We start another packed episode with the first connection between Gordon Coles (David Lynch), and Twin Peaks the town this series. Gordon phones the Sheriff station and of course gets the ever chatty Lucy (Kimmy Robertson). Expecting a quick catch up with Lucy (by in mind for all we know the pair haven't talked for twenty plus years), in classic Lucy fashion she sidetracks the conversation with her life story since she last spoke to Gordon. In a smart detail, when Lucy patches Gordon through to Sheriff Truman, he is expecting his brother Harry, but of course the current Sheriff is Harry's brother Frank. This was just a nice piece of consistency, which makes perfect sense. Frank tells Gordon about Laura's diary pages which Hawk found.
Staying in Buckthorn, Albert explains to Tammy (and us), the back story of the blue rose cases, that the first one was in 1975 and involved a woman called Lois Duffy who was shot dead in a hotel room. Before dying, Lois said, "I'm like a blue rose." (thus how the special unit was named). Another woman in the room also named Lois was arrested for the crime. The arresting officers Gordon Coles and Philip Jeffries. This is interesting, but what comes next is a bombshell. Gordon quizzes Diane about if Cooper mentioned Major Briggs on that faithful night 26 years ago, she confirms that he did, when Albert tells her about the message on the green ring (the one about Dougie and Janey), Diane reveals that her half-sister also called Janey is married to one Douglas Jones, aka DOUGIE! The news on Diane's link to Janey and Dougie is massive and sets the mind racing. How great would it be to have Diane and Janey together in a scene? It bares the question, what role did Diane if any did Diane play in good Cooper taking over Dougie's body? Another intriguing part of this for me, is that we are still unsure about whose side Diane is on in this conflict or just what her motivations are. This scene adds to that mystery, because I wonder if Albert mentioned the ring to try and trip Diane up to get such a juicy piece of information, but likewise is Diane feeding them this information for her on purposes (and Dark Cooper's?). In a priceless add-on, Gordon phones the Vegas FBI brench and tells a guy called Wilson to look up Douglas Jones. Wilson has a job on his hands because there are 23 Douglas Jone's in the state, for which he recieves a rant from his boss who screams at Wilson, "What's wrong with you? This is what we do in the FBI!" Just great, insane, madcap stuff! Far from being the meat of the episode, this is just the warm up act. Next, Gordon describes a dream he had last night about Monica Bellucci (yes the actress). At first I thought this was going to be another quirky Gordon comedy beat, it seems he has a thing for french women (like the woman he was entertaining a few episodes back), but then we enter Gordon's dream. Its black and white (to mark it out as a dream or as something that took place at a different time). To no one's surprise the real Monica Bellucci shows up. On a street Bellucci tells Coles that "We all like the dreamer of dreams, and who lives inside the dreams." Gordon looks behind him and sees himself in the past with Philip Jeffries, and we get a replay of their scene from Fire Walk with Me. I will return to this at the end.
In a neat bait and switch scene, Frank, Hawk, Andy and Bobby set up for lunch at the station, and arrest a unexpected Chad when he shows up. Frank says they've been watching Chad for awhile. So his inside work for Richard Horne has been expossed. This is just another small victory for the good guys of Twin Peaks against the corrupting outside influence of someone like Chad. Them finding Chad out is more credible, because A) Chad is an idiot, and B) If you factor in that Lucy (who seemed to suspect something was a foot when Chad was picking up the mail/intercepting Miriam's letter in a previous episode), probably played the crucial role in finding Chad out. We arrive at their walk in the forrest and to the spot marked on the map. The long, lingering shots of forest, are some of the most beautiful of the whole show. At the same time we get the familiar low rumbling, hum reverberating around the forrest. Despite the beauty, there is also a haunting quality which I think is partly because of the sense of the characters searching for the spot in the wood, and us watching this, and the sense that the next important moment is about to arrive. Finally, at Jackrabbits Place they find a nake girl with cut out eyes. The girl in question is Naido who was last seen in episode 3, dropping through space and has now arrived on earth. Naido is frantic and makes a bunch of noises which cannot be made out. Frank warns the others that its 2.53, which was the important time indicated on the coordinates.
Right on cue a vortex opens in the sky and sucks Andy into the black lodge. There he is sat across from the Giant, who says, "I am an Fireman" (keep note of this for later in the episode). The Giant hands Andy some an object which transforms into a portal which he looks up through. The portal plays a number of images which pretty much recap the events of the 8th episode of the season Gotta Light in Roswell, with Bob, the Woodsman, etc... Two other images shown are of Lucy and Andy in a hall,with him warning her to stay back (this is yet to happen as far as I know?) - this could be a warning to Andy of a threat to come to his loved one. The other image is a playback of the the telegraph mask with the number six which has appeared two previous times, one in Fire Walk with Me the other time was in episode 6 of this season after the young kid had been run over by Richard. Back in the woods, Andy tells the others that people are after Naido and that they should lock her in a cell for safety. Later Lucy lets Naido borrow her robe, and Chad is mouthing off from his cell, to which Andy replies, "Your a very bad man who gives the police a bad name." This is a good way to bring Andy, one of the most pure characters of the show into focus and give him responsibility in the fight against evil. After Andy leaves, another prisioner with a beat up face makes loud animalistic noises and repeat Chad setences, Chad joins in with the noises. This reminded me of the sounds Bobby and Mike made early in the first season at James.
Its revealed that James and his friend Freddy(first seen at the start of the season) work as security guards at the Great Northern Hotel. James asks Freddy about his green glove, talking in a really dodgy cockney accent (the actor is actually from the UK), and cockney rhyming slag Freddy tells James a story about one drunken night he started floating in the air and was told by The Fireman (The Giant) to buy a green glove from a hardware store, and that the glove processed special powers. Freddy was instructed to take the glove with him to Twin Peaks. Later James goes into the back of a warehouse with a torch and that familiar low rumble, electic sound can be heard. The sub-plot with Freddy feels a bit like him being set up as a new generation of crime frighter to battle the evil forces arriving in Twin Peaks, but with a speical power to aid him.
One more big scene to come. We return to Sarah Palmer. She goes to a local bar (not the Road House), and orders a Bloody Mary. A creepy looking guy tries to cosy up to her, she's clearly not interested. At this point the man starts getting nasty, and vebally abuses Sarah in a crude, horrible, masculine, and sexist way. It is a very uncomfortable moment. Its been a running theme this season of ungly, and dark masclinity as part of the evil in Twin Peaks. Things then take the most unexpected of turns. Sarah opens up her face, revealing a dark shadow inside. A sinister sounding voice warns, "Do you really want to fuck with this?" She then rips into his flesh killing him. Sarah then seems to snap out of it, and is bemused, uncertain at what's happened (though think there was little hints that she was still aware). I did enjoy the line from the bar tender, "There's someone dead at the bar!" This was a big moment. Once again Grace Zebriskie sold it like a pro, it was very creepy and has gotten people talking about just what the creature in Sarah is? For many its a call back to episode 8 and the suggestion that the young girl in New Mexico that Babylon crawled into was a young Sarah Palmer. Regardless, Sarah's next movements are hard to predict, but will be highly anticipated. At the road house two girls (yes two more new characters added to the mix..), Megan and Sophie discuss Billy. Megan tells a story about Billy going nuts, running into the house bleeding badly. At one point Sophie asks Megan "What is your Mum's name"? The answer comes, "Tina." Billy and Tina both came up in the discussion between Audrey and Charlie. We then get this week's guest music star, which is Lissie (probably the biggest name outside of Nine Inch Nails so far).
Further Questions:
1. Do you think Tina and Billy are real characters?
2. If no, are they meant to represent characters we already know? And who could they be?
3. Will we get a cameo from David Bowie besides the shots of him in the past in FWWM.
Episode MVP: Andy Brennan
I'm tempted to give it to Sarah Palmer because the performance from Zebriskie was just so fantastic, and it was a great scene. But Andy's moment of being chosen by The Giant is such a important moment, and its a great thing to do with his character.
Verdict
Excellent. The couple of weeks things have really been building to something exciting. This is probably the best episode since Gotta Light? It was packed with juicy dramatic moments, which were unpredictable, visually exciting, but full of meaty substance and talking points. There were some progressive plot and character moments, and some choice performances. It felt like another game changing episode. It showed why Twin Peaks is the most unpredictable and exciting show on television in my opinion.
Episode 315: There's Some Fear in Letting Go
And so we arrive at the saddest and most moving episode of this series so far. This one hit home very hard, giving us a proper mix of loveable and toucching moments, combined with the more edgy, troubling stuff.
The opening has Nadine walking with a purpose with her goldern shovel in hand. Of all people she bumps into Ed. Nadine opens up to her husband with a speech consistently of saying that she's been holding Ed and Norma back for years and basically gives him his freedom back, allowing him to be with Norma. Even calling her a selfish bitch. She even goes as far as to dig out the Jacoby line claiming that she's been "Shoveling her way out of the shit." Its this great moment of libration for Nadine, and a nice payoff to the arc with her and Jacoby (I'm guessing that her and Doc are set to be a item now), one subplot which at times has felt over done. Its also interesting that Nadine is saying that unlike other people in the town she is seeing things for what they are, and that she is the one who is free, but at the sametime she sees that Ed can be happy with Norma. Its consistent too that Ed is the sort of guy to question this, after all he's been with Nadine so long and considering her mental state he has some doubts. Everett McGill sells this with a perfect mix of relief and bemusement. Anyway, he heads to the Double R diner to declare his love to Norma, with a fitting upbeat love theme filling the air (the most up beat piece of music used in the return). There is a obstacle blocking their path to true love, and that is shit head Walter! As Walter tries more of his moves on Norma both business and personally, the POV cuts between Ed with a concerned expression at the couner and Norma and Walter, the love theme plays in busts when the shots on Ed, and fades out when returning to Norma and Walter. Not to fear, because Norma shoots the slimeball down once and for all, declaring that she will sell him the other Double Rs, but that the Twin Peaks brench is remaining under Norma's control. This news kicks Walter to the curb, HELL YEAH NORMA!! The love theme returns, Ed and Norma get their big reunion and Shelly looks on in glee. The love thing lifts as we get sweeping shots throughout Twin Peaks. Its a lovely moment for two of the show's most loved characters. Good wins out over evil (yep I'm grouping that little rat Walter in with the evil side). The audience are allowed to savour this joy. But with this being a Lynch show, this up lifting moment is setting us up for something a bit darker and challenging.
The familar headlights shots at night mark the return of dark Cooper. Cooper stops out a gas station and is greeted by one of the woodsmen. He tells him that he is looking for Philip Jeffries. As dopple Cooper is led up a starwell to the entrance of the building, the shot cuts back and foruth between the stairs and the woods, this is repeated inside as Cooper and the viewer are lead along a gothic looking corridor and up the stars. This leads onto a outside path, where he is met by a mysterious looking woman dressed in black, she says "I will unlock the door for you." Except she says this backwards like the lodge speech. Inside there is a electrical flash and among other images we get a shot of the Jumping Man, its the first time we have seen him since Fire Walk with Me. Cooper gets to meet Philip Jeffries who talked through a machine with smoke coming from it. Cooper wants to know why Jeffries hired Ray to have him killed. What's interesting here is that Philip doesn't actually confirm that he did hire Ray, just that he spoke to him on the phone. Jeffries said he didn't call Cooper because he doesn't have his number. He then says "You are Cooper." We never get another flashback from FWWM with Jeffries (David Bowie), with his speech, "We're not going to talk about Judy at all." Jeffries gives Cooper a series of numbers (coordinates maybe?). Cooper demands to know who Judy is. Jeffries tells him that he should ask Judy herself, and that he's already met Judy. Cooper repeats the question, but is cut off by the loud ringing of a telephone which ends the encounter and signals his exit. Outside Richard confronts Cooper and wants to talk about him and his Mum (Audrey, it seems like Cooper was the Dad), Richard knows about Cooper (the real one) being a FBI agent. Dark Cooper quickly knocks Richard to the ground and says they'll talk about it in the car. Before they depart he sends a text which reads "Las Vegas"? This is likely the text Diane recieved from dopple Cooper a number of episodes back. What's interesting here is how for throughout the scene Cooper had lost control of the situation but regained control at the end with Richard, showing him just who the big bad was. It seems their off to Vegas. As they drive off, the building has a flash of light inside and disappears.
In a very distressing scene we see Steven with another girl (see Becky no reason to worry about his arsehole!). Steven wants to kill himself becuase of some bad thing he's done, but the girl tries to talk him out of it. Crucial exchange is Steven saying, "I did it." And the girl responding, "No she did it." Is she Becky? And is this thing Steven has done something we've already seen or not? At this point a man walks past with his dog (this is a Mark Frost cameo), and gets into a heated discussion with Steven. The girl frantically hides behind a tree (she tries to talk Steven into doing the same) we hear a gun shot. The familiar hymming sound can be heard, the same man talks to Carl in the trailer park and points to Steven's trailer, this confirming that Steven shot himself. The actress playing the girl in the woods with Steven was a returning Alicia Witt who had a small role in the second season of Twin Peaks. She is also known for films such as Urban Legend and Cecil B. Demented, and Lynch's Dune. Witt had a reguglar role on the sitcom Cybill. I do have a bit of a soft spot for her, even so she does a fantastic job in this scene. She sells the crazy, out of control tension so powerfully. Its difficult just being dropped into a short scene with no real context, but she knocked it out of the park. I believed in the scene because of her emotion.
The Road House get their biggest band yet, rock legends ZZ Top! They get a fancy introduction, except the band are not really there. We hear them preform one of their big hits as the camera cuts away. Again this is Lynch playing with the audience, and again its pretty great. The purpose of this visit is to further the James/Renee/Freddy plot. Renee was the girl eyeing up James during his glorious performance two episodes ago. James unwisely confronts Chad and Renee, Chad and James gets into a fight, Freddy steps in and knocks Chad senseless with his magic glove. So maybe James knew what he was doing after all. Renee is concerned for Chad who is a bad state. This was a fun little scene, and adds some weight to the Freddy set up from last week. In a couple of small scenes we first return to the Vegas cop station, and find out that Wilson has looked up the wrong Dougie Jones as he has a office full of kids who clearly don't belong to the Dougie and Janey the Vegas cops are after. Smart visual joke. To add to this I think the screaming kids is the sound that could be heard in the station that the dopeing cops paid no attention to a few episodes back. Next, a mysterious woman who turns out to be Chatel kills Roger and Mr. Todd to tie up that loose end. Its a professional and cool femme fatale style kill. James and Freddy are arrested for the inccident at the Road House. They are placed in the cell across from Chad. Chad, the other guy and Naido make more noises. Not too much to this scene, but James and Freddy being added to the mix creates a bit more interest. It makes me wonder if their stories end here, or does Freddy have a bigger role in the final shake-up. Post-kill Chatel enjoys a take away meal with Hutch (sorry I've been calling him Garry!). The sole Dougie scene this week is a significent one. Janey serves him dinner, as he enjoys the meal he flicks on the television. A movie is playing, and credit to Pete from the Mild Fuzz network for picking up on the movie being Sunset Boulevard (1950). The dialouge on screen, "Everything will be fine, We're getting the old team back together again. Get me Gordon Cole." As well as the gang reference being connected to the Twin Peaks gang of good guys and Gordon Cole being a reference to the Gordon Cole in Twin Peaks, I think there is a bit of meta commentary too, referring to the time when Lynch was off the Twin Peaks: The Return project and how Lynch (who plays Cole) is part a core part of the old gang of the TV show. Dougie crawls over to the plug socket (not the first time he's noticed the socket), and sticks a fork into it. The power goes out.
Next we get a very special moment in the history of the show, and a beautiful send off to one of its most loved characters. The Log Lady calls Hawk. The first words out of her mouth are, "Hawk I'm dying." Immediately this line struck me straight to in he gut and hart. Because we know that Catherine E. Coulson died during the filming, these words signal that this is her final scene and that the words are kind of real, the character is dying and so was the actress. Its painful to watch. But of course, fitting and moving that she was given one last important scene and that Lynch and co. worked around her to give the Log Lady the stage. She continues, "Do you know about death, that its just a change not a end." Lynch himself is very spiritual don't forget. "Its time. Some fear in letting go. You know when I told you about the one in Blue Sky Mountain, the one above the moon. This is a reference to the landmark on the map. "My log is turning gold." The gold balls as seen in episode 8 is like a person's esssence. Again, this relates to the notion that the Log Lady is passing on to another realm, where she will exist in a different form, and that the log is essentially who she is. Painfully, she repeats, "I'm dying. Goodnight Hawk. Pause. "Goodnight Margaret." Later Hawk passes on the news of Margaret's passing to Lucy, Andy and Frank. Lucy respectfully states, "Log Lady's dead" They bow their heads as a mark of respect. I like that characters from the original show who would have known and grew up with the log lady were apart of this scene. Its a beautiful moment. Think this may also speak to Lynch's sense of his own mortality. It is worth remembering that Catherine E. Coulson worked with Lynch on his first feature Eraserhead (1977).
We get the third scene with Audrey and Charlie (yes they still haven't left the house). Charlie teases her some more about going to the road house. Then Audrey is over come, "I'm seeing a completely different person. Who are you"? Charlie puts his coat on. Audrey goes nuts, starts beating at him, repeating "I hate you." More on this in a minute. First, we return to the Road house. A young girl sits alone. Two intimidating looking men walk up to her table. The girl says that she's waiting for someone, but is removed by the two men. She then starts crawling through the crowd of feet, looking confused and distressed (like she doesn't know where she is), suddenly she screams! We cut to credits. Post-credits there is a shot of the woman who let dopple Cooper in the building still guarding the gate. The surreal nature of the Audrey-Charlie scene and her sudden outbust makes me certain that she is still in a coma and needs to somehow break it. I don't believe that Charlie is real, so its possible that killing him or something as dramatic will return her. As for the girl at the roadhouse at the end? Its possible that she is waiting for Audrey. The build up to Audrey finally getting to the road house hints, that something big is in store. Another possibility is the girl like Naido is waiting to shapeshift or swap identities with someone. Intriguing stuff indeed.
Further Questions:
1. What does the girl at the Road House represent?
2. Is she real or part of a dream world? Who do you think she is waiting for?
3. Does the Evil Cooper intend to have a fatherly relationship with Richard?
4. If Audrey is in fact in a coma then how does she break out of it?
P.S. Since I am late getting these reviews up some of these questions may have already been answered. So if they have and you know the answers, then just assume that they are for everyone else...
Episode MVP: Margaret Lanterman aka The Log Lady
Plenty of contenders this week, but it was such a speical send off for the beloved Log Lady and such a moving scene that she could be the only choice for me. RIP.
Verdict
What made this episode stand out was that it addressed some of the old Twin Peaks favourites and had some fine payoffs and plot progressions. The conclusion to the Big Ed/Nadine/Norma tale (assuming it is a concusion) was lovely to see and handled with perfection. It felt like a classic moment from the old show. At the same time as giving Ed and Norma their big moment, it ended the conflect with Norma and the ghastly Walter, her actions tying into Lynch's traditional ideology and to one of the core conflicts at the heart of this season's Good VS. Evil battle. It was a big moment for Nadine too, she finally did the big thing and gave Ed the all clear to be with the right woman. It paid off her sub-plot with Jacoby (which at times seemed to be going no where). This coupled with the Log Lady scenes were nicely balanced by the darker, more surreal moments of the episode. I guess maybe one let down was that to quote a friend "They really kept us in suspense. Is David gonna be there? Is David gonna be there? Is David gonna be there? Is David gonna be there? ... Its a giant teapot." It was a great scene no doubt but to work around Bowie by just having him talk through some odd looking machine maybe was a bit clunky. Still the scene achived its aim. On that note, I like the set up of Cooper and Richard maybe working together as father and son. The last few episodes have felt like the show getting back to its best and with just three hours of the new series left it feels like something very special indeed is in store.
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