Laura Palmer
Laura Palmer is a fictional character played by Sheryl Lee on the David Lynch/Mark Frost television series Twin Peaks. Her death was the catalyst for the events of the series.
Laura was her town's favorite daughter; she volunteered at Meals on Wheels, was the high school Homecoming queen, and was (apparently) the darling of her parents, Sarah and Leland. However, Laura led a double life — she was a cocaine user, a victim of child abuse and had briefly worked at One Eyed Jacks, a casino/brothel just north of the Canadian border.
The discovery of Laura's body in the pilot episode of Twin Peaks brought Special Agent Dale Cooper to town and the investigation of her death, and the effects it had on those around her, propelled the first 15 episodes of the series. Laura remained prominent afterward, as her death had exposed many secrets related to her, and also — in some cases — unrelated, such as the Packard mill conspiracy.
Laura's diary was uncovered in the first episode, but her secret diary was not recovered until later, and it contained passages suggesting that she had long been the victim — sometimes willingly — of abuse from a malevolent entity named BOB, who wanted to be close to her, or even be her.
During the second season, the identity of her murderer was revealed: her father, Leland, who had been possessed by BOB and made to molest, rape, and kill his own daughter. When Leland dies in prison, it is implied that Laura appears before him in a vision, forgiving him and welcoming him to the afterlife.
Notes
- Sheryl Lee also played Laura's cousin, Maddy Ferguson, who arrived in town in the third episode for Laura's funeral. At one point Maddy poses as dead Laura to lure Dr. Jacoby.
- One of the best-known themes of the show was the leitmotif Laura's Theme, composed by Angelo Badalamenti.
- Jennifer Lynch wrote an official series tie-in, The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, which was sold from 1990 and was the diary used in the series.
- Swallow the Sun, a doom metal band, wrote a song called "The Ghost of Laura Palmer", probably derived from the character.
- Terminaator, a rock band has a song called "Veel on aega". There is a reference to Laura and Twin Peaks in lines "Laura Palmer mõrvati | Väikelinn kuid elab edasi", which means "Laura Palmer was murdered | But a small town lives on".
- Laura's iconic Homecoming portrait (shown above) was originally Sheryl Lee's prom photo in real life. Several versions of it exist and are used throughout the series and follow-up/prequel Fire Walk With Me.
- The Dresden Dolls's Myspace page is entitled "Who Killed Amanda Palmer", which is a reference to Laura Palmer's death and the investigation thereof.
- The band Fantomas covered the theme song for the film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me on their Directors Cut album.
- During the evacuation of Saigon, April, 1975, Hunter S. Thompson left the Global Affairs Suite in the hands of a Laura Palmer. See Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in America," c. 2000.