And with another week in the rear view mirror, we return to Twin Peaks: The Return. This week marks the start of the second half of the season but it’s somehow the slowest episode despite revealing some interesting information. Let’s jump into this but be warned, there are spoilers throughout this.
1. So, That Happened
This episode finally gets Dougie/Dale to the doctor and the doctor is also clueless to what poor Dale is going through. I think it’s pretty interesting that everyone seems oblivious to what is actually happening with Dougie. No one seems to notice that the lights are basically out. People are self-absorbed and Lynch is getting at that with this entire plot point. At Dougie/Dale’s doctor appointment, the doctor notes that he’s in fantastic shape and this gets Janey-E thinking the dirtiest thoughts. This leads to a sex scene that I think the show wanted to be played up for laughs (look how Sonny Jim reacts when he hears his mother) but ummmm… Dougie/Dale is not exactly aware of what’s going on around him. He can’t even put together a full sentence or get himself dressed. I get the idea of playing up how self-absorbed people are but this entire thing is very icky. Basically, as far as I can infer, Dougie/Dale can’t give consent and even though this is his wife, this still isn’t really okay. This is a show with violence and that’s never been an issue for me. My issue is solely with the entire thing being played comedic.
Dale is not closer to waking up but yet again, red shoes make an appearance as focus is put on Janey-E’s flats. I know Lynch likes to let us in on things through visual components so I wonder if we’re getting really close to Dale’s awakening.
2. Jim Belushi – Gangster
If you had told me a year ago that I would be upset that I didn’t get to see more of Jim Belushi on Twin Peaks, I’d have called you crazy. Jim Belushi plays one of a duo that owns the casino that Dale won all his money at and he’s fantastic. He’s playing against type and I would really like to see him do more stuff like this. He gets the chance to actually be menacing but also gets to use his comedic talents in a way that enhances the scenes he appears in. They have three young ladies that are basically their concubines in Candie, Mandie, and Sandie. Candie gets the spotlight here as she gets in a little trouble early on and then has a great scene later on at the casino with Tom Sizemore’s character. The thing I’ve really enjoyed about this season is how the dots are starting to connect. All these characters come back to each other in some way and now these guys want to get Dougie. So now we have these two chasing Dougie, the cops is South Dakota want to talk to him about this ring that was found and soon Gordon and Albert will be with him. It’s all coming to a head and I’m very excited about this.
3. When Will Audrey Return From The War?
Richard Horne is the actual worst and this is actually an underreaction. He’s complete garbage and I only hope the worst for him. After killing a little boy, Richard goes to the home of Miriam Sullivan, the woman who saw him run the child over. She tells him that she sent a letter to the Sheriff and told him what happened and if anything happens to her, they’ll know he did it. This doesn’t stop Richard and he kills her anyway. He then runs off to the home of Sylvia and Johnny Horne, his grandmother and uncle. Once there he attacks them and steals all the money and jewelry she had in the most violent way. He almost kills her and through this, we learn a couple of things. First, Richard is actually demon spawn, but who’s demon spawn, we don’t know yet. I still think he’s Audrey’s son with BOOP but when will she come back to us? I’ve mentioned this a couple of times in these review/recaps but she is alive. The Mark Frost book told us that. Come back to us Audrey!!! We also find out that Ben and Sylvia are not together anymore. She calls him asking for money after what Richard does which leads me to believe that the reason he didn’t do anything with Beverly is that she’s married and he’s trying to be good about that.
Continued below4. Don’t Trust Anyone
This was a very quiet episode where nothing Earth shattering happened but near the end of the episode, a few very interesting (but still small) things happen. The first happens when Gordon opens his hotel door and sees a vision of Laura. The second happens between Albert, Gordon, and Diane as we find out that Albert has been monitoring Diane’s phone. Something in the past happened with her and Cooper and we still don’t know what but this is what I assume has led Albert to monitor her. He shows Gordon a text from Mexico and it’s the one that we saw BOOP send last week. She replied that they have Hastings and so many question marks go up over my head. I can’t fathom why Diane would still want to help BOOP but I also question if she’s doing it willingly. I’m also super into Gordon being so in tune with some of the weirder aspects of this show. Gordon is kind of the Hawk of this side of the story. He’s a believer (it seems) and is getting deep into this mystery by being open to things.
Tammy also has her own news to reveal as we get taken back to the penthouse in NYC where the glass box was that basically acted as a conduit that helped Dale escape. It is also the scene of a grisly murder and as it turns out, BOOP was at this penthouse. Was he keeping tabs on what was happening in the Black Lodge? Was he preparing for Dale’s return?
5. “Hawk…Laura is the one”
The third of the very interesting things to happen at the tail end of this episode is another conversation between the Log Lady and Hawk. Her message is brief. She says that the Truman brothers are true men and Hawk’s brothers and that “Laura is the one. The glow is dying” What does that mean? I honestly have no idea. Laura is dead so I’m unsure what part she could still have to play in this. Is it possible that she’s possessing someone else in this story? Is the glow Dale Cooper and the longer he stays confused the worse things will get? I love the Log Lady’s prophecies and while I’m unsure what she means here, I’m excited to find out.
What did you think of this episode? Let me know in the comments!
