open/close all folders

The original series

The Palmers

Laura Palmer

The most popular female student and the Homecoming Queen of the Twin Peaks High School, Laura was seen as an exemplary and beloved member of the local community. But her sudden murder and the subsequent investigation brings many of the dark secrets surrounding her to light, revealing that behind her pretty, wholesome and seemingly perfect surface she was in reality a severely troubled and lonely young woman deeply embroiled both in Twin Peaks' seedy underbelly as well as the town's more strange and unearthly happenings.

Anti-Hero: In Fire Walk With Me. She's filled with nihilism and self-loathing, but nonetheless fights against BOB's attempts to corrupt her.
Berserk Button: Fire Walk With Me shows that even in her darkest moments of apathy and hedonism, the prospect of Donna being corrupted or coming to any sort of harm would bring her back around screaming and fighting.
Broken Bird: The biggest example in the whole series. Thanks to years of sexual abuse by her demonically possessed father, she ends up filled with self loathing and hatred, descending into drug addiction and prostitution in the process.
The Chosen One: The Return strongly hints that The Giant created her through some sort of indirect immaculate conception to suffer at the hands of BOB and die a martyr, or something similar anyway.
Cosmic Plaything: If the theory that Laura was designed by The Giant/????? to combat BOB by becoming a martyr and setting off a chain of events that lead to BOB's downfall is correct, then the poor girl literally had cosmic beings ensure that she was destined to be molested and killed.
Dark and Troubled Past: For several years before murdering her, at least since her mid-adolescence, Laura's father Leland had been molesting her while possessed by BOB.
Darker and Edgier: In the prequel movie, Fire Walk With Me, we see fairly little of her happy, well-adjusted public face.
Deuteragonist: Of the series as a whole, right next to Cooper. She takes the spotlight of the prequel movie, and has her own book, same as Coop.
Deadpan Snarker: Has shades of this, but is far less comedic than other examples.
Dysfunction Junction: Wow does it make sense why she went as wrong as she did.
Give Geeks a Chance: Even the timid, mentally fragile shut in Harold Smith managed to get a piece of Laura when they made out and almost had sex in Fire Walk With Me.
Go-Getter Girl: Laura subverts this as we get a glimpse of the darkness behind her seemingly perfect facade.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: Played with. Her blonde hair is one of the main attributes demonstrating that she is the most popular girl in town, and she tries to be sweet and wholesome, but she also has a major dark side.
Heroic BSoD: She suffers a major one in the prequel film when she finds out (or at least strongly suspects at the time) that BOB is possessing her dad, Leland.
Heroic Sacrifice: The Return puts a new spin on her death - she is The Chosen One and must die as a martyr to help the Black Lodge rein in BOB.
Hooker with a Heart of Gold: Laura Palmer was one of the prostitutes at One Eyed Jacks.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: Reconstructed. Is believed to have this after her murder, but Cooper unravels the altogether darkness side of her psyche — then Fire Walk With Me and The Return imply that, in spite of all the horror and despair in Laura's life, she still retained her strength and purity, which made her the perfect sacrifice for the Black Lodge.
It Sucks to Be the Chosen One: A backstory-heavy but highly cryptic sequence from The Return implies that this is her role that resulted in her murder.
Loved by All: When her body is found in the first episode, everyone in town is consumed with grief - even the crime scene photographer.
Missing White Woman Syndrome: Ending each episode with a still picture of her dressed as a prom queen was surely meant to evoke this.
- While the events that follow Laura's muder definitely follow some of the patterns of what's now called "missing white woman syndrome," that particular phenomenon wasn't identified until 2003, more than 10 years after Twin Peaks aired, so it isn't likely something the creators were trying to evoke.
Mr. Vice Guy: Laura Palmer turns out to have been involved in cocaine, prostitution, and demonic possession. She was still struggling valiantly to keep onto any semblance of normality and even her own humanity and soul until the very end.
Not Herself: At the end of The Return, Laura has been replaced by an identical stranger who may or may not actually be her. Cooper thinks she is and tries to bring her to the Palmer family house to fulfill her destiny as the Chosen One.
Parental Incest: BOB's main pleasure in possessing Leland seems to have been having him molest Laura.
Posthumous Character: We see her alive in Fire Walk With Me, but in the series proper she only shows up in recordings and flashbacks, but she is one of the most important characters in the Twin Peaks-verse nonetheless.
Promiscuity After Rape: She was raped by her father and she Really Gets Around.
Rape as Drama: Over and over again, at the hands of her own father, possessed by BOB.
Rape Leads to Insanity: Exaggerated and probably justified. While Laura's issues are obviously explained by her rape at the hands of her own father, this is depicted in Fire Walk With Me and The Return as being part of the intention behind her rape.
Really Gets Around: It's probably quicker to count up the characters in Twin Peaks at the time of Laura's murder who weren't in love with and/or sleeping with her. The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, she makes a list of the initials of 40 people (besides some strangers at orgies) and at that was before she was hired as a prostitute at One Eyed Jack.
Secret Sex Worker: Laura Palmer is the School Idol of her high school, so her little town of Twin Peaks is turned upside down when her body turns up wrapped in plastic, her having been murdered. Over the course of the series, you learn that hidden from her friends and family, Laura was a drug-addicted, Troubled Teen prostitute.
Sex Is Evil, and I Am Horny: Very much has this attitude, thanks to her screwed up idea of sexual relations.
Shipper on Deck: In The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, she's fine and even supportive of her boyfriend Bobby seeing Shelly Johnson.
Slowly Slipping Into Evil: Her story arc in Fire Walk With Me. She manages to save her soul, but not her life, at the end.
Stepford Smiler: Type A. She kept up a very good and wholesome image while her life and sanity was falling apart at the seems.
Strict Parents Make Sneaky Kids: And how. Leland is possessive of her due to abuse, and Laura has an entire well-hidden life because of it.
Teen Pregnancy: According to The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer. Laura found out that she was seven and a half weeks pregnant on her sixteenth birthday. She then had an abortion.
Trauma Conga Line: Her entire life is pretty much this, but especially her last week alive, where she witnesses a murder during a drug trade, nearly gets Donna raped, finds out that her father's been sexually abusing her all these years, and all of this capped off with her very brutal death.
Uncanny Family Resemblance: Sheryl Lee played both Laura and her cousin Madeline.

Leland Palmer

Played by: Ray Wise

The father of Laura Palmer, Leland is a well-respected lawyer in Twin Peaks.

After hearing the news of his daughter's murder, Leland suffers a nervous breakdown, leaving in him in shambles and only barely able to contain his extreme grief which always threatens to bust out at the slightest provocation.

At the beginning of season two, Leland awakens to find his hair has turned white. He becomes very upbeat, joyfully dancing and singing show tunes. However, it isn't long until he is arrested by Cooper and Truman, but is soon released due to being well-respected by the townsfolk.

Abusive Parents: He definitely isn't one himself, but he becomes one whenever BOB is in control of him, including forcing him to commit Parental Incest. Fire Walk With Me does however imply that there was an abusive aspect to Leland's personality all along, that BOB was able to latch on to and intensify.
Ambiguously Evil: How much control he has over his actions while under BOB's influence is left up to debate. The original series makes it seem like he's merely a vessel for BOB (and possibly Raised as a Host to be one) but later materials suggest Leland was already an abuser and BOB merely fed on it.
And I Must Scream: In The Return, an aged Leland appears to Cooper in the Black Lodge begging him to find Laura. This seems to imply that Leland's soul is trapped in the Black Lodge even after death.
Amoral Attorney: When he goes back to working for Ben Horne, it is quickly revealed that his speciality is advising Ben on how to Loophole Abuse his way out of paying taxes and how to whitewash his money.
Arch Nemesis Dad: The series leaves some ambiguity about the extent to which he ever intended to hurt Laura. Fire Walk With Me shows Laura realising the threat that Leland poses to her, and The Return goes as far to suggest this was intentional on the part of the Black Lodge, to enable Laura to defeat BOB in death.
Beware the Silly Ones: Starting in Season Two, he pivots from over-the-top grieving to wildly inappropriate dancing and singing. It's implied that the wackier he acts, the more of a hold BOB has over him.
Dance of Despair: Several times after the death of Laura, and increased by the fact that it also indicates BOB taking over him.
Demonic Possession: By BOB.
Driven to Suicide: In the altered timeline Cooper created by preventing Laura's murder at the end of The Return, Leland still dies, though under somewhat less dramatic circumstances. In February 1990, exactly one year after the mysterious disappearance of his daughter, he drives out to the White Tail Falls, where he parks his car and shoots himself. Werther BOB had any hand in it this time is ambiguous.
Dying as Yourself: BOB leaves his body moments before his death and Leland has a My God, What Have I Done? reaction.
Enemy Within: BOB, though Fire Walk With Me implies that he is more of a devil on Leland's shoulder.
Excessive Mourning: While Leland's grief over his daughter's death is understandable, it frequently goes so over-top that it crosses into the realm of the ridiculous, and some of the scenes he causes with his occasional breakdowns means that several townspeople can't help but make fun of him behind his back.
Fate Worse than Death: Not only was possesed by Bob, but after his death his soul appears to be trapped eternally within the Black Lodge in a similar manner to Cooper.
Happy Ending Override: In Season 2 as Leland is about to die and overcome with horror over his actions, Cooper tries to comfort him and tells him to Go into the Light towards what is implied to be the White Lodge. It seems to work on Leland as he apparently sees a vision of Laura and dies happy. Unfortunately in The Return Cooper see's an older Leland in the Black Lodge pathetically oblivious to Laura's fate.
Inelegant Blubbering: Frequently when he grieves over Laura.
Locked into Strangeness: His hair turns white after he murders Jacques Renault.
Once More, with Clarity: His sole appearance in the beginning of The Return replays towards the end of the series. His message to Cooper, "Find Laura" which originally seemed be the raving of a damned soul actually turns out to be Leland inspiring Cooper to go back and find Laura before she's killed.
Offing the Offspring: He killed Laura.
Parental Incest: Has been molesting Laura under BOB's influence since her early adolescence.
The Pollyanna: He becomes a weird, grown-up male version of this trope at the beginning of the second season after he's killed Jacques Renault and BOB has taken more complete control of him, which literally prevents him from staying upset about anything, including tragic events, for too long and to frequently break into singing and dancing.
More than Mind Control: There some hints, especially in Fire Walk With Me, that Leland's sexual abuse of Laura wasn't only down to BOB forcing Leland into doing it, but also that BOB was able to play on some repressed, dark urges already present in Leland.
My God, What Have I Done?: After BOB makes him bash his head and hangs him out to dry, Leland has this moment where he reveals to Cooper all of the horrible things BOB has made him do and his horror upon remembering that he killed and molested his own daughter.
Sanity Slippage: He starts off pretty reserved and somber after Laura's death, only to become increasingly over-the-top in his mourning process. And then we find out about the influence BOB's had on him.
Symbolic Baptism: dies while being showered with water from the police station's sprinkler, which leads to BOB vacating him long enough to have a Heel Realization.
Troubled Abuser: Especially in Fire Walk With Me, which implies that he was first abused by BOB as a child, which allowed BOB to take him over in order to rape Laura. It's played both supernaturally and straight.
Villainous Incest: He raped his own daughter, and more importantly, both Laura and Leland treat this as the worst and most evil thing he could do.
Walking Spoiler: He is after all the rapist and murderer of his own daughter.
White Hair, Black Heart: Leland's hair turning white is a sign that BOB has completely taken over.
You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: Once he's arrested, making him useless to BOB, BOB forces him to kill himself by smashing his head against a wall.

Sarah Palmer

Played by: Grace Zabriskie

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/hqdefault333.jpg

The wife of Leland Palmer and the mother of Laura Palmer.

The Alcoholic: Spends most of her time in The Return getting drunk and watching TV, with seemingly nothing else to fill out the day.
Big "NO!": Has a number of these reactions, not just over events in the series.
Broken Bird: Quite thoroughly in The Return. Considering all the shit she went through in the original, it's more than understandable.
Closer to Earth: While still very shattered by her grief over Laura's death, she is not nearly the complete wreck that Leland is. Subverted by the fact she missed her daughter was being sexually abused since puberty and had become a drug addicted prostitute.
Demonic Possession: Has either this or a Symbiotic Possession going on. It's not really clear who or what is possessing her, other than that she has a very tough and violent inhabiting spirit (implied to be JUDY) that becomes active when she's threatened.
Freak Out: Has one in the middle of a grocery store in The Return. She gets worse as it's revealed that not only is she an alcoholic, she is possessed by some kind of a demon, implied to be JUDY herself, and by the end of the series is desperately trying to destroy the series' iconic portrait of her daughter.
Grumpy Old Man: Female version. She's quite cold and rude to everyone in The Return, but it's pretty understandable considering the traumas she's suffered.
Head-in-the-Sand Management: Her ignorance to what was going on in her own household was tremendous.
Humanoid Abomination: All but confirmed in The Return. She takes her own face off, revealing a terrifying void behind it.
Hysterical Woman: As BOB taunts her.
Must Have Nicotine: Especially pronounced in Fire Walk With Me, where her ashtrays tends to be filled to the brim.
Donna: If I had a nickel for every cigarette your mom smoked, I'd be dead.
Not Herself: Possibly.
Outliving One's Offspring: She outlives Laura, of course. Exaggerated as she also outlives every other member of her family.
Parents as People: She seems to have been grossly ignorant of Laura's issues but was never malicious.
Psychic Dreams for Everyone: She is frequently haunted by visions of BOB and the Pale Horse.
The Scream: Completely breaks down when she discovers her daughter is dead.
Sanity Slippage: By the end of The Return, she is not only an alcoholic and possessed by JUDY but has been spiraling into an extended Freak Out that culminates in her trying to destroy a portrait of her late daughter. How much of this is her acting on her own is up to debate.

The Briggses

Garland Briggs

Major Garland Briggs

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Garland-Portal_3003.jpg

Played by: Don S. Davis

"There are powerful forces of evil in the world. It is some men's fate to confront great darkness. We each choose how to react. If the choice is fear, then we become vulnerable to darkness."

A high ranking member of the Air Force involved in UFO investigations, spiritualism, and the White Lodge. He is also Bobby Briggs' father.

Apocalyptic Log: The Secret History of Twin Peaks turns into this for him in its last chapter. The second to last entry has him describing his relief that Cooper has returned from the woods seemingly unscathed and he has asked sheriff Truman to tell Cooper to visit him once he recovers, before the entry cuts off with Briggs going down to greet Cooper who is ringing on his doorbell. The last entry has Briggs extremely worried, as Cooper was behaving very strangely during his visit. Briggs then writes that he needs to return to the listening post as quickly as possible, before the entry ends with "*M*A*Y*D*A*Y*"
The Apprentice: The Secrety History of Twin Peaks reveals that he was this to Douglas Milford, who handpicked him to be his successor as "the Watcher in the Woods".
Ascended to a Higher Plane of Existence: In The Return if William Hastings questionable testimony is anything to go by then Hastings entered the Black Lodge and witnessed the spirit of Briggs ascend into what is implied to be the White Lodge while mentioning the name Cooper several times.
Big Good: A mortal version of the trope like Cooper.
Broken Pedestal: While he admits that any government body, especially a secretive one, could become corrupt, the Major asserts that the classified information he deals with is for a noble cause. He quickly becomes disillusioned after realizing the Air Force has malicious plans for the White Lodge.
Bus Crash: Dies in a mysterious fire after meeting with Cooper's Double. The Final Dossier, however, implies that he was merely Faking the Dead, and actually died just before the Return proper began.
- An giant apparition of his head latter appears to Cooper in the Lodge saying "Blue Rose"
The Character Died with Him: Died in a fire some years prior to the Time Skip, as Don S. Davis sadly passed away in 2008.
Cool Old Guy: More like "Cool Middle-aged Guy", but close enough.
Conspiracy Theorist: Actually more so than Cooper. Though it might be a result of him being in on the (seemingly) Benevolent Conspiracy.
Incorruptible Pure Pureness: What more can you say about a man whose greatest fear is the "possibility that love is not enough"?
Hidden Depths: He's first presented as a stuffy, pig-headed disciplinarian whose attempts to run his family like a military unit haven't worked so well. It's later revealed that Major Briggs is probably the only man in Twin Peaks who knows what's really going on with the Black Lodge, and most of his later scenes show him to be not only one of the town's most intelligent residents but also one of its most selfless, decent and caring.
Narrator All Along: At the end of The Secret History of Twin Peaks he is revealed to be the mysterious "Archivist", the in-universe collector of the dossier the book is based on. It actually also brings Direct Line to the Author into play, as it becomes gradually obvious that Briggs might have had a better understanding of the mysterious things going in Twin Peaks than most people, but even his perspective is shown to be flawed, limited and riddled with blind spots, and it is apparent he is ultimately missing several pierces of the different puzzles and have misunderstood certain events, as some of his conclusions contradicts events seen in the series and at several points he starts blatantly speculating and guessing about several things.
Not So Stoic: His various kidnappings take a serious toll on his psyche, to the point of stammering and shaking.
Off with His Head!: In The Return the headless, vivisected corpse of a man identified as Major Briggs has apparently been popping up several times over the years with the Military covering it up. Tellingly it's Briggs' head that floats by Cooper in the Black Lodge.
Posthumous Character: Before he was killed by the Doppelganger, Briggs left instructions on how to enter the Black Lodge and coordinates that reveal the existence of two Coopers with his wife who passed it on to Sheriff Truman, Hawk and their son Bobby 25 years after Season 2. His legacy seems to be a key factor in the events of The Return.
Reasonable Authority Figure: Emotional distance and weird formality aside, he makes every effort to respect that his son chooses a very different life from him.
- During the first two seasons he works with a classified military project which monitors for potential extraterrestrial signals. When what is normally random radio noise suddenly shows Dale Cooper's name and a message, he deems it important enough that he breaches security and relays the information to Cooper.
Sharp-Dressed Man: Can't go wrong in a military uniform.
Spock Speak: One of the causes of the distance between himself and his son is just how bizarrely-eloquent he is.
Unstuck in Time: After Cooper's Double apparently murdered Briggs and burned his body, a mutilated corpse with his fingerprints has popped up several times over the past two decades. The most recent corpse had the coroner declare that the body had only been dead for a few days despite Briggs having died almost thirty years ago.
Working the Same Case: As Douglas Milford's apprentice, he was on the trail of the Black Lodge long before Truman and Cooper decided to look closer into to it.

Robert "Bobby" Briggs

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bobby_briggs.jpg

^{Click here} Twenty-five years later...

Played by: Dana Ashbrook

The captain of the Twin Peaks football team and a small time drug dealer. He's the son of Major Briggs and the boyfriend of Laura Palmer.

All Girls Want Bad Boys: Laura Palmer's last relationship is with him. Subverted in that she humiliated him by destroying his "bad boy" posturing, as next to her he was both weak and innocent.
Being Good Sucks: Has cleaned up his act by The Return but that has actually alienated him from his ex-wife and daughter.
Bigger Is Better in Bed: In Fire Walk With Me, he wastes no time bragging about his "pocket rocket" to Laura.
Crying After Sex: He cried after the first time he and Laura had sex. Laura mockingly laughed at him for it (though her secret diary reveals she did it deliberately because she was afraid of getting too close to him, and hated herself for it).
Fair Cop: Twenty five years after Season 2, Bobby has joined the Twin Peaks Sheriff's Department and his good looks have managed to stay intact in his older state.
Get-Rich-Quick Scheme: Spends most of his time coming up with these, and he's terrible at it.
Heel–Face Turn: Between Season 2 and The Return, he goes from a drug dealing punk to a cop who specifically catches the kind of criminal he once was.
I Am Not My Father: By a long shot. Ironically, he enters government work after his father's death.
Jerk Jock: An enormous ass in high school as well as the town's top football player.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He mellows out over the course of the show and the Time Skip.
Hypocrite: Cheats on Laura with Shelly, only to become enraged with James for having a relationship with her.
Large Ham: Bobby can be quite hammy when he gets emotional. Some of the best examples can be seen in the pilot episode when he's both accused and later questioned about possibly murdering Laura Palmer as well as in the fourth episode with his big AAAAAAMEEEEN!!! at Laura's funeral, and earlier in the same episode when his father implies that he's afraid of said funeral (specifically the last part of his response to that).
Bobby Briggs: AFRAID?!! I'M GOING TO TURN IT UP!!SIDE!!DOWN!!
- And let's not forget the scene where he dances backwards into the school hallway when talking to Laura in The Movie.
Like Father, Like Son: Ends up growing up into a Reasonable Authority Figure trying to look out for his wayward offspring, much like his own father.
The Lost Lenore: While he loves Shelly, he is utterly devastated by Laura's death and still cries thinking about her twenty-five years later.
Manly Tears: The sight of Laura Palmer's Homecoming Queen portrait in 2016 almost immediately brings him to tears.
Mr. Fanservice: He's very, very pretty.
Older and Wiser: By The Return, he's become a deputy helping protect Twin Peaks.
Rebellious Spirit: Very different from his wholesome parents. Until The Return.
Reformed, but Rejected: An odd example as Bobby's wife is implied to have left him because she found his new good guy attitude to be boring.
Smoking Is Cool: And as expected, his far more clean-cut father doesn't approve of it.
Straight Man: His Large Ham traits get downplayed when he starts working for Horne, most likely because Ben's Sanity Slippage is enough to give him pause.
Took a Level in Kindness: As the original series went on Bobby's good points were emphasized more and his relationship with his father get's a lot better. When he comes back in The Return he's a lot more mature and kinder than he was as a rebellious youth.
Wild Card: Screws up a number of really important criminal schemes by dangerous criminals as a teenager just by being that stupid.
Villain Protagonist: We follow a number of his petty crimes across the original run, which include drug dealing, welfare fraud and, in Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me murder. This stops with The Return, where he's become a Sheriff's deputy.

The Haywards

Donna Hayward

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/donna_h.jpg

^{Click here} Fire Walk With Me

Played by: Lara Flynn Boyle (TV show), Moira Kelly (Fire Walk With Me)

Laura Palmer's best friend and the daughter of the town doctor. She is romantically involved with James Hurley after Laura's death.

Brainy Brunette: Played with, or perhaps Informed Attribute: Donna is supposed to be smart, sweet, and levelheaded in contrast to Laura.
Dogged Nice Girl: For James. She starts to change with Character Development and James status as an Out of Focus character.
Driven by Envy: While Laura's best friend, it's clear she also wanted many things Laura had like James as well as a confident sexual persona.
Femme Fatale: Betrays her would-be lover in order to get the missing pages of Laura's diary.
Fallen Princess: Donna is seen as pure and innocent during the majority of the series, only to grow up to become an alcoholic and drug addicted fashion model, whose career is constantly overshadowed by fake news stories concerning her romantic life.
Girl Next Door: Donna is smart, charming, and pretty in the most sensible way, pure and innocent in stark contrast to Laura, who lives a double life as a wholesome homecoming queen and the darling of her parents and the residents in Twin Peaks, while also being addicted to cocaine and working as a prostitue. This later goes out the window when Donna begins wearing Laura's sunglasses, causing her to begin dressing in sexier outfits and behaving more like Laura. It's implied Laura knew this in the feature film, when she flips after seeing Donna with her jacket, screaming at her to never wear her clothes.
The Heart: One of the most emotional, heartfelt, and decent characters on the show. Sometimes.
Luke, I Am Your Father: In the season 2 finale, we find out that her biological father is actually Benjamin Horne.
Morality Pet: For Laura Palmer in the prequel movie and The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer.
Not Herself: At the beginning of season 2. It is implied that she (either subconsciously or because of the Twin Peaks' general weirdness) is somehow absorbing some of Laura's personality traits from wearing her sunglasses. An alternate interpretation is she's simply enjoying taking a walk on the (slightly) wilder side.
Only Sane Man: One of the most normal people in Twin Peaks, which makes her frequently confused and bewildered by events around her.
The Other Darrin: Moira Kelly in Fire Walk With Me was Lara Flynn Boyle's unpopular replacement.
The Scully: Donna has as many Lodge encounters as Agent Cooper but misreads them as mundane events.
Smoking Is Cool: Starting with season 2.
Star-Crossed Lovers: Donna imagines herself and James to be this but it's Subverted in the fact no one really seems to care at worst (except her boyfriend at the time) and many others actively support them.

Eileen Hayward

Played by: Mary Jo Deschanel

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/eileen.jpg

Donna's mother and the wife of Doc Hayward. She is paraplegic from an unknown accident.

Cut Short: We'll never know all the details of her relationship with Ben Horne. Even though they're pretty obvious.
Happily Married: Subverted. At least at one point during her marriage. It's true in the present day.
The Mistress: Ben Horne treats his relationship with Eileen far more seriously than he does his other affairs.
Parents as People: She's implied to be an excellent mother and Nice Girl who still had an affair that birthed Donna.
What the Hell, Hero?: Accepts, unlike everyone else, Ben Horne has changed. Unfortunately, is the one most keenly aware his attempts to change, specifically trying to start a relationship with his unknowning daughter, could destroy her family.

Harriet Hayward

Played by: Jessica Wallenfels

The Hayward's middle daughter, a snarky aspiring poet.

Adorably Precocious Child: Snarky in a funny little way, as well as willing to help her sister sneak out. Averted when she caves immediately to her father asking where Donna went to.
Demoted to Extra: Was only in two episodes of the show despite Donna's prominence.
Perky Goth: She first shows up in the 'Pilot' with a really short fuzzy haircut and dressed in all black clothes, but its very perky and funny, snarking up Donna and her father. Subverted later in the first episode of Season 2, where she wears lighter clothes and changed her hairdo.

Gersten Hayward

Played by: Alicia Witt

The Hayward's youngest daughter and a musical prodigy. Later Steven Burnett's extramarital girlfriend.

Adorably Precocious Child: A musical prodigy who is just damn adorable.
Closing Credits: She gets to interrupt Falling to play a boogie-woogie number on piano.
Demoted to Extra: Was only in one episode of the show despite Donna's prominence. Played straight in The Return as well where she doesn't get a speaking role but only shows up in a background shot.
The Mistress: Steven is cheating on his wife Becky with her in The Return.
She Is All Grown Up: In The Return, she's a rather tragic example as it's clear she never left Twin Peaks and dates scum like Steven.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Time has not served her well if she's hanging around with Steven in The Return.

William "Doc" Hayward

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/120px-DocHayward_2607.jpg

Played by: Warren Frost

Twin Peak's seeming only doctor who also serves as a makeshift coroner.

Actually Pretty Funny: Struggles to cover his laughter when Mayor Dwayne threatens to sue Lana for "death by sex".
The Cameo: In The Return he has a short appearance over Skype to talk to Sheriff Truman about the night that Cooper had returned to the lodge.
Cool Old Guy: One of the nicest and most decent people in Twin Peaks. He is as vital to solving Laura's murder as Sheriff Truman.
Closest Thing We Got: He has to step up as The Coroner, despite not being a forensic medical examiner — Twin Peaks isn't the kind of place that needs one — but he does alright.
Defeat Means Friendship: The resolution of his conflict with Ben Horne.
Generation Xerox: The Secret History of Twin Peaks reveals that his father, Dan Hayward, was the town doctor before him.
Nice Guy: The most decent person on the show after Cooper and Pete.
Not So Stoic: While he's generally a calm and reasonable man, he still has his limits, as demonstrated by his altercation with Albert early on, where he gets infuriated that Albert insists on keeping Laura's body for the upcoming funeral to perform an autopsy. He also, as per The Final Dossier, blows up at and nearly kills Ben Horne.... but then saves his life at the last minute.
Papa Wolf: He completely blows up at Ben Horne when he drives Donna to tears.
We Used to Be Friends: His confrontation with Ben, although he saves his life after nearly ending it and the relationship turns into one of Defeat Means Friendship.

The Hornes

Audrey Horne

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/166px-Audrey_009a_8271.jpg

^{Click here} Twenty-five years later...

Played by: Sherilyn Fenn

Daughter of Ben Horne, and seems to have made it her life's mission to act up and play the Femme Fatale. Has a crush on Cooper from the moment she sees him.

All Just a Dream: The ending of Part 16 (The Return) reveals that she has been in a coma for the duration of the season, and every scene involving her up to that point was just part of a dream.
- Played with. The Final Dossier clarifies that she had indeed been married to a boring accountant — probably Charlie — and the dream was based on her daily life up to that point.
Attention Deficit... Ooh, Shiny!: Mostly evident in the pilot and early episodes.
Attention Whore: It is heavily implied in the show that her parents, Sylvia and Ben, never pay any attention to her, due to Ben's involvement with One Eyed Jack's and his obsession with Laura Palmer, among other things. Sylvia blames Audrey for her brother, Johnny, being disabled, having accidentally pushed him down a flight of steps when she was only a toddler. Their ire for her causes Audrey to do things to get any attention from them, negative or otherwise.
Awful Wedded Life: Is openly cheating on her husband Charlie with another man and generally seems to hate how spineless and milquetoast he is.
Bratty Teenage Daughter: Justified. Ben is highly corrupt and most of Audrey's brattiness is attempting to shed the family name, but she can appear like this to him and the rest of her family.
Break the Haughty: Proudly manipulates her way into One-Eyed Jack's—and then, her experiences there hits her hard with the realization that she's in over her head, leading to her privately shedding tears and praying for Cooper to save her.
Broken Bird: Heavily implied to have become this in The Return.
Cloudcuckoolander: Mostly in the early episodes.
Daddy's Little Villain: Inverted — A majority of the time, her shenanigans are done to spite Ben, directly or indirectly. For a laugh in the earlier episodes, anyway.
Domestic Abuse: Is outright stated in The Final Dossier as abusive to Charlie.
Fate Worse than Death: The Final Dossier reveals that four years prior to the beginning of The Return, Audrey had some sort of mental breakdown and was admitted to some undisclosed sanatorium as a result. Her final appearance in The Return shows that she is still in that sanatorium, caught in an delusion which resembles her unhappy daily life up until the point she was committed, which was presumably what drove her mad in the first place.
Fille Fatale: She's eighteen, actually. But her sexuality is of the "playful/childlike" quality, and she's a lot younger than Cooper.
Femme Fatale: Loves to revel in the role, particularly for Cooper. As the first season progresses, we come to discover she's actually more of an Heroic Seductress, using her sexual antics to investigate and sabotage the corruption around her.
Generation Xerox: Becomes every bit as conniving as her father as the series goes on.
Good Bad Girl: Puts off a highlķy sexual airs, and generally acts pretty rebellious, but all in all she's quite moral, after all.
Hidden Heart of Gold: It's implied her rebellious attitude stems out of disgust at her father's corruption.
Lady Swears-a-Lot: Her first scene in The Return has her let loose on her husband Charlie.
Lonely Rich Kid: Cooper appears to be the first person she's truly opened up to in a while.
Lovable Alpha Bitch: Audrey can be cutting and sharp, especially to her peers like Donna, but she is obviously much kinder than she appears.
Mafia Princess: Ben is a corrupt hotelier, she is his only daughter.
Ms. Fanservice: Constantly goes out of her way to act "sexy"...down to showing up in Cooper's bed in one episode.
Raven Hair, Ivory Skin: Her whole aesthetic.
Rebellious Princess: Not actually royalty, but Ben's high position in Twin Peaks ensures that she fits this type anyway.
Seemingly-Wholesome '50s Girl: Inverted — she initially comes across as a stereotypical "bad" girl...but turns out to have a Hidden Heart of Gold.
Ship Tease: With Bobby in the second season although it doesn't go anywhere.
Smoking Is Cool: Although she seems to quit around the middle of the second season.
Stockholm Syndrome: In both The Return and The Final Dossier, she is mentioned to display and treasure a portrait of Dale Cooper. Let's not forget that his doppelganger sexually assaulted her in her sleep and gave her an unwanted child. And she's fully aware of it at that, and we never are told if she can tell between the Doppel Cooper and the real Cooper.....
Took a Level in Jerkass: As of The Return, it seems.
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: By the time of The Return Audrey has managed to retain her good looks but has found herself married to a man she openly loathes named Charlie who looks like a potato wearing glasses.^note
The Vamp: Deconstructed. Audrey dresses like one and tries to act like one, but we learn that she's a much softer, more immature version.

Benjamin Horne

Benjamin "Ben" Horne

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/224px-Twin_peaks_36_2797.jpg

Played by: Richard Beymer

The millionaire hotel owner of the Great Northern and a land developer who hopes to turn the town into a tourist resort. He is the father of Audrey Horne as well as owner of the One Eyed Jacks brothel and casino.

The Atoner: According to Tammy Preston in The Final Dossier, Ben has, by appearances, have become this in his twilight years; seemingly having turned into a sad old man who is considerably weighed down by and sincerely regrets the shady and dubious actions and decisions he has made throughout his life, now preferring to make overboard deals and trying desperately to make amends for his past transgressions, though in some cases it might be too late.
Authoritative in Public, Docile in Private: As a millionaire hotel owner, he is one of the richest and most powerful people in Twin Peaks. He also has a markedly submissive relationship with Catherine Martell that involves him kissing her feet and her behaving condescendingly towards him.
Big Eater: He and and Jerry are usually eating or drinking in their scenes throughout the original trilogy.
Becoming the Mask: Starts off using a conservation scheme to derail Catherine's real estate plans, but eventually takes it seriously and starts reflecting on the decisions of his past.
Cigar Chomper: Helps portray him as a corrupt businessman. He's even seen with a cigar during a flashback to his childhood. After his Heel Realization, he starts to light up another cigar and then decides to stub it out.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: Besides his legitimate company, which alone makes him the biggest business owner in Twin Peaks, he also got his finger in several more shady businesses, such as One-Eyed Jacks, and he is always plotting new ways to expand his business empire, usually through means that are extremely underhanded at best and outright illegal at worst.
Cut Himself Shaving: The official explaination for the headwound he incurred during a confrontation with an angry Doctor Hayward at the Hayward residence? He became suddenly lightheaded during a conversation with Doctor Hayward in the latter's living room, and, as a result, he fell over and hit his head on the nearby fireplace.
Death Glare: A pretty hilarious version. One episode has a scene of Ben's 27 year old son Johnny running around outside in his Native American headdress playing Cowboys & Indians and emitting a childish war cry. Cue a shot of Ben looking out the window staring daggers into his only male heir.
Defeat Means Friendship: The Final Dossier wraps up one of the second season cliffhangers: he is almost killed by Doctor Hayward, who treats Ben Horne himself after bludgeoning Ben to a pulp right after the end of the second season.
- Displays a similar attitude towards Cooper and the local Sheriff's Department early in the series, and remembers them fondly later in life.
Ephebophile: He slept with the teenage Laura Palmer.
Even Bad Men Love Their Mamas: He kisses his mother's image while watching the old film.
Even Evil Has Loved Ones: For all his manipulations, he genuinely cares for Audrey and is clearly proud of her when she asks to work in his department store.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Though both of them are somewhat maniacal, Ben acts by and large as the Responsible Sibling to Jerry's Foolish. Interestingly enough, The Final Dossier speculates that Ben and Jerry might have invoked this as a deliberate business strategy: Jerry is the "advance man" who scopes out potential costumers and business partners lures them in with his "life of the party" attitude, while Ben is the "closer", who puts on airs of being a legitimate, trustworthy and responsible businessman who makes the actual deals.
Good Feels Good: Deconstructed: when he starts to improve himself, Ben is clearly ecstatic to be doing the right thing for once. However, he doesn't take into the account the feelings of the people around him. For example, revealing to Donna that he's her father may have been "right" but it completely tears apart her family in the season two finale.
Good Costume Switch: Wears what is very much an overdressed high powered 80s yuppie wardrobe in the original series, but has toned it down significantly by The Return.
Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: He usually smokes cigars, signifying his role as a Corrupt Corporate Executive. After his Heel–Face Turn in the second season, he seems to switch to celery stalks and carrots.
Handsome Lech: Has relationships with a large number of women in addition to the many prostitutes in his employ he sleeps with. Would be The Casanova if not for the fact Ben is prone to corny oddball behavior (much like other Twin Peaks residents) and barely disguises his sleazier elements.
Kick the Dog: Refusing to send money to his wife after her grandson robbed her came off as rather cruel for a man who's mostly changed his ways.
Large Ham: Especially in the middle-to-later episodes when things start to fall apart for him, which causes him to get much more dramatic and uncomposed, but especially so in the episodes after he has a complete breakdown and starts acting and dressing like General Robert E. Lee. Even before that though, he fits the subtler variety of ham pretty well. His speech patterns can best be compared to that of Lionel Luthor from Smallville, in that both of them put emphasis on any words and parts of their lines that they feel are important.
Luke, I Am Your Father: Revealed in the season 2 finale to be Donna's father.
Not So Above It All: Especially prevalent in season 1 where Ben is a more serious and sinister character than most other Twin Peaks residents. He's not above his own bit of odd behaviors such as when his brother introduces him to baguettes or when Leland comes in singing and he and Jerry break out the celebratory dance moves.
Pet the Dog: When his daughter is taken hostage, Ben sends Cooper to make the drop, fully intending for him to die per the hostage negotiator's orders. He does also send Hank to follow them and while he wants Hank to bring back his money as well, Ben places the greater importance on his daughter's safety.
Power Dynamics Kink: He has a relationship of this kind with Catherine Martell, which involves him kissing her feet and her replying to his compliments with sarcastic quips. Exaggerated when he's accused of murder and arrested, and she visits him in the jail. She takes off her shoe, and he kisses her foot, pleading her to confirm his alibi.
Sharp-Dressed Man: In contrast to the retro-'50s style that most of the town dresses in, Ben favors '80s patterned ties and double-breasted suits.
Smug Snake: Ben Horne is more intelligent than most of Twin Peaks criminals but he's brought low by Cooper and Truman.
Took a Level in Kindness: He starts the show as a manipulative businessman and cheating husband who exploited the girls at One-Eyed Jack's for his personal enjoyment. Twenty-five years later, he openly criticizes Jerry for lusting after his married secretary and is clearly uncomfortable when Jerry points out that "never used to stop you".
- In The Secret History of Twin Peaks the Archivist notices that the shock of Audrey getting seriously injured in the bank explosion, caused a subtle, but profound change in Ben's behavior and outlook, leading him to gradually become a better and more caring person.
Used to Be a Sweet Kid: Until he inherited his family's company.
Villain Decay: You don't get much lower than an extended plotline where you think you're General Lee.
Villainous Breakdown: Several episodes in the making, but he finally goes well and truly off the rails when he loses One-Eyed Jack's.
What Have I Become?: He asks himself this a few times, only to shrug it off again. It seems to finally have stuck after Audrey got seriously injured in the bank explosion.

Jerry Horne

Jeremy "Jerry" Horne

Played by: David Patrick Kelly

Ben Horne's sleazy brother. He actually doesn't have too big of a role in the show, but he occasionally helps Ben with his schemes.

Annoying Younger Sibling: Has become this to Ben by The Return, which is hilarious as they're both over sixty.
Big Eater: He fell in love Brie-on-baguette sandwiches when he went to Paris on a business trip for Ben. He brings home no less than four of them and insists that Ben try one. As a rule, he winds up developing a taste for at least one exotic or unusual dish from every foreign country he's been to, and likes to tell people about them in great detail.
- His first scene features Jerry bringing giant subway sandwiches for him and Ben to gobble down in the middle of a family dinner. He is almost always snacking on something in each of his scenes.
- With the legalization of marijuana in Washington State, Jerry's taken to producing and selling his own edibles. His first scene in the third season introduces him chowing down on his own recipe for cannabis banana bread.
Casanova Wannabe: Jerry, like his brother, is obsessed with women but unlike Ben doesn't seem able to get any love that isn't paid for.
Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Already showed shades of this in the original series, but as of the return has seemingly become one of the loopier residents of Twin Peaks, doubtless due to his implied heavy use of weed.
Dragon with an Agenda: Downplayed. When Ben starts losing his mind, Jerry considers using the situation to his advantage by going ahead with his own ventures until Audrey puts a stop to it. In spite of this Jerry is still concerned about his brother's mental health and is quite happy when he recovers.
Dumbass Has a Point: Jerry isn't a very good lawyer, Coop notes he failed the Bar exam twice and graduated last in his class, but the advice he gives Ben when he's arrested for Laura's murder is pretty sound (and his big plan is to get his brother a better lawyer). Mainly he keeps trying to stop Ben from yammering on and insulting everyone because he's just making himself look guilty, and everything he's saying can and will be used against him in court. Even when he gives the ultimatum: charge Ben or let him go... which results in them charging him; Jerry isn't in the wrong because that's just what the police have to do anyway.
- In The Return Jerry also notes that he's making three times what his brother does with the Great Northern hotel as a legal marijuana grower. It should be noted Ben is a millionaire.
Erudite Stoner: Twenty five years after Season 2 he seems to have become one. By 2016, Jerry not only appears to be taking advantage of Ben's investment in the medical marijuana industry but his new favorite food is marijuana infused banana bread.
- In The Final Dossier, the "erudite" part is expounded on further: it is revealed that he is fluent in four languages and has a past as a bohemian socialite.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: Though both of them are somewhat maniacal, Jerry acts by and large as the Foolish Sibling to Ben's Responsible. Interestingly enough, The Final Dossier speculates that Ben and Jerry might have invoked this as a deliberate business strategy: Jerry is the "advance man" who scopes out potential costumers and business partners lures them in with his "life of the party" and "funny guy" attitude, while Ben is the "closer", who acts as the legitimate businessman and makes the deals.
Insane Troll Logic: In addition to this being his main style of legal argumentation, Jerry once sought a special-exception prescription for cannabis..... to treat an addiction to cannabis.
Keet: Jerry tends to get very enthusiastic when he discovers something he finds new and exciting, usually some kind of food, dresses in colorful clothes, and is notably more animated and active in how he moves than his more subdued brother.
Know When to Fold 'Em: When Ben is falsely accused of Laura Palmer's murder, he seeks legal counsel from Jerry first. The first and only advice Jerry offers Ben is literally that he should find himself a better lawyer as quickly as possible.
Marijuana Is LSD: In The Return, either he actually took some acid or he found himself a strain of marijuana that's powerful enough to hallucinate his foot talking to him. Either that or his leg has been possessed by one of the demons living in the woods. The latter is entirely possible and probably the likeliest explanation.
- Loosely justified in The Final Dossier: he was experimenting with new strains that have a.... shall we say, very different effect from the normal stuff.
Number Two: Of all Ben's associates, Jerry's the one who Ben confides in. Jerry acts as Ben's co-conspirator, and he's the one taking international trips to secure investors.
Odd Friendship: With Lawrence Jacoby, due to their common interest in cannabis. Tammy Preston notices in her report on him that Jacoby, by all appearances, is Jerry's Only Friend outside of the Horne family.
Shadow Archetype: To his brother. He publicly displays all the traits Ben attempts to hide behind his everyday mask of sophistication, from flamboyance and quirkiness, up to womanizing and underhanded and aggressive business manners. This also shown in more obvious ways; where Ben is a Sharp-Dressed Man who favors muted colors in his wardrobe, Jerry seems to attempt to always be dressed as bombastically as possible.
Smug Snake: Is a villain in the fact he's a less effective and dumber version of his brother.
The Stoner: In The Return, where he now runs a legal marijuana dispensary and seems to be almost constantly high. By 2016, he greatly resembles the type of bearded, spaced out older guy you'd find at a Phish concert.
Sunglasses at Night: Wears these in The Return as part of his new stoner persona.
Toxic Friend Influence: As detailed under Shadow Archetype, Jerry embodies and brings out Ben's worst traits. During the Time Skip, Ben seems to have cut Jerry out of both the hotel business and most of his personal life, in his efforts at self-improvement.
- By The Return their relationship has settled into a stable but strained relationship where Jerry regularly shows up to bother a visibly annoyed Ben.

Johnny Horne

Played by: Robert Davenport and Robert Bauer

Audrey's mentally handicapped brother.

Inadequate Inheritor: It is clear that Ben expected his sole son to take over the family business, and it disappoints him to no end that Johnny really is in no condition to do so.
Manchild: As brought on by his condition. At the start of the series Johnny is "27 going on 6."
Security Blanket: His Native American chief's headdress. Dr. Jacoby is able to convince him to take it off for Laura's funeral, but it takes much coaxing.
Wallbonking: By the time of "The Return" this is what you risk whenever you let Johnny out.

The Hurleys

"Big" Ed Hurley Jr.

Played by: Everett McGill

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/bigednewpic.jpg

A local mechanic and junk dealer trapped in an unhappy marriage. He is James Hurley's uncle and Nadine's husband. He's in an adulterous relationship with Norma Jennings.

Awful Wedded Life: Ed loves Nadine but in a manner which makes it clear his marriage is miserable.
Childhood Sweetheart: To Norma.
Closer to Earth: He's incomparably more sensible and down to earth than his wife Nadine.
Henpecked Husband: He may not have it as bad as Pete, but he still gets his share of beleaguerment from Nadine and her antics.
Love Triangle: Is part of one of the central ones in the show with it briefly becoming a love square.
Mr. Fixit: Ed is noted to be quite the talented mechanic. In The Secret History of Twin Peaks, it is noted that his main childhood hobby was taking apart toasters and vacuum cleaners and then putting them back together again; in perfect working condition no less. Deputy Hawk writes that already in his teenage years, Ed could put a Volkswagen together blindfolded.
Multiple-Choice Past: Either married Nadine because Norma Jennings had married Hank Jennings while he was in Vietnam or because he put out Nadine's eye accidentally during a hunting expedition.
- The Secret Story of Twin Peaks kind of merges these two stories, by stating that Hank did indeed steal Norma away through manipulation while Ed was in Vietnam. Ed, depressed over having lost Norma, ended up marrying Nadine in a spur-of-the-moment decision, but very quickly came to regret it, resulting in him increasingly isolating himself from Nadine to go on hunting trips by himself. Nadine eventually grew suspicious of Ed, thinking that he was away all the time due to an affair with another woman, and decided to covertly follow him on one such hunting trip, which ended with Ed accidentally shooting her eye out. Before all of that Ed was actually planing to divorce Nadine, but after the hunting accident he felt so terrible over what he had that he inadvertently done to her, that he decided to stay with her out of deep guilt.
Nice Guy: A Bookhouse Boy and doting uncle to James Hurley.
Questionable Consent: Sleeps with Nadine when she thinks she's seventeen. Of course, he does so mostly out of fear of her strength.
The Quiet One: So quiet and slow to move on his feelings that Hawk believes it'll take him decades to get back with Norma in "The Secret History of Twin Peaks".
Will They or Won't They?: Throughout many episodes, it's very clear that he and Norma still have strong feelings for one another, but due to ending up with different people, they are constantly conflicted about whether acting on their feelings is the right thing to do. Later in the second season, they start getting much closer again when they drift further apart from Hank and Nadine respectively because of newer developments such as Hank going back to jail and Nadine falling in love with Mike Nelson. By Episode 15 of the Return, they finally do get engaged after Nadine gives Ed permission.

James Hurley

Played by: James Marshall

Big Ed's nephew and the youngest member of the Bookhouse Boys. James is a biker teen who lives with Ed and Nadine instead of his parents, who, he tells people, died in a car accident, and was in a secret relationship with Laura Palmer before her death.

Badass Biker: James is always wearing a leather jacket, Cool Shades, and riding his motorcycle, and he has a somewhat tragic and individualistic demeanor. He's generally seen as a cool rebel by other characters. Because of this, he frequently has encounters with the police, and is often a top suspect for crimes he didn't commit. Eventually he leaves town to Walk the Earth just like the great '50s bikers.
Disco Dan: Through his leather jacket, love for biking, and guitar playing, he seems to be a '50s greaser kid about 30 years too late. Downplayed as the entire town of Twin Peaks is rather behind the times in most areas.
The Ditz: Almost astonishingly stupid. As Laura Palmer says in one of her tapes, "James is sweet, but he's so dumb." The Secret History of Twin Peaks states more or less outright that he does have a learning disability of some sort.
The Drifter: Becomes one of these at the end of the original series when he is Put on a Bus.
Dull Surprise: James never seems to have much of a reaction to anything even when he is stunned or heartbroken.
Generation Xerox: A non-parent example with Ed, whom he views as a father figure. James has a similar outlook on life to his uncle, as well as a similar love for tinkering and anything with an engine. It becomes more obvious in the second season when he falls for Evelyn's ploy and fixes "her car."
Genius Ditz: He may be gullible and somewhat socially inept, but he is a fantastic musician and very good with machines, a trait that he seems to have inherited from his uncle.
Good Is Dumb: He's a good person, but very gullible. The Secret History of Twin Peaks expands more on this, as Deputy Hawk calls James "a nice kid," but notes that that he is often Late to the Punchline and had difficulty in school.
Likes Older Women: If his affair with the 30-something Evelyn March is any indication...
- In The Return he's gone the other way and is now pining after a woman younger than himself.
Morality Pet: For Laura Palmer in the prequel movie.
Never Learned to Read: Downplayed. The Secret History of Twin Peaks reveals that while he can read, his skills lacks way behind his age. Deputy Hawk describes how Big Ed had to struggle pretty hard even get him to that point, and latter sarcastically adds that even into his teens, James' favorite book is still Charlotte's Web.
Nice Guy: One of the kindest people in the show.
Put on a Bus: Leaves the town of Twin Peaks midway through season 2, then leaves the show altogether to wander the country after his disastrous affair with Evelyn. Until The Return.
Rule-Abiding Rebel: Aside from the fact he drives a motorcycle, he is far nicer than Bobby (a man sleeping with a married woman while dealing drugs) and appreciated by some people in his community (Sherrif Truman, Dr. Hayward), yet is considered the outlaw of the two.
Shout-Out: Possibly one to James Dean's character in Rebel Without A Cause, as he somewhat resembles him in style and shares the name. In contrast, he's not much of a rebel.
Star-Crossed Lovers: Has this sort of relationship with Laura Palmer. Averted with Donna as she has no opposition from her parents who can tell James is a Nice Guy.
The Bus Came Back: Returns in a brief scene in The Return's first episode, and then comes back again to play a small but important role in the second half of The Return.
The Quiet One: Much like his uncle Ed. Shelly notes he's gotten even more quiet after his accident during the Time Skip.
Troubled, but Cute: Seems to be from the wrong side of the tracks but is, otherwise, supportive and kind.
Vocal Dissonance: In two separate ways:
- His speaking voice is deeper than his youthful, gangly appearance would expect, but...
- When performing his original song "Just You," he sounds like a woman.

Nadine Hurley

Played by: Wendy Robie

The one-eyed, drape-obsessed housewife of Big Ed Hurley.

Badass Normal: She may not be connected to the supernatural ongoings in Twin Peaks, but her Super-Strength and overall athleticism come in handy from time to time.
Big Damn Heroes: She saves Ed when Hank tries to kill him.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Nadine is a strange woman. Even with her paranoia, mood swings, thinking she was a teenager for a season, and attentiveness to conspiracy theories, Nadine's got quite a lot going for her. She's incredibly strong because of her training regiment, she's managed to make a business out of her drape ideas, and reveals that she knew Ed and Norma were having an affair, ultimately letting him go to her because he loved Norma over her.
Conspiracy Theorist: Seems to be Doctor Jacobi's biggest fan in The Return.
Cloudcuckoolander: Doesn't even begin to describe her!
Driven to Suicide: At the end of season 1, she tries to overdose on pills out of depression when she can't sell any of of her cotton balls since not many people are interested in silent drape-runners, which she had just created with them, hoping they would make her and Ed rich. Thankfully though, it only sends her into a coma, which she awakens from a few episodes later.
Does Not Know Her Own Strength: When she awakens from her coma, she sees herself as a dainty teenager, but still has all her previous strength and athleticism from her adult life.
Earn Your Happy Ending: During the decades long interval between Season 2 and The Return it seems that Nadine has accomplished her dream of opening a successful silent drape business, Run Silent, Run Drapes.
Eyepatch of Power: Her most prominent physical feature, which goes great with her extreme physical strength. She lost her eye due to a hunting accident when a shot pellet fired by Ed went right into it.
Fiery Redhead: Was subject to wild mood swings and had super-strength.
Genki Girl: Post-coma in season 2, when she thinks that she's a teenager.
I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: After some self realization and some help thanks to Dr. Amps' show, she decided to let go of Ed and give him her blessing to be with Norma.
Large Ham: Overreacts to the smallest things and is dramatic about everything from cheerleading to silent drapes.
Selective Obliviousness: A variant after her coma. She admits that she knows about Ed and Norma's interest in each other and doesn't mind... as Ed and Norma are naked, in bed with each other. Right in front of her.
Super-Strength: She can effortlessly hurl a full-grown man over a whole sports field.
Womanchild: A justified example. For some strange reason, she awakens from her coma near the beginning of season 2 thinking she's still a teenager in high school, and therefore, has the mindset of and acts like one. She gets better when a sandbag falls on her head in the final episode of the season.
Waif-Fu: She's certainly not built like someone of her strength at all. As Dr. Jacoby points out, "that tissue's packed in there pretty hard".

The Jenningses

Hank Jennings

Played by: Chris Mulkey^{Dubbed by}

A ex-Bookhouse Boy and Twin Peaks most dangerous criminal. He is the recently paroled husband of Norma Jennings.

Amulet of Concentrated Awesome: His domino key-chain.
Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Hank Jennings, unlike Leo, was actually quite good at keeping up an Affably Evil front and pretending at a Heel–Face Turn. This did not last.
Bullying a Dragon: Hank has this attitude as he's incapable of treating anyone who he has momentary advantage of as anything other than garbage. This includes very dangerous people like Josie Packard and Ben Horne. Ironically, it's his wife that proves to be the most dangerous dragon he bullies.
Bus Crash: The Secret History of Twin Peaks reveals he was fatally wounded in prison by a Renault relative.
Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: To the point it actually serves as Hank Jenning's Fatal Flaw. Hank turns on every single person he makes cause with as soon as something better comes along. The Bookhouse Boys, Josie, Ben Horne, Ernie, and more. As such, when his patron in Jean Renault is taken down, he's left with absolutely no one to turn to.
The Dragon: To several villains throughout the series.
Fallen Hero: Used to be a Bookhouse Boy. Truman grew up with him and thought he was one of their best, until he ended up in prison.
Faux Affably Evil: He's friendly enough in casual conversation when he's working at the diner... but as soon as people turn their backs, he lets his distaste for his customers slip. He also can't hide his dark side from his wife for long.
Karmic Death: As per The Secret History of Twin Peaks as he betrayed most of the town for Jean Renault, only to have the Renault family blame him for his death. They killed him in prison.
Loser Son of Loser Dad: The Secret History of Twin Peaks states that the town of Twin Peaks had viewed the Jenningses as losers and troublemakers for a long time, and that Hank was faced with plenty of mistrust already in his youth due to this. Notably, Hank's grandfather, Einer, was "amongst the leading candidates for town drunk" and his father, Emil, had already in his youth complied quite a rap sheet of various petty crimes and would eventually end up dying from passing out drunk in his bathtub and drowning.
Might as Well Not Be in Prison at All: Had a very large number of contacts within the criminal underworld so that his prison stays were very comfortable. Subverted on his return when, according to The Secret History of Twin Peaks, he was killed by the Renault family.
Redemption Equals Death: He attempted this, according to The Secret History of Twin Peaks. Knowing that he's pretty much doomed in prison, he wrote a full confession of his crimes and completely apologizes for betraying the trust of his friends and family. Its never made clear if anyone bought it.
Relationship Sabotage: Hank had desired Norma throughout high school, despite her and Big Ed being very much in love with each other. When Big Ed went overseas for military service during the Vietnam War, Hank saw an opportunity to throw a kink in his and Norma's relationship, and took up a job at the Twin Peaks post office, and made sure that neither party saw any of the mail they attempt to send each other. With Norma thoroughly saddened that Ed never seemed to respond to any of her letters, Hank could then make his move and play the role as the nice, understanding friend with the shoulder to cry on.
Smug Snake: While introduced as a much more dangerous criminal than Leo, he quickly found himself outsmarted at every turn.
Then Let Me Be Evil: The Secret History of Twin Peaks implies this. The Jennings family was mostly seen as drunks and losers in the Twin Peaks community, but Hank seemed for most of his adolescence to work hard at shaking off this reputation, even becoming a somewhat popular player on the local football team. The turning point seems to have been the team losing an important match, which was blamed on Hank. The event seems to have convinced him that he was never going to be accepted in the community no matter how hard he tried, as soon there after he began slumping on his school work and instead started doing various odd jobs for Ben Horne, and the rest is history.
Toxic Friend Influence: He brings his former cellmate back into the criminal life within hours of meeting him, despite the man having found himself in a very cushy position as well as possessing no desire to return to crime.
The Worf Effect: He's introduced taking down Leo Johnson, one of the show's most brutal criminals at the time, to establish himself as a badass. This quickly turns on him when it's he who get's his ass handed to him to establish the strength of other characters like Mr. Kumagai or Nadine.

Norma Jennings

Played by: Peggy Lipton

The long-suffering owner of the Double R Diner and lover of Big Ed Hurley. The wife of Hank Jennings.

Berserk Button: Being treated with disrespect, whether by Ed, Hank, or her mother.
Big Sister Instinct: She feels extra obligated to protect and help her half-sister Annie any way she possibly can, due to Annie having had quite the rough childhood and youth and being rather emotionally fragile as a result.
Childhood Sweetheart: To Ed.
Cool Big Sis: She acts as one towards Shelly Johnson, and is a literal one to Annie Blackburn.
Disproportionate Retribution: Breaking all ties with her mother over a bad review. Justified as it was the straw that broke the camel's back after a lifetime of neglect.
The Dog Bites Back: Hank Jennings really shouldn't have crossed her.
Fanservice with a Smile: She is played by Peggy Lipton after all.
Greasy Spoon: Runs her own diner.
Hair of Gold, Heart of Gold: One of the most loving and sympathetic characters in the show, she has distinctive blonde hair.
Insecure Love Interest: According to The Secret History of Twin Peaks, this was part of the reason she and Ed never got together in their teens.
The Mistress: Is unhappily one of these to Big Ed due to his unwillingness to leave Nadine.
Parental Substitute: Gradually morphs into this for Shelly and her daughter by the time of The Return since Shelly remains as mature as she was during the original series.
Parental Neglect: She's estranged from her mother due to Mrs. Jennings' commitment to her job over Norma. When she makes it clear that she considers Norma "overly emotional" about the matter, Norma cut ties with her completely.
Will They or Won't They?: Throughout many episodes, it's very clear that she and Ed still have strong feelings for one another, but due to ending up with different people, they are constantly conflicted about whether acting on their feelings is the right thing to do. Later in the second season, they start getting much closer again when they drift further apart from Hank and Nadine respectively because of newer developments such as Hank going back to jail and Nadine falling in love with Mike Nelson. By Episode 15 of the Return, they finally do get engaged.

The Johnsons

Leo Johnson

Played by: Eric Da Re

The abusive husband of Shelly Johnson and the local drug dealer.

Asshole Victim: The Final Dossier features Albert Rosenfeld's autopsy report, in which he repeatedly opines that Leo's death was an unqualified good thing.
Autopsy Report: "It's not often I'm tempted to begin one of these things by saying "he made the world a better place by taking early retirement" but in his case I'm willing to make an exception."
The Atoner: Sort of; despite his horrible treatment of Shelly, Leo shows obvious concern when Windom Earle states that he might kill her, and later tries multiple times to stop Earle's plans. His poor mental state doesn't allow him to do much, but he does manage to free Major Briggs so that the latter could help Shelly.
Ax-Crazy: He takes this trope to a literal degree when he awakens from his coma in the middle of season 2 and the first thing he tries to do is murder Shelly with an ax.
Barbarian Longhair: He's the only male character who has a ponytail and he's an unlikeable thug.
The Brute: A violent thuggish man who abuses his wife and intimidates everyone around him. Except Hank Jennings.
Butt-Monkey: In the second season.
Crazy Jealous Guy: When he finds out that Shelly has been having an affair with Bobby, he tries to murder both of them even though he generally treats Shelly horribly and doesn't really give her a reason to love him to begin with.
Convenient Coma: Well, he does clearly have some brain damage, but it's only convenient for some, who would have preferred him dead.
Cruel and Unusual Death: The Final Dossier confirms what his last on-screen appearance clearly implied, namely that Leo met his end at the hands of Windom Earle. It also reveals that Windom took his sweet time to finish off the poor bastard; according to the autopsy report on Leo's body by Albert, Leo was eventually killed by five shots, four non-lethally close to the heart and a fifth straight in it to finish him off.
Hate Sink: Leo is a drug dealer, domestic abuser, and all around jerkass. Viewers will loathe him.
Jerkass: You will want to punch his punchable face.
Mean Character, Nice Actor: Madchen Amick (Shelly) in an interviewed described Eric Da Re as "really sweet" and admitted she had trouble remembering to be afraid of him.
Red Herring: Despite his sadism, violence, frequent cold-blooded killing and being present at the scene of her murder, Leo did not kill Laura Palmer.
Redemption Equals Death: Releases Major Briggs from captivity so he can warn Shelly. Windom Earle leaves him in a situation he's highly unlikely to have survived.
Villain Decay: Leo has the bad luck of being the absolute middle man. Terrifying to the teenagers who are dabbling, easily manipulated by the real powers in Twin Peaks.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Season 2 ends with Leo using his teeth to hold a cage full of poisonous spiders above his head via a contraption. Eric Da Re did not come back for The Return. His fate is at last revealed in The Final Dossier, where it turns out that he was tortured and killed by Windom Earle.
The Worf Effect: Hank Jennings easily beats him up and intimidates him into submission. Windom Earle does the same.

Shelly Johnson

Shelly McCauley Johnson/Briggs

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/shelly_johsnon.PNG

Played by: Mädchen Amick

A waitress at the Double R diner and wife to Leo. Later, she married Bobby Briggs.

All Girls Want Bad Boys: Though she seems to be getting better with each try, from the downright abusive Leo, to the unstable and short-tempered Bobby, to... Gordon Cole. In the Return, her and Bobby are Amicable Exes and is strongly indicated that their relationship fell part because Bobby cleaned up his act and got a respectable job, and that Shelly simply lost interest in him due to him graduating from "bad boy" to responsible adult. Instead, Shelly is shown to now have a thing for Red, a shady guy involved in the drug trafficking conspiracy with Renaults and Richard Horne.
Amicable Exes: As revealed in The Return, she and Bobby got married... and it didn't last, though she still carries his last name and they still seem to get along, at least where their daughter is concerned.
Author Appeal: She kisses Gordon Cole, played by David Lynch himself. Cue Funny Moment when her boyfriend, Bobby, comes in.
Bobby: What the hell is going on?!
Gordon Cole: YOU ARE WITNESSING A FRONT THREE-QUARTER VIEW OF TWO ADULTS SHARING A TENDER MOMENT. (to Shelly) Acts like he's never seen a kiss before.
Dale Cooper: Uh, Gordon...
Gordon Cole: (to Bobby) TAKE ANOTHER LOOK, SONNY! IT'S GONNA HAPPEN AGAIN.
Domestic Abuse: Her husband forces her to do all the chores, has physically abused her on multiple occasions, and is deeply jealous.
Fanservice with a Smile: Works as a waitress in Norma's diner.
Ms. Fanservice: Not as much as Audrey, but she has her moments. And being played by Mädchen Amick doesn't hurt.
Parents as People: In The Return. She adores her daughter and is always ready to provide emotional or financial support. But her tendency to lean towards bad boys results in Shelly abandoning Becky, right after promising to spend the night after Becky's shooting spree. Bobby and Becky's dumbfounded expressions indicate this wasn't an unusual moment.
Shipper on Deck: For Ed and Norma, it seems as she smiles when they kiss in The Return Part 15.
Smoking Is Cool: Though in her case, with her stress load, it makes sense.
Sympathetic Adulterer: Usually very friendly and largely means well (not to mention that Leo is an abusive husband and not faithful himself).

The Martells

Catherine Martell

Catherine Martell, né Packard

Played by: Piper Laurie

The wife of Pete Martell and accountant at the Packard Lumber Mill.

All Girls Want Bad Boys: Is having an affair with Ben Horne.
Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Despite often holding Pete in contempt and regarding him as a "soft, old fool", her planting a big, wet, long kiss on him when she reveals herself to him in her Mr. Tojamura disguise, shows that she does have some genuine affection for him.
- The Secret History of Twin Peaks also reveals that she has disappeared from the public eye and become a recluse following Pete's death, implying that losing him really did hit her very hard.
Big Bad Wannabe: Catherine isn't nearly as on the ball as she thinks since Ben Horne and Josie Packard both run rings around her.
Corrupt Corporate Executive: She gives Ben Horne a serious run for his money.
Evil Redhead: Piper Laurie was told to basically camp it up like a soap opera villainess.
Faking the Dead: She seemingly is killed when Leo burns down the mill, but her body is never found. She later returns in disguise as a Japanese businessman named Mr. Tojamura as ploy to trick Ben.
Fiery Redhead: Is an attempted murderer, schemer, and extremely fierce.
Latex Perfection: Her Mr. Tojamura disguise.
Manipulative Bitch: Downplayed slightly. While she constantly schemes, she doesn't necessarily get very far with them. Ben even recognized her "Mr. Tojamura" persona instantly in the second season.
Mean Boss: Fires a guy in the pilot because he happened to be standing there when she was really pissed off.
Power Dynamics Kink: She has a relationship of this kind with Ben Horne, which involves him kissing her feet and her replying to his compliments with sarcastic quips. Exaggerated when he's accused of murder and arrested, and she visits him in the jail. She takes off her shoe, and he kisses her foot, pleading her to confirm his alibi.
Sweet Polly Oliver: When she poses as Mr. Tojamura.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Catherine's life post season 2 is left up in the air. The Secret History of Twin Peaks states she sold the mill and became reclusive after her brother and husband died. Piper Laurie was perfectly willing to come back for The Return but Frost and Lynch ultimately couldn't find a way to write her character in.
Yellow Face: When she's posing as Mr. Tojamura.

Pete Martell

Played by: Jack Nance

The Packard Lumber Mill manager and a fishing enthusiast. He's the one who discovered Laura Palmer's body. He is also a chess grandmaster.

Awful Wedded Life: Downplayed. He describes Catherine as "plain hell to live with" in the first episode, and finds it hard to cope with her ruthless, stubborn, and generally unpleasant nature, which runs counter to his own docile and kind demeanor. Despite this, he is shown to hold some kind of genuine (although mostly nostalgic) affection for her, and is most notably quite torn up about her apparent "death". Meanwhile, Catherine's absence in The Return is explained in The Secret History of Twin Peaks to be a result of her becoming somewhat of a recluse following Pete's death, showing that she does love him, despite what she considered his "flaws" to be, and [[his death weighed heavily on her]].
Butt-Monkey: A Downplayed Trope example as Pete is liked by everyone in town but his wife. However, he gets almost no respect despite being a hardworking plant manager, talented fisherman, and amateur chess master.
Cool Old Guy: In a friendly, kinda-dorky way: he's an outdoorsman even in his old age, and a genius at chess.
Hen Pecked Husband: Catherine just won't cut the guy a break.
She was plain hell to live with.
Heroic Sacrifice : The Secret History of Twin Peaks reveals that, as he died in the bank explosion, his last act was saving Audrey's life by shielding her from the blast with his body.
Hidden Depths: Pete actually proves to be an avid and very talented chess player. He uses these skills to help Cooper against Windom Earle.
Nice Guy: Possibly the [1] of nice guys on the show. He doesn't have a mean bone in his body.
Noodle Incident: How did the fish get in the coffee pot?
Smart People Play Chess: A remarkable chess player, he aids Agent Cooper in the game against Windom Earle. At one point he plays three simultaneous games of chess and wins all of them.
Starcrossed Lovers: According to The Secret History of Twin Peaks, his relationship with Catherine was seen as plain weird and unlikely by the community of Twin Peaks back in the day, not only because they were complete opposites in terms of personality, but also because their respective families infamously hatred each other and regularly was at each other's throats. It is also markedly deconstructed with Pete and Catherine's marriage being noted to turn sour fairly quickly after they tied the knot.
Token Good Teammate: In season 2, when he gets caught in Catherine and Andrew's scheme, he's the most moral of them and mostly just goes along because they're family.
What Does He See in Her?: Downplayed. While he describes Catherine as "hell to live with" and she's a generally bitter, scheming woman, he still has some nostalgic love for her and tries to see the good in her. The Secret History of Twin Peaks mentions that Andrew and Pete were childhood best friends, meaning that Pete may have known her, and been in love with her, since a young age.

The Milfords

Dwayne Milford

Mayor Dwayne Milford

Played by: John Boylan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/twin_peaks_milford_6.png

The liberal Mayor of Twin Peaks. He has a long-standing feud with his brother.

Big Brother Instinct: Dawyne had five years seniority on Douglas, and for all their petty squabbling, arguing, and fighting way into their old years, he still loved his younger brother deeply. When Douglas dies, he is furious with grief and blames Lana for his death, even going so far as attempting to shoot her with a hunting shotgun, when the Twin Peaks Sheriff Department tried to explain to him that they could not find any cause to press charges against her.
Dirty Old Man: Hooks up with his brother's wife after his death.
The Dutiful Son: The Secret History of Twin Peaks describes him as such, following in his father's footsteps and taking over the family pharmacy business, in contrast to his brother, Douglas, who was seen as a rebellious troublemaker.
Revenge Before Reason: His desire to avenge his brother dying of sexual intercourse in his late seventies with a much-much younger woman. The Secret History of Twin Peaks says he's probably right.
- Subverted when he ends up with Lana himself.
Signature Laugh: "Ha-HAh!"
Sibling Rivalry: Dwayne is a Democrat and at least something of a liberal by the standards of a town full of rural whites. He and his more conservative brother hold an exactly opposite set of political views.
Sibling Yin-Yang: Plently of it with Douglas. Where Douglas is described by The Secret History of Twin Peaks to have been an impulsive, short-tempered guy, who got involved in several short-lived marriages, while Dawyne had a reputation as a reserved, level-headed, and trustworthy person, who was married to the same woman for 50 years.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The responsible sibling to Douglas's foolish. Made especially clear in The Secret History of Twin Peaks. Dawyne is described as always calm and reliable, even under pressure, is seen as a pillar of the community, and spend his youth studying with the goal of continuing the family business, while Douglas is Hot-Blooded and impulsive, and was seen as a troublemaker by both his family and the Twin Peaks community in his youth. It extends into their elder years, where Dawyne is known to be a frugal man with a modest and quiet lifestyle, while Douglas is infamous for being a spendthrift and serial divorcee.
Straw Political: His outrage at his brother's defense of Nixon in The Secret History of Twin Peaks.

Douglas "Dougie" Milford

Played by: Tony Jay

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/milford.png

The mayor's younger brother, Dougie is the owner of the local paper and known around town as quite the an old, rich eccentric in his own right, mostly due to his constant petty feuding with his brother and his numerous marriages (and divorces).

Douglas has quite the colorful past though, having served as a colonel in the US Airforce, having had personal close encounters with Twin Peak's paranormal forces, and being a secret ally of Richard Nixon and a collaborator with Gordon Cole.

All There in the Manual: The Secret History of Twin Peaks spells out the details of his bizarre and adventurous backstory. Specifically, among other things, that he founded The Men in Black and was aware of the supernatural. Oh, and he was a close friend and confidant of Richard Nixon.
Black Sheep: The Secret History of Twin Peaks describes him as this to the Milford family, being a rebellious troublemaker where his brother, Dawyne was The Dutiful Son.
Conspiracy Theorist: In The Secret History of Twin Peaks, he proffers up a paranoid-sounding explanation for Nixon's impeachment involving a conspiracy against him. His own experiences certainly factor into this, but his defense of Nixon in Twin Peaks' local paper swerves into the downright paranoid.
Dirty Old Man: If the vast collection of sexual paraphernalia in his bedroom is any indication.
Foolish Sibling, Responsible Sibling: The foolish sibling to Dawyne's responsible. Made especially clear in The Secret History of Twin Peaks. Douglas had a knack for getting into trouble in his youth, being described as impulsive and Hot-Blooded, and caused the Milford family no small bit of embarrassment as he was often observed being drunk in public and lived in "sin" with his girlfriend, while Dwayne was The Dutiful Son who continued the family's pharmacy business and get described by his peers as always calm and reliable, even in stressful situations. Even in old age Douglas manages to get himself a bit of reputation around town, as he lives a lavish lifestyle and goes through four short-lived marriages, again in contrast to Dwayne who is the town's highly respected mayor and leads a notably more modest lifestyle.
The Men in Black: The Secret History of Twin Peaks implies that he was the cause of the creation of this trope in-universe during his time as a government spook.
Never Accepted in His Hometown: His backstory as described in The Secret History of Twin Peaks has clear shades of it. In his youth, he was viewed by the Twin Peaks community as a drunken troublemaker, who lived in squalor and was quite the embarrassment to his family. After moving out from the town and joining the army, things started to look immensely up for him, as over the next two-and-a-half decades he rose through the ranks and became heavily involved with the Government Conspiracy. When he moved back to Twin Peaks in his older years, he once again became a bit of an outsider, although in a significantly more benign sense; by that time most townspeople had forgotten the tarnished reputation he had in his youth, and so instead came to see him as a rich, harmless eccentric. But he would prove to still be a bit of an embarrassment to his family, as with his new fortune, he started indulging in spendthrift behavior and went through several short-lived marriages with women much younger than him, which was seen as been at odds with not only his brother's, but most Twin Peaks citizen's more modest and straight-laced lifestyle.
No Such Agency: The Secret History of Twin Peaks reveals his direct involvement in a project involving UFOs and alien encounters, as a direct confidante of President Richard Nixon.
Out with a Bang: He has a fatal heart attack upon consummating his marriage to Lana.
Photographic Memory: In The Secret History of Twin Peaks, he is noted to have this, which makes it somewhat hard for people who know him to entirely dismiss his claims of having seeing a "giant" and a "walking owl" in the forests surrounding Twin Peak during his time as a scoutmaster in his youth. It comes into play several times, as many documents describing of the stranger events during his time as a secret agent for the US Airforce, including many of his meetings with Senator and later President Richard Nixon, are accounts he has written down entirely based on his memory of these events.
Sibling Rivalry: He and Dwayne are 100% opposed on politics: Dwayne is a Democrat and a liberal and Doug is a Republican and a conservative.
Sir Swears-a-Lot: Though it is downplayed in The Secret History of Twin Peaks, Douglas has a notable tendency to casually drop profanity in his speech. When he appears on a list of witness statements on UFO sightings, the other people on the list describe their encounters with UFOs in technical therms, using measurements to describe the size and speed of the objects when asked for details, Douglas describes the object he saw as "big as a f*** house" and "fast as s***".
Straw Political: Is such a hardline Republican that he devotes an entire front page op-ed to insisting Nixon's impeachment was a conspiracy rather than a genuine resolution to corruption charges.

Lana Budding Milford

Played by: Robyn Lively

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/lana.jpg

The lovely widow of Douglas Milford and a woman who briefly menaces Twin Peaks' male population.

Black Widow: Strongly hinted in The Secret History of Twin Peaks.
Cartwright Curse: Claims to be this rather than a Black Widow. Its never made clear if she's telling the truth in spite of Briggs' suspicions.
Gold Digger: Pretty clearly. According to The Final Dossier, she even spent some time during the 1990s in a discrete relationship with wealthy businessman and future U.S. President Donald Trump.
Honey Trap: Major Briggs, the in-universe writer of The Secret History of Twin Peaks, suspects her of being a assassin who actually didn't marry Douglas for his money, but to get close to and kill him, speculating that she was hired by someone from Douglas' political past who thought He Knew Too Much. Briggs, however, also notes that he has absolutely no way of proving this. The Final Dossier also hints that she was conducting blackmail and/or espionage on a future president she had an affair with.
Hospital Hottie: An extremely beautiful nurse.
Informed Ability: While Robyn Lively is certainly an attractive woman, she's no more so than many of the other actresses on the show; therefore, it's hard for the audience to understand the power she has over so many of the male characters, especially when Cooper had no trouble resisting Audrey.
Lawyer-Friendly Cameo: Without naming names, The Final Dossier all but states that she had an affair with the 45th president of the United States in the 1990s.
Settle for Sibling: After her husband Dougie dies, she gets engaged to Dwayne, his brother. That's kinda gross. The Secret History of Twin Peaks reveals that it ultimately didn't last and she left Twin Peaks for good about six months later.
The Vamp: Every man who meets her becomes putty in her hands. Even Dale Cooper had a hard time being impartial around her.

The Packards

Andrew Packard

Played by: Dan O'Herlihy

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/andrew_1.jpg

The former owner of the Packard Lumber Mill. He is the late husband of Josie Packard and brother of Catherine Martell.

Affably Evil: He's as shifty as his sister but unfailingly polite to everyone.
Ambiguously Evil: His former business partner turned enemy Eckhardt was a Hong Kong gangster. To what degree Andrew was directly involved in the black market is unclear, but his choice of business partners suggests that Andrew at least indirectly benefited from organized crime.
Best Friends-in-Law: He and Pete were very close. At one point when serving breakfast the pair fool around with the food and Catherine grumpily notes that they bring out the worst in each other.
Cool Old Guy: He's mentally and physically quite spry for a man in his 70's, and comes across as a charismatic, larger-than-life bon vivant.
Faking the Dead: Though the series starts with him having been dead in a boating accident (set up by Hank), the series drops a number of hints that he may still be alive. Ultimately he reveals that this was the case as he and his sister faked his death.
Karmic Death: Dying at the hands of Eckhardt's Thanatos Gambit is a good fate for someone so confident in his intelligence. Shame about Pete, though.
Kick the Dog: His treatment of Josie is rotten, though more than justified since she did try to kill him.
A Lighter Shade of Black: His conflict with Eckhardt is clear Evil Versus Evil but of the two Andrew comes off as more personable and has more Pet the Dog moments than Eckhardt.
May–December Romance: He was much older than Josie when they married.
Pet the Dog:
- Andrew may be a corrupt and amoral man but even he has a soft spot for Pete and the two have a strong brotherly relationship. Even when he and Catherine start to go against each other he still trusts Pete and lets him in on his schemes. Which unfortunately gets the pair killed.
- He admits an admiration for Audrey's protest when he encounters her, complimenting her for sticking to her principles.
Posthumous Character: Is originally believed to have died at some point before the start of the series. Not really.
"The Reason You Suck" Speech: Gives one to Josie before saying they will never speak again.
Smug Snake: Thinks he's got everyone wrapped around his finger but really just coasts along on Catherine's plans.
Wicked Cultured: Quotes Marcus Aurelius when expressing his respect for Audrey's protest at the bank vault.

Jocelyn "Josie" Packard

Jocelyn Packard

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/josie_packard.PNG

Played by: Joan Chen

The beautiful Chinese American widow of Andrew Packard and current owner of the Packard Lumber Mill. She is currently lovers with Sheriff Harry S. Truman.

Ambiguously Evil: The show constantly goes between Josie being an innocent victim Forced into Evil and a Manipulative Bitch. We never really get an answer up until she dies.
And I Must Scream: BOB binds her soul in wood, keeping her from ascending to the afterlife. From the look of thing, she's greatly distressed by it. With Truman retiring from the force due to cancer, there's no-one left who would care enough to try and save her.
Consummate Liar: Assuming she was faking her fear of Thomas Eckhardt or at least playing it up, she fools everyone in Twin Peaks except Cooper.
Daddy's Little Villain: The Secret History of Twin Peaks reveals that her father was a high ranking "Red Pole" in the Sui-wong triad, and she clearly took after dear old dad, even in her youth. Already by the age of sixteen, she was running a prostitution and drug ring out of the prestigious boarding school she studied at, while blackmailing several members of said school's staff, both in the administration and the faculty.
Did Not Think This Through: Throws herself on the mercy of Catherine and Andrew. She would have had more luck with Sherrif Truman and Coop. Hell, even Pete.
The Dog Bites Back: She kills Thomas the moment she's alone with him.
Dragon Lady: Possibly subverted in that she doesn't have nearly the self-assuredness one would expect from the trope. Her chief motivation is simply survival as she is manipulated and bullied by almost everyone in her life (except Pete and Sheriff Truman).
- Played straight as an arrow in The Secret History of Twin Peaks, which reveals her real identity as Li Chun Fung, daughter of a Chinese gangster and a ferocious criminal in her own right, building up a multimillion-dollar fortune through drug and prostitution rings by the age of 21 and fleeing to America after her plan to assassinate her own father and take over his position went awry.
Driven to Suicide: Word of God was that she would have shot herself but they couldn't do it on camera. So BOB and the Arm kills her instead.
Fate Worse than Death: Is trapped in a desk knob in the Great Northern hotel and according to Deleted Scenes the Black Lodge.
Femme Fatale: Zig-Zagged. She seems to be one then turns kind and shy then is back to being a FemmeFatale.
Heel–Face Revolving Door: Is Josie a victim? Evil? Both?
Karmic Death: After attempting to murder her husband and Agent Cooper, she finally meets a deserving end.
Lovable Traitor: Does a lot of shady stuff and even tries to kill Catherine Martell but no one seems to treat any of this as a big deal.
Missing Mom: The Secret History of Twin Peaks reveals that her mother was a prostitute who died from a drug overdose shortly after her birth.
Nice Job Fixing It, Villain: Cooper never suspected Josie was Evil All Along or had any reason to go after him until she shot him.
Obfuscating Stupidity: Speaks English pretty much perfectly with a fairly light accent, unless she wants to be perceived as an innocently charming Fish out of Water, at which point the mangled metaphors come out. Especially around Pete.
The Vamp: Has sex with Andrew, Thomas, Sheriff Truman, and Laura.
Villains Do The Dirty Work: After she kills Thomas, she is killed by BOB and the Arm.
Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: Averted. Except, she had the profoundly bad luck of being across the hall from Agent Cooper when she killed Thomas.
Wounded Gazelle Gambit: Acting like a victim is pretty much her only trick aside from being The Vamp.
Your Soul Is Mine!: Later in the second season, BOB apparently steals and traps her soul in a dresser doorknob at the Great Northern or something like that.

Other Twin Peaks residents

Ronette Pulaski

Played by: Phoebe Augustine

Ronette Pulaski was a teenage escort from One-Eyed Jack's. On the morning when Laura Palmer's body was discovered, Pulaski was found wandering out in the open in a catatonic state.

Broken Bird: If her appearance in Fire Walk With Me is any indication, Ronette was always a basket case, albeit one that could have been rehabilitated. The events leading up to Laura's murder just broke her beyond repair.
Disposable Sex Worker: Narrowly averted. Fire Walk With Me reveals that Leland/BOB kidnapped her with Laura and would have killed her too. Not that her current fate is any better.
Satellite Character: Ronette's role is never expanded upon outside of her relationship to Laura.
Shadow Archetype: To Donna. In their relation to Laura Palmer, Ronette represents the corruption while Donna represents the purity.
Small Role, Big Impact: By wandering across the border between Washington and Idaho in her catatonic state, Ronette inadvertitely turns her own disappearance and Laura's murder into a federal case, prompting the arrival of Agent Cooper and basically kickstarting the events of the series.
Through the Eyes of Madness: Before avoiding a grisly murder, Ronette has a vision of an angel. It's deliberately left vague if she had completely cracked by this point or if she really was saved by some divine force.

Harold Smith

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Harold-Portal_3073.jpg

Played by: Lenny Von Dohlen

Harold Smith is a horticulturist specialized in orchids and a close friend of Laura Palmer, who she met through working for the Meals-on-Wheels program. Harold never leaves his home as a result of having acute agoraphobia (a fear of open spaces). Near the start of the second season, Donna Hayward befriends him in an attempt to get answers and discovers that Laura gave him her diary before her murder. Cooper and the Twin Peaks police use the diary to help find the identity of Laura's killer.

The Confidant: To Laura. He was also on the way to becoming this to Donna, but her interest in what Harold knew about the case ended up thrumphing this budding relationship.
Driven to Suicide: Donna's betrayal leads him to hang himself.
Dying Alone: "J'ai une âme solitaire."
Endearingly Dorky: Donna quickly takes a liking to him after meeting him, as he might be quite awkward and shy, but he is also very polite, friendly, and has a poetic mind.
Et Tu, Brute?: Through their meetings, he had come to view Donna as a very close friend and one of the only people he truly trusted. When he realized that she had tricked him in attempt to steal Laura's secret diary from him, it utterly broke his already fragile spirit, resulting in his suicide.
Freak Out: Gets hit HARD with this when he finds out Donna's been tricking him to get Laura's diary.
Hikikomori: Due to having agoraphobia. The guy cannot physically leave his house without suffering a crippling panic attack.
Nice Guy: Despite his inherent uneasiness around people, he is quite friendly and polite. At least until he completely snaps when he finds out about Donna's betrayal.
Pretty Boy: A feminine, gentle, and handsome young man.

Dick Tremayne

Played by: Ian Buchanan

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/1xrdmqst8rcjw4fg5aww_400x400.jpeg

"Got a light?"

Dick Tremayne runs the clothing department at Horne's Department Store and was in an on-and-off relationship with Lucy.

British Stuffiness: A goofier example.
Camp Straight
Casanova Wannabe: He fancies himself a suave ladies man, but his Fauxreigner schtick just makes him look pretentious. The one woman he's confirmed to have "charmed" — Lucy — was only into him because she considered him more interesting than Andy by comparison.
The Dandy: He's a well-dressed, Camp Straight man who considers himself more cultured than the rest of Twin Peak's population.
A Dick in Name: Any time he fails to be useful or responsible, Lucy, and sometimes Andy, will put extra emphasis on calling him "Dick."
Fauxreigner: It's heavily implied that he adopts the British accent purely to make himself appear cultured and interesting compared to the other townsfolk. Most damning of all is Dr Hayward's throwaway comment that he was the physician in attendance at Dick's birth — meaning that Dick is almost certainly, in fact, a native of Twin Peaks. Ian Buchanan is actually British, though since he's specifically Scottish he's most likely not using his natural accent for the Upper-Class Twit Dick, who's clearly going for Southern-RP English.
- To an English viewer his accent sounds like a North American stage/private school accent, particularly typical of Massachusetts, where people were taught to speak with those accents because they were considered 'educated', and they were typically heard in old films, as well as celebrities such as Kelsey Grammer and Paul Theroux having them. Certainly, Dick has all the hallmarks of a struggling actor.
Graceful Loser: He and Andy compete for Lucy's affections, and even though she choses Andy over him; he respects her decision and hopes they have a good life together. Although as Lucy was pregnant at the time, part of this is likely relief from not being roped in to raise the child.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite his shortcomings, he's not a bad guy.
Odd Friendship: Of all people, he and Andy bond over trying to learn about Little Nicky's past, despite their rivalry for Lucy's affections.
Sharp-Dressed Man: Well, he does run a men's clothing department.

Lawrence Jacoby

Dr. Lawrence Jacoby

Played by: Russ Tamblyn

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/jacobynew.jpg

The eccentric psychologist who treated Laura Palmer for her many issues before falling in love with her.

Artistic License – Medicine: Mental health version. Everything about how treats his patients save Johnny Horne. The fact he knew about Laura's many issues (which included active illegal activity) is especially noteworthy.
Beyond the Impossible: By 2016, Jacoby has a genuine chance of surpassing the Log Lady as the biggest Cloud Cuckoo Lander in all of Twin Peaks.
Bunny-Ears Lawyer: In a town of weirdos who are great at their job, Doctor Jacoby is an awful-awful psychologist. Zig-Zagged as he does help Johnny Horne prepare for the funeral of Laura Palmer and cure Ben Horne's insanity.
Cloudcuckoolander: Dr. Jacoby was born in Hawaii and has had an obsession with the place all his life, dressing in tropical shirts and decorating his entire home with Polynesian kitsch. In The Return, he's a Conspiracy Theorist with his own podcast/pirate radio show who sells spray painted "shit digging shovels" for 29.99 a pop. The
Cool Shades: He almost always wears a pair of 3D glasses. Twenty five years later in Season 3 he's shown to wear them even under larger sunglasses!
Conspiracy Theorist: An overtly humorous example in The Return. He runs a pirate radio station in which he advocates naturopathic medicine and anti-GMO conspiracy theories as a lead-in to making a pitch for his shovel business.
- Notable for the fact The Men in Black, The Fair Folk, The Syndicate, as well as an FBI conspiracy all exist in this universe. Yet, nothing Jacoby says is true.
For Want Of A Nail: In The Return he's started an online series where he rants about some vague elite keeping the rest of the populace from having a better life, which is little more than a ploy to sell gold-painted shovels. Nadine becomes a fan (and possibly a groupie), which compels her to use Jacoby's ill-defined advice to break things off with Ed so he can be happy with Norma, finally uniting the two lovers for good.
Good All Along: Jacoby turns out to have never actually slept with Laura Palmer or otherwise acted inappropriately around her. He was just completely unhelpful as a psychologist.
Jerkass Ball: He frequently switches between trying to be genuinely helpful and acting extremely insensitive and dismissive. One particular example is after Laura's funeral, where he guiltily confesses to Cooper that he doesn't care about his patients, but wants to help find Laura's killer. He then proceeds to completely fail to offer anything of value and secretly keeps Laura's necklace for himself, rather than hand it over as evidence.
Higher Understanding Through Drugs: The Secret History of Twin Peaks discusses the fact that he has always had an interest in tribal views on mental illnesses, and he would spend a good part of his youth seeking out various isolated tribes in South America and attempting to gain insight in how they understood the human mind by partaking in their rituals. Naturally, quite a few of these rituals involved the use of strong psychoactive drugs, and Jacoby insists in his journals that he is much the wiser for having gone through these experiences.
It Amused Me: Doctor Jacoby seems to actively enjoy feeding his patient's neuroses like encouraging Ben Horne to act like General Lee and having Nadine enroll in high school. Given he confesses to Cooper he doesn't care about any of his patients, this is almost certainly deliberate. Also, he looks terribly amused whenever his patients are having complete breakdowns.
I See Them, Too: His book, The Eye of God: Sacred Psychology in the Aboriginal Mind, implies that he had a first-hand encounter with the denizens of the White and Black Lodges in his time as college student, when he was during field work in South America. After winning the trust of a tribe to be let in on one of their "cleansing" rituals, he was giving a dose of drugs by the tribe's shaman. The resulting trip caused him to wake up in strange place where time had no meaning and was inhabited by strange humanoid giants.
Large Ham: Gets really worked up while doing his radio show, often letting loose a Cluster F-Bomb for good measure.
The Last DJ: The Final Dossier notices that he has received several offers from mainstream media outlets to commercialize his highly successful podcast, The Dr. Amp Blast , but he has rejected them all because he refuses to comprise the integrity of his show and it already makes him enough money to support his rather modest lifestyle indefinitely.
Making a Spectacle of Yourself: He always wears a pair of 3D glasses. Secret History reveals that this is part of a therapy technique he invented; he believes it could have helped Nadine with her issues, if not for her missing eye making it pointless. (Interestingly, wearing 3D glasses was thought, at one point, to be a possible treatment for dyslexia. However, like Jacoby's own methods, this was complete quackery.)
My Greatest Failure: How he views his failure to discover the truth about Laura and her dysfunctional family life and the sexual abuse she was subjected to. He very much blames himself for not noticing the symptoms during his sessions with her for the six months he treated her at her request. The Secret History of Twin Peaks sees him openly admit to having failed as a psychologist as he throws himself at the mercy of the Washington State Medical Review Board in the wake of the Laura Palmer case and he quietly accepts it when the board decides to revoke his medical license.
Odd Friendship: The Final Dossier reveals that he is actually a pretty good friend of Jerry Horne due to their shared interest in cannabis.
The Stoner: According to The Secret History of Twin Peaks and The Return, he has been living a stoner lifestyle for a while, which explains a lot.
Strong Family Resemblance: Russ Tamblyn also modelled for Dr. Jacoby's older brother, Robert, who appears via picture in The Secret History of Twin Peaks, leading to Jacoby looking completely identical to his brother, save for the beard.
Ugly Guy, Hot Wife: Dr. Jacoby isn't so much "ugly" as he is quirky and unattractive. However, he's married to a pretty Hawaiian woman who seems to be a couple years younger than him.
Worst Aid: Doctor Jacoby is probably one of the worst psychologists in the world. His handling of just about everyone in the show is comically terrible.

Margaret "The Log Lady" Lanterman

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/210px-Log_Lady_6578.jpg

"I carry a log, yes. Is it funny to you? It is not to me."

Played by: Catherine E. Coulson

"Fire is the devil hiding like a coward in the smoke."

Probably the most unusual of the Twin Peaks townsfolk, (which is saying a lot). Margaret Lanterman, a/k/a "The Log Lady", is an eccentric recluse who lives in a cabin in the forest. She is always seen carrying a log (hence her nickname), which is implied to either contain the spirit of her dead lumberjack husband or, as of Fire Walk With Me, to serve as a link to him in the Black Lodge — though she never voices either theory outright and is implied to be forbidden from doing so. Because of this, the other townsfolk think she's crazy. She was with Laura five days before her murder.

The Character Died with Him: Catherine E. Coulson was sick with cancer during filming and passed away in 2015. Margaret was written with a terminal disease as well and passes away in Part 15.
Cloudcuckoolander: Hoo boy... She sticks out in Twin Peaks for this.
Companion Cube: Her log, which she frequently talks to as though it's sentient. However, it's implied that it may actually be alive in some way by having a connection to the spirit of her dead husband.
Consulting Mister Puppet: She frequently defers to her log when questioned.
The Danza: Margaret's maiden name is revealed in The Secret History of Twin Peaks to be Coulson, the surname of her actor.
Huge Schoolgirl: She was noted to be quite tall for her age in Elementary School, and was a bit awkward as a result.
I Was Quite a Looker: She was noted to be very pretty in her youth. Her old friend, Robert Jacoby, described her as a borderline Statuesque Stunner back in the day.
- Photos of a young Catherine Coulson bear this out; they show a tall, leggy young woman with Girl Next Door good looks and a captivating smile.
Odd Friendship: By 2016, she seems to have formed one with Hawk.
Mad Oracle: She's a more benign form of this, but is definitely strange and tends to speak in omens.
Non Sequitur: "Wait for the tea. The fish aren't running."^note
Touched by Vorlons: The Secret History of Twin Peaks reveals her weirdness might have been a result having been the victim of what appears to be an alien abduction in her childhood. It is implied that, other than her strange quirks, the incident left her with some strange kind of pre-cognition.
Widowed at the Wedding: Her husband, Sam, was a volunteer firefighter, and unluckily enough, a forest fire started during the newly wed couple's wedding reception. Sam quickly left the reception along with the rest of the brigade to fight it; he didn't make it back.

The Waiter

Played by: Hank Worden

"I've heard about you!"

A mysterious old man who works at the Great Northern Hotel.

Captain Oblivious: He apparently doesn't realize that Agent Cooper has been shot when he brings him his warm milk, despite Cooper lying bleeding on the floor. He just goes about his business and asks Cooper to sign the bill for the room service, like everything is normal.
Cloud Cuckoolander: Has extremely odd behavior possibly related to his old age. Or it might be because the Giant is possessing him.
"Good Luck" Gesture: Compliments a mortally wounded Cooper, winks and gives him a thumbs up three times.
Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: Is he another spirit of the Black Lodge or is he really just some senile elderly waiter? He appears to Cooper in the Red Room during the last episode before being replaced by the Giant who say's "One and the same," so make of that what you will Given that the Lodge spirits possess bodies it's probably similar to MIKE's regular possession of Philip Gerard.
Wham Line: "That gum you like is going to come back in style."

Mike Nelson

Mike "Snake" Nelson

Played by: Gary Hershberger

A football player for Twin Peaks high school and Donna Hayward's boyfriend (before she dumps him for James).

Jerkass: He has almost no personality traits except being unpleasant to people as well as being Bobby's sidekick.
Jerk Jock: Incredibly jerkish to almost everyone he meets. Also, a football player.
Likes Older Women: Eventually falls for Nadine in the second season.
Older and Wiser: In The Return much like his friend Bobby, twenty five years after Season 2 Mike seems to have matured into a respectable member of society.
Only Sane Man: While not exactly a rational kid, his problems revolve more around getting laid and his reputation at school than the murder mysteries and get rich schemes of his friends.
Those Two Guys: Forms this with Bobby, with whom he is usually seen together. According to Mark Frost, although they weren't seen together in any scenes in The Return, him and Bobby have remained good friends in their older days and are on the same bowling team.

Robert Jacoby

Played by: Russ Tamblyn (photograph), Ari Fliakos (voice)

Dr. Jacoby's older brother. The long-standing chief-in-editor of the local Twin Peaks newspaper, the Twin Peaks Post, he passed away three years prior to the series proper, and as such, pretty much all of the information about him is told in The Secret History of Twin Peaks.

Intrepid Reporter: He knew quite a lot about the town's secrets and history through his work as its resident journalist, having intimate knowledge of the stories of the Hornes, the Martells, and the Packards.
Strong Family Resemblance: Like Dr. Jacoby, he is portrayed (in photograph) by Russ Tamblyn, effectively meaning that he looked downright identical to his brother. Of course, the obvious implication is that he might actually be Dr. Jacoby's doppelganger, as Jacoby himself is strongly implied to have had a run-in with the Black and White Lodges in his youth.
Unstuck in Time: Implied Trope. Looking over the different documents reveals that Robert's timeline is rather messy, with his age being inconsistent (most notably it appears that he was both attending third grate in elementary school, while apparently also being a 16 year old junior reporter for the Twin Peaks Gazette), and his death date seem to have taken place at several points being listed happening as both in 1969 and 1986. With The Return revealing that altering timelines is possible, the closest to an explantation to all of this is that something seriously screwed up must have happened to his personal timeline at some point.

Cyril Pons

Played by: Mark Frost

A journalist and news reporter from Twin Peaks.

Creator Cameo: Of series co-creator Mark Frost.
Recurring Extra: He appears briefly in every season of Twin Peaks. He even has a small role in The Secret History of Twin Peaks, being the in-universe author of the article about the explosion at the Twin Peaks Savings and Loan Bank.
Role-Ending Misdemeanor: An In-Universe example. According to Mark Frost, the reason why Pons has seemingly fallen on rather hard times in his small appearance in The Return (going from being a TV reporter to a inhabitant of a trailer park), is because he dropped an F-bomb during a live broadcast when an earthquake struck the studio.

Characters / Twin Peaks Residents

Edit Locked