Autism Awareness Month: Lydia Grey and Twin Peaks
Andaluna Malki | April 20, 2023
Lydia Grey waits in a vined grove with a stone bench. Grey is a Warren Wilson College (WWC) creative writing senior. She is wearing a black dress, ageless jewelry and a white collar popping out at her neck. She expands upon her style.
“It feels a little “Twin Peaks” inspired for me to be honest,” Grey said. “I put some thought into it as I was dressing for today's interview, I wanted to fit the bit. And just kind of a dark, mysterious type of vibe to it, but with some, you know, some sensuality.”
“Twin Peaks” was a television show airing in 1990 with two seasons. Kyle MacLachlan plays an FBI agent investigating the murder of high school royalty Laura Palmer in a town where not everything is what it seems.
“You realize that the show is really about Twin Peaks, and not really about the murder of Laura Palmer,” Grey said. “It's a show that's got a little bit of everything. It’s a drama. There's slapstick comedy in there. There's horror. It's legitimately some of the scariest shit I've ever seen. It's delightful; it's romantic; it's sexy.”
The show was acclaimed for being one of the most daunting shows to air with its handling of graphic and shocking material. It was a stark contrast to the other media being shared and watched at the time. It allowed for different conversations to be had in a more accessible way.
“When I saw the season two finale, I was sitting there thinking, how the hell did this air in 1992?” Grey said. “I don't understand how they got away with it because I'm white-knuckling for the whole 45 minutes. At the time, people were baffled by it but mesmerized by it at the same time because there was nothing like it at all. There was no frame of reference for anything like this. And so it became like the first instance of watercooler television.”
Grey stated she felt pulled to one of the creators of “Twin Peaks” David Lynch when she saw “Mulholland Drive.” Lynch has also created “Eraserhead”, “Blue Velvet” and the 1984 version of “Dune.”
“I'm heavily inspired by David Lynch in general,” Grey said. “He's trying to do something that he's never seen on television before. He's trying to make it more like the movies he did. David Lynch just wanted to explore the universe that he was creating here without necessarily planning to solve Laura Palmer's murder.”
The showrunners pressured Lynch into solving Palmer’s murder halfway through the second season. Lynch left after the decision was executed but came back to film the series finale. Grey is very analytical about the show’s decision and the world’s reaction.
“[The show] got canceled because the ratings were slipping because they solved the murder of Laura Palmer even though that wasn't the point of the show,” Grey said.” I would argue they did a great job of working into continuing the show. People have mixed feelings about the second half of the second season because some people argue that it dips for a bit. I didn't notice that when I was watching it because I didn't have that context.”
A prequel film was created by Lynch in 1992 titled “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me,” which shows the last week of Laura Palmer’s life.
“Now, the prequel, I would argue, adds a lot,” Grey said. “But you still don't get answers. It just adds a lot of questions.”
Lynch created another addition to the “Twin Peaks” universe with a third season.
“25 years go by, and then David Lynch creates “Twin Peaks: The Return,” season three,” Grey said. That's 18 episodes, each an hour long. He directs and writes every single one. It's like an 18-hour film. You can log it on Letterbox because people consider it a film.”
The season is more hard-hitting than the others, with the lack of worry Lynch had about censorship.
“He just made whatever he wanted in the third season,” Grey said. “And Jesus fucking Christ, if you thought Twin Peaks was terrifying when he did have to worry about excessive blood or anything, then season three is when it just goes off the rails in the most terrifying way possible.”
Grey is incredibly enthusiastic about the show’s music. It is imperative in the show to clarify particular perspectives and establish patterns that expand and evolve as the series progresses.
“Almost everything that David Lynch has directed, the music was done by Angelo Badalamenti,” Grey said. “He did all the themes, all the music for “Twin Peaks.” That's such a vital part of the show. There are themes and recurring motifs. And there's a woman named Julie Cruz who sings on a lot of the songs as well. And she's even like in the show.”
Grey was first exposed to “Twin Peaks” on Netflix. They encourage those who start the show to push through the first three episodes, as it is a slow burn for the ball to begin rolling.
“A year and a half after I watched the first episode, I found myself realizing that I couldn't stop thinking about the show,” Grey said. “I thought, alright, let me try it again. Suddenly, I was hooked…I didn't get it-get it until the end of the third episode. And that's why whenever I show Twin Peaks to somebody, I say, you have to commit to me showing you the first three episodes. The first episode is an hour and a half long, I can't do anything about that. You don't get what the show is until the third episode, until the final sequence happens, and then you realize, oh, that's what's actually happening here.”
The show is interesting in its exploration of grief in a small town, as well as its deeply odd idiosyncrasies in the townspeople that are not touched upon until you forget about them, and anachronisms. Grey believes these elements contribute to the timelessness of the show.
“The whole first episode shows more and more people being delivered the news that Laura Palmer has died; her mom, then her father, then the school, then the community,” Grey said. “You're seeing all these people doing strange things. He shows up again, and you say, Oh, this guy's really fucked up. Things are way more horrifying in Twin Peaks than you realize. It's a world of anachronisms because it feels like you're in the 50s in this town. But yet it's taking place in the 90s.”
A mural made by Grey can be seen in the Jensen second-floor stairwell. It features a very detailed part of her “Twin Peaks” admiration.
“It's a black and white chevron design, a zigzag design that is reminiscent of a specific pattern that you see in one place in Twin Peaks,” Grey said. “That's as much information as I can give you. It's a very iconic, very specific thing that you see in one place.”
Grey has also placed “Twin Peaks” in her upcoming debut poetry collection “Death Poems” and in her music.
“I have a poem in my manuscript that I'm writing called Death Bag,” Grey said. “It is directly “Twin Peaks” inspired. It's written after Laura Palmer, after Sheryl Lee, who played Laura Palmer. Her performance and her character are such an important part of the show to me. A lot of music that I have written, songs that I've written, like song titles, or passages or direct quotes, are influenced by the world of Twin Peaks.”
Grey is very acquainted with the significant and influential places the show steps to that were not ventured into at the time.
“I think that it's such an important show in terms of television history, and also just in terms of covering themes that you don't necessarily see, especially being covered by a male filmmaker because it shows so much about female suffering,” Grey said. “They're still having agency. These are women who you care about, who are fleshed out, who live really rich personal lives but are being horribly treated by forces far beyond their control. There's even trans representation in the second season. Oh, god, it's so fucking good.”
Grey will have her senior reading on May 2 in Upper Fellowship Hall. Grey left this interview with a quote from the show’s FBI agent Dale Cooper.
“I'm gonna let you in on a secret. Once a day, every day. Give yourself a present. Don't plan it. Don't anticipate it. Just let it happen.”