USA TODAY International Edition
A primer for the ‘ Twin Peaks’ revival
Showtime brings back the quirky 1990s drama based in a town that’s full of mystery
Who killed Laura Palmer? It’s the question that Twin Peaks, the early ’ 90s show from David Lynch and Mark Frost that is returning with a limited Showtime series ( Sunday 9 ET/ PT), asks — at first. What might look like an ordinary murder mystery in a small town grew into one of the weirdest shows on television, with evil spirits, prophetic dreams and lots of “damn fine coffee” peppering its original two- season run. Twin Peaks’ plot is dense, expanding beyond the murder mystery and digging into the seedy and mystical underbelly of the town. And even for a superfan, it’s a lot to keep track of. Whether you’ve never seen the show or haven’t in a long time, we recap everything you need to know before jumping into the Showtime revival.
THE BASIC SETUP
Twin Peaks is a tiny town in Washington state, close to the Canadian border and surrounded by Douglas Fir trees. On a seemingly normal day, the body of teen Laura Palmer ( Sheryl Lee) is found at the edge of a lake, wrapped in plastic. The murder draws Special Agent Dale Cooper ( Kyle MacLachlan) to the town. As he investigates, he discovers that Twin Peaks, which he thinks is an “Eden,” is actually full of dark secrets, including numerous affairs, shady business dealings and mystical evil.
We’re also introduced to a cast of wacky characters, from a number of suspects in Laura’s killing to a “Log Lady” ( Catherine E. Coulson), who carries a log around with her everywhere. Laura’s best friend Donna ( Lara Flynn Boyle) and her friends try to solve her murder on their own. Another student, Audrey Horne ( Sherilyn Fenn), crushes on Cooper and tries to help his investigation. Laura’s boyfriend Bobby ( Dana Ashbrook) is having an affair with waitress Shelly ( Mädchen Amick), who in turn is cheating on her abusive husband Leo ( Eric DaRe). And so on. While they all are important to the show, it’s Cooper who drives the central plot and themes.
The show gets weird and metaphysical as Cooper discovers a parasitic spirit called BOB ( Frank Silva) that inhabits people and makes them do horrible things. It is revealed midway through Season 2 that BOB, possessing Laura’s father Leland ( Ray Wise), is the person who killed her.
AFTER MURDER IS SOLVED
The rest of Season 2 flounders around after the central mystery of the show is solved. Cooper’s old colleague Windom Earle ( Kenneth Welsh) shows up, newly escaped from an asylum. So does an ex- nun named Annie ( Heather Graham), with whom Cooper falls madly in love.
Chasing Earle leads Cooper to the mysterious and mystical Black Lodge.
A climactic standoff at the Lodge, hammering home the show’s theme of duality, finds BOB killing Earle, while the injured Cooper and Annie escape.
HOW IT ENDS
The show’s second season concludes with a harrowing image: Cooper, staring into a mirror and seeing BOB in the reflection. The evil has found a new host, it seems.
With blood running down his face and a manic smile, Cooper, inhabited by BOB, cackles “Where’s Annie?” over and over again.
Suffice to say, fans have some questions leftover. And considering one of Cooper’s pivotal dreams during the original show takes place 25 years in the future, the time is ripe to get some of those questions answered in the revival.
If you want to catch up on Twin Peaks’ first two seasons, you can stream them on Netflix or Amazon.