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Psych Versus Twin Peaks

Psych paid tribute to Twin Peaks in an episode called Dual Spires. An extended version of this episode is now included in the Psych: The Complete Fifth Season DVD set
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Psych: Dual Spires (Twin Peaks tribute) with Dana Ashbrook, Sheryl Lee and Lenny Von Dohlen

Last December, Psych paid tribute to Twin Peaks in an episode called “Dual Spires.” An extra 7-minute extended version of this homage episode (season 5, episode 12) is now included in the Psych: The Complete Fifth Season DVD set. It also features audio commentary by creator Steve Franks, executive producer Kelly Kulchak, writers James Roday and Bill Callahan, as well as Dulé Hill and Timothy Omundson. In addition, there’s a featurette called The making of Dual Spires, which shows behind the scenes footage of cast and crew “as they shoot the guest star-studded episode“.

» Find Psych: The Complete Fifth Season on Amazon or check out the eBay items at the bottom of this post.

Psych Dual Spires Twin Peaks

From Wikipedia:

According to trivia on the “Dual Spires enhanced” video at the Psych website, a Twin Peaks tribute episode had been in the works since season one. Maggie Lawson was the one who suggested the episode’s title, a play on that of the original series. The episode aired 20 years to the day after the 17th episode of Twin Peaks, which answered the question of who killed Laura Palmer, after which, Mike Hale of The New York Times wrote, “there was really no reason to keep watching.” The episode features seven Twin Peaks cast members as guest stars. (…) Michael Ontkean, who played Sheriff Harry S. Truman, and Mädchen Amick, who played diner waitress Shelly Johnson, were also approached to appear in the episode. Twin Peaks co-creator David Lynch was originally going to guest star in a speaking role as Mayor Douglas Fir, but Lynch was not asked due to Roday’s concern over what Lynch would think of the episode.

Psych Dual Spires: Cinnamon Festival t-shirt

Twin Peaks references in Psych: Dual Spires

Here’s a list of the Twin Peaks references I spotted while watching Dual Spires.  Feel free to append to this list in the comments:

  • Silent window shades invented by some woman in Washington in the early 90s
  • A chocolate bunny on Shawn’s desk
  • [email protected]
  • The Great Northern newspaper
  • The Sawmill Diner
  • “Damn hot cider”
  • The Peakish extras in the diner
  • Cinnamon, not cherry pie
  • Sheriff Andrew Jackson (played by Lenny Von Dohlen), named after a president like Harry S. Truman
  • The D.S. high school jackets
  • The Barkers vs. The Palmers
  • Bob (= Dana Ashbrook aka Bobby) & Shelly (= Robyn Lively aka Lana)
  • “Barker” because Bobby Briggs barks in the pilot episode of Twin Peaks
  • Paula Merral (an anagram of Laura Palmer), wrapped in plastic
  • Gus is crying like Andy
  • Sheryl Lee (Laura Palmer) is Dr. Donna Gooden (Dr. Hayward & Donna in one)
  • My partner, Lodge Blackman (Black Lodge)
  • Native American policeman like Hawk
  • Deputy Frost, named after Mark Frost
  • Julee Cruise singing a Badalmenti-version of the theme song: “I Know You Know”
  • The white horse in the opening sequence
  • The Welcome To Dual Spires sign
  • Gus behind the curtain, looking like Killer Bob
  • The old mayor
  • Douglas Fir band
  • Leo, the cinnamon owl
  • The earring as evidence (vs. the necklace)
  • Catherine E. Coulson as The Log Lady (or Wood Woman)
  • Chris Isaak’s “Baby Did A Bad Bad Thing”
  • A fest, just like the fan fest?
  • Ceiling fans!
  • Randy playing darts looked a lot like the rock throwing
  • Randy doing a Lelandish grin
  • Maudette Hornsby is Sherilyn Fenn!
  • Maudette Hornsby, drinking cherry coke (no stems) and having a cherry tattoo
  • Earl wyndam
  • A book about golf (Leland played golf)
  • A book about “Reincarnation and Rebirth” probably referring to Sheryl Lee’s return as Laura’s cousin, Maddy
  • Spying through the library rack like Windom Earle
  • Cherry pie!
  • Señor Droolcup making hand signs in the diner
  • The FBI visits the town
  • The prom picture.
  • A moose head on the table
  • Paula’s very girly bedroom
  • A diary!
  • Meeting with J
  • Father Wesley played by Ray Wise!
  • Shawn having a vision
  • Maudette Hornsby’s Audrey-like “new” shoes
  • Betty Boop Night at… The Roadhouse
  • “I like to dance all night long” vs. “There’s always music in the air”
  • Maudette Hornsby doesn’t really like Paula
  • Jack with Paula out in the woods…
  • Jack Smith (kind of a weirdo, like Harold Smith) takes “from-the-hip” photos like the ones of Laura with Waldo
  • Soap opera comparisons à la Invitation To Love
  • Randy is sawing wood, reminiscent of the Packard Mill footage in the intro
  • “You remind me of Paula…”
  • Father Wesley has white hair!
  • Arson in the library (not the mill)
  • A wood cabin with red curtains, like Jacques’
  • Sawmill fire in 1958
  • An owl cave ring
  • Jack with an eye patch like Nadine, making him One-Eyed Jack
  • Jack ancing like the Little Man From Another Place and snapping fingers
  • The diner’s jukebox
  • Heavenly pie
  • Someone banging his head on the counter like Johnny Horne.
  • Bob walking backwards, which is how Lynch recorded the Black Lodge scenes
  • Lana is dancing like Audrey Horne
  • Randy is barking like Bobby
  • Carlton Lassiter shouting “Damn fine cup of cider” with a raised hand, like Cooper (and Lynch)
  • Later, Carlton Lassiter is holding his cup sideways and nothing pours out
  • The giant orders THREE cinnamon pies.
  • Someone in the back is doing a dance like the guy in the high school hallway
  • Bob is holding a picture frame and spinning around
  • Julee Cruise singing the outro

Here‘s a video of writers James Roday and Bill Callahan talking about the episode. There was also a Psych/Twin Peaks gathering at the Paley Center, around the time the episode first aired:

Julee Cruise’s version of the Psych theme song:

A few individual interviews with the cast members:

Behind the scenes video of “Dual Spires”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xailAbIzzCU

And stay tuned for a possible sequel

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What's your response to this?

7 comments

  1. Lili says:

    Hi,

    I know this post isn’t exactly… freshly squeezed, but I’ve just watched the “Psych” episode “Dual Spires” for the first time, and I wanted to add a few TP references to your list. I apologize if you’ve already mentioned some of them – I’ve read your list several times, but I still might have missed one or two. Anyway, here we go :

    • Paula’s chair at the Cinnamon Festival is empty, just like Laura’s chair at her highschool, and this is how the characters realize she’s missing
    • Huge stacks of donuts at the Santa Barbara police station
    • Dr. Gooden’s “client” in the waiting room is a mynah bird looking (and sounding) just like Waldo
    • The soundtrack of the whole episode is totally Badalamenti-ish (you can almost recognize themes like “Laura Palmer’s Theme”, “Falling”, “Dance of the Dream Man”…)
    • Bob Barker lights up a match and holds it in the air like Leland Palmer in episode 10
    • A bridge looking very much like Ronette’s from the pilot
    • Bob Barker wears a gold ring on his pinky finger, like Coop
    • The exact reproduction of the famous shot from the stairs & the fan at the Palmer residence, at Sheriff Jackson’s house
    • “Do you mind if we poke around – uh, no peek. PEEK around.”
    • “Paula was a troubled young girl”, says her psychiatrist
    • Giant plastic icecream cone at the diner
    • Close-up on Sherilyn Fenn’s legs as she walks
    • Jack was with Paula at the beginning of the night before she disappeared, and they had a fight in the forest
    • In the last scene, Bob is wearing *exactly* the same clothes as Bobby Briggs in the TP pilot
    • There are several coconuts in Dr. Gooden’s office
    • Sheriff Jackson’s speech to Shawn bears some similarities with the one Jean Renault gives Coop in episode 20 (“You shouldn’t have come here ; this town used to be a simple place ; our business was none of your concern…)

    (There’s also a body bag – Maudette’s – looking like it is “smiling”, but I’m not sure it was intentional, so I haven’t mentioned it…)

    That’s all I got for now =) It was so much fun trying to find all the references ! And of course, the final scene at the diner was the icing on the cake. I laughed so hard.

  2. Byron says:

    “We just need a little something to hold us over until Showtime.” – Shawn

    So funny. This episode helped hold us over for 5 years, until Showtime is bringing back the series next year. 😀

  3. maudette says:

    Just started watching Twin Peaks! I noticed that Maudette has a rose tattoo on her finger, maybe like the R they found under Laura’s fingernail?

  4. bishop says:

    i get that psych is a lowest common denominator type of show that requires you to believe that almost everyone in santa barbara has an IQ of 60 (mind you it is watchable just overly goofy and in no way believable)but this twin peaks episode was really bad and seemed more like an insult than a homage. Id say if your a twin peaks or lynch fan skip this episode though for the normal TV viewer now a days watch away as you wont get any of the references anyway

    • donald j tingle says:

      People who cannot spell “you’re” shouldn’t throw stones.

  5. Christine says:

    I completely disagree with bishop. I love Psych and after Dual aspires I wanted to watch Twin Peaks because I was trying to figure out the references. Now I love Twin Peaks. I aired when I was in Jr. High and back then it would have scared me to death. Now it’s addicting!

  6. Francesca says:

    Another reference I found was when they all make owl noises at the cinnamon festival! I always love watching twin peaks, then rewatching the psych episode to catch even more references! The mayor says “whoooo will be crowned the next cinnamon king?” And all the town people say “whoooo whooo will it be?”. And we all know the owls see everything in twin peaks!

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