Bob Fahey's Twin Peaks Page

Twin Peaks returns in 2017, 25 years after it went off the air

Most of this Twin Peaks page is many years old, but appended farther down is my new section about The 2017 return of Twin Peaks.

The show returns on the Showtime cable channel, so the new "official" site is: Showtime's Twin Peaks page

In October 2016, while fans eagerly awaited the show's return in 2017, show co-creator Mark Frost released a book to tide us over, called The Secret History of Twin Peaks." More on this in my new section about Twin Peaks 2017.

Farther down this page are all the old TP fan sites, some very good, but all very old. Here is a recent and very active and quasi-official TP site: Welcome to Twin Peaks. They also have a FaceBook page to like: Welcome to Twin Peaks, on FaceBook. They're on Instagram as well: Welcome to Twin Peaks, on Instagram.

Wikipedia's great, simple, no-nonsense page about Twin Peaks' revival: Twin Peaks 2017, Wikipedia.

A couple of official (not fan-made) TP/Lynch promotional web sites to pop up in 2016:

RR Diner

PlayingLynch.com

Before my little old Peaks site, which really is a good, succinct summary of things and a great collection of working links, here are links to skip to my new sections at the bottom about the 2017 return of Twin Peaks:

Returning cast for Peaks 2017	New cast for Peaks 2017
Original cast not returning for Peaks 2017	One fan's predictions for Peaks 2017
Original & new TP cast who also were on The X-Files

My original site about the original Twin Peaks series and movie

Watch Twins Peaks online

Watch Twin Peaks right now at CBS.com. Some eps are free. For most, they'll need money. No, I don't know why a show that aired on ABC is at CBS.com.

NetFlix also has all eps, and will want some money.

Visit Twin Peaks locations

The simple idea is just visit North Bend, WA, and nearby Snoqualmie, WA, two small towns out east of Seattle. Just drive around a little and you'll see spots used in the show, most notably Snoqualmie Falls and the Double-R Diner. Right next to the falls is the Salish Lodge, called the Great Northern Hotel on the show. You don't even have to feel too geeky, or Peak-sy. It's a beautiful area. I rented a bike and rode on the old railroad beds, right through mountains and over scenic bridges that cars never see.

Sites explaining places where they did location shots for Twin Peaks:
Video of chief Twin Peaks filming locations in Washington state, as they looked in 2016.
OTIS (Odd Things I've Seen) - A high-level tour of the most familiar and easy-to-find sites.
In Twin Peaks - An in-depth guide to even the most obscure filming sites.
Twedes Cafe - The real cafe in North Bend, WA, that is the Double-R Diner in Twin Peaks. If you want to keep it simple, skip the other sites and stop here for lunch, have some coffee and pie, and take a few photos. Don't be shy, people take photos here every day and the staff are accustomed to it.

Twin Peaks locations I've visited

Back in 1996 I visited some Twin Peaks filming sites in Washington state. The photos have been in a drawer but I recently fished them out, scanned them and made these little collages:

Me at the water falls and Great Northern Lodge in Twin Peaks, actually a lodge in Snoqualmie, WA.	Me at a small motel in North Bend, WA, where they filmed a scene for the Twin Peaks movie.	Me and Laura Palmer outside the cafe in Twin Peaks, which is a real cafe/diner in North Bend, WA.
Tricia Brock wrote two second-season episodes of the TV show Twin Peaks. She autographed the back of a VHS box set to me and Sue. Kansas City writer Dan Lybarger got this autograph for me and shot this photo of her when he interviewed her for a film she was promoting.		Me at Big Ed Hurley's Gas Farm in Twin Peaks, which when I visited was a kite 'n' craft store in Snoqualmie, WA.

My own TP experience and summary, like you've seen on a hundred other sites:

I remember I was hooked on Twin Peaks. So were a lot of critics and other people. The donut jokes, the "Damn good coffee!" remarks, the use of east Indian mysticism to solve crimes, the whole quircky and funny atmosphere. Plenty of newspaper articles and TV shows were asking, "Who killed Laura Palmer?"

But time dragged on and director David Lynch wouldn't provide a resolution to the "Who killed Laura Palmer?" story arc. By the time the show finally settled that question and moved to another story arc, the public had lost interest. The show's second season had a cliffhanger ending that was never resolved.

But the show had a great underlying mystery. Plot threads about crime and personal intrigues (with a constant suffusion of comedy) took up most of the show, but behind it all there was always the mystery of the evil that lived in the woods around Twin Peaks. It wasn't the usual sort of evil threat you find in horror shows. Revealed slowly and tantalizingly over many episodes, the true evil was the presence of a portal to the Black Lodge.

The Black Lodge was a place where profoundly evil spirits had long lived. It occupied the same space as the White Lodge, where good but apparently weaker spirits lived (they always failed to prevent people from being killed). Though it seemed like a man had killed Laura Palmer, it was really a spirit from the Black Lodge who entered our world and caused the evil in and around Twin Peaks. Whenever some little piece of information about the lodge and that spirit was parceled out, you knew you were at the heart of the show.

Kiss Psycho Circus - Next we have a game called Kiss Psycho Circus that came out in 2000. Based on the characters in the rock group Kiss, one section takes you through the demon character's hell, and includes a red room with lots of red curtains and with a distinctive floor pattern that you'll recognize. There is no explanation that it is based on Twin Peaks, but it seemed clear to me.
Red Room in Kiss Psycho Circus

Max Payne - Max Payne came out in 2001. Instead of first-person perspective it had third-person perspective, so that's Max you see watching the TV in the pictures. Check out the pictures, then read on for an explanation of the TP tie-in.

Max Payne & TP 1

Max Payne & TP 2

Max Payne & TP 3

The images show a familiar red-curtained room and a flamingo, and the accompanying dialog is in Twin Peaks style. The music has that hip TP jazzy sound. A man's voice talks about his "evil twin," which of course ties in with the dopplegangers of Twin Peaks. The flamingo's speaking style sounds much like the Little Man in Twin Peaks dream sequences. The flamingo may be a reference to Wild Palms, which included flamingos and is sometimes compared to TP. Here is a transcript of the show Max Payne watches:
" Announcer - "This week, on Address Unknown..."
Voice Over - "I don't want to go there. It's the last place I'd want to end up, but that's where I always end up anyway. Only, it's not me talking to the pink flamingo, but someone who looks the part down to the finest detail, except that he's evil. I'm hiding in the shadows, watching it all unfold. The flamingo speaks. He can speak here. It says..."
Flamingo - "Mirrors are more fun than television."
Voice Over - "That's 'Mirrors are more fun than television'. Somehow I know this, just don't ask me how." (a man laughs) "And I - not me, my double - nods and smirks at this, as if it was the funniest thing in the world. And then something goes wrong, and they both know I'm there, hiding behind them, and they turn to look at me with cold eyes. And the flamingo speaks again"
Flamingo - "The flesh of fallen angels." (this is a phrase that turns up throughout the Max Payne game)
Voice Over - "I have no idea what that means. (a man screams) And that's when I always wake up to myself screaming, in a brightly lit, white hospital room, strapped to my bed.  END.
Elsewhere in Max Payne, another TV shows a soap opera with events that closely parallel events in the game; this soap opera device was used often on Twin Peaks.

Twin Peaks write-ups at Wikipedia.org

This was the original ending of my long-standing Peaks page. But now here's new stuff:

Twin Peaks Returns in 2017, but First a Twin Peaks Book in 2016

In October 2016, while fans eagerly awaited the show's return in 2017, show co-creator Mark Frost released a book to tide us over, called The Secret History of Twin Peaks. The following paragraph talks about it a little bit, and is 99% spoiler-free, but lets you know what the book is about.

The Secret History of Twin Peaks is a fun read for diehard fans who want to delve into the darker mystery (aliens, spirits, other dimensions) of the show. If you're mostly into the humorous aspect of the show (which is fine! I love that stuff!), then there's nothing here for you. Some vague spoilers follow, but don't worry, specific revelations are not mentioned. From the vantage point of October 2016, it's hard to know if the book relates much to the 2017 return; it seems unlikely, as the book dwells almost exclusively on characters (and the actors who played them) who have died. It basically fills out the history (including ancient history) leading to the events of the original show, and tells a tiny bit of what happened after the show. It reveals (no spoiler here) the names of some specific characters who have definitely died, and won't be seen in the new show. The book itself is presented as a dossier found at a crime scene in 2016, being examined by an FBI agent, complete with her notes in the margins. It seems likely this FBI agent will be a central character in the new show in 2017, my guess being it will be the character played by Amy Shiels. Some hardcore fans of the show (so hardcore that they make me look like a very casual fan) quickly condemned the book. Too bad for them. Honestly, it's a fun read for the reasons I already gave. Finally, some have pointed out that the book has some inconsistencies with the show, but allowed that these "mistakes" could be intentional and will make sense when the new show elaborates. In interviews promoting the book Frost has vaguely hinted that is the case. He also hinted that a second volume is coming after the show debuts.

Twin Peaks 2017, who is returning and (apparently) not returning

The producers of Twin Peaks' 2017 return on April 25, 2016, revealed the entire cast, including 217 actors. No character names were given with the actor names, so the fan community quickly identified the returning actors and speculated about what sorts of parts the new people would play.

My own speculation: A missing actor name from the original cast doesn't mean for sure their character isn't returning. Maybe one of the new actors will take over that role. Also, and this probably is just me, I don't know if we can accept that all actor names were released. Maybe they want to preserve some surprises.

Heather Graham, who played Annie Blackburn.
This, to me, is the BIG heartbreaker of the announced cast. The romance between Cooper and Annie was, for me, the centerpiece of the second season. Now it looks like there is no chance to rekindle it, unless one of the new actors is taking up the role. It's not unprecedented: Lynch used a different actor for Donna in the Fire Walk With Me movie than he had in the show. Another possibility is that the announced cast list left out some names in order to preserve surprises, which would allow the return of Heather Graham.
Even if Annie returned, the Coop/Annie romance would be tainted with sadness. In the season 2 finale, the "good" Coop that we knew was trapped in the Black Lodge, apparently unable to leave until the door opened again 25 years later for the 2017 show. Annie escaped with the "bad" Coop, the evil doppelganger of the Coop we love, and who was possessed by Killer Bob, the evil spirit who was looking for a new host since the death of Leland Palmer. Of course, she wouldn't know that, so she would be mystified when her good man behaved in evil ways. Either she would leave, or she would endure 25 years of heartbreak until the good Coop returned. Without Annie, it looks like we'll get a Coop who has lost 25 years of his life, his youth, and his love. It would be nice if he got that last part back.

"Trouble at the mill!"
The entire Packard/Martell clan is not returning

Josie died in the second season, so we weren't going to see her again unless it was in some ghostly capacity. Of course, some returning actors are doing exactly that. Laura Palmer, her father Leland Palmer, and Jacques Renault all died on the original show, but the actors who played them are back for the 2017 show. Also, immediately after Josie's death, they showed that her spirit apparently inhabited the drawer pull on the dresser next to the bed. Really!
The only real surprise was that Piper Laurie isn't returning.
Still, the Packard Saw Mill burned down as part of the original show, so what was she gonna do? Sure, Catherine was pursuing developing a golf course in Ghost Wood, which she wrested from the control of Ben Horne, but she pretty much had to fail. Why? Ghost Wood must remain undeveloped because that's where the entry to the Black Lodge/White Lodge is. It would hamper Twin Peaks 2017 if the door to the lodges was on the 9th green of Packard Golf Course, plus they would have cut down those sycamore trees and cleaned up that oil.
The actors who played Catherine's husband and brother have passed away, plus those two characters apparently were killed in the season 2 cliffhanger finale 25 years ago.
Remember how the show's opening titles featured shots of the mill and of its saw blades at work? You won't see that, unless there's a new mill in town.

There's a new sheriff in town!
Michael Ontkean will not return as Sheriff Harry S. Truman. A big letdown for me, he and MacLachlan were great together. Robert Forster will play the role of the town sheriff, maybe named Harry Truman, maybe not.

The 2017 return of Twin Peaks:
What I want versus what I'll probably get

What I (and many of you) want	This fan's guess about what we'll get
Answers to multiple 25-year-old questions.	No answers, or very few, and LOTS of new questions.
Resolutions, story arcs neatly ended and tied in a nice little bow.	Most old story arcs not mentioned, and a few carried toward some future resolution, but no immediate resolution.
Happy endings, characters and families tipped into happy, loving relationships for ever after.	Absolute misery for most characters, with a few notable exceptions. Have you ever watched a David Lynch movie? They're not 1940s musical comedies.
More Killer Bob, and the eventual defeat/destruction of Killer Bob.	More Killer Bob, and the ongoing triumph of Killer Bob. The only setback he ever had on the show was (spoiler for those who haven't watched the original series) the loss of his host body Leland Palmer. This wasn't much of a setback, and he soon had a new host in the person of the evil doppelganger version of Dale Cooper. The good version of Cooper was trapped in the Lodge for a set time of 25 years at the series' end, 25 years ago.
Cooper escapes from the Black Lodge after 25 years of imprisonment and sets things right in Twin Peaks.	Cooper escapes from the Black Lodge after 25 years of imprisonment and continues to lose at every turn in Twin Peaks, but in the process enjoys a lot of coffee, donuts and pie and makes many humorous statements.
Cooper finds happiness despite: 1) being trapped in a hellish place for 25 years, 2) The loss of his youth and life in the regular world during that time, 3) The loss of the 2nd great love of his life, Annie Blackburn.	Well, he almost certainly will recover some happiness, because they'll want to bring back his "Coopieness," with lots of references to "Damn fine coffee," cherry pie and Tibet. I predict he'll be unaccountably happy despite his great losses, and we the audience will do his grieving for him.
Cooper and Annie happy together.	Nope. I want that bad, but nope.
Bobby and Shelly happy together.	Yeh, I think this really could happen. They were on that track in the final episode 25 years ago, with Bobby proposing marriage and evil husband Leo missing. Well, the actor who played Leo isn't returning but the former high school quarterback/badboy and the waitress are. Rumor has it Bobby is now a Bookhouse Boy, officially one of the good guys fighting the Evil in the Woods.
Big Ed Hurley and Norma Jennings happy together.	I would love to see them happy but I'm guessing it's not likely. In the final episode, 25 years ago, they seemed close. Nadine and Ed were getting divorced, and Norma and Ed were going to have their long-postponed life together. Then Nadine got her memory back, said this arrangement was unfair, and things were left dangling. Since all three actors are returning, expect to learn that Ed has continued to stay with Nadine out of a sense of guilt, and he and Norma have continued to pine for their lost life together.
A fuller understanding of the nature of the White Lodge, the Black Lodge, and their inhabitants.	Maybe a little bit, but mostly it will be the introduction of new problems, new menaces. The characters need something to fight, something to do!

Twin Peaks/The X-Files Crossover Actors

Actors from the original Twin Peaks who also were on The X-Files:

• David Duchovny. On Twin Peaks he played cross-dressing DEA agent Denise/Dennis Bryson. Then he became the star of The X-Files, portraying lead male Special Agent Fox Mulder.
• Don S. Davis, who played Major Garland Briggs in Twin Peaks, guested on The X-Files as Dana's father, Captain William Scully. He appeared in episodes Beyond the Sea and One Breath. So, yeh, you could say Bobby Briggs & Agent Scully are half-siblings.
• Richard Beymer, Twin Peak's Benjamin Horne, played Dr. Jack Franklyn on The X-Files episode Sanguinarium.
• Kenneth Welsh, the ever-evil Windom Earle, played Simon Gates/Millenium Man in The X-Files 3rd-season episode Revelations.
• Michael J. Anderson, the Man From Another Place, played Mr. Nutt, a trailer park landlord in The X-Files 2nd-season episode Humbug.
• Claire Stansfield, who had a small role in two second-season Twin Peaks episodes as Sid, (beautiful clerk to enigmatic Judge Clinton Sternwood), played the Jersey Devil on The X-Files first-season episode Jersey Devil.
• Michael Horse, Deputy Hawk from Twin Peaks, played Sheriff Charles Tskany on The X-Files first-season episode Shapes.
• Jan D'Arcy was Sylvia Horne in Twin Peaks, and she appeared as Judge Kann in The X-Files episode 1-21: Tooms.
• Frances Bay, who played Mrs. Tremond in Twin Peaks, guest starred as nursing home resident Dorothy in X-Files episode 2-11: Excelsis Dei.
• Robyn Lively, who played Lana (source of friction between the elderly mayor and his brother) in Twin Peaks' 2nd season, guest starred as Angela Schiff in episode 6-21: Field Trip.
• John Apicella, who played Jeffrey Marsh (Evelyn's wealthy husband; James is framed for killing him), guest starred as villain/monster Greg Pincus in episode 5-19: Folie à Deux.
• Charles Hoyes, who played a card decker in Twin Peaks episode 1.8 (One Eyed Jack's casino guy), played Howard Crittendon in episode 7-16: Chimera.
• Willie Garson, who on Twin Peaks played a heavy metal roadie (friend of the guy murdered and put into a giant pawn chess piece), on X-Files played Harry Weems in episode 7-6 The Goldberg Variation and Quinton Freely in episode 3-7 The Walk. Garson is best known as Stanford Blatch on Sex and the City and Mozzie on White Collar.
• Jack McGee, who played a bartender in Twin Peaks episode 2-18, "On the Wings of Love," on The X-Files played Angry Bob in episode 7-20: Fight Club.

Actors in the new Twin Peaks 2017 who have been on The X-Files:

• John Billingsley - Three of a Kind, Season 6, Ep 20, as Timmy the Geek.
• Hank Harris - Lord of the Flies, Season 9, Ep 5, as a central character, Dylan Lokensgard.
• James Morrison - X-Files: Theef, Season 7, Ep 14, as Dr. Robert Wieder, whose family is terrorized by a "hoodoo man."
• Rodney Rowland - Never Again, Season 4, Ep 13, as Ed Jerse, a troubled man Scully lliasons with
• John Savage - Død Kalm, Season 2, Ep 19, as Henry Trondheim, a naval trawler captain.
• Casey O'Neill - Milagro, Season 6, Ep 18, as a cemetery grounds keeper

Bob Fahey's Home Page