Twin Peaks “The Return” Parts 3 and 4 were written by David Lynch and Mark Frost and were directed by Lynch – as again, the entire run is projected to be. I have to say that Part 3 was particularly out there as a prime example of Lynch surrealism, but episode 4 finally felt like a return to
Twin Peaks.
Part 3 is chock full of Lynch symbolism. We have lots of artistic cinematography and surrealist settings. We see Dale (Kyle MacLachlan) falling through space and landing on a metal box. He meets two women while in the room in the metal box. One has no eyes but she points him to a giant electric plug on the all with the number 15 on it.
When there is a pounding on the door, she takes him outside of the box where she ends up falling off and away. Dale sees the face of Major Garland Briggs (Don S Davis) before boing back inside where he sees the blue rose. The socket now has the number 3 on it. We see later that Dale’s key to his room in Twin Peaks is room number 315. The other woman in the room tells him that “When you get there, you’ll already be there.”
As Dale is sucked through the socket – all of him except his shoes, his doppleganger-Bob is driving and becomes disoriented, finally swerving off the road and crashing his car. The time on his watch, like the woman with Dale in the box as he’s sucked out, says 2:53.
In Rancho Rosa – also the name of the production company of the show! – Dougie – yet another doppleganger of Agent Cooper – has just had sex with prostitute Jade (Nafessa Williams). His arm is asleep, mimicking MIKE (Al Strobel). Dougie is wearing the green ring last scene in Fire Walk With Me. Dougie collapses and begins being sick. This is paralleled by Doppleganger-Bob also throwing up in the car.
Dougie ends up in the red room where MIKE tells him that someone manufactured him for a purpose but that’s now been fulfilled. Dougie turns to smoke and then into a small gold ball. MIKE picks up the marble and puts it in his pocket, and leaves the green ring on a black marble table.
Meanwhile, Dale comes through the electric socket and takes Dougie’s place on the floor. Jade comes out of the shower and is curious about Dougie’s apparent change in clothes and haircut! She hustles him out of the house, putting him literally in Dougie’s shoes.
Dale is completely disoriented as she puts on his shoes and hustles him off in her car. He is clearly a real estate agent and they were having sex in one of his houses for sale. As they drive out of the subdivision, we see that there is an ambush waiting for Dougie. They don’t see him leave when Dale ducks down after dropping his key, but they clearly mean him harm.
In Twin Peaks, Hawk (Michael Horse) continues to try to make sense of the Log Lady’s words. Lucy (Kimmy Robertson) and Andy (Harry Goaz) try to help him Lucy thinks that the thing that is missing from the evidence is a chocolate bunny that she ate. But that has nothing to do with Hawk’s heritage.
We see Dr Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn) spraying his shovels with gold paint. This could be a reference to Dougie or Dale’s success at the casino.
Jade drops Dougie at the Silver Mustang Casino. He sees a man (John Ennis) win a jackpot and suddenly Dale sees a rent in the fabric of reality to a small bit of the red room in the Black Lodge over the slot machines that are about to pay out. Dale keeps asking everyone to “call for help” yet no one does. Floor Attendant Jackie (Sabrina S Sutherland) tells him he’s a mega winner and tries to get him a bigger bucket – but doesn’t offer to call for help.
The episode flashes to FBI headquarters and Gordon (David Lynch) and Albert (Miguel Ferrer). They are joined by Tammy (Chrysta Bell) who is working on the murders of Darya and Sam in New York. They are interrupted by a call from Agent Cooper – he’s in the Black Hills of South Dakota – the three plan to go and investigate! The episode concludes with barband the Cactus Blossoms.
Part 4 was the first episode that really felt like
Twin Peaks to me in all its quirky glory. Still at the Silver Mustang Casino, Dale is still winning – now 29…30! Mega jackpots. Fortuitously, Dale runs into Bill Shaker (Ethan Suplee – who is fabulous in
Chance), who thinks he’s Dougie and who tells him where Dougie lives – Lancelot Court – the house with the red door (of course!).
Before Dale can leave, Jackie takes him to the Casino manager who tells him to come back… soon! And then he gives him a limo driver to take him home. Dougie’s wife Janey-E (Naomi Watts) meets him at the door and is angry that he’s missed Sonny Jim’s (Pierce Gagnon) birthday and he’s been gone for 3 days without calling! She’s a lot happier with him when she sees the money because it’s enough to “pay them back” and she’s relieved. Maybe this explains the guys with guns?
The next morning, Dale is still disoriented and he sees MIKE who tells him he’s been tricked and shows him the ball of Dougie, telling him one of them must die now. Clearly, he ended up in the wrong Doppleganger.
Dale bonds with Sonny Jim who helps him figure out his pancakes – after Janey-E has shown him how to pee again. Janey-E also brings him coffee, which gets a violent reaction – though not the “this is great coffee” we were surely all hoping for! Maybe she just makes terrible coffee? Anyway, Dale’s choice in how to wear his tie is classic…
Gordon and Albert check in with Bill Kennedy (Richard Chamberlain) who has them reporting to the Chief of Staff of the FBI – who is none other than DENISE (David Duchovny)! Dennis has completely embraced his female incarnation – and I just adore how Duchovny embraces this role! Denise is not so happy with Tammy – who she is clearly jealous of! Gordon assures her that Tammy has the stuff to make a great agent, and reminds Denise that he’s always been her champion and helped her get to where she is. Gordon tells Denise that they’ve found Cooper in a prison in South Dakota, and she wishes him luck in the investigation – after ascertaining that Albert would remain on the case with him.
It’s interesting that Gordon asks Albert how he’s doing, and he answers fine, as Ferrer died of throat cancer in January 2017. Upon arriving in South Dakota, Gordon is disappointed not to see Mount Rushmore, but Albert is prepared with a picture of the monument to show him.
Albert explains that Tammy is sitting in front because she gets carsick, and Gordon’s hearing once again gets in the way as he starts explaining that Albert is wrong, the Cossacks are in Russia. It’s hilarious when Albert snaps and screams CARSICK at Gordon, and the driver (Stephen Kearin) screeches to a halt thinking Albert is about to puke in his car! Gordon comments that Albert got up on the wrong side of the bed! It can be frustrating living with a deaf person who doesn’t accept that they may not hear everything even with their aid turned up to the max!
At the prison, it’s not Cooper, of course, but his Bob-Doppleganger. The police found cocaine, a machine gun and a dog leg (!!!!!) in the trunk of Bob-D’s car. The officer who came in contact with Bob-D has been throwing up ever since being exposed to whatever Bob-D threw up, so Bob-D is in quarantine.
When Gordon, Tammy, and Albert see the Bob-Doppleganger, he gives them the thumbs up and a wooden smile. Is he faking being Cooper or is he now also disoriented? I suspect he’s playing a part. Fake Cooper tells them that he’s been working undercover with Phillip Jeffries all this time. He wistfully tells Gordon that he’s missed spending time with him. He goes on to say that he was on his way to present all his evidence to Gordon because Phillip had said it was safe. He wants to know when he’s getting out and assures Gordon that he’ll be exonerated in a court of law. Gordon tells fake Cooper that they’ll get him home soon, and he tells Gordon that he never really left home.
Once Gordon, Tammy and Albert are outside, she points out that “Cooper” wasn’t heading to Jeffries, he was heading west. Gordon sends Tammy away and asks Albert about his reaction to “Cooper.” Albert confesses that he’d authorized Phillip to give Cooper some information – who their man in Columbia was and he was killed a week later. Gordon is sure that there is something wrong with Cooper because he didn’t greet him properly. He doesn’t understand the situation at all. Albert says blue rose and Gordon concurs, the bluest. Gordon says they need one certain person to look at Cooper and Albert doesn’t know where she lives, but he does know where she drinks!
In Twin Peaks, Sheriff Frank Truman (Robert Forster) returns from fishing, and we learn that Lucy doesn’t understand how cell phones work. We also find out that Bobby (Dana Ashbrook) is a deputy! Dennis Craig has overdosed at the highschool and there’s a problem in Twin Peaks with Chinese drugs coming down from Canada.
Hawk catches Truman up on the case, and Bobby is overcome with emotion when he sees Laura Palmer’s picture out. Bobby points out that Cooper was the last person to see his father – Garland Briggs alive.
They are all interrupted by the arrival of Brando (Michael Cera) – Lucy and Andy’s son. He’s dressed like Marlon Brando from The Wild One – complete with motorcycle that he’s been using to drive across country. We learn that Frank’s brother Harry is Marlon’s godfather and he’s sick. Wally has come home mainly to give his blessing to his parents to re-do his childhood bedroom.
Things finally seem to be moving along in one way or another by the end of Part 4, but I’ll be glad when some version of Cooper starts acting like Cooper! And more episodes like Part 4, and slightly less like part 3 – at least for me. What did you think? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
