Overview

Laura Palmer's body is discovered, wrapped in plastic; Ronette Pulaski wanders out of the woods; FBI Agent Dale Cooper arrives in Twin Peaks to investigate and finds an unusual clue on Laura's body; Audrey Horne disrupts her father's negotiations with some Norwegian businessmen; Cooper and Sheriff Truman discover the grisly murder site in the woods, and warn the town that the killer may be from their community; tempers flare at the Roadhouse.

Production number: 1000
Original air date: April 8th 1990

Written by Mark Frost and David Lynch
Directed by David Lynch

The Log Lady Introduction

Plot Points

• Laura Palmer was murdered in a train car; her body was wrapped in plastic and set floating in the river or was dumped on the beach. A note, written in blood, was placed upon a mound of dirt at the murder sight. The note said: Fire Walk With Me.
• Agent Cooper (who likes doughnuts and cherry pie) has arrived in town.
• Ronnette Pulaski, the one (known) witness to the crime, is in a coma. Her one warning was Don't go there!
• Benjamin Horne owns much of the town, including the Great Northern Hotel and the department store
• There is tension at the Packard Saw Mill between Josie, the owner, and Catherine, the manager. Pete Martell, Catherine's husband, helped Josie in a direct confrontation.
• Shelley Johnson is married to Leo, a trucker. Shelley works at the diner, and is having a secret affair with Bobby Briggs, Laura Palmer's "official" boyfriend. Donna Hayward is now having a relationship with James Hurley, Laura's "secret" boyfriend. Big Ed, whilst married to Nadine, is having an affair with Norma at the Gas Farm. Sherriff Truman is having an affair with Josie Packard.
• Laura Palmer was seeing Dr. Jacoby, a psychiatrist.
• Leyland Palmer, Laura's father, is the local lawyer. William Hayward, Donna's father, is the local doctor.
• One year before the events of this episode, Theresa Banks was murdered. (See "Fire Walk With Me").
• The pilot episode was released on video in Europe with an alternate ending.

Unanswered Questions

• Who killed Laura Palmer? (See "Lonely Souls").
• Why was Laura at the train car with Ronnette? (See "Arbitrary Law").
• What happenned to Ronnette and Laura in the train car? (See "Fire Walk With Me").
• Who was the one-armed man that Deputy Hawk saw at the hospital? (See "Demons").
• Why was the body wrapped in plastic?
• Why has the same killer taken a year to kill again?
• Why is the killer putting letters under the nails of his victims, and what purpose do they serve? (See "Arbitrary Law").
• Who was the "J" in Laura's diary? (See "Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer").

Analysis

• Who killed Laura Palmer? Twin Peaks seems to be a town full of likely candidates. James Hurley had the motive and the means: he was with Laura when she dissappeared. If she told him that she no longer wanted to see him, this might have been enough for him to kill her. However, Ronnette Pulaski has no part in this scenario, unless she were involved with James / Laura in an as yet unmentioned way. Leo Johnson seems to have the temperament to commit murder. Bobby Briggs seems unreliable and threatening; it is not hard to belive that he might have been involved, along with his friend Mike.
• The Catherine - Josie - Pete Relationship. It is revieled that Catherine's brother, Andrew, was married to Josie before his death. This explains Catherine's tolerating Josie in her house. Pete sided with Josie during the arguament - could this signify problems for him later if he doesn't take Catherine's side? Her angry nature is shown by her firing of the first helpess worker she finds.

Last update: February 3rd, 1997