My Thoughts on Showtime’s Twin Peaks Episodes 3 and 4
Jonathan Barkan
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It’s still hard to believe that I get to write these posts. After 25 years, David Lynch and Mark Frost’s “Twin Peaks” is back for an 18-episode revival on Showtime, and I’ve now seen four episodes. Say whatever you want, but this really does feel like some strange, surreal dream come true. Here is the chance to address all the questions that went unanswered at the end of the second season, to return to that charming, yet eerie Pacific Northwest town that enchanted so very many of us.
After last week’s two-episode premiere, we return once again to this strange story, although now things are a bit more linear, a bit easier to follow. Let’s dive into what happened, but as always, be warned for there will be spoilers ahead.
https://youtu.be/ujDB5ao1JCg
To put them in the simplest way possible, these two episodes follow Dale Cooper after he leaves the Black Lodge; and he is a changed man, almost unrecognizable when thinking of the character that we all know and love. He is in shock and has reverted to an almost infantile state, seemingly unable to form his own sentences and able only to repeat back simple phrases he hears from others. But in order to understand how Cooper got out of the Black Lodge, let’s go back a little bit.
The episode opens with Cooper falling through the cosmos, so fast that the light from stars illuminate him briefly before he enters into the darkness of space again. He then falls into a strange place, one that makes no physical sense. He at one point looks over a vast ocean covered by a purple sky, only to later climb atop that “world” to find that it’s all fits into a metal box that is barely as tall as Cooper.
So, how does Cooper escape? We see how he does it, but we’re never given the exact reasoning for why he’s able to do it after 25 years. To boil it down, Cooper leaves by being sucked through an electrical outlet. While I wish I could explain how he’s able to do so, it’s not all that clear. We must remember that the only way Cooper should be able to leave is if his doppelgänger returns to the Black Lodge. However, Evil Cooper does not return, although not for lack of the Black Lodge trying. Evil Cooper, who was driving at the time when Dale was getting sucked through the outlet, crashes his car and begins seeing the red curtains of the Black Lodge billowing in front of him. Desperate to avoid going in, he covers his mouth before vomiting some sort of strange black, yellow, and red substance, a “liquid” (there are a lot of curds in there) that is apparently noxious to all who come close to it.
Here’s where things get really interesting: We are then introduced to a THIRD Kyle MacLachlan character, a man by the name of Dougie Jones, whom we meet in Las Vegas after he’s had sex with a prostitute by the name of Jade. While she’s showering, Dougie vomits the same as Evil Cooper and is then sucked into the Black Lodge with a resounding bang. In there, he collapses in on himself, bursting into black smoke, after being told by the one-armed man that he was manufactured for a purpose, a purpose which has been fulfilled. From what we can assume, he was a decoy, a way for Evil Cooper and Dale Cooper to live in the real world simultaneously.
As mentioned before, Cooper is in a state of shock. He can barely walk, he doesn’t seem to understand anything that’s going on around him, and he only repeats back phrases he hears, shortening them to a couple of words. He is, for all intents and purposes, born again. He has been out of our world for 25 years and we cannot expect him to simply be normal. As much as I wish to see Special Agent Dale Cooper in his full charm and confidence, I will have to wait as the Cooper we have learns how to be himself again.
Jade takes Cooper to a casino, where he promptly begins winning one slot machine jackpot after another, all guided by a mysterious Black Lodge vision floating above any machine that will win with one coin. He wins so many that the casino becomes suspicious, although they can’t do anything. They simply give him his winnings, albeit with reluctance, and order him a limo to take him home, where we meet Dougie’s wife, who is played by Naomi Watts.
Meanwhile, back in the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Station, Hawk, Andy, and Lucy are trying to figure out what the Log Lady was talking about when she said that something was missing from the Laura Palmer case files. Later, Sheriff Truman arrives and we are told that it’s Harry’s brother who is now wearing the star. We are reunited with Bobby Briggs, who is now a police officer for Twin Peaks. We also meet Andy and Lucy’s son, Wally “Brando” Brennan, who looks like he has taken that middle name a bit too seriously and is dressed like Marlon’s character “Johnny” from The Wild One. It’s a scene that is hilarious and perfect for the series.
While all of this is going on, we also see Albert Rosenfield and Gordon Cole, who are told that Cooper has returned and can be found in South Dakota. After getting the okay from Federal Bureau of Investigation Chief of Staff Denise (David Duchovny), they travel there, only to meet with the Evil Cooper, who speaks strangely but with information that he almost certainly should not know. Both Albert and Gordon don’t realize that this is the doppelgänger, but they sense that something is very off. Gordon evens admits that he has no idea what is going on.
Back in Vegas, Cooper wakes up in Dougie’s house, where he has to go through what, for many people, is a normal ritual. However, he still requires much help and is always looking around at others for guidance. A hilarious scene comes when Cooper has to pee, followed by getting dressed for breakfast, where he gets his first cup of hot coffee. No surprise… it’s very hot, and he ends up spitting most of it out.
Before Cooper goes down, however, there is a scene where he looks in the corner of Dougie’s bedroom and sees the Black Lodge faintly over the decor. He sees the one-armed man, who tells him that he was tricked and that one of the Coopers out in the world must die.
Perhaps the greatest moment in these two episodes comes when Bobby walks into the conference room to meet with Andy, Lucy, Sheriff Truman, and Hawk and sees a picture of Laura Palmer on the table. In true “Twin Peaks” fashion, he gets extremely emotional and begins crying while Angelo Badalamenti’s “Laura’s Theme” begins playing. I would be lying if I told you that I myself didn’t become emotional. Without realizing it, my hand grabbed my chest as my heart ached and tears filled my eyes. It was a moment both pure and magical, one that proved the lasting power of the original series as well as showed the importance of this revival for all of us who have waited for so many years.
It’s still so strange to me that so much of the story takes place outside of the titular town. However, it’s not an unpleasant feeling. Rather, it’s exciting and exhilarating. Whereas, the mysteries of “Twin Peaks” felt confined in the first two seasons to that town and the surrounding areas, we are now experiencing strange wonders in many areas and locations. While the sun may be shining in many scenes, it will never take away the unrelenting feeling of surreal oddness at play.
Yes, the first two episodes were a phantasmagoria of “Twin Peaks” visuals and information that seemingly made no sense, but the third and fourth episodes are easy enough to follow along with as they progress in a more normal structure. That being said, there are still a great many mysteries at play here, and nothing concrete has been given. Lynch and Frost are taking their sweet time building quirky storylines while never letting go of the main thread. It might be awhile before we see Dale Cooper enter the town of Twin Peaks, but that’s okay. For now I’m more than happy to follow his journey while he becomes the agent he once was.
Let’s just hope he gets to enjoy that next cup of coffee without it burning his mouth!
https://youtu.be/Tg6BylXpjFk
https://youtu.be/QO22Cd672XE
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