realized on rewatch last month that I diverge from apparently all TP fans on donna. Lara flynn boyle is so much better and maybe my favorite non-coop main character.
think the reason why is touched upon in this Matt Zoller Seitz piece from today
http://www.vulture.com/2017/05/twin-peaks-is-not-the-show-weve-convinced-ourselves-it-was.html
FWWM donna does like, nothing. the movie is Laura's. she's there to be drugged and molested during the party and nothing more. she's a very plain image of innocence, hardly a character of her own.
Show donna is both the idea of innocence and an immensely complex character. the prim nice daughter of the town doctor, and thus the perfect microcosm for the town-wide ripple effect of Laura's death. in a short span she's faced with immense grief, a pure and confusing love for james, the hidden dangers lurking underneath her hometown, and an unraveling home life. Boyle nails the melodramatic acting. she has one of the best faces to watch in the cast. dozens of scenes become heart-breaking based only on her expressions, and it's through her that the pain felt by the town is best communicated. (ofc this excludes Laura's family)
despite being quite moody and weepy at times, she's one of the strongest characters. While it's misguided at times she's very active in trying to help solve the mystery, and she helps more than she bungles stuff. (unlike audrey.) more importantly her core qualities never shake, she is always quick to arrive at a graceful and understanding point of view after lapses of jealousy and confusion and foolhardiness. I think she's the best and it will forever throw me for a loop that people don't like her.