Twin Peaks: The 5 Best Fan Theories (& 5 Worst)

Twin Peaks premiered in April 1990, forever inducting a phenomenon of a show into the world’s pop culture and signifying itself as one of the best-known works to come from the strange but fascinating mind of David Lynch. Initially only lasting for two seasons, the show’s dedicated cult following eventually rendered the return of a third season in 2017, which people immediately set about analyzing. Really, people have been guessing and latching their own interpretations onto the show since its beginning. Some are plausible, some not so much. Moving on, here are the 5 best fan theories–and the 5 worst.

10 Worst: Laura Palmer is Dale Cooper’s Mother

Far-fetched idea is an understatement. Strangely enough, this theory is supported to a certain degree based on evidence of similarities Dale and Laura share, such as not liking asparagus. This theory suggests that, since Laura has many versions of herself, one of those versions is Cooper’s mother. Their deep connection, though not romantic, exists and the suggested reason is that they are family. You decide if it’s true, if you can get rid of that headache first from this wacky theory.

9 Best: Dale Cooper’s Hair

Another fan theory suggests that Cooper’s hair signifies where he was in time. That is, his parted hair (as worn in Season 1) represents the point in time before the Good/Bad Dale split, and that his slicked-back hair (as he wore it in Season 2), represents anytime during or after that split.

Thus, you can keep up with the events chronologically based on his hairstyle. This is somewhat plausible when it comes down to it, but it’s still up to you to decide. Watch the hair.

8 Worst: Maddy Is Laura’s Doppelganger

Though Maddy and Laura are played by the same actress, it doesn’t necessarily insinuate the two cousins are meant to be considered in this manner. As one fan points out, Maddy is more than three years older, and both she and Laura have doppelgangers that appear in the Red Room. Plus, unlike Cooper’s doppelganger Dougie, Laura was born and not manufactured, further derailing this theory.

7 Best: Dale Cooper May Be An Airplane Hijacker That Disappeared In The 1970s

In 1971, a man known only as “DB Cooper” successfully nabbed an airplane and a ransom of 200,000 dollars and later parachuted somewhere over Washington State, never to be seen again. Fast forward to Twin Peaks, we have Dale Cooper–whose name is hauntingly familiar–and apparently, Lynch himself named Cooper after the mystery man.

Furthermore, Cooper actually resembles the man to some degree. Spooky, huh?

6 Worst: The Second Season Is An Allegory For The Gulf War

A few months following the show’s premiere in 1990, the Gulf War erupted. One fan theorized back in the day that the second season was undermining support for the first Gulf War, so logically the US Government had to have ordered ABC to cancel Twin Peaks prematurely because of this. We’re highly doubtful of this, even if we don’t quite know what goes on beyond closed doors.

5 Best: Distinctions Between Color And Monochrome Sequences

According to this theory, anything in monochrome is fixed. It cannot be changed, altered, or otherwise interfered with. Meanwhile, anything in color is open to interpretation.

If this theory were true, it may help Twin Peaks fans draw more solid conclusions from their analyses and lessen their time spent focusing on each scene of every episode–because that can become exhaustive and frustrating fast. Now that this theory’s in your mind, it’ll be difficult seeing monochrome and color any differently from now on.

4 Worst: Pennywise And BOB Are The Same Person

The terrifying clown from It, Pennywise, and BOB, the supernatural terror from Twin Peaks, have been theorized to be the same person. This theory starts with the fact that both beings are named Bob. Second, both can move in and out of dimensions no problem. Next, they are both shapeshifters and feed off the fear of their unfortunate victims. If you dig deeper you may find more, but on the surface, this theory seems a little too off-base. They may share similarities, but it’s hard to imagine them as the same person. They’re each terrifying in their own ways.

3 Best: It Was All Laura Palmer’s Dream

Nothing is impossible in Twin Peaks. Every fan knows that. This particular theory comes following the conclusion of Season 3. Just before Laura, as “Carrie”, lets out a bloodcurdling scream you can just make out someone saying “Laura…” that resembles the voice of Sarah Palmer, her mother.

This time, however, Laura is not dead and wrapped in plastic. So, the theory suggests that perhaps it was all a dream constructed by Laura herself to bring the audience back to the moment that started it all. It’s possible, anyway.

2 Worst: Episodes 17 and 18 Have To Be Watched In Sync

In Twin Peaks: The Return, fans were confused by the timeline of events so they theorized that in order to understand, they had to watch episodes 17 and 18 at the same time to catch up. This is ludicrous enough that even David Lynch himself called audiences out on it, saying this wasn’t necessary. In which case, it’s back to the drawing board on making sense of the two episodes without watching them simultaneously. Plus, who can pay attention to every detail of two episodes at once, especially when it’s Twin Peaks? It’s simply headache-inducing.

1 Best: Once You Start, You Can’t Stop

This one tops the list because never has a truer fan theory been spoken. You see, there’s a theory about fan theories regarding Twin Peaks: there’s so much to analyze and interpret that the possibilities are endless. You’re easily sucked into a swirling vortex of mystery and ambiguity that you and your fellow fans may either agree or clash with, depending on your own personal interpretations and analytical processes. With Lynch’s notorious penchant for refraining from explaining himself, theories are often neither confirmed nor denied, so you’re always left wondering…

Twin Peaks has been, and always will be, confusing. It wouldn’t be the show it is if it weren’t. Yet that’s become an aspect we all enjoy because we get to analyze and freely bounce ideas for theories off each other for eternity, basically, unless David Lynch decides to let us in on some of his secrets.

About The Author

Kacie Lillejord
(374 Articles Published)

A Seattle native, Kacie has loved entertainment in the forms of books, films, television and music since day one. Inspired by a filmmaker relative, Kacie has been pursuing a career in the film and television industry in Los Angeles ever since. A graduate of The University of Arizona, Kacie has written for her college newspaper The Daily Wildcat, Harness Magazine, 25YL, and now has added Screen Rant to her resume. She loves writing and all things pop culture.

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