Almost 30 years since it first broke all the rules, Twin Peaks is generating buzz, debate and discussion all over again – with the mind-blowing latest episode delving deep into the show's mythos.
June 25's 'Part 8' appeared to reveal the origin of Killer BOB – the demonic entity who haunted the first two series and has remained a presence throughout the revival, despite the death in 1995 of actor Frank Silva.
BOB, a creature from a realm known as the Black Lodge, was apparently created by man's own evil, with an atomic bomb detonation in New Mexico, 1945, spewing forth his wickedness onto the world.
From there, he would go on to possess humans and commit terrible crimes, including influencing Leland Palmer (Ray Wise) to rape and murder his own daughter Laura (Sheryl Lee).
But the story of how the late Silva first landed the part of BOB is almost as unusual – and unlikely – as the character's own beginnings.
A set-dresser goes rogue
Silva wasn't originally hired as an actor – instead, he first worked for Twin Peaks co-creator David Lynch as a set-dresser on the 1984 film Dune. He would later work as a props master on Lynch's 1990 film Wild at Heart, and again as an on-set dresser on the pilot episode of Twin Peaks.
It was during filming of this pilot that the idea for BOB began to gestate. While planning a scene in Laura Palmer's bedroom, Silva trapped himself after accidentally moving a chest of drawers in front of the door.
When Lynch heard of this, he liked the visual of Silva trapped in the room and decided to shoot footage – just because he's that kind of guy, not for use in the show – of his set dresser crouched at the foot of Laura's bed, staring through the bars of the footboard.
At this stage, Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost had already decided on Leland Palmer as Laura's killer, but the idea evolved as they shot the Twin Peaks pilot – in particular during filming of a sequence in which Laura's mother Sarah experiences a terrifying vision.
When the scene was filmed, Silva accidentally ended up in shot – his reflection captured in a mirror behind actress Grace Zabriskie. The scene was going to be done over to remove the goof, but Lynch considered it a "happy accident" after his earlier experience with Silva.
It was at this moment that Killer BOB was born: the pilot script hadn't originally specified what unsettling vision Sarah Palmer had experienced, so Lynch used the footage of Silva at the foot of the bed. From this point on, Silva would become an integral part of Twin Peaks, and BOB the primary antagonist.
Killer BOB lives on
The original series concluded with Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) entering the Black Lodge to apprehend his former partner, rogue FBI Agent Windom Earle, who was attempting to harness the power of the Lodge for himself. The experience ends with BOB trapping Cooper in the Lodge and exiting in the form of his doppelganger.
Silva would make one final appearance as BOB in the 1992 spin-off movie Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me, but passed away three years later – on September 13, 1995, aged just 44.
BOB's presence, though, is still absolutely felt throughout Showtime's revival. Not only does MacLachlan continue to play BOB as Cooper's doppelganger, but Lynch is also using archive footage of Silva to suggest BOB's presence.
Through sheer luck and a little bit of genius, Lynch and Silva created one of the most terrifying fictional villains of all time. It's now 27 years since his first appearance, and 22 since Silva's passing, but Killer BOB continues to haunt the screen.
Twin Peaks continues on Tuesdays at 9pm on Sky Atlantic and on Sundays at 9/8c on Showtime.
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