Well, murder mysteries aren’t one of the most loved genres of all time, and one such mystery of its time was Twin Peaks, which made the viewer’s heart pound with excitement every time a new episode made it on television.
Twin Peaks focused on solving the mystery surrounding the murder of Laura Palmer, a popular student from high school, and her friend’s attempted murder. Created by Mark Frost and David Lynch, a mystery series following the investigation of Laura’s murder grabbed viewers’ attention.
Initially, critics felt the series had no chance at success. Still, they disapproved of their theory of the series not being commercial enough after it became a massive success among people.
Viewers felt the series disorients one perfectly with its pleasurable sensations that leave one dangling to know the next step. When Twin Peaks was released, it had to compete against Cheers, a sitcom, to make its place in the audience’s hearts.
Produced by Mark Frost and David Lynch, the series stars Kyle MacLachlan playing Dale Cooper’s role, a special agent assigned to solve Laura Palmer’s murder mystery, Michael Ontkean playing Sheriff Harry’s role, and Madchen Amick playing Shelly’s role.
Viewers were drawn towards the series like a moth is drawn to a flame due to its uncanny tone and supernatural elements with melodramatic portrayal of unconventional characters. Released on April 8, 1990, the series was released by ABC for viewers to enjoy. Twin Peaks ran for three successful seasons with 48 episodes.
Twin Peaks gained a devoted cult-like following after the release of the series’s first season. The series is often listed among some of the greatest television series of its time that paved the way for many more.
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Twin Peaks Season 1 – Ending Explained
Twin Peaks’ first season begins in the early morning hours with Pete Martell leaving his house in the Blue Pine Lodge of Twins Peak, a small town, to go fishing after informing Catherine, his wife, about his day plan.
Unfortunately, Pete’s trip gets cut short after he discovers a girl’s body wrapped in plastic near the banks of the river. Pete immediately informs the local authorities responsible for the investigation, and Sheriff Harry S. Truman and his deputy arrive at the crime scene for further investigation.
As the team unwraps the body, they are shocked to learn that she is not Laura Palmer, the beloved home queen from the local high school. Meanwhile, Laura’s father is at the Great Northern Hotel with Benjamin Horne, the local business tycoon, discussing the paperwork for Norwegian businessmen to invest in his business.
On the other hand, Leland’s wife woke up to discover that Laura was nowhere to be found in their home, and she started making several phone calls to get hold of her daughter after she sensed that something had gone wrong with Laura.
In the hospital, Leland breaks down in tears after confirming that the body is indeed of Laura. Meanwhile, Laura’s boyfriend, Boby, arrives at Double R Diner to talk with Shelly, a waitress at the restaurant. Bobby offers Shelly a ride home but frantically leaves after discovering her husband’s truck in their driveway.
At school, Donna, Laura’s best friend, goes to her locker and notices that Laura hasn’t arrived at school yet. James and Donna worry about Laura after she isn’t found at her desk, as the classes will start at any moment. Soon, Bobby arrives at school and gets taken to the principal’s office, where he gets questioned about his previous day’s activities.
Boby insists that he loves Laura while a state trooper informs the teacher about an announcement that will happen. The school’s principal cancels the classes for the day after tearfully informing the students about Laura’s death. Donna wails while James suppresses his anger on losing their best friend.
During Copper’s investigation of Laura’s body, he finds a tiny R inserted under her fingernail, which matches the murder of a young girl from southwest Washington. Meanwhile, the team also discovered Laura living a double life through her diary, where it is mentioned that she was cheating with James on her boyfriend Boby.
The diary also mentions Laura prostituting herself with Leo’s help and her cocaine addiction. Laura would get cocaine after coercing her boyfriend into scoring them for her by doing business with Jacques. Meanwhile, Donna starts a relationship with James, and the pair discovers the obsession Laura’s psychiatrist had with her, but he is proven innocent after the investigation.
Meanwhile, Ben plans to destroy the town’s lumber mill and kill Catherine Martell to buy the land at a reduced price. Audrey, Ben’s daughter, starts to collect clues on her father to gain Agent Cooper’s love after she gets infatuated with him. Meanwhile, Agent Cooper has a dream in which MIKE, a one-armed being from another world, approaches him. MIKE informs Cooper about Laura’s murderer being a similar entity to Killer Bob.
The following day, Cooper tells Truman that if they could decipher the dream, they would be able to discover Laura’s killer. Soon, the team of Cooper and the Sheriff finds the one-armed man from his dream, who is a shoe salesman named Philip, who knows Bob, a veterinarian responsible for treating Renault’s bird.
Cooper interprets this sequence as Renault being the murderer and lures him back to the U.S. to arrest him, but his plans get delayed after Renault gets hospitalized due to his getting shot. Leland murders Renault after learning that he has been hospitalized. Ben orders Leo to burn down the lumber mill with Catherine trapped in it, and Leo is gunned down to maintain his innocence.
Did Shelly And Catherine Make It Out Alive?
Shelly is having an extra-marital affair with Laura’s boyfriend, Bobby Briggs, and Leo discovers it. Shelly married Leo after she fell in love with the truck driver, but she realized that Leo just wanted a maid and was abusive after their marriage. Shelly would seek comfort in her relationship with Bobby.
Leo decides to end Shelly’s life after discovering about the affair, and he gets the opportunity after Ben instructs him to burn down the lumber mill with Catherine in it. The day the fire was to be set in the mill, Ben returned home, assaulted Shelly, and drove her to the mill.
Catherine’s body is never found in the mill neither did the mill burn down. Meanwhile, Bobby tips the police officers about the ongoing events, and James gets arrested for having drugs on him.
The series’ first season ends with Cooper getting shot by an unseen person. It also reveals that Shelly is alive, but nothing about Catherine’s survival is clear until she appears in the second season. So, overall, both Shelly and Catherine survive the fire at the mill and make it out alive.
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