Bob (sometimes known as BOB or Killer BOB) is a fictional character and main antagonist of the
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting
* Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
television series ''
Twin Peaks
''Twin Peaks'' is an American Surrealist cinema, surrealist Mystery film, mystery-Horror film, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It Pilot (Twin Peaks), premiered on American Broad ...
,'' played by
Frank Silva.
[Twin Peaks: The definitive plan to continue the series ](_blank)
/ref> He is an interdimensional entity who feeds on pain and sorrow. An inhabiting spirit, he possesses human beings and then commits acts of rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault involving sexual intercourse, or other forms of sexual penetration, carried out against a person without consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or against a person ...
and murder
Murder is the unlawful killing of another human without justification (jurisprudence), justification or valid excuse (legal), excuse committed with the necessary Intention (criminal law), intention as defined by the law in a specific jurisd ...
in order to feast on the suffering of his victims. In the film '' Fire Walk With Me'', this suffering is called "garmonbozia" and can manifest in the form of creamed corn
Creamed corn (which is also known by other names, such as cream-style sweet corn) is a type of Creaming (food), creamed vegetable dish made by combining pieces of whole sweet corn, sweetcorn with a Soup, soupy liquid of wikt:milky, milky residue f ...
.
Bob made his first appearance in the pilot episode
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie) in United Kingdom and United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television netwo ...
, "Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea lane between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, near the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The eastern route along the Arctic ...
", where he makes a brief appearance in a vision seen by Sarah Palmer. The character eventually grew into the series' main antagonist in the second season. Silva, a set dresser on the pilot, was given the role of Bob after a reflection of his face in a mirror was accidentally captured by the camera during filming. When series creator David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (January 20, 1946 – January 16, 2025) was an American filmmaker, visual artist, musician, and actor. Widely considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, Lynch was often called a "visionary" and received acclaim f ...
saw Silva's face, he liked it so much he kept it in the show, and cast him as Bob. Although he died before production on the 2017 revival began, he appears in the series through archival footage and CGI.
In 2016, ''Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason.
The magazine was first known fo ...
'' ranked him No. 5 of their "40 Greatest TV Villains of All Time".
Character arc
''Twin Peaks''
Bob is an interdimensional entity from the Black Lodge, a realm which exists on an alternate plane of reality. While "possessing" humans, he commits horrible crimes to elicit pain, fear, and suffering in those around him. In a series of promotional trading cards issued for ''Twin Peaks'', his birth date is listed as "From the beginning of time", and his "accomplishments" are listed as "I have survived as long as man has been on earth."
During his investigation of Laura Palmer
Laura Palmer is a fictional character in the ''Twin Peaks'' franchise and the primary focus of the series. She is portrayed by Sheryl Lee and was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. She first appears in the ABC origin ...
's (Sheryl Lee
Sheryl Lee (born April 22, 1967) is an American film, stage, and television actress. After studying acting in college, Lee relocated to Seattle, Washington to work in theater, where she was cast by David Lynch as Laura Palmer and Maddy Ferguso ...
) murder, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper
Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Dale Bartholomew Cooper is a fictional character who is the protagonist of the ABC and Showtime television series ''Twin Peaks'', and plays a supporting role in the prequel film '' Twin Peaks: Fire ...
(Kyle MacLachlan
Kyle Merritt MacLachlan ( ; ' McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his Emmy-nominated and Golden Globe-winning role as Dale Cooper in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire ...
) first learns of Bob's existence in a vision, in which he encounters another entity named Mike
Mike may refer to:
Animals
* Mike (cat), cat and guardian of the British Museum
* Mike the Headless Chicken, chicken that lived for 18 months after his head had been cut off
* Mike (chimpanzee), a chimpanzee featured in several books and documen ...
(Al Strobel
Albert Michael Strobel (January 28, 1940– December 2, 2022) was an American actor best known for his recurring role on David Lynch and Mark Frost's ''Twin Peaks'' as Phillip Michael Gerard, also known as Mike.
Early life
Strobel was born ...
). In this vision, Cooper learns that Bob was in life a serial killer
A serial killer (also called a serial murderer) is a person who murders three or more people,An offender can be anyone:
*
*
*
*
* (This source only requires two people) with the killings taking place over a significant period of time in separat ...
who raped and murdered young women, with Mike as his accomplice. Mike eventually repented, removing his left arm in order to be rid of the tattoo that he shared with Bob. At the beginning of the second season, one of Bob's intended victims, Ronnette Pulaski (Phoebe Augustine
Phoebe Ellen Ceresia (born April 1, 1967), known professionally as Phoebe Augustine, is an American actress known for playing Ronette Pulaski in ''Twin Peaks''.
Career
She portrayed Laura Palmer's friend Ronette Pulaski in several episodes of t ...
), awakens from a coma induced by her torture
Torture is the deliberate infliction of severe pain or suffering on a person for reasons including corporal punishment, punishment, forced confession, extracting a confession, interrogational torture, interrogation for information, or intimid ...
at Bob's hands, at which time she identifies Bob as Laura's killer. Cooper and the Twin Peaks Sheriff department canvass the town with wanted posters of Bob. Leland Palmer
Leland Palmer is a fictional character from the ABC and Showtime television series ''Twin Peaks'', and one of the main characters in the prequel film, '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me''. He is portrayed in all his appearances by Ray Wise.
Lela ...
(Ray Wise
Raymond Herbert Wise (born August 29, 1947) is an American actor best known for his role as Leland Palmer in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, Twin Peaks (season 3), 2017) and its prequel film ''Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992). He has appeared ...
), Laura's father, identifies the man in the poster as "Robertson", and says that he lived near his grandfather and used to taunt Leland when he was a child.
It is later revealed that Bob is, in fact, possessing Leland, and has been ever since Leland first met him as a child at his grandfather's house. Under Bob's influence, Leland sexually abused his own daughter for years, and finally murdered her. Leland is also under Bob's control when he murders Leland's niece Maddy Ferguson
Madeleine "Maddy" Ferguson is a fictional character in the ''Twin Peaks'' franchise. She was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost and portrayed by Sheryl Lee. Introduced in the fourth episode of the first season, Maddy is ...
(Lee), who looks just like Laura. Upon learning the truth, Cooper lures Bob into a trap by tricking Leland into allowing himself to be questioned. Under interrogation, Bob takes control and taunts Cooper before forcing Leland to bash his head repeatedly into the wall, sustaining fatal injuries. In his dying breaths, Leland states when he was a child he saw Bob in a dream and invited him inside, before stating that he never knew when Bob was in control of his body. After Leland dies, Cooper engages in a philosophical
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
debate with Sheriff Harry Truman (Michael Ontkean
Michael Ontkean (born January 24, 1946) is a Canadian actor, long based in the United States, now retired.
Ontkean relocated to the United States to attend the University of New Hampshire on a hockey scholarship before pursuing a career in a ...
) and Albert Rosenfield (Miguel Ferrer
Miguel José Ferrer (February 7, 1955 – January 19, 2017) was an American actor. His breakthrough role was as Bob Morton in the 1987 film ''RoboCop''. Other film roles include Harbinger in '' Hot Shots! Part Deux'' (1993), Quigley in '' Blank ...
) over how real Bob was, and whether or not Bob was in fact a physical incarnation of Leland's personal demons. Although the men cannot agree on a unifying idea, they do come to the conclusion that Bob is a manifestation of "the evil that men do".
Cooper sees a vision of Bob taunting him shortly after Josie Packard (Joan Chen
Joan Chen (simplified Chinese; 陈冲; born April 26, 1961) is an American actress and film director. She made her film debut in the Chinese film ''Youth'' (1977) before starring in the film (1979). She came to the attention of American audien ...
) has a sudden heart attack as he tries to arrest her. It is implied that Bob caused the heart attack by flooding her body and soul with terror, literally frightening her to death.
In the final episode, Cooper ventures into the Black Lodge to apprehend his former partner, rogue FBI Agent Windom Earle (Kenneth Welsh
Kenneth Clifford Welsh, (March 30, 1942 – May 5, 2022) was a Canadian actor, who made over 300 stage, film, and television appearances over a nearly 60-year career.
Educated at the National Theatre School, he was a member of the Stratford S ...
), who is attempting to harness the power of the Lodge for himself. When Earle tries to strike a bargain with Cooper in which Cooper will sell his soul to Earle in exchange for Earle sparing Cooper's lover, Annie Blackburn (Heather Graham
Heather Joan Graham (born January 29, 1970) is an American actress. The accolades she has received include nominations for two Screen Actors Guild Awards, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, and an Independent Spirit Award.
After appearing in tel ...
), Bob appears and reverses time in the Lodge to the moment before Cooper agreed to sell his soul. Bob informs Cooper that the Black Lodge is his domain, and thus Earle has trespassed by coming into it and demanding Cooper's soul for himself. As a punishment, Bob kills Earle, taking Earle's soul for himself. Cooper attempts to flee, but Bob traps him in the Lodge, exiting inside of a doppelgänger
A doppelgänger ( ), sometimes spelled doppelgaenger or doppelganger, is a ghostly double of a living person, especially one that haunts its own fleshly counterpart.
In fiction and mythology, a doppelgänger is often portrayed as a ghostly or p ...
of Cooper. The series ends with Bob maniacally laughing alongside the doppelgänger in a mirror.
2017 revival
The 2017 revival explores Bob's origins in " Part 8", showing that an orb bearing his face was created or unleashed upon the world by the Experiment during the first atomic bomb test in 1945. The appearance of Bob's orb is witnessed by The Fireman (Carel Struycken
Carel Struycken (; born 30 July 1948) is a Dutch actor. He is known for playing the Giant/Fireman in the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017), the occasional guest role of Mr. Homn in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' (1987– ...
), who creates an orb bearing the face of Laura Palmer in response.
In the present, Bob continues to inhabit Cooper's doppelgänger ("Mr. C") and appears as an orb inside of his body. If the doppelgänger suffers a fatal injury, a group of Woodsmen dig Bob out of his body and Bob returns to the doppelgänger when he is revived.
After the doppelgänger is shot and killed by Lucy Moran (Kimmy Robertson
Kimmy Robertson (born November 27, 1954) is an American actress best known for her role as Lucy Moran in the television series ''Twin Peaks'' and Rose in the film '' The Last American Virgin''.
Career
Robertson's high-pitched voice has led to ...
), Bob is again removed from his body, but quickly finds himself confronted by Freddie Sykes (Jake Wardle), who was given a supernatural glove by the Fireman. The two fight, which ends with Freddie destroying Bob by punching him into the stratosphere.
Conceptual history
The impetus for the series ''Twin Peaks
''Twin Peaks'' is an American Surrealist cinema, surrealist Mystery film, mystery-Horror film, horror Drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It Pilot (Twin Peaks), premiered on American Broad ...
'' was the mystery of who killed Laura Palmer
Laura Palmer is a fictional character in the ''Twin Peaks'' franchise and the primary focus of the series. She is portrayed by Sheryl Lee and was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. She first appears in the ABC origin ...
. During the filming of a scene in the pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
, "Northwest Passage
The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea lane between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, near the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Arctic Archipelago of Canada. The eastern route along the Arctic ...
", taking place in Laura's room, Frank Silva, a set dresser, accidentally trapped himself in the room by inadvertently moving a dresser in front of the door. When told of the incident, Lynch had an image of Silva stuck in the room and thought it could fit into the series. After filming him crouched at the foot of Laura's bed, looking through the bars of the footboard, as if he were "trapped" behind them, Lynch filmed the scene a second time, without Silva. After reviewing the footage, Lynch liked Silva's presence so much that he decided to make him part of the series.
Later that day, a scene was being filmed in which Laura's mother experiences a terrifying vision; at the time, the script did not indicate what Mrs Palmer had seen. Lynch was pleased with how the scene turned out, but a crew member informed him that it would have to be re-shot, because a mirror in the scene had inadvertently picked up Silva's reflection. Lynch considered this a "happy accident", and decided that Silva's unnamed character would be revealed as Laura's true killer. At the 2013 Twin Peaks Retrospective at USC USC may refer to:
Education
United States
* Universidad del Sagrado Corazón, Santurce, Puerto Rico
* University of South Carolina, Columbia, South Carolina
** University of South Carolina System, a state university system of South Carolina
* ...
, Phoebe Augustine
Phoebe Ellen Ceresia (born April 1, 1967), known professionally as Phoebe Augustine, is an American actress known for playing Ronette Pulaski in ''Twin Peaks''.
Career
She portrayed Laura Palmer's friend Ronette Pulaski in several episodes of t ...
, who played Ronette Pulaski, recalled being afraid of Silva as she noticed him standing out among the crew while filming her scene on the railroad tracks in the pilot episode. When Augustine told Lynch she was becoming afraid of Silva and asked who he was, Lynch, according to Augustine, said, "That's the bad guy, but don't tell anyone."
References
General references
Inline citations
{{Twin Peaks
Bob
Bob, BOB, or B.O.B. may refer to:
People, fictional characters, and named animals
*Bob (given name), a list of people and fictional characters
* Bob (surname)
* Bob (dog), a dog that received the Dickin Medal for bravery in World War II
* Bob t ...
Fictional demons
Fictional characters with body or mind control abilities
Fictional characters with death or rebirth abilities
Fictional pedophiles
Fictional rapists
Fictional serial killers
Fictional murderers of children
Fictional filicides
Male villains
Television characters introduced in 1990
Male characters in soap operas