An Analysis of Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks was not a typical television show in the early 1990's. Most television shows are made up of characters that are so pretty, so rich, or so cool that they become dehumanized and unrealistic. However, the characters in Twin Peaks are the exact opposite. They are unglamorous, odd, and sometimes just plain silly. Were the creators of Twin Peaks trying to break away from the use of common, stereotypical characters? Well, they were actually taking an old idea and turning it around. Just as the characters on many other shows are so perfect they are unrealistic, the characters on Twin Peaks are so odd that they are also unrealistic.

FBI agent Dale Cooper, for instance, is not your typical hero. Yes, he has all the "hero" characteristic, but he also talks to spirits, has visions and "breaks the rules". What I mean by "breaking the rules" is that when the traditional methods of investigation fail to reveal anything, he starts to investigate his way by using visions, spirit guides, and his instinct. Most importantly, he listens to people. He listens to everyone, even people whose sanity can be questioned. He continuous doing this his way even when his mental stability is questioned by his colleagues. Cooper's unusual investigating techniques do help him find Laura Palmer's killer. Cooper discovers that she was killed by her father, Leland, because he was possessed by and evil spirit named Bob. (After Leland dies, the spirit of Bob leaves Leland's body to find another human to use.) If it wasn't for Cooper questioning everything and his strange way of investigating then Laura's killer might have never been discovered.

Cooper makes a wonderful hero, but we later learn that he is just as vulnerable as everyone else.