20 Years Ago Tonight, Twin Peaks Went Off The Air

A Twin Peaks Contest / Giveaway

Hard to believe that twenty years ago tonight I was sitting alone in my dark bedroom, staring at the glowing TV screen bidding adieu to what was then and forever shall be my favorite television show ever aired. Or I was trying to muster up a fond farewell because in truth I was rather distracted by having the blanket pulled up to my eyes and concentrating on breathing through what still is to this day, one of the most terrifying hours of television I have ever sat through (the other most terrifying thing was likewise brought to us by the same show midway through it's run, the revelation of Laura Palmer's killer). I've watched a lot of genre television in my time, and nothing has yet to match the sheer surreal power and horror of Twin Peaks' final hour.

Yes, it's true. Your humble host was a Peaks freak all the way back when he was a child. I loved it. I obsessed over its many cryptic meanings and shadowy clues. Its atmosphere chilled me straight the bone and I still haven't come off its high. I doodled the hieroglyphics from Owl Cave on my 4 grade notebook in home room all the while humming the theme song under the teacher's voice. I daydreamed about James Hurley (James Marshall) sweeping me off my feet and stealing me away on his roaring Harley not to mention cracking cases with none other than Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan). I over identified with Laura Palmer for many unsavory reasons and cried for her loss. Also, I was forbidden to watch any of it, but time and time again, I managed to sneak nearly every episode in. But most importantly, for the duration of its 29 episodes and a pilot, I was hopelessly and delightfully, lost. Never in all of broadcast television's history has there been a show so wonderfully and out-of-it's-damn-mind weird (seemingly, sometimes for the sake of it) and I'd hedge a bet that there never will be again. Though it lost viewers in droves when things really got really strange (leading to its premature demise), Twin Peaks' influence on pop culture is felt to this very day. Even now, the demand for every second of Angelo Badalamenti's stunning and creepy music is high, and David Lynch himself has taken to the call, releasing rare and unheard tracks from the show on a weekly basis over on his website. The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer written by David's daughter Jennifer, after being out of print for eons is due to be republished soon. There is still an outcry on a daily basis across the web to see Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me's deleted footage (over an hours worth) finally released. Twin Peaks has been cited as an influence from everything from The X-Files, Carnivale, LOST, Fringe, The League of Gentlemen and dozens upon dozens of others. There has even been recent talk of ABC considering bringing the property back to life on the small screen (without Lynch and executive producer Mark Frost and without being a continuation of the previous incarnation, I say hell no).

Despite the show's continued popularity (as old fans and new revisit it with reruns on cable TV and DVD), the fact remains that Twin Peaks was years ahead of its time and ultimately cancelled way too early in its life as a result. Something that I still mourn to this day and as the shows anniversary of going off the air is tonight, I think we could all use a little cheering up to keep that cold, hard reality at bay. Thus, I present to you The October Country's very first contest / free giveaway. The rules are simple. Below is a gallery of images from episodes of Twin Peaks. They could be be images from any episode ranging from episode 1 - 29 (the pilot and the movie have not been included). Also, there could be more than one from the same episode. All you need to do, is let me know in the comments which image (15 total) is from which episode (numbered numerically corresponding to the photo's identifying letter) . That is all. The person with all the correct answers will win a free copy Twin Peaks Season Two on DVD (pictured above), still sealed and unused. Sound nice? Okay then, good luck dear readers!

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