Known for his bizarre and unsettling approaches to cinema, David Lynch takes his ideologies about film and creates Twin Peaks alongside Mark Frost, creating a small town full of secrets that they expand upon over 3 seasons and a movie. From the sweeping shots of the waterfall to the surreal scenes in the otherworldly Black Lodge, Lynch takes viewers on a ride that makes them question reality from fabrication, and begs the question of what would happen if "reality" really was just all in our minds?
Twin Peaks follows Special Agent Dale Cooper as he attempts to uncover the murderer of local Laura Palmer. His investigation leads him to otherworldly conclusions, testing both his physical and mental capabilities to understanding the Black Lodge, the mysterious Forest, and the secret life of Prom Queen Laura Palmer. He discovers a dark, twisted underbelly to Twin Peaks that encompasses the citizens in many ways, ranging from their drug addictions and abusive relationships, to incest and home-life violence. Good is pitted against evil, and ultimately the series begs the question of whether good can triumph evil, or if evil always wins. The film Fire Walk With Me is a prequel to the show, documenting the last week of Laura Palmer's life and showing the hidden parts of Twin Peaks the show had not yet given viewers. The 18 episode series in 2017, Twin Peaks: The Return, takes place 25 years after the events of the second season, showing how Agent Cooper has been taken over by BOB, and shows the FBI struggling to find the real Cooper before it is too late.
Lynch combines multiple religious practices within Twin Peaks and uses them as a means to offer multiple interpretations of the world he created. I will discuss the specific relations to Christianity, Buddhism, and Native American beliefs within the series, and explain how each functions on its own, while also complementing the others. And remember: the owls are not what they seem.