Fiction

Nonfiction

Children's

Young Adult

Poetry

Creativity

Inspiration

DVDs

I still can't believe Twin Peaks was ever on broadcast TV, much less that it lasted through two seasons. It was such a weird show full of mystery, murder, tripped-out dream sequences, a dwarf, a giant, a donut-obsessed FBI detective and a woman who carried around a log containing the departed spirit of her beloved husband. What else would you expect from David Lynch, who is well known for general weirdness and such amazingly odd movies as Blue Velvet, The Elephant Man and Eraserhead. Even though I was a rabid fan when Twin Peaks first aired, I still find it amazing it was ever green lit for general American television consumption. Perhaps its weirdness was a factor in its short, two season run. At any rate, Twin Peaks was a phenomenon in its time, spawning many items of merchandising genius that I am ashamed/proud to announce I still possess, including The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, Diane - Twin Peaks Tapes of Agent Cooper audio cassette, Angelo Badalamenti's eerie soundtrack, and a host of other strange things that are languishing in a shed behind my mom's house. But of all of the crazy tie-ins the most holy grail of Twin Peaks fandom is all twenty-three episodes on DVD. For a long time, adding the entire show to your collection was a no-go, since season two was suspended in some sort of DVD purgatory which angry fans (and a multitude of internet petitions) couldn't rescue it from. I've read many an scathing diatribe on the haphazard limbo Twin Peaks fans were floating in. You were pretty much up shit's creek with out a paddle unless you had video taped the entire two seasons back in 1990/1991, which I had, but I don't even own a VCR any more, so fat lot of good those old tapes would do me.

But now the wait is over, Twin Peaks The Second Season is now available on DVD -- Weirdoes and Peaks Freaks rejoice! Now, on to the goods:

The set includes all twenty-two episodes of season two on six DVDs. The quality of the video is good, but the optional Log Lady intros to each episode look like a bad VHS dub. Fortunately, you have the choice to turn those off. Along with the episodes there are several interviews with various directors and Jennifer Lynch, David Lynch's daughter, who wrote The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer. Disc Six contains an "interactive grid" with interviews by some of the actors, including Kyle MacLachlan (pie-loving Special Agent Dale Cooper), Sherilyn Fenn (teen minx Audry Horne), David Duchovny (cross-dressing DEA Agent Dennis/Denise Bryson). The DVDs are housed in a sort of shabby cardboard box featuring a badly pixelated picture of Special Agent Cooper. I don't really mind, since I don't buy DVDs based on the package they come in, I buy them for the content.

Watching the show itself is akin to going on a mellow, confusing acid trip. The timing is a little off, the characters are a bit odd, and they story line is meandering and somewhat inexplicable, but that's what makes Twin Peaks special. Now go watch it while I have a slice of this damn fine pie.

Buy it!