Dual Spires

Lore & Background

After receiving an e-mail inviting them to a cinnamon festival, Shawn Spencer and Burton 'Gus' Guster travel to the quirky small town of Dual Spires. Once there, they are caught up in the mysterious drowning death of teenager Paula Merral. The episode features seven Twin Peaks cast members: Sherilyn Fenn, Sheryl Lee, Dana Ashbrook, Robyn Lively, Lenny Von Dohlen, Catherine E. Coulson, and Ray Wise. The plot includes numerous allusions to Twin Peaks, such as the anagram 'Paula Merral' for Laura Palmer, and a white horse resembling one in Sarah Palmer's vision.

Reader's Guide

Dual Spires is significant as a tribute episode that aired 20 years to the day after the Twin Peaks episode that revealed Laura Palmer's killer. It drew 3.543 million viewers and received generally positive reviews. The episode was extended, running 67 minutes with commercials or 50 without. The creative team initially wanted Twin Peaks co-creator David Lynch to guest star but decided not to ask; Lynch's daughter later implied he had seen the episode and was pleased. The episode features a slower, extended version of the Psych theme song by Julee Cruise, and the opening imagery recreates the Twin Peaks opening sequence.

Did You Know?

• Maggie Lawson suggested the episode's title, a play on Twin Peaks.
• The episode contains 724 references to Twin Peaks, according to the enhanced video.
• Mädchen Amick agreed to appear but dropped out due to a family issue.