across 10 discs amounting to around 1,500 minutes of excellence. Check this comprehensive box set out and then track down the film, 'Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me', which at least fills in some of the blanks…