It’s been quite a while since the first season of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks first aired in 1990, yet it remains an influential and frequently watched series to this day, 30 years later. It’s always fun to go back and have a look at things that were missed the first (or second, or third…) time around.
With a mind-bending show such as this, one may find themselves mid-season trying to re-trace where something first originated, or simply reminiscing on where some beloved trope began. These ten facts from the first episode will refresh some old memories.
Douglas Furs!
The pilot is the first episode in which Agent Cooper reveals his childlike tendency to express delight in small facts, such as the type of trees native to the Twin Peaks area.
When driving up to first investigate the murder case, Cooper speaks into his recorder, reminding himself (and Diane) to look up what kind of trees he’s driving by. These trees come to be an iconic symbol of the show.
Diane’s Reality Is Ambiguous
We first meet Cooper while he’s in his car dictating to a voice recorder. His interaction with the recorder is so natural it feels assumed that it should be considered normal–but when Cooper gets to Twin Peaks, he certainly gets some looks for it.
The nature of what he tells Diane–such as details of his meals and random facts pertaining to his day–makes her feel like an imaginary friend, even if these diaristic entries are mixed with professional ones.
Donna Lies To The Police
Agent Cooper takes Donna in for questioning pertaining to the video they found in Laura’s room. Agent Cooper knows that the video was taken by someone Laura must have been dating, but when he asks Donna she lies, saying it was a hiker they asked to take the video of her and Laura on a picnic. Donna is trying to protect James, but blatantly obstructs justice.
Hysterical Responses
Our first introduction to the emotional scale of many of the characters in Twin Peaks is at first shocking. Granted, the series is centered around a murder case and so some distress is expected, but most of the responses to Laura’s death are hysterical verging on satirical.
When Donna gets the feeling Laura has been harmed–but hasn’t actually heard–she immediately starts screaming in class. Such responses contribute to the unsettling, bizarre atmosphere of the series.
The Mayor Seems Incapable
A town meeting is called in order to discuss the murder case and inform the public of relevant information to their lives. The mayor, who we haven’t met yet, stands up to address the crowd but is quickly revealed to be not all there–he speaks asking if the microphone is on without actually speaking into the microphone, at which point the police intervene and smoothly direct him to sit down.
The Motorcycle In The Eye
Agent Cooper knows all along that it’s someone who is a biker that took the video of Donna and Laura on their picnic because he sees their motorcycle reflected in the pupil of Laura’s eye in the video.
Lucy has come into the room to tell him she overheard a conversation which reveals this very fact, but Cooper, through what we are increasingly learning to be his strange ways, already knows.
James And Donna Hide The Necklace
Donna overhears her parents talking one night and learns that the police found half of a heart necklace at the scene of the crime.
The police believe that whoever has the other half might be the murderer. Donna rushes to meet James and tells him that they have to hide the necklace or else he will look guilty of murder. They take the necklace and bury it in a hole in the woods, covered by a somewhat conspicuous rock.
The Drape Obsession
Throughout the episode, Nadine Hurley continuously harasses Ed about putting up her new drapes, all this while knowing that a murder has taken place and town and that it directly affects their nephew, James.
Nadine sees Ed consoling Donna and carelessly screams at him about the drapes, the first taste of her eccentrics and abuse.
Agent Cooper Remarks On The Cherry Pie
Agent Cooper repeatedly references cherry pie in the episode. First do Diane, telling her via is voice recorder all about the pie he had on his drive to Twin Peaks.
He then tells Sheriff Truman about it, and the first episode isn’t even the last time we will hear about pie, as fans will remember. This is merely the marking of a long experience in Agent Cooper’s particularities with food.
Josie Says Push Instead Of Pull
Josie hears of the murder and the fact that one of her worker’s daughters is missing. She is concerned about the well-being of her workers.
She wants to close down the Sawmill for the day and send everybody home to spend time with their families. The manager and sister of her late husband disagree with her, but Josie orders them to “push the plug” anyway.
