Twin Peaks (1990–1991)
8.9/10
13,534
42 user 29 critic

Pilot 

The small northwest town of Twin Peaks, Washington is shaken up when the body of the Homecoming Queen, Laura Palmer, is discovered washed up on a riverbank, wrapped in plastic.

Director:

David Lynch
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Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Kyle MacLachlan ... Special Agent Dale Cooper
Michael Ontkean ... Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Mädchen Amick ... Shelly Johnson (as Madchen Amick)
Dana Ashbrook ... Bobby Briggs
Richard Beymer ... Benjamin Horne
Lara Flynn Boyle ... Donna Hayward
Sherilyn Fenn ... Audrey Horne
Warren Frost ... Dr. Will Hayward
Peggy Lipton ... Norma Jennings
James Marshall ... James Hurley
Everett McGill ... Big Ed Hurley
Jack Nance ... Pete Martell
Ray Wise ... Leland Palmer
Joan Chen ... Jocelyn Packard
Piper Laurie ... Catherine Martell
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Storyline

The small northwest town of Twin Peaks, Washington is shaken up when the body of the Homecoming Queen, Laura Palmer, is discovered washed up on a riverbank, wrapped in plastic.

Plot Summary | Plot Synopsis

Taglines:

A Mystery That Holds Its Secret To The Very End


Certificate:

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The language spoken at the meeting in the beginning, by the translator, is Norwegian. See more »

Goofs

At no point during the pilot (e.g. when the Sheriff and doctor first inspect Laura's body, or later, when Cooper examines her), do any of them ever wear gloves. That has been a standard forensic practice since early in the 20th century, and certainly, not a practice that an FBI agent would be likely to violate. See more »

Quotes

[first lines]
Pete Martell: Gone fishing.
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Alternate Versions

There was a theatrical release in Europe with nearly 20 minutes of extra footage which was never broadcast in the TV network version which features an extended surreal sequence of the confrontation with the One-Armed Man and Killer Bob as well as the dream-like sequence in the Red Room all of which was shown in parts in the second episode of "Twin Peaks" as a dream sequence. It is also available on video. Intended to be a standalone film, the movie version has a new ending that reveals the identity of the killer of Laura Palmer. The film version eliminates most of the supernatural aspects of the series, too, with the exception of a dream sequence at the end. Michael J. Anderson appears as "The Man from Another Place" and Frank Silva appears as Bob only in this extended version; they were introduced to the series later. See more »

Connections

Referenced in Mother Night (1996) See more »

Soundtracks

Falling
Lyric by David Lynch
Music by Angelo Badalamenti
Performed by Julee Cruise
Courtesy of Warner Bros. Records Inc.
By Arrangement with Warner Special Products
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User Reviews

 
TV phenomenon of 1990
31 March 2006 | by preppy-3See all my reviews

Laura palmer (Sheryl Lee) is found dead--nude and wrapped in plastic. She was born, raised and killed in the town of Twin Peaks. The town sheriff (Michael Ontkean) and FBI Ageny Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) try to find out who killed her...and why. We are then introduced to the interesting...and very bizarre...residents of the town.

Absolutely fascinating. This exploded on TV in 1990 and was a huge hit. It led to the series which (unfortunately) was buried in bad time slots and mismanaged by the network (for instance, director/co-writer David Lynch was never going to tell who killed Laura but the network forced him to come up with a killer leading to a REAL stupid unmasking). Still, it was well ahead of its time and absolutely fascinating. It's like Peyton Place on drugs--or Peyton Place as done by David Lynch.

The opening pilot (which has an alternate ending) was released in Europe as a movie. It's just incredible--beautifully directed with a now classic movie score that perfectly fits the material. It's full of fascinating characters and images and--like most Lynch movies--has plenty of purposely strange moments--but it's never TOO obscure or disgusting (he DID have to keep in TV standards). The characters are full 3-dimensional people--weird perhaps but full characters. Also there are teenagers who (for once) are treated with respect and ACT like teenagers.

The acting is almost great across the board--but Dana Ashbrook, Lara Flynn Boyle, Sherilyn Finn, Ray Wise and James Marshall are especially good. The only bad performances are by Kyle MacLachlan (TOO strange) and Micheal Ontkean (TOO emotionless). Still this is great. Never dull and just beautifully done. A must-see. But if you don't like Lynch you might want to steer clear of this. A 10.


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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Norwegian

Release Date:

8 April 1990 (Canada) See more »

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Box Office

Budget:

$3,800,000 (estimated)
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Company Credits

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

| (video)

Sound Mix:

Dolby | Dolby Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
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