On February 24, 1989, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper begins investigating a murder in Twin Peaks, Washington. A logger had found the dead naked body of homecoming queen Laura Palmer–naked if you don’t count her being wrapped in plastic.
At first, it seems like an odd event in an otherwise normal town. But as Agent Cooper discovers, while working with local Sheriff Harry S. Truman, going into Twin Peaks is like going down a rabbit hole. Things seem pretty normal on the surface. But once you start going down….
The 1990 ABC network television program Twin Peaks was created by its Executive Producers Mark Frost and David Lynch. It was nominated for dozens of awards, and won Emmy, Golden Globe, Saturn, and TCA Awards, and a Grammy Award. The surrealistic mystery serial drama is often listed as one of the greatest television programs of all time.
But the ratings for the series dropped after Laura’s killer was revealed. So it was cancelled in its second season.
But it didn’t stop there. In addition to The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer published during the show’s run, there was the 1992 prequel feature film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me. And Queen of Hearts: A Twin Peaks Fan Film. And more books. And merchandise. And references in The Simpsons, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Soul Eater, The Evil Within 2, a song by Anthrax, and more. And, a quarter of a century later in 2017, the series came back for its third season named Twin Peaks: The Return on Showtime.
And, yes, there’s Twin Peaks Day. In 2018, the mayors of Snoqualmie and North Bend, which were both used for filming the series, declared the holiday to be held on February 24. And the SnoValley Chamber of Commerce and North Bend Downtown Foundation are celebrating “Real Twin Peaks Days” from February 24 – 26, 2023.
In addition to Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and Sheriff Truman (Michael Ontkean), the show features a number of fascinating characters. Most of these are found in the town of Twin Peaks, located just five miles south of the Canadian border. But some are found…elsewhere.
Pete Martell (Jack Nance) is the lumberjack who discovered Laura’s body which was examined by Doctor Will Hayward (Warren Frost). Lucy Moran (Kimmy Robertson) helps as the sheriff station’s secretary. The father of Meals on Wheels volunteer Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) is attorney Leland Palmer (Ray Wise). At Laura’s funeral, the horribly distraught father throws himself into her grave, and has to be pulled out. Fitting the series’ twin theme, he changes when Laura’s virtual twin cousin Maddy Ferguson (Sheryl Lee) comes to town. The Double R Diner, which serves the series’ iconic “coffee and cherry pie,” is owned by Norma Jennings (Peggy Lipton) who employs the troubled waitress Shelly Johnson (Mädchen Amick).
Laura’s double life includes known boyfriend Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook) and secret swain James Hurley (James Marshall). But in Twin Peaks, leading a double life/having secret affairs is almost the norm. James’ uncle is Truman’s “unofficial deputy” “Big” Ed Hurley (Everett McGill). Laura’s good-girl best friend, and Dr. Hayward’s daughter, is Donna Hayward (Lara Flynn Boyle). And there’s also not-so-good girl Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn). Audrey’s father Benjamin Horne (Richard Beymer), the town’s richest, but not most honorable, man owns The Great Northern Hotel where many of the program’s events occur. Jocelyn “Josie” Packard (Joan Chen) owns the lucrative Packard Mill actually run by Pete’s wife Catherine Martell (Piper Laurie).
And someone owns One-Eyed Jack’s, a casino and brothel located in Canada, just north of the Washington border. But perhaps no one owns the Black and White Lodges, extra dimensional domains, with the first including the Red Room that Agent Cooper visits in a dream.
The large ensemble casts includes many more people who appear in “real life” or in dreams and visions. These include a lady who claims she gets messages from her log, a being known as BOB and another known as MIKE, a giant, “a man in a smiling bag,” a dancing dwarf, and more. And “the owls are not what they seem.”
Yes, there’s the obvious. Sheriff Harry S. Truman has the same name as a former American president. But there’s more connections, both to things before and after the series. Some of them are so obscure even most Twin Peaks’ fans won’t know them all.
I have a personal if surrealistic connection to Twin Peaks.
Years ago, I spent part of two days trying to fix my roommate’s computer. I kept getting to the same point, then nothing I tried worked. On the second day, I grew tired, and took a nap.
In my dream, I was working on the computer just like in real life–only Angelo Badalamenti’s theme from Twin Peaks was playing in the background. My fingers moved on the computer keyboard, all on their own.
I woke up. I immediately asked my roommate to play the theme from Twin Peaks, and to set it to repeat and repeat. My roommate did so, then drove to the local post office.
Fully awake, I got to the point where I’d gotten stuck over and over again. But, with the Twin Peaks’ theme music playing in the background, I let my fingers move on the keyboard without thinking about what they were doing. By the time my roommate got back from the short trip to the post office, the computer problem was solved.
To this day, I have no idea what I did, and don’t know what unseen force guided me. (Although I suspect it was simply my subconscious mind working without my conscious mind getting in the way….)
So have a happy Twin Peaks Day!
-30-
Alden Loveshade first thought of emself as a writer when in 3rd grade. E first wrote professionally when e was 16 years old, and later did professional photography and art/graphic design. Alden has professionally published news/sports/humorous/and feature articles, poems, columns, reviews, stories, scripts, books, and school lunch menus.
http://AldenLoveshade.com
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