My ranking of the cast of Twin Peaks - Part 4

Here's the fourth and final part of my ranking of the cast of Twin Peaks (1990-1991). Again, I should specify that the ranking only includes the performances of the first two seasons and not the revival.

10. Lenny Von Dohlen as Harold Smith

Lenny Von Dohlen's Harold Smith does not have that much screen-time in the series as he only appears for a handful of episodes. Nevertheless, he manages to stand out as one of the show's most memorable and poignant performances of one of its most tragic characters. Von Dohlen' portrayal of the lonely, shy Harold effectively avoid turning the character into a stereotype - Harold could have easily been just a bundle of nervous tics but Von Dohlen manages to make his mannerisms seemingly effortless. His scenes could have easily not worked considering that his screen-partner is often Lara Flynn Boyle, who in their moments together is bland at best and awful otherwise: thankfully, he manages to be completely unaffected by her performance and he actually does a terrific and moving job at showing how Harold slowly starts to break out of his shell and open up to Donna. When he finds out about Donna's real motives and feel betrayed, Von Dohlen manages to be quite terrifying in his outburst but also incredibly heartbreaking. It's a deeply poignant portrayal of a sad, lonely soul.

9. David Lynch as Gordon Cole

This is actually a performance could have been spectacularly awful and annoying due to the extremely loud nature of the character. It's a role that could have come off as unbearably over-the-top - instead, David Lynch delivers an absolutely wonderful turn making Gordon Cole one of the most endearing characters of the whole series. Lynch is hilarious in every single scene he's in nailing each of his line-deliveries that are never merely shouting. He shares such a wonderful, lively chemistry with MacLachlan and Ferrer and all of them are such a hoot in their scenes together. He's one of the best aspects of the second half of the show's second season, particularly in his few interactions with Madchen Amick: both actors are rather wonderful in their scenes together, making them properly sweet, amusing and light-hearted. It's a brilliant performance that Lynch managed to took even further in the third season.

8. Piper Laurie as Catherine Martell

Piper Laurie isn't exactly the subtlest actress that ever existed, but she belongs to those type of actors that can be deliciously over-the-top without becoming hammy. Laurie is very entertaining in her portrayal of her character's shady, manipulative nature and she's particularly terrific in her scenes with Richard Beymer - the two of them couldn't be more enjoyable schemers. She also works very well opposite Joan Chen: when she has the upper hand, Laurie couldn't be more deliciously cruel; when she doesn't, Laurie compellingly portrays her character's determination not to be defeated. Her best moments though are the ones she shares with her on-screen husband Jack Nance: they are hilarious in their bickering scenes but their best moments are the few serious, poignant conversation in which the two characters achingly reflect on the state of their marriage and the love that used to be between them. In those moments, Laurie manages to give Catherine some nuance and complexity - she effectively conveys Catherine's knowledge of her own cruelty as well as a certain bitterness that has grown over the years. Plus, she deserves bonus points for her scenes in the second season as the other character I won't spoil and I have to say I really did not see that twist coming. A terrific performance and, though the 3rd season is perfect as it is, I would have liked to see her in it. 

7. Jack Nance as Pete Martell

As I just said, Jack Nance's scenes with his on-screen wife Piper Laurie are absolutely golden as the two of them share such a brilliant chemistry that convey so well the complicated history between the two characters. In particular, Nance is extremely moving in his portrayal of Pete's love for his wife in spite of her harsh treatment of him. Aside from that, Nance makes for such a wonderful counterpart to her: whereas she's bitter and occasionally downright cruel, Jack Nance's Pete Martell is pretty much the nicest person you could ever encounter. Nance's performance is in many ways a rather simple one, but it's just beyond wonderful in its simplicity: he gives a convincing and believable portrayal of Pete's sweet, good-hearted personality and he adds such a great deal of welcome warmth to the screen whenever he appears (the scene in which he comforts Audrey after a heartbreak is, in particular, beautiful). His character actually isn't a very active part of the story, yet he makes every single reaction of the character count and he makes us completely invested in his character's feelings. A great, lovely performance.

6. Dana Ashbrook as Bobby Briggs

An over-the-top performance in pretty much the best way possible. Ashbrook is pretty much a hoot from the very beginning as the rebellious, seemingly good-for-nothing teenager - from his swinging walk to his brillant line-deliveries, Ashbrook creates an absolutely unforgettable character. It's a hilarious, scene-stealing turn though what's most impressive is his ability to ground the character and nail all of his contradictions. He's great in his scenes with Madchen Amick, showing that, in spite of all his flaws, he truly and sincerely loves Shelly. And he is also great in the few scenes in which we get a glimp of his true feelings regarding Laura's death, such as his conversation with Jacoby in his office or his angry outburst at the funeral - two moments in which the actors combines so effortlessly comedy and drama. And in particular he's terrific at portraying his character's stormy relationship with his father and he shares a brilliant chemistry with Don Davis: their heart-to-heart conversation at the diner is one of the show's most powerful scenes. It's an absolutely wonderful performance that avoids turning Bobby into a caricature and actually give an indication for the decent, honest man he has become by Season 3. 

5. Richard Beymer as Benjamin Horne

Beymer is an actor I really did not care for before seeing Twin Peaks as I found him to be rather weak in both The Diary of Anne Frank and West Side Story. Here, though, he's absolutely amazing bringing just the right amount of charisma and sleaze to the character: he does an absolutely brilliant job at portraying his character's selfish, manipulative nature and he's especially great with Piper Laurie and especially David Patrick Kelly, with whom he shares a very peculiar chemistry as they work on the exact same wavelength, both being extremely entertaining at portraying their character's scheming quality while showing some genuine brotherly love between them. When luck turns its back on Ben, Beymer is extremely effective in his portrayal of his character's distress and desperation while still keeping that devious quality that made his previous scenes so deliciously entertaining. His storyline in the second half of the second season is honestly terrible, but he definitely rises above it and I actually found him to be quite affecting in his scenes with Sherilyn Fenn later on, effectively portraying Benjamin's transition in a slightly better father and giving a glimpse of the decent man he would become by the third season. A terrific performance.

4. Sheryl Lee as Laura Palmer/Maddy Ferguson

Laura Palmer is one of the most iconic characters ever, and Sheryl Lee is a big reason why. She does not really appear much in the series, obviously, yet Lee is absolutely astonishing in every minute of screen-time she has: in the brief footage scenes of the pilot or James' flashback, she is so good at being the charming presence she's supposed to be while effectively alluding to the troubles beneath. She makes those small moments so intriguing and she then gets to develop them in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me in which I think she gives one of the greatest performances of all time. Back to the series, I thought she was absolutely brilliant in all of her scenes in the Red Room being such an odd, captivating and unnerving presence up until the Season 2 finale in which she is absolutely terrifying. Her performance as the other character she plays, Laura's cousin Maddy, is extremely underrated I think. It's a lovely, understated piece of work and for me she completely saved the storyline involving James and Donna: she is a very endearing presence and then does a terrific job at conveying her character's change as she grows more and more similar to Laura before realizing she has to find her own path and be her own self. Her goodbye to James is a beautifully underplayed moment and one of the series' most touching. And then there is her final scene which I won't spoil here, but I will just say that she's amazing in it and it's one of the most disturbing moments of the whole show. 

3. Sherilyn Fenn as Audrey Horne

I won't deny it, if she had better material to work with in the second season she would have easily been in the first place. Audrey is honestly an extremely tricky character that could have fell flat in many ways: she could come across as spoiled, careless, annoying brat and the reason why she does not is Sherilyn Fenn who finds just the right approach for the character and makes her one of the most endearing, memorable of the series. Fenn is absolutely fantastic in the role as she makes Audrey such a charming and captivating presence whenever she appears and brings just the right amount of both sass and allure to the role. From her unforgettable dance scene, Fenn makes Audrey one of the most interesting character of Twin Peaks and one that is just wonderful to follow because of how entertaingly unpredictable it is. She brings a great deal of fun to her performance and is a joy to watch in every scene. But past that she also brings a lot of depth to Audrey: in her scenes with Beymer, she's quite heartbreaking at portraying her character's longing for some affection from her father, and in her scenes with MacLachlan she's absolutely wonderful at conveying the innocent, sweet love Audrey feels for Cooper. Despite getting considerably less screen-time as the series goes on and being stuck in some terrible storylines, Fenn manages to be amazing all the way through conveying a certain development in Audrey - her goodbye to Cooper is a brilliant moment in which Fenn conveys a newfound maturity in Audrey. And even if her chemistry with Billy Zane is not particularly strong (not for faults of her own), she manages to be quite affecting in the storyline covering Audrey's romance at the end of season 2. It's a fantastic performance of a wonderful character and if there is something I do criticize about the third season, even if she's great in it, is the lack of resolution regarding her character, because she deserved it.

2. Kyle MacLachlan as Agent Dale Cooper

Before seeing Twin Peaks, I had only seen Kyle MacLachlan in Blue Velvet. I actually rather liked his performance in that film, but nothing in his performance there could give me an indication of the brilliantly unique performance he delivers here. MacLachlan gives an absolutely wonderful performance in this series and he makes for one of the most endearing leads one could imagine: he gives such a lovely portrayal of Cooper's quirks without ever letting them define either the character or his performance - he makes them a natural, integral part of the character's nature while still never turning into a caricature. He brings such a wonderful amount of infectuous enthusiasm and energy to the screen, while also brings the right sort of quirky brightness to the investigation scenes. His lively portrayal makes his character's incredibly compelling. Thanks to his performance, you never once doubt the truthfulness of his good-hearted nature: and that's why his last scene in the Season 2 finale is so disturbing. Though his overall performance is intentionally light-hearted, this does not mean he doesn't ground the character: he shares a great chemistry with Michael Ontkean, making the friendship between Cooper and Truman heartfelt and sincere, and Sherilyn Fenn, tenderly conveying his character's affection and sympathy towards Audrey. And even though his chemistry with Heather Grahame is lacking, mostly due to the poor writing and her lifeless performance, he does a great job at portraying Cooper's personal plight deriving from some old wounds. It's a great performance that he took to an even higher level with his all-time best performance in the third season.

1. Ray Wise as Leland Palmer

An absolutely incredible performance from a very underrated actor. During the show's first season, Ray Wise is heartbreaking in his portrayal of his character's grief regarding his daughter's death. He works especially well with Grace Zabriskie as the two of them are so good are portraying their character's intense desperation in a complementary way. As the series progresses, Leland's behavior becomes more and more erratic and Wise manages to be deeply moving whereas he could have been ridiculous considering the very over-the-top nature of the scenes: there is some humor to be found in his performance but most importantly he never turns his character into a joke. Spoiler Of course, the truth is not what it seems and it is revealed during the second season that Leland is possessed by Bob and that he is Laura's murderer. Once the twist is revealed, Wise is absolutely phenomenal in his portrayal making Leland an unpredictable, deranged and profoundly chilling performance: the revelatory scene in which Leland kills Maddy is so terrifying it just gets under your skin. What makes his performance so powerful though are the traces of humanity that Wise still portrays in Leland: those few moments in which Leland seems to triumph over Bob, Wise is devastating at portraying the man's regret and guilt towards his action, making Leland just as much a victim as he is a villain. Spoiler Off It's a phenomenal, unforgettable performance that deserves to be regarded as one of the best performance in television ever.

And my ranking of the Twin Peaks cast is over. It's been quite exhausting but fun as well. In the next few weeks, I will post my review of Marisa Tomei's performance in My Cousin Vinny and then move to Best Supporting Actress 1940. I will try my best to be more active and to post much more often, meanwhile, thank you all very much for your patience!