Twin Peaks was, among many other things, an incredibly plot-dense series. With its convoluted intrigue and madcap digressions, it was the first show to wildly buck the narrative expectations that then governed network TV. Although only 30 episodes aired, and the central mystery was solved not long into the second season, Mark Frost and David Lynch’s small-town noir made time for conspiracies and criminal plots that ensnared just about every member of the ensemble.
In the video above, we stuffed the most essential plot from the series into one three-minute video refresher ahead of Showtime’s 18-episode third season (which premieres May 21), starting with the discovery of Laura Palmer’s body and ending with the series’ notorious final line: “How’s Annie?”
Read the rest of Slate’s special issue on how Twin Peaks paved the way for Peak TV here.
