The Use Of Metaphors In 'Twin Peaks'

1743 Words7 Pages
In this essay I will try to analyse the use of metaphors and film genre as means to deal with profound life matters in the cult TV series Twin Peaks. Initially, I will refer to the use of surrealism, a technique that is used extensively by one of the two creators of the series, David Lynch. The notion of surrealism will be used in comparison to the melodrama and soap operas genre elements in order to explain how it was manifested in the series. The second part of the essay will entail the analysis of the metaphors that were used throughout the show as means to explore profound themes such as incest, family violence, rape along with the pastiche of the American family model and the American society as an idea. In order to fully analyse these themes, I will talk about the main characters of the series: Laura Palmer, Leland Palmer/BOB and the Palmer Family. ‘Countless television series have come and gone over the last sixty-five years, but few have managed to lead a profound and perplexing life as Twin Peaks’.

Introduction

Twin Peaks (1990) is a US television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch during 1990 - 1991. The main plot follows FBI Special Agent named Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) headed into a town called Twin Peaks, in order to investigate the murder of homecoming queen Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) whose body was found wrapped in a plastic bag near the small town.
The pilot episode was broadcast on April 8, 1990, on ABC followed by seven more episodes