The notion that a film is the product of a sole author has been discussed and debated since François Truffaut’s seminal 1954 article “A Certain Tendency in the French Cinema”. Just as fans scrambled to uncover the many secrets and mysteries of Twin Peaks by looking to Lynch’s other works for answers, a similar process is experienced by fans of television shows existing today.
Finally, I will discuss how the figure of the television auteur has become a central element of television reception rather than production, an integral part of a viewer’s search for narrative meaning in a medium where complexity and mystery are now expected and enjoyed.
Twin peaks season two episode 1 cast series#
The placement of Lynch as author can be argued in relation to the episodes he directed (as will be explored below in relation to the first episode of Season Two), but authorship can not be attributed to him alone when considering the series as a whole.
Yet, when examining the extensive material that has been written about Twin Peaks there is still a continuing tendency to place Lynch as the sole author. Even when looking back at Lynch’s contribution to Twin Peaks it becomes clear that the series was deeply collaborative, with Lynch absent during parts of the filming. However, when taking into account the differences between the two media of film and television, notions of authorship, with regards to the position of the director, become complicated, especially when considering contemporary television and the rise of the showrunner as the key creative force. In this essay I will explore this episode as an example of auteur television, in which the director expresses a consistency of style and theme that is similar to their other work, as well as examining how Lynch’s approach to televisual aesthetics has influenced the way that contemporary film directors have crossed over into the television medium. From its slow-paced opening scenes in which an old man admonishes the wounded, bleeding protagonist to drink his warm milk before it gets cold, followed by a vision of a giant speaking in riddles, this episode not only tested its audience’s patience, it also seemed to set out to deliberately confuse them. Yet, within this episode many traditional television conventions are flouted, and in response the following week the ratings dropped dramatically. The premiere of season two of Twin Peaks garnered some of the highest ratings of the series, with celebrated filmmaker and co-creator David Lynch stepping back into the director’s chair. This paper will explore how the figure of the television auteur has become a central element of television reception rather than production, an integral part of a viewer’s search for narrative meaning in a medium where complexity and mystery are now expected and enjoyed. This argument must, however, take into account the differences between the two media of film and television, notions of authorship, with regards to the position of the director, especially when considering contemporary television and the rise of the showrunner as the key creative force. This paper argues for a concept of auteur television, in which the director expresses a consistency of style and theme that is similar to their other work, using David Lynch and Twin Peaks as a case study.
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