Pilot (Twin Peaks episode)
| "Pilot" | |
|---|---|
| Twin Peaks episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 1 |
| Directed by | David Lynch |
| Written by |
David Lynch Mark Frost |
| Production code | 1.000 |
| Original air date | April 8, 1990 |
| Running time | 94 minutes |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
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The pilot episode, also known as Northwest Passage, of the mystery television series Twin Peaks premiered on the ABC Network on Sunday, April 8, 1990. It was written by series creators Mark Frost and David Lynch, and directed by Lynch. The pilot follows the characters of Dale Cooper and Harry S. Truman as they investigate the death of popular high school student Laura Palmer; Cooper believes the murder has connections to a murder case that occurred a year earlier. In addition to setting the tone for the show, the episode sets up several character and story arcs and marked the appearance of several recurring characters. The episode received a strong Nielsen household rating compared to other season one episodes and was well received by fans and critics alike. The original title for the series was Northwest Passage, but this was later changed.
The small northwest town of Twin Peaks, Washington is shaken when the body of Laura Palmer is discovered washed up on a riverbank, wrapped in plastic. FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper is called in when Ronnette Pulaski, who attended the same high school as Palmer, is found wandering on a bridge before lapsing into a coma. Cooper believes there is a connection between Palmer's death and the death of another girl named Teresa Banks that happened a year earlier. Cooper discovers a small piece of paper with the letter "R" on it shoved under Laura's fingernail. He tells Sheriff Harry S. Truman that under Banks's nail he found a "T". Meanwhile, the Palmer family and friends struggle to come to terms with her death, and wonder how it might have come about.
Believing that this is the same killer who struck the previous year, Cooper starts an official investigation. Meanwhile, the rebellious Audrey Horne ruins a business deal for her father Benjamin Horne (Richard Beymer); Sheriff Truman arrests Palmer's boyfriend Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook), who is secretly seeing a married waitress named Shelly; Palmer's best friend Donna Hayward (Lara Flynn Boyle) and Palmer's secret boyfriend James Hurley discover a mutual attraction; and Laura's mother is terrified by a vision.
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