Heads up: very mild spoilers for Twin Peaks season 2
Since I am having my Twin Peaks special interest deep dive right now, I’ll wish everyone a happy Pride month through the lens of Agent Denise Bryson. It’s kinda been lost in the shuffle of the phenomenon that was this show, that in 1991, (beginning with S2Ep18) there was a trans character on an sf television show on regular public tv, and it was handled respectfully and beautifully. Questions were asked and answered, and then everyone moved on, some characters better than others, which is how the human mind and heart operate. It was honest rather than performative, it was special, and in 1991, y’all.
For historical perspective, 1990, the year Twin Peaks began, was the year Ryan White was barred from school for having HIV and I wasn’t allowed to write an editorial about that for my school paper. Gen pop wasn’t even ready for the trans conversation because people thought HIV was a gay disease and was transmitted by social influence or water fountains or something else equally uneducated and gross…and there was David Lynch, Mark Frost, and David Duchovny, decades ahead of us.
As you can see from Denise’s introduction, there are human reactions. Hawk struggles, initially not shaking hands with Denise (standing back and taking it all in before engaging with people, to be fair, is part of his personality, notice he also doesn’t speak) and using the wrong pronoun. Cooper, an old friend and coworker of Denise’s, deadnames her in surprise when she enters the room, but accepts Denise’s casual correction. And it was casual, not punitive, it didn’t shame Cooper nor derail the conversation—just I do owe you a conversation, we’ll talk later, but we need to talk about other stuff now, please call me Denise—and Cooper accepts it. If these reactions weren’t present, it wouldn’t feel so real; when people are expecting something and don’t receive it, we’re startled, confused, maybe even threatened. Our lizard brains are wired around the idea of expectations in our environment being met equating our safety. That’s why the trope of masks in horror works, and why ceremonial masks have been found in ancient ruins. I need to know you by your face in order to feel safe around you, our oldest brain structure cries. But we’re adapting and learning and growing away from this fear reflex, every moment…if we try, if we flex, if we allow ourselves to do so.
An added bonus to Lynch, Frost, and Duchovny’s creation is that Denise wasn’t a villain, an asshole, or a punchline: What Made Twin Peaks’ Denise Such a Radical Trans Character on TV. Giggling about a man presenting as a woman was too petty given the Blue Rose murders, supernatural events, and the serial killer in the area. When your town is situated over so much evil, there’s no time for bigotry. Just ask Buffy.
As Special Agent Gordon Cole (Lynch) told Denise in Twin Peaks: The Return (Part 4), when she expresses concern to him about fitting in with her co-workers,
“I told them to ‘fix your hearts or die!’”
Happy Pride. Happy and safe celebration of being visible without fear. I hope you have no fear this year to be your full selves. If you don’t have a supportive parental figure, I’m your Pride mom. Just message me. Also check out the subreddits r/momforaminute (I’m in there) and r/dadforaminute. You’re not alone.
twinpeaks.fandom.com/wiki/Denise_Bryson and twinpeaks.fandom.com/wiki/David_Duchovny
Happy Pride month! Twin Peaks was far ahead in so many ways. I didn't really appreciate it for what it was at the time.
That is lovely and apt! THANKS!!!