Pete Martell

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Peter Martell is a character from the 1990 television show Twin Peaks. He is portrayed by Jack Nance.

Born on June 28, 1934 Pete is a lumberjack who married his boss' sister, feisty Catherine Packard. What started as a "summer's indiscretion", developed into a marriage on the rocks, a marriage that from Pete's perspective never should have happened. "Catherine is plain hell to live with it", Pete once admits during the course of the show. Catherine is ruthless, stubborn and determined and doesn't make anything easy for her husband that she feels is a useless, soft old fool. However, it is also made clear that Catherine was far richer than him, before the marriage so he has at least a financial consolation. He is a keen angler.

While Catherine plots to get back his late brother's business, the Packard mill, from his widow Josie Packard whom she despises, Pete spends his time fishing ("There's a fish in the percolator!") and joking affectionately with Josie. Perhaps too good to be true, Josie is pure balsam to Pete after Catherine's constant spite and contempt.

Pete is a champion chess player, and regular winner of the Twin Peaks Chess Tournament. He uses this advantage in the second season to help Special Agent Dale Cooper with his chess game against Windom Earle.

[edit] "Wrapped in plastic"

Pete has one of the show's catchphrases - "She's dead... wrapped in plastic", which led to everything from the show's fanzine title, to Marilyn Manson's song on their Portrait of an American Family album "Wrapped in Plastic". The Gothic band Creaming Jesus also has a sample-laden song entitled Upside Down that samples the line.