And with another week in the rear view mirror, we return to Twin Peaks: The Return. After a really strong and well thought out premiere, the show comes back with even more unique visuals the quotable silliness that was missing from the first two episodes. A lot happens in these two episodes so let’s jump into this but be warned, there are spoilers throughout.
1. Emerging From The Darkness
Dale Cooper’s time inside of the Black Lodge comes to an end early in this two hour episode but because this is Twin Peaks, nothing is ever easy. Coop is taken into a different place. Is this part of the Black Lodge? Is this some kind of afterlife? None of that is clear. Two things stand out here immediately. The first is the mentioning again of “Blue Rose” and the second is the appearance of actress Phoebe Augustine. Augustine played Ronette, a young woman who escaped Bob the night Laura died so as she sits in this other world, is she still Ronette or is she playing someone else entirely? “Blue Rose” was a thing said by Major Briggs that had something to do with the government and UFO cases. It’s possible neither of those things means anything but they still feel worth mentioning. The first twenty minutes of this episode is David Lynch really reveling in the free reign that Showtime gave him. This is such a bizarre and confusing odyssey that Cooper goes on but you can’t look away. At times it’s scary but it’s beautiful and very emotional.
2. HelloooOOOoooooo
As Coop is dealing with experience after being tossed from the Red Room, two things are happening. The first involves Boop (Bob + Coop). He’s in a car trying his hardest to avoid what’s bound to happen to him. He eventually crashes his car and throws up Ggarmonbozia, which everyone knows from Fire Walk With Me. Garmonbozia is literally pain and sorrow as a physical thing, so it’s vile. At the same time, this is happening another Dale Cooper lookalike named Dougie gets sick after enjoying some time with a paid companion named Jade. Dougie also throws up Gamonbozia but unlike Boop, he doesn’t eventually get up but instead serves as the vehicle for Dale to make his comeback. Dougie is brought to the Black Lodge where he’s told that he was made for a purpose and has served that. Now that Dale Cooper is out in the world, everything is okay, right? Well, no, it isn’t. Dale Cooper is a shell of himself. He has no idea where he is or who he is. He’s just repeating parts of what people are saying to him but the Black Lodge is still sort of guiding him. Jade, believing he had some kind of stroke, takes him to a casino and gives him a couple of dollars to call someone. Dale takes that money and thanks to his visions, he keeps hitting the jackpots all while saying “hellooooOOOoooo” because that’s the last thing that he heard before he started doing this. Dale is eventually kicked out of the casino with his winnings and taken home to his wife (Naomi Watts) and son who don’t acknowledge that something is wrong with Dougie. Dale Cooper has left the Black Lodge but is effectively trapped again. Without his memories or even ability to think on his own, he’s trapped in the life of Dougie Jones. Meanwhile, Boop is taken into police custody.
Okay, so yes, that’s a lot for a second point. This entire arc of these two episode is just so fantastic. It’s hilarious but so unsettling to see Dale Cooper like this. Kyle MacLachlan is not exactly hurting for roles but he just comes to life as Dale Cooper and puts everything he has into it. The physical comedy is here in spades and the emotional depth in it is why it works. You find yourself feeling so sorry for Dale because of how MacLachlan plays him and anytime you laugh, you feel bad for it. It’s an amazing collaboration between the actor and the director. I’m really excited to see Dale out in the world now and of all that we’ve seen in the first four episodes, this is the stuff that’s most like the original series. It’s off the wall in every way but engrossing. You can’t take your eyes off MacLachlan. Honestly, I dare you to.
Continued below3. Catching Up With Old Friends
These episodes hit us with a lot of information about Dale Cooper and his departure from the Black Lodge but we also go back to Twin Peaks itself for a few great moments. Lucy, Andy, and Hawk continue to wonder about the Log Lady’s message and reopen the files pertaining to Dale. This entire scene in the sheriff’s department is solid but Andy and Lucy do come off a little cringeworthy. Their goofiness is something that hasn’t really evolved which is probably an unfair ask of me. It’s just that some of their stuff didn’t land as well as it probably should have but Hawk continues to be wonderful. Hawk is the heart and soul of this police department and I think he’ll be the one to help Dale the most. On top of this we get to meet one of the new members of the sheriff’s department. BOBBY FREAKING BRIGGS is a deputy. The town troublemaker did good…I hope. Bobby would be the kind of guy to become a cop for all the wrong reasons. We also get to see Denise Bryson! Denise is now Gordon’s boss which is a joy because when do we ever get to see a trans woman kick ass as a high ranking government official? We don’t. Denise’s casting is still something to talk about because in the year 2017 it would have been nice to see her recast and get a trans woman in the role but the placement of her in the hierarchy of power is nice. Gordon delivers an amazing line about her ascension and says that he told others to “fix your hearts or die” but I found myself wanting more from this conversation. It quickly became less about the two of them and this investigation and more about Tammy and her looks, which gets a little weird. I hope we get to see Denise more in this season because in the position she’s in, it’d be fun to see her wield some of that power.
4. Time To Get To The Bottom Of All This
Albert motha effing Rosenfield is back and better than ever which makes the loss of Miguel Ferrer all the worse. Albert and Gordon are joined by a newer recruit, Tammy after they are called about the reappearance of Dale Cooper. Unfortunately for them, this is not their Dale Cooper. This is Boop, the evil doppelganger but he has some tricks up his sleeve when they finally get the chance to talk to him. Now being held in a federal prison, Boop tells Gordon that he’s been undercover, working on something with Phillip Jeffries. Albert has to confess privately to Gordon that he gave Boop some information about a man in Colombia who is now long dead. Albert and Gordon realize rather quickly that something is very wrong here.
5. Wally Freaking Brando
When it was announced that Showtime would be bringing back Twin Peaks, I had two major wishlist items. One was that Lana Del Rey be involved in the soundtrack. The other was that Michael Cera play Andy and Lucy’s son. Michael Cera is playing Andy and Lucy’s son and it is the most ridiculous, most amazing thing ever. Andy and Lucy make a joke that Andy wanted Wally’s name to be Brando since he was born on the same day as Marlon Brando. Twin Peaks was a show that homaged and poked fun at the idea of a perfect small town and also make its 1950s influences very clear. Wally Brando as a character is exhausting, which is exactly the kind of kid Lucy and Andy would have. He’s also a pure parody of James Hurley as the show’s influences and it’s just so perfect. It even raises the question of whether or not Wally is Dick’s son given his theatricality. His entire monologue is completely ridiculous from beginning to end and honestly only Cera could do this part. This scene sticks out like a sore thumb compared to the bigger storyline things happening here but it’s this kind of surreal event that makes Twin Peaks what it is. It’s part of the show’s charm and part of the experience of watching a David Lynch project.
What did you think of the next two part of Twin Peaks: The Return? Let me know in the comments below!
