Twin Peaks 25 Years On: Questions and Expectations

After a long wait, after the rumours of a 3rd series, after David Lynch’s mysterious tweet in 2014, we are here. Twin Peaks 25 years on. But with cast members who have passed away and others not returning, as a superfan for 27 years, I have a lot of questions and some expectations.

Dear Twitter Friends: That gum you like is going to come back in style! #damngoodcoffee

— David Lynch (@DAVID_LYNCH) October 3, 2024

I was the same age as Laura Palmer when I started watching the show. And I grew up in a sunny cul-de-sac, manicured lawns, two cars and cat where most people knew your name. Which is why the story, the characters fascinated me even more. I was completely open to believing David Lynch’s seedy ‘underbelly’ representations of seemingly perfect towns. And over the years, revelations of my own community showed life imitating his art. Not as dark and shocking but most certainly contradictions in character and actions of our very own community.

The plot has been kept extremely secret, the cast list on IMDB is ambiguous (i.e. we don’t know really how many episodes each of the characters will be in, some are listed for the full 18, some, surprisingly are not). Kyle MacLachlan has been quoted as saying it’s not a trip down memory lane but with so many returning characters, I find that hard to believe. Perhaps he means, there’ll be a fresh story but that’s expected. After 25 years, life goes on - it won’t have stood still for Laura Palmer.

But we must remember going in. If it’s answers you’re looking for Lynch and Frost, you most likely won’t get them. Just sit back and enjoy the ride.

How will the lives of the Twin Peaks’ residents have changed?

The story picks up twenty-five year after events which shook the town. But it’s enough time to pass for healing and burying these events in order to move on. What of the 16 year-old high school student characters? Twenty-five years on I’m married with two kids, so it seems likely some of them will have spouses and kids too. Did Shelley and bad-boy Bobby Briggs have a long-lasting affair?

What about those seeking the quieter life in Twin Peaks? Andy and Lucy surely must be living in marital bliss, perhaps even empty-nesters already! We will certainly miss the hilarious love-triangle with Dick Tremayne, men’s fashions. Did Norma divorce Hank to make a life with Ed? But what does that mean for that fiery ‘Redwood’ named Nadine?

What about the crooked characters? Is Ben Horne still wheeling and dealing with his sketchy brother Jerry, by his side? There’s no mention of the actor who played Hank in the original, Chris Mulkey, so maybe he won’t be coming out of prison to exact revenge. So if the Hornes are still the town big-wigs, who are the henchmen taking the place of Hank and Leo?

And lest we forget…is Dr Jacoby still a sleazy therapist blurring the borders between client and ‘friendship’?

How will Twin Peaks town and surrounds look?

When I think about the changes in Brighton and my hometown Horsham, local establishments come and go with fluctuation in trend and the economy. The U.S. is not immune to this so we should expect Twin Peaks to have changed. Perhaps some of the well-loved local establishments closed? The Roadhouse?

And has the town grown in size? Did the Ghostwood resort get built? Or is the pine weasel still protecting the land from development? We know there’s new characters. Did they always live there or have they moved from other locations?

 

What about the criminal activity? Being near the Canadian border meant Twin Peaks had it’s fair share of clandestine activity, drug running and the violence which goes with the industry.

Are the owls still hanging out in the woods?

If local legend dictates there is a Black and White Lodge for centuries, these ‘dwellers on the threshold’ can’t have disappeared. How the supernatural woodland life co-exists with the current inhabitants of the town is what I’m most interested in. Will there be replacements for Señor Droolcup/ the Giant and the One-Armed Man (who is listed as a returning character)? What about Owl Cave and Glastonbury Grove?

And I’m not going to muse on the obvious question mark, Agent Dale Cooper. We know Kyle MacLachlan is returning in a big way. We could speculate enormously here but unless you have a telepathic link to David Lynch’s brain, then you would be wasting your time.

Who we won’t be seeing.

There are a number of actors who have passed away or characters which died and therefore know we won’t see. Then there’s a few actors simply just not reprising their roles.

The most evil, scary of all murderous villains, Killer BOB. The only on-screen character that made me sleep with the lights on for two years. The actor who portrayed BOB, Frank Silva, died in 1995 (which didn’t help the sleepless nights I can tell you).

The Martells will most certainly be underrepresented. One of my favourite characters, Pete Martell was played by epic Lynchian actor Jack Nance, who passed away in 1996. Nor will we be seeing Piper Laurie as Catherine. Their scenes together had the perfect balance of comedy and cruelty, just one of performances the new cast members will have to measure up to.

One character I’m quite glad isn’t there for the reboot is Donna Hayward. Lara Flynn Boyle put in a great performance in the original series, don’t get me wrong, but her character was a casualty of poor writing, especially during the second half of the second series. It just got irritating.

Of course the big, burning question I still have after all this time?

Does Chet ever find true love in Invitation To Love?

Leaving the audience with questions makes good television and cinema in my view. Twin Peaks was the series which challenged the conventions of start-to-finish tales with satisfying endings. And that’s justified because life isn’t like that. And now, twenty-five years on, we get a peek at another slice of Twin Peaks life. That is all.

Dear Twitter Friends… it is happening again. http://t.co/r0l9rhK4eB #damngoodcoffee

— David Lynch (@DAVID_LYNCH) October 6, 2024