Twin Peaks
Summary
SinceThe X - Filespremiered in 1993 , it has been liken toTwin Peaks(1990–91 ) , and , hold the biggest similarities between the cultus classic TV shows , it ’s prosperous to see why . Although Chris Carter ’s sci - fi dramatic event is often associated with popularizing goggle box ’s monster - of - the - week format , The X - Filesstill shares desoxyribonucleic acid withTwin Peaks , especially since the appearance were forged during a similar papa - cultural instant . The X - Files ' original 9 - time of year runcenters on FBI agents , Fox Mulder ( David Duchovny ) and Dana Scully ( Gillian Anderson ) , who enquire the bureau ’s " X - file , " bang cases that seem extrasensory .
Mark Frost and David Lynch’sTwin Peakstakes a slightly different approach . The closed book drama unfold in the nominal small town in Washington , where the sudden murder of homecoming faggot Laura Palmer ( Sheryl Lee ) incite the FBI to post Special Agent Dale Cooper ( Kyle MacLachlan ) to enquire . Uncanny and soapy at times , Twin Peaksmight pull from a all-inclusive range of genre influence thanThe X - Files , but the shows ' nub elements for certain overlap . In fact , The X - Files ' more chilling minute make it one of manyhorror telecasting shows inspire by Twin Peaks , though that ’s not the only similarity .
10Both Twin Peaks & The X-Files Center On Unconventional FBI Agents
Dale Cooper, Dana Scully & Fox Mulder Are Cut From Similar Cloth
AlthoughTwin Peaks ' cast of charactersboasts an eccentric tout ensemble of personalities , Kyle MacLachlan ’s Special Agent Dale Cooper is the show ’s traditional booster — even if he is n’t introduced in the show ’s opening scenes . Like interview , Cooper come in the unusual - yet - charming Ithiel Town of Twin Peaks to unravel its mysteries . However , Cooper is far from a traditional FBI agent . Much like the people he encounters while investigatingwho vote down Laura Palmer , Dale Cooper has his queerness . Whether he ’s literally cast Stone or relying on what he saw in his dreaming , Cooper is n’t a strictly by - the - books lawman .
Both The X - Files and Twin Peaks broke from detective fabrication tropes , provide them to make darling , and truly singular , agent .
Similarly , The cristal - Filesis another unconventional look at the Federal Bureau of Investigation and its agents . While Gillian Anderson ’s Dana Scully is a medical Dr. by swop , and a determined doubter , she certainly bump herself leaning into less - than - stock protocol over the course of the series . Meanwhile , although David Duchovny’sFox Mulder is a top - notch vicious profiler , he ’s also an ardent supernaturalist and a conspiracy theoriser — something that garners him a repute at the chest . BothThe X - FilesandTwin Peaksbroke from detective fabrication tropes , allowing them to create darling , and rightfully rum , agents .
The X - files take the constabulary procedural formula and applies it to sci - fi closed book . Conspiracy theorist Fox Mulder and skeptic Dana Scully team up up to clear cases border alien encroachment and other unexplained , extrasensory phenomenon .
9The TV Series Toe The Line Between The Grounded & The Paranormal
The X-Files Plays Up The Believer Vs. Skeptic Dynamic
The whole premise ofThe X - Fileshinges on the dichotomy between Scully the skeptic and Mulder the believer , which meansa legal age of episodes present both science - bet on , grounded explanations for the cases and paranormal reasoning . It ’s quite a balancing act , but it ’s part of what makesThe X - Fileswork so well . AsDana Scully says in ( arguably ) her best quote , " I require to believe . " That ’s a sentiment sight of viewers apportion with the more logic - driven federal agent , particularly asThe tenner - Filesdelved deeper into its overarching foreign intrusion plotline .
… the show is n’t afraid to present the otherworldly alongside very human horrors .
AlthoughTwin Peaksopens with some very rum details , it feel like standard detective fiction — until it very much does n’t . From Cooper ’s dreamy misstep toTwin Peaks ' Black Lodgeto the Log Lady ’s ( Catherine E. Coulson ) prophetical brainwave , Twin Peaksgets unusual by the second . Thanks in part to David Lynch ’s surrealist sensibilities , the show is n’t afraid to gift the otherworldly alongside very human horror . Even thoughTwin Peaksgets a bit more definitive with its traditional knowledge , the series still toenail the line between the veridical and artificial for a good while .
Custom Image by Yeider Chacon
Twin Peaks : The Return may have concluded in 2017 , but A24 ’s recent psychological horror picture show perfectly revive one of the show ’s trademarks .
8Several Key Actors Appear In Both Twin Peaks & The X-Files
David Duchovny Has Fan-Favorite Roles In Both Shows
TheX - Files : class Zeroteases thatTwin PeaksandThe X - Filesshare a universe of discourse , with Mulder referencing one ofDale Cooper ’s most iconic quotesabout coffee while hanging out in a diner with Scully . The two series well fit into the same world , but it goes beyond fun Easter egg . There ’s something about the share roll of thespian , all of whom play memorable personality in both shows , that augments that feeling . For starters , Frances Bay , who plays the mysterious Mrs. Tremond inTwin Peaks , also appears as a charwoman tormented by spirits inThe X - Filesseason 2 .
One of David Duchovny ’s first major purpose was inTwin Peaks .
Michael Horse , who ’s most well - known for playing Deputy Hawk inTwin Peaks , also plays an ship’s officer in the season - one installment ofThe disco biscuit - Filescalled " Shapes . " Michael J. Anderson , who take on abizarre Black Lodge resident physician inTwin Peaks , also appears in anX - Filesepisode as the landlord of a trailer commons that ’s inhabited by circus performer . Don Davis is both Major Garland Briggs and William Scully , Dana ’s late father . Perhaps most notably , David Duchovny also appeared inTwin Peaks , playing DEA Agent Denise Bryson .
The X-files takes the police procedural formula and applies it to sci-fi mysteries. Conspiracy theorist Fox Mulder and skeptic Dana Scully team up to solve cases surrounding alien invasions and other unexplained, paranormal phenomena.
Twin Peaks and The X - Files had a lot in common , such as these nine actors who appeared in both show .
7Twin Peaks & The X-Files Both Blend Various Genres
Horror, Drama & Thriller Elements Appear In Both Series
Unlike other display that come beforeTwin PeaksandThe X - Files , the two series are not afraid to blend multiple genres so as to produce their trenchant humankind and step . The X - Files , which take divine guidance fromThe Twilight Zone , Night Gallery , Tales from the Darkside , andKolchak : The Night Stalker , among other works , blends sci - fi , horror , and supernatural fiction with mystery and thriller elements . Twin Peaks , meanwhile , play with detective fabrication , American max opera , and horror tropes to create a unique feeling . WhileTwin Peaksis thrilling and suspenseful , it ’s also campy and melodramatic .
6The Cult Classics Feel Both Timeless & Of The ’90s
Twin Peaks & The X-Files Are Products Of Their Time That Also Endure
There ’s a reason that bothTwin PeaksandThe X - Fileshave remained fan - favorite cult classic TV shows even three decades after they originally publicize : the TV show up aretimeless . That ’s quite a feat , especially considering just how rooted in the ' 90s both shows feel . The pre - internet age define the serial ' plots . Characters chain - smoke in diner — especiallyThe X - Files ' Cigarette Smoking Man(William B. Davis ) . Perhaps because both shows cut into into the human psyche — the enduring revulsion of what could live — they feel simultaneously grounded in a meter time period and timeless .
Twin Peaks character Laura Palmer was free-base on reliable offense that inspired the creator , a item that adds another stratum of understanding to the show .
5Twin Peaks & The X-Files Turn The Mundane Into Something Terrifying
Everyday Settings, People & Objects Are Part Of The Horror
Whether it ’s the terrifying painting of a threshold that Laura Palmer hangs in her elbow room inTwin Peaks : Fire Walk with MeorThe X - Files ' liver - eating Eugene Tooms ( Doug Hutchison ) , who squeezes himself into impossibly small crevices , including heating vents , both dealership take seemingly terrestrial object , people , or locating and transform them into something deserving fear . In fussy , David Lynch has a knack for making everything from cap lover to electric way out just a little bit unsettling , butThe X - Filesalso boasted the repugnance sensibilities of author - director James Wong ( Final Destination ) on multiple occasions .
Even for a show that gets as unknown as The X - Files does , some of the cases Mulder and Scully tackle are so out - of - left - field they ’re hard to believe .
4Both The X-Files & Twin Peaks Were Shot In Similar Locations
The Pacific Northwest & Vancouver, British Columbia Share Comparable Visuals
In the ' 90 , Twin Peaks ' shoot locationsin Washington state feel incredibly new . viewer were n’t wonted to seeing the Pacific Northwest ’s lush timberland , fog - laden road , and towering mountains on their television set screens , and the imaginative localisation sure bring something novel to Frost and Lynch ’s show . Of course , Twin Peaksowes a mess to its setting , whereasThe X - Files , with its monster - of - the - week premise , jumps around a lot . Nonetheless , the first five seasons ofThe disco biscuit - Fileswere shot in Vancouver , British Columbia , which certainly create a visual similarity between the two shows .
Disney is working on a reboot of The X - Files with Ryan Coogler , but the new series should avoid recycling the original show ’s bounteous villains .
3The X-Files & Twin Peaks Share An Eerie Atmosphere
Both Shows Are Filled With A Unique Sense Of Menace
Instead of being unlimited horror projects , bothTwin PeaksandThe ecstasy - Filesincorporate horror elements . Led by compelling characters , the TV show get viewers thieve on their unequaled worlds and , bit by bit , create atmospheres of menace . AlthoughTwin Peaksmay seem like a sleepyheaded baseball bat town , it ’s actually the office where a with child immorality — BOB ( Frank Silva ) — has film root . The woods , and the bird of Minerva , are n’t what they seem . In certain episodes , The Adam - Filesplays with this sensation of atmospheric horror and hulk threat , resulting in some of the show ’s most chilling moments .
Twin Peaks time of year 2 may have ended on a cliffhanger , but Twin Peaks : The Return also leaves witness with just as many — if not more — questions .
2Twin Peaks & The X-Files Transformed How Viewers Saw Small-Town America
Dark & Strange Things Lurked Beneath The Shows' Americana
There ’s no denying thatTwin Peakschanged TV prove forever — and in legion ways . However , one of its most significant contributions is the manner it upended images of Americana , making them into something weird or unsettling . Lynch’sBlue Velvetdid something similar , but he take thing to a young level with just how haunting a keep room , diner , or hotel room can be in the globe ofTwin Peaks . The decade - Filestook a Sir Frederick Handley Page out of this book , with Mulder and Scully often uncovering some of their most unsettling and otherworldly cases in Middle America .
Before Twin Peaks came back from its 25 year abatement , fans nearly returned to David Lynch and Mark Frost ’s surreal world in a comic playscript sequel .
1The X-Files & Twin Peaks' Overarching Narratives Involve “Dead” Girls
Samantha Mulder & Laura Palmer Loom Large Over Their Respective Stories
WhileTwin Peakshinges on the question of " Who defeat Laura Palmer?",The X - Fileshas a less - obvious " drained " girl in the form of Samantha Mulder ( Vanessa Morley ; Megan Leitch ) , Fox ’s missing sister . Fox Mulder believes that his sister was abducted by alien when they were children , prompting his spirit - long pursuit of examine the existence of the paranormal and supernatural . finally , The X - Filesreveals what happened to Samantha Mulder , but there ’s no doubt thatboth Samantha and Laura hover large over their respective show , playing right into the " dead girl " figure ( viaFilm School Rejects ) .
Twin Peaksis streaming on Paramount+ andThe X - Filesis streaming on Hulu and Disney+ .
conceive by Mark Frost and David Lynch in 1990 , Twin Peaks is a supernatural closed book - drama series that bring FBI Agent Dale Cooper to the restrained town of Twin Peaks to investigate the slaying of a young woman make Laura Palmer . As Dale continues his investigation of her death , he hear that Laura ’s life was n’t as she advertised it , and the town itself is hiding far more secrets than they allow on . The show received a revival meeting for a third and final season two decade later to fix the cliffhanger forget at the end of the 2d season .
origin : Film School cull
