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.
Not sure yet. It’s pretty slow. It’s a compliment, and a nice contrast to that Transformers shit we watched this morning. Where things are connstantly moving, which is very nauseus.
The aesthetics of 80s and 90s. I see many films were inspired by it. True Detective, and even that russofile shit — The OA — too.
It feels like all the characters are just about to fuck right away. I have an impression they walk horny all the time, and everyone fucks everyone in that little town.
I’m not sure I like it, but I’d make an effort to watch it entirely, since it’s a huge part of the culture, plus my respect to Mr. Lynch.
My guess is that Diane to whom the FBI detective talks all the time is an invented nobody.
Films
Here’s some LLMs output to summarise the best way of watching it.
TV and film order
- Twin Peaks — Season 1
- Twin Peaks — Season 2
- Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me — the 1992 film
- Twin Peaks: The Missing Pieces — optional; deleted and extended scenes from Fire Walk with Me
- Twin Peaks: The Return — the 2017 continuation, often called Season 3
That order keeps the film’s prequel story from spoiling or confusing the original series, and puts it where it most informs The Return. The Missing Pieces is optional, but it fits right after the film.
Books
Official books and where to read them:
- The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer — Jennifer Lynch. Laura’s diary adds a disturbing, intimate layer to her story. Best after Season 1; you can read it during Season 2, but it’s also excellent after finishing both seasons.
- “Diane…”: The Twin Peaks Tapes of Agent Cooper — Scott Frost. An audio release rather than a conventional book.
- The Autobiography of F.B.I. Special Agent Dale Cooper: My Life, My Tapes — Scott Frost. Cooper’s backstory, ending with his assignment to the Laura Palmer case. Best after the original series.
- Welcome to Twin Peaks: An Access Guide to the Town — an in-world guidebook. Optional, and most enjoyable after the original series.
- The Secret History of Twin Peaks — Mark Frost. Read after Fire Walk with Me and before The Return; it adds background and context for the revival.
- Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier — Mark Frost. Read after The Return; it follows up on characters and events from the series.
A good first-watch/read path: Watch Seasons 1–2; read The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer and, if you like, the Cooper autobiography or Access Guide; watch Fire Walk with Me (then The Missing Pieces, if you want); read The Secret History of Twin Peaks; watch The Return; finish with The Final Dossier.
You don’t need to read the books to follow the show. If you’d rather keep things simple, just watch the series and film in order, then pick up the books afterward. The two Mark Frost books are the ones I’d most strongly place around the revival: Secret History before it, Final Dossier after it.