Calvin Law examines a common television archetype through two cult shows.

(WARNING: spoilers for Stranger Things and Stranger Things 2, Twin Peaks and Twin Peaks: The Return)

In many ways, David Lynch and Netflix could not be more diametrically opposed. Nonetheless, the long-awaited return of Twin Peaks and the arrival of the new Stranger Things begs the opportunity to draw parallels between the two series. There’s an argument to be made that, as much as Stranger Things loves Spielberg, Dante, Carpenter, and Carven, it has its own fair share of Lynchian themes. Outsiders with strange abilities, an otherworld one can be trapped in for a long time, a quirky sheriff’s department, and – perhaps most notably – the intriguing fashion in which it handles its two principal ‘jock’ characters: Dana Ashbrook’s Bobby Briggs and Joe Keery’s Steve Harrington.

Given how indebted it is to nostalgic 80s pop culture references and homages, one might have expected Steve to bite the dust in the first season of Netflix hit Stranger Things. Jocks with mousy hair don’t end well in 80s fare: from Johnny Lawrence in The Karate Kid and Biff in Back to the Future, to Stand By Me‘s redneck hooligans and the hapless secondary characters in any number of horror films, they’re usually obnoxious jerks who at best learn a bit of humility, and at worst die. Keery, however, so impressed the Duffer brothers on-set with his charismatic performance as Steve that they decided to not only let him (Steve, not Keery) live, but make him an essential part of the series’ climax.

In season 2 of the series, Steve not only returns but takes on a much expanded role; he becomes a sort of guardian angel to the kids, like Josh Brolin’s character in The Goonies with even nicer hair. It’s an inspired choice by the screenwriters, and makes great use of a character’s change of heart to turn him into an endearing, goofy, and altogether pretty awesome hero. It’s particularly fun to see him interact with Gaten Matarazzo’s Dustin, as they make a winning team.

Steve is a great example of making an unlikeable character gradually likeable. That brings us to Bobby Briggs. At the start of Twin Peaks, Bobby, Laura Palmer’s ex-boyfriend, is – for lack of a better word – a bit of an ass. He’s callous, uncaring, indifferent, obnoxious to pretty much everyone, and doesn’t seem to care much for Laura or her demise. One of the most brilliant parts of Twin Peaks is its ability to take apart soap opera caricatures and makes them vivid, realistic human beings. We begin to see the more tender side to Bobby over the course of the series; we see his hopes, his worries, and in a brilliant scene between him and his onscreen father (the magnificent Don S. Davis), the potential to become a better person – which he certainly fulfils in The Return. It may seem a bit odd at first to see Bobby Briggs in a position of authority, but as a deputy in the Twin Peaks’ sheriff’s department, we see he has grown from young punk to a wiser man. Steve and Bobby are two fantastic examples of how the medium of television can be used to create such complexity in its characters; whether over two years, or twenty-five, so much can be done with care and attention to detail.

Milo Garner concludes his review series of Lynch’s Twin Peaks revival.

WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS.

Finally, after nearly sixteen hours of television, Twin Peaks comes to an end in its final two parts. Part 17 is in many ways as clear an ending as one might expect from David Lynch – which is to say, not clear at all, but there is a closure offered. A variety of contrived events lead most of our primary characters to the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department, with Bob Coop being shot in the back – though it isn’t the first time he’s taken a bullet in this series. The real Cooper (yes, real! It’s still difficult to believe) later arrives at the scene, and witnesses – as Bob emerges from Bob Coop’s corpse – a sort of orb that might better suit a sci-fi channel TV movie (sorry not sorry). Freddie, the man with the gardening glove, finds his destiny come upon him, and engages in a bizarre punching contest with this evil orb, eventually destroying it. Could that be it? The primeval doom haunting the denizens of Twin Peaks – and far beyond – dealt with by a tertiary character’s magic hand? Of course not.

Following this Coop is approached by Naido, whose face peels back and shows her to be none other than Diane. A giant superimposition of Cooper’s face overlays the screen for the rest of the scene – as he says ‘we live inside a dream.’ The effect is bizarre, but it works – this episode does have the tinge of a dream ever-deepening. The narrative seems to agree, leading the gang to the Great Northern, wherein Coop follows the sound that has haunted Ben for most of the series. He meets Mike, chanting the ‘fire walk with me’ lines, before being led again to Jeffries in the monochrome convenience store. He is told to find Judy, and the mysterious symbol of the Owl Cave becomes an 8 (or is it ∞?). Then, cutting together new footage with scenes from Fire Walk With Me, Lynch inserts Cooper into the past: the night of Laura’s murder. Laura recognizes Cooper from a dream, and she is led by him away – she is ‘going home’. Her body disappears from its position in the very first episode of Twin Peaks, Back to the Future style. Everything seems to have changed – Coop has undone it all. If this was the very final episode one might be forgiven for assuming genuine, unbelievable, closure. But there are a few more scenes to come – Sarah Palmer smashes the homecoming picture of Laura, so essential to the Twin Peaks aesthetic; Laura disappears in the woods; we hear that scream once again. Then the episode plays out, with Julee Cruise predictably, but perfectly, reprising her role as a Roadhouse musician. Even with the mysterious ending, it’s difficult to imagine a full part more to come.

If Part 17 was the ending for traditional Twin Peaks, 18 is the ending to the more Lynchian Twin Peaks that rears its surreal head every few episodes. We see again Cooper leading Laura through the woods, and again her disappearance. Then Coop is back in the Red Room, and Laura whispers in his ear before she is lifted through the ceiling. Coop leaves and finds Diane, hair as red as the room he came from, awaiting him. They drive through a portal far way and reach a motel, then have sex to the sound of ‘My Prayer’ by The Platters, last heard in Part 8’s 50s section. When he awakens everything has changed – a note is left addressed to Richard from Linda. We can assume that in whatever world he has woken up to, he is no longer Agent Dale Cooper, but Richard. Here we go again. The motel he leaves and the car he enters are different to those of the night before, and he drives to a coffee shop called Eat at Judy’s, hinting at Jeffries’ comment in Part 17. He asks if another waitress works there – she does, but it’s her day off. He finds out where she lives and discovers her to be Laura, or rather, her doppelganger. This woman is actually Carrie, but at Coop’s insistence she allows him to ferry her to Laura’s home in Twin Peaks. On the journey Lynch focuses on an image that has always fascinated him, the dark American highway partially lit by headlights passing at speed. There is an inherent fear to the vast emptiness of these long American roads, and Lynch won’t let us forget it. It reminds us of Lost Highway specifically. That comparison can be taken further: not only was that a film that focused heavily on doppelgangers, but it also included a narrative that changed its characters and locations mid-way through, much like Coop’s situation in this episode. Eventually arriving at Twin Peaks, Coop arrives at Sarah’s house to find it occupied by someone else. Upon asking who the new occupant bought it from Coop discovers no trace of Sarah Palmer whatsoever. In his bemusement he ponders what year it is, Carrie hears the voice of Sarah shout ‘Laura’, and Carrie screams that scream. And so it ends.

If there was a fear Lynch was posing too many questions in the last few episodes of Twin Peaks to ever be answered, this is the response to that fear, an episode that essentially turns the entire series on its head. There have been many attempts to interpret Part 18, including the suggestion that it and Part 17 might better be played overlayed on top of each other, but many of its mysteries will doubtlessly go unsolved. But is this a bad ending to Twin Peaks? No – in fact, it might well be the perfect ending for Twin Peaks. It surrenders any suggestion of rounding the story off, as implied in Part 17, and remains compelling throughout, allowing a sense of surprise and unknowing even this late in the game. As the series finally finishes, very possibly for good, the superlative quality of what has come before makes it hard to feel disappointed. Across 18 Parts Lynch has not only revived Twin Peaks, but improved it, crafting some of the most interesting and original television of recent times.

Twin Peaks: The Revival has concluded. It aired Mondays at 2am in simulcast with the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, and again at 9pm on Tuesdays.

Milo Garner reviews the sixteenth chapter of Lynch’s revival series.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

‘I am the FBI.’

We have waited a long time for these words. I don’t mean a long time since the original series, which aired before my own birth, nor even from the build-up to this new series, with its slow trickle of trailers and set photos. Within the series itself, in these first 16 parts, the Twin Peaks audience has been collectively holding its breath for this moment. At first it seemed inevitable; that it would maybe come a few episodes in. Then it started to seem like a mid-series twist. Then, perhaps, something that might never happen. The Lynch who brought back ‘Just You’ could easily have deprived his audience of something they actually wanted – it would be almost typical. But, in this penultimate episode, we have been granted our innermost desire, allowing this this sole moment almost to overshadow one of Twin Peaks’ otherwise finest episodes.

I am, of course, referring to the words spoken by Coop, moments after his return. Not Bob Coop, or Dougie Coop – this is special agent Dale Cooper, back as he was all those years ago. Kyle MacLachlan effortlessly slips back into the character (marking the third persona he has portrayed in this series), bringing his charm, cheerful demeanour, and supportive yet dutiful attitude immediately to the fore. As he awakens from a coma induced by an electric shock last week (electricity has been a recurring theme in the revival), Badalamenti’s classic soundtrack emerges and takes us all back, closing what could be the longest slow burn in television. The remainder of the episode gives us precious little time with the man himself; we see only his departure from Dougie’s family to catch a flight to Twin Peaks. But it’s enough, for now. Hopefully the final two hours will give us all the time we need.

Besides this, however, an excellent episode exists, and some storylines are actually tied up(!) The first of these is Richard Horne’s, who appears to be the son of Bob Coop, and finds himself dead by a trap meant for his father. This isn’t a plotline that really went anywhere, but at least there’s some closure. Another plotline for which progress seems alien is the double-team of Chantal and Mitch, who are seen often despite their lack of activity. They await Dougie at his home, hoping to kill him, though for them it is already too late. A neighbour approaches them and tells them to get out of his driveway, which they are partially blocking – they refuse and he rams them with his car. This triggers a ridiculous gunfight which finds Chantal and Mitch dead, riddled with bullets, in what might be the least-predictable action scene of the entire series. The Mitchum brothers look on. ‘People are under a lot of stress, Bradley,’ says Rodney.

Elsewhere, Diane’s story also seems to conclude, with Bob Coop inducing her to attempt to kill her FBI colleagues. It isn’t so simple as that – Diane is clearly resisting this inner urge in a great scene of tension and insecurity. As it turns out, Diane herself was but another double, and when she is shot she returns to the Red Room, leaving there another seed. But the best non-Coop-related scene is yet to come. Towards the end of the episode comes Audrey, with her story finally moving forwards. Now she is at the Roadhouse, though perhaps not the Roadhouse we know. It is announced that ‘Audrey’s Dance’, a track from the original Twin Peaks soundtrack, will be played by the band. Sure enough, they play that very tune, and suitably Audrey has a lonesome dance in the middle of the abandoned dance floor, with a crowd looking in from a distance. A beautifully surreal moment, this is another moment of payoff after some weeks of frustrating build-up. This scene also confirms a theory some had about Audrey’s current state, as at its conclusion she appears to ‘wake up’. She is in a bright white room, looking in a mirror. What, why, and where, we wonder collectively. With only a couple of hours left, and a good number more questions that need answering, Lynch has his work cut out in concluding Twin Peaks: the next double-part episode might possibly be the last ever. But even if it fails to completely satisfy our wonderings, the journey was more than worth it.

Twin Peaks: The Return airs Mondays at 2am in simulcast with the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, and is then repeated at 9pm on Tuesdays.

Milo Garner reviews the latest chapter in David Lynch’s revival series.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

Part 15 of Twin Peaks opens with a moment that has been building for, quite literally, decades. We first see Nadine, apparently invested in a new life after her meeting with Jacoby, clinging to one of his golden shovels. She tells Ed she is sorry for holding him down, and for guilting him into remaining in a loveless marriage. Ed, along with any sensible member of the audience, is taken aback at this – whatever the complexity of their relationship, Nadine was far more the victim of Ed’s extramarital intentions than the other way around. But nonetheless, Nadine seems happy. Ed, with a fresh vigour of his own, sets out to the diner in search of his long (if poorly-kept) secret love – Norma. At first it seems he is rebuked, and so he sits hopelessly.

Then, to the sound of Otis Redding’s ‘I’ve Been Loving You Too Long’, Norma approaches him. After all these years, they might finally love one another truly. It’s a perfect moment, and one of extreme catharsis and finality. A lingering sense of depression has often hovered over the many denizens of Twin Peaks, who haven’t particularly changed over the last two-and-a-half decades, and Ed’s own demons were highlighted in particular earlier in the season. That both he and Nadine have found some solace, despite their situations, is a rare moment of optimistic warmth to be found in Lynch’s strange world.

Elsewhere, the strangeness again prevails. Dougie-Coop finds himself back to his usual attempts at basic movement, at which point he turns on his television(!). Playing is Billy Wilder’s 1950 film Sunset Boulevard, at the scene shortly after Norma believed that she had convinced Cecil DeMille into getting ‘the old team together again’ in an attempt to revive her long-dead career. DeMille is less than impressed (though he doesn’t show it at the time), and denigrates Norma behind her back. But Coop is transfixed, the key to why being in what DeMille says next – ‘Get Gordon Cole’. The name, shared by Lynch’s own character in Twin Peaks, was originally derived from the film (a personal favourite film of his), making this an interesting full-circle in terms of the character’s development. Seeing Coop apparently recognize a part of his former life isn’t new, but remains thrilling as ever. Following this apparent revelation, Coop gets on the floor and inspects his plug socket (much like the one he emerged from way back in Part 1), before sticking his fork into it and electrocuting himself. As one would expect. But I get the feeling that he’s almost there, and that’s not just because we’re a few episodes from series’ end.

Otherwise we return to Audrey’s incredibly drawn-out conversation with husband Charlie. It’s unclear how long this discussion has been taking place, be it hours or days (or indeed, if it’s in any physical place, or some coma-induced fantasy), but it seems as endless to the characters as it does to the audience. Once again it’s a lot of back-and-forthing about going to the Roadhouse to find Billy, and once again it ends without any sort of progress being made. It’s difficult to make out much of the purpose in this section as of yet, and also difficult to care. Perhaps in retrospect it will fall into place. More curiously is Bob-Coop’s venture into the monochrome world that hosts the spooky woodsmen of episodes past. He travels through various locations (or maybe dimensions) to meet Phillip Jeffries. Visually this sequence is one of the series’ highlights, and it certainly works to counterpoint the episode’s opening: joyous domesticity replaced by unnerving darkness. Jeffries himself is here manifested as a sort of bell-shaped kettle exuding a smoke-like substance, in a bizarre attempt to replace David Bowie without actually going so far as to replace David Bowie. It’s a shame, too, as Blackstar-era Bowie would have been a perfect fit for this new Lynchian nightmare. The smoke leaving his spout eventually forms into numbers which Bob-Coop duly notes down. All very obscure, as usual, but consistently captivating – and overall it looks as though Twin Peaks is set to go out on a high. It might eclipse even the original run.

Twin Peaks: The Return airs Mondays at 2am in simulcast with the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, and is then repeated at 9pm on Tuesdays.

Milo Garner reviews the latest chapter of Lynch’s return to Twin Peaks ahead of tomorrow night’s new episode.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

Pointing at Agent Cooper, David Bowie’s Phillip Jefferies asks Gordon, ‘who do you think that is there?’ He said this in the 1992 Twin Peaks prequel film, Fire Walk With Me, though in his dreamy recollection of the event Gordon seems to have realized new meaning in this question. And who wouldn’t – the mystery of Coop’s identity seems to be building to a close, and Part 14 pushes many of the necessary pieces into place for (the presumed) reveal to come. One such piece is a revelation from Diane, who reveals she has a sister called Janey-E – yeah, that one (probably). And so the FBI might finally be on the trail of Dougie Coop, though of course that is kept from us for at least another episode. Another comes with Sheriff Truman, Hawk, Andy, and Bobby, who reach the illusive Jackrabbit’s Palace. Once here, a mostly indistinct wooded area, they come upon Naido, that eyeless woman from Part 3 who appeared to live in some kind of interdimensional spaceship from which Coop escaped. She is lying on the floor and looking worse for wear, and so the crew decide to return her to the police station for protection, though not before Andy is transported to the black and white realm last seen in Part 8. Here he is met by images from that past episode, as well as the Giant who delivers some key information to perhaps the show’s least reliable character. Or one would think – immediately after receiving this information and being sent back to his world, Andy seems suddenly assertive and confident. A marked change from the man too squeamish to bear Laura Palmer’s blood back in the series’ initial pilot.

While this main plot steams forth the typical Lynchian aside takes the screen. In this episode the focus is on James, in his most substantial scene yet. He shares the screen with Freddie – Jake Wardle, perhaps better known as YouTuber Truseneye92, personally scouted by Lynch on the back of his first viral hit. He plays a ridiculously cockney security guard at the Great Northern and talks with James about various supernatural events that brought him to be where he was. The general gist is that the Giant told him to buy a glove that has granted him super strength (on the hand he wears it), and that he was told to come to Twin Peaks without explanation, and felt it right to do. In expected style this story is told over a long time without much bother paid to saving time for the other, perhaps more pressing, plotlines at play, but this is no problem. It’s an entertaining and interesting monologue, and one that Wardle gets just right – the cod English accent, complete with a blatant Beatles reference, could easily have fallen flat in less talented hands (or hand). Following this interlude, James travels into the Great Northern, and seems to have found the source of the noise that has been troubling Ben for some time. But what it might be is saved for another episode. Elsewhere in Twin Peaks we revisit Sarah Palmer, who is receiving a lot of screen time toward the end of this series, though to what end is yet unclear. She sits at a bar and is approached by a fairly reprehensible man (complete with a ‘truck off’ t-shirt) – after telling him to back off somewhat nicely, her face detaches and she bites his throat off. Yeah. Her face returns and she unconvincingly tells the barman that she isn’t responsible (how could she be, an unarmed old lady?) As for the audience, Sarah might have had a few strange moments in the last few episodes, but this is unprecedented and, predictably, inexplicable. With very few parts left to this revival series, it does seem many questions will go unanswered, though it seems Lynch is set on posing new ones until the very end.

Twin Peaks: The Return airs Mondays at 2am in simulcast with the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, and is then repeated at 9pm on Tuesdays.

Ahead of tomorrow night’s new episode, Milo Garner reviews the latest chapter of David Lynch’s return to Twin Peaks.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

There’s a moment in Part 13 of David Lynch’s Twin Peaks revival series in which Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), in the guise of Dougie, drinks some coffee. No big deal, this has probably happened in every episode so far. Only this time, his reaction is not one of childlike amazement that we have seen formerly in the series; this time, if just for a moment, a little of the real Cooper seeps out. Despite the essentially frustrating nature of this long game Lynch is pulling, it’s the moments like these that really make it pay off, and MacLachlan’s performance can’t be faulted. After our first taste of his ‘damn fine’ cherry pie, it feels like we’re finally getting close to the real deal. Watching this series in week-long chunks probably doesn’t quite suit it in this regard, as the real nuance of Cooper’s transformation will surely only be clear in a more compact viewing arrangement. But even watching it across a quarter of a year (so far): the slow crawl, one which has been a little inconsistent at times, is falling into place excellently. This part of the story, however, is emphasised by more than its own merits. The parallel story of the evil Bob-possessed Cooper is really what props it up, with MacLachlan’s performance here so opposed to the dazed Dougie that it sometimes seems like they really are two different people, hairstyle notwithstanding. In this episode ‘Bob-Coop’ finds himself at heart of a certain criminal underworld, led there by the treacherous Ray (George Griffith). While there he has television’s strangest arm-wrestle (equal parts funny and sinister) and generally proves he’s still a force to be reckoned with. Even at a conceptual level, the noble Dale Cooper turned cruel is unsettling enough, but coupled with MacLachlan’s newfound fearsome aura – proving his utmost quality as an actor – it is something to behold.

On the domestic side of affairs, a certain sadness dwells over a particular relationship – or set of relationships – that have carried over from the original series. Nadine (Wendy Robie), whose ring was out of sight in previous episodes, seems still to be married to ‘Big’ Ed Hurley (Everett McGill). Though there is some joy in seeing her and Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn) – with whom she is infatuated – meet (plus a cheeky Chuck Berry reference), this doesn’t shake the disappointing feeling that the lecherous Ed is still in her life. But for Ed, if anything, the situation is worse. While we see him sitting with Norma (Peggy Lipton) at the diner, as might be expected in any episode of the first two seasons, it soon becomes apparent that the two haven’t achieved their illicit love. While her business partner harps on to Norma about profits and authenticity (‘Norma, you’re a real artist. But love doesn’t always turn a profit’ – or did he mean to say Lynch?), the camera often cuts to Ed’s technically irrelevant reactions. Only we know what they mean. This is emphasised further by the end of the episode, which makes the unorthodox decision to cut from the Roadhouse’s obligatory musical act to Ed, alone. In many ways he deserves sadness, but considering the 25 years that we might assume this behaviour has carried on, it’s impossible to revel in it.

Otherwise there are a few interesting happenings here and there, such as the Las Vegas detectives discovering the truth behind the Cooper double and tossing it aside as a clerical error, Audrey (Sherilyn Fenn) continuing her obscure dialogue with husband Charlie (Clark Middleton), and Sarah Palmer (Grace Zabriskie) watching the same looped clip of a boxing match over and over again. But the absolute highlight must be the aforementioned Roadhouse performance, none other than James Hurley (James Marshall) himself. More than this, he plays ‘Just You’, the song penned by Lynch and Badalamenti for the infamous season 2 scene in which he sings – in a ridiculous falsetto – with Donna and Maddy without any clear context as to why. Aurally recalling the 50s, as Lynch is wont to do, it was a bizarre moment (and cringe-inducing for some) yet seeing in reprised in an almost perfect replication (complete with two female back-up singers) makes for one of the show’s strongest nostalgia hits so far. On reflection, perhaps this scene was put second-to-last not to give emphasis to Ed’s final shots, but to make sure everyone had to sit through James’ song a second time, even if (especially if) they can’t stand it. Either way is fine by me.

Twin Peaks: The Return airs Mondays at 2am in simulcast with the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, and is then repeated at 9pm on Tuesdays.

As we head into the final act of the season, Milo Garner reviews the latest chapters of David Lynch’s 18-hour return to Twin Peaks.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

When Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) says ‘damn fine’ in Part 11 of Twin Peaks: The Return, perhaps for the first time, it’s Coop. Not Coop of the red room, or Dougie, or Dougie-Coop, or Bob. It’s Coop – fleeting, but so tempting. As has been a trend in this series, it’s a tease, but tantalizing. It seems undeniable now that Coop isn’t unravelling so that the story might continue – his unravelling is the story. This is something that I would like to have avoided – if only to see more of the good old Dale Cooper on screen – but by this point we, the faithful audience, must go with it. More importantly than giving another hint at the promised ‘return’, this scene makes up part of the show’s absolute highlights, an ending that hits filmic levels that the self-consciously ‘television’ nature of Twin Peaks has typically held back on. The Mitchum brothers (Robert Knepper and Jim Belushi), who continue their very entertaining strand from the last episode, first set out to kill Dougie, but after a strange confluence of dream and reality – as Lynch is wont to apply – they instead become his closest pals. This is centred around a cherry pie, naturally. But that isn’t the only Peaks regular to make an appearance. Playing the piano as the Mitchum brothers treat Coop is none other than Angelo Badalamenti himself, the show’s composer, who eventually plays it out with the credits. A new composition, ‘Heartbreaking’, freezes Coop for an extended moment as Badalamenti plays it diegetically. For a show that is so often set on being intently mundane, or off-puttingly strange, when it does brush with the sublime, we can feel it even more. The piece itself is transfixing, simple and beautiful, the only shame being that Lynch’s style holds back Badalamenti’s score from taking centre-stage more often – though when it does, it really does, which I suppose is the point.

Elsewhere, the episode proves to be similarly entertaining, if not quite reaching the heights of the final few scenes. Amanda Seyfried’s Becky, now confirmed to be Shelly’s (Mädchen Amick) daughter, is on the loose, gun in hand, seemingly with intent to kill her abusive husband (Caleb Landry Jones). It turns out he wasn’t home, and any criminal charges that might have been put against her are covered up. Why? Enter her father: Deputy Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook). To see Shelly and Bobby again together strikes a nostalgic chord, though it seems old habits die hard. Shelly now appears to be an item with the sinister Red (Balthazar Getty) – she sure knows how to pick ‘em. This is followed by one of Twin Peaks’ trademark ‘weird moments’, in which gunshots ring out from across the road. Bobby goes over to check it out – a kid had managed to get his hands on his dad’s gun and fired off a few rounds out his the car he was in, and doesn’t look repentant about it. As Bobby tries to do his duty, the car behind is beeping incessantly. Bobby goes to check out the driver, who yells at him about being late in a loud and brilliant performance. Then a sick looking girl starts to vomit in the seat next to her. Perplexing, yes, but (for whatever reason) engrossing too.

Meanwhile, at the FBI, things are getting ever stranger – though this time more relevant to the plot at hand. Travelling to the coordinates given to them by William Hastings (Matthew Lillard), they find a strange portal in the sky, one that almost captures Gordon (David Lynch) if not for Albert’s (Miguel Ferrer) quick thinking. Before this, he managed to see briefly into it – a vision of the Woodsmen. One was, however, closer at hand, phasing in and out of vision, before attacking and, quite gruesomely, killing Hastings. All the while Hawk (Michael Horse) and Sheriff Truman (Robert Forster) mosey over a map, including a dark symbol that they mustn’t talk about – which is as funny as it is foreboding. Again, the pace is deliberate, but again, it works. In fact, Part 11 more than works, perhaps being the best of Twin Peaks’ ‘conventional’ episodes so far.

Now, Part 12 doesn’t match 11’s heights, nor does it include so much forward momentum in the plot, but that isn’t to say it isn’t effective. Perhaps the best scene in this episode is shared between Gordon and Albert, who while bit-players in the original series have become key components in this revival. Always having a soft spot for these characters, this suits me fine, and the intrigue building up around the ‘Blue Rose’ group and its doings is similarly welcome. In this episode, we see Tammy (Chrysta Bell’s beautiful cypher, who has been following G&A around in the revival) officially instated into ‘Blue Rose’, while Diane (Laura Dern) is deputised. Diane, however, is still secretly in communication with Bob-Coop, and G&A are well aware of it; she also searches the coordinates they found on a body last episode – they lead to Twin Peaks. Beyond the narrative, this part of the episode has a particular stand-out scene. It involves Gordon seemingly seducing a visitor in his room (Bérénice Marlohe) with Albert suddenly arriving with important news. As in any normal scenario, the woman is asked to leave, but unlike a normal scenario, Lynch decides to stretch this moment to its absolute extreme. Even when she has, eventually, departed, the conversation between Gordon and Albert is so stripped back that they actually stand there in silence – we cut from shot to reverse shot without any words being uttered several times. While this sounds incredibly awkward, it’s a certain kind of off-set humour that Lynch excels at, and even comes off as emotionally effective during Gordon and Albert’s exchange.

This same tactic, however, does not always function so well. The episode’s big comeback is none other than Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn), probably the biggest character yet to have appeared. Her scene is a conversation with her husband, a small man named Charlie (Clark Middleton). The subject matter is inherently obscure, concerning someone called Billy (not Zane) and another called Tina. Shot in the typical drawn-out fashion, this scene isn’t particularly funny and is too far removed from anything we know to be overly intriguing. The wow factor of seeing Audrey is enough to pull it through, but it certainly seems a weak point in the episode. One point that can be gleaned from the exchange is that a truck was mentioned, possibly the same truck that Richard (Eamon Farren) was driving when he committed his worst crime (of many) some episodes ago. Richard himself wasn’t featured in the episode but said crime appeared more than once – the most important scene being between the sheriff and Ben (Richard Beymer), his grandfather, who is informed of what his son had done. The two also share another important detail, with Ben giving Truman Cooper’s room key, as a keepsake for Harry (who is not featured beyond conversation in the revival). Truman, however, knows this might have more significance than at first blush, given recent events. How this will unfold remains to be seen.

Asides for this episode include a surprising lack of Dougie Coop (one very short scene), as well as a return of Sarah Palmer (Grace Zabriskie), acting suitably deranged. A later visit by Hawk doesn’t seem to calm her much; perhaps this isn’t the last we’ll see of her in this revival. Meanwhile, Hutch and Chantal (Tim Roth and Jennifer Jason Leigh) have a brief appearance, shooting Warden Murphy (James Morrison), and Jacoby’s (Russ Tamblyn) Alex Jones impression continues, with Nadine still watching intently. The episode is played out by the Chromatics, but not before a conversation plays out between several unknown characters. It doesn’t come to much and also doesn’t inspire an awful lot of interest, though how it might tie into the greater narrative is always intriguing in of itself. That’s assuming we see these characters again – never a guarantee.

Twin Peaks: The Return airs Mondays at 2am in simulcast with the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, and is then repeated at 9pm on Tuesdays.

Milo Garner reviews the next chapter of David Lynch’s return to Twin Peaks.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

Part 10 of Twin Peaks: The Return is an episode picking up the pieces of story strands long left dormant. The two most notable might be the return of Harry Dean Stanton’s Carl Rodd – guitar in hand – and in his vicinity, Amanda Seyfried’s Becky (who may or may not be Shelly’s daughter) and her now-abusive husband Steven (Caleb Landry Jones). Naturally, we don’t get much more about any of these characters other than the vague descriptions offered above, but it’s something. Another returning narrative line is that of Richard Horne (Eamon Farren), now confirmed to be a member of the Horne family. Audrey’s son? Probably, though she still remains unseen. In this episode, Richard finds himself returning to his sinister ways, not only killing a witness to his heinous crime some episodes ago but also throwing his grandmother about and robbing her blind. While it is often fun to have villains who are just evil, at this point, many of the antagonists are becoming overly cartoonish. Richard appeared to show some remorse for killing the kid in his last appearance, if mainly self-pity, but any sense of humanity that might be inherent there is lost now. Hopefully there are some interesting horizons for this character – maybe his story arc will redeem this rampant behaviour. On the note of thinly written villains, another rears his head in relation to Richard, that being the unfriendly Chad (John Pirruccello) at Twin Peaks’ police department. In former episodes he had just been rather unpleasant, and as such the revelation that he’s a corrupt cop feels cheap – of course he would be a corrupt cop. He probably spits in everyone’s coffee too, because why not?

Besides this, the episode prefers the peculiar to the cruel: building on Dougie-Coop’s (Kyle MacLachlan) plot substantially – and no, he isn’t back yet. After word gets out about him spiking Ike, the powers that be decide that he must be dealt with. A mission of intrigue begins when Tom Sizemore’s insurance agent convinces the shady Mitchum brothers (Robert Knepper and Jim Belushi), who own the casino Dougie cashed out big time in, that Dougie was also responsible for their losing insurance money on a destroyed property. As such, they too decide he has to die. But more! On the less sinister side of things Coop is revealed to have a killer bod, and when Janey-E (Naomi Watts) catches this drift she sets out to seduce him. She succeeds (as close as success could be defined with the barely-there Dougie-Coop), and the ensuing love-making is possibly the show’s comedic high. While this plotline has been a little here and there, it does have some major pay offs.

Otherwise, the usual Peaks oddities reside: such as Gordon (David Lynch) opening a door to find Laura Palmer’s (Sheryl Lee) face superimposed across its frame (yep), one of the revival’s most inexplicable moments, of many. We also get a few moments of classic cameos, such as a return of Doctor Jacoby’s (Russ Tamblyn) Alex Jones-esque conspiracy-spade-selling show, and a brief shot of Nadine (Wendy Robie), who now owns a drape shop (perhaps there is some justice in the world). The episode closes with an extended jaunt in the Roadhouse, with Rebekah Del Rio singing ‘No Stars’, a song co-penned by Lynch himself, with Moby on guitar. Unfortunately it isn’t particularly good, but nonetheless gets the full-song music video treatment so far only otherwise seen with ‘The’ Nine Inch Nails. I guess Lynch digs it, after all.

Twin Peaks: The Return airs Mondays at 2am in simulcast with the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, and is then repeated at 9pm on Tuesdays.

Milo Garner reviews the next chapter of David Lynch’s return to Twin Peaks.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

Following the journey into the depths of Lynch’s mind that made up Part 8, this week’s episode of Twin Peaks is a return to relative normality. Gone are the monochrome murderers and nuclear adventures, back is the ever-expanding ensemble cast (say hello to Tim Roth and Jennifer Jason Leigh!) and the strange – if not too strange – happenings about town. As far as plot is concerned, the episode does essentially pick off where the last left off, with the villainous Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan), returned from the dead, arriving at ‘the Farm’ and meeting the aforementioned new cast members. Shot but not got, his nefarious mechanisms are still unravelling. What exactly these are naturally escapes the audience, but it may become clear soon.

In the world of Dougie Coop things are also moving forward – Ike the Spike (Christophe Zajac-Denek) is arrested, and the three detectives we were introduced to earlier try to crack the case of Dougie. They do this by laughing a lot, in a way Lynch makes both amusing and uncomfortable, as is his wont. But the key to this section of the show this week is less the ongoing Dougie drama and more the unending tease that we might finally be reunited with Agent Dale Cooper. Not Bob, not Doug, not the Coop that was zoned out in the Red Room for over two decades, but the Coop we love. He glances to the American flag and music starts to play – perhaps his overwhelming sense of duty to the flag will awaken him? It would be an uncharacteristic moment of intense patriotism for Lynch if that had happened, but at this point we’ll take anything. Glancing from the flag he sees two key items – two outlets and a pair of red shoes. A reminder that he came from an outlet from the Red Room, though apparently not quite strong enough that he snaps out of his stupor. Once again Lynch leaves us on the edge, once again we hope it’s next week, now in the unsettling knowledge that the halfway point has been passed.

Back in Twin Peaks an assortment is going on, including a minor domestic dispute between Andy (Harry Goaz) and Lucy (Kimmy Robertson) on what kind of chair to get. More pressingly, Bobby (Dana Ashbrook) and the Boys set out to discover the truth about Major Briggs by asking his wife (Charlotte Stewart) exactly what he told Coop before his disappearance and presumed death. We find out that he had instructed his wife that should this day come, or rather when it came, that she would give them a small metal tube. Bobby, who had been more a miscreant while Briggs was alive, knew what to do with the tube and how to interpret its instructions – his father had somehow predicted his exact course in life, and it feels as comforting for Bobby as it does from the audience. The few scenes Briggs and Bobby shared in the original had some excellent moments showcasing the emotional, if distant, connexion Briggs had to his son. Even beyond the grave these moments are still quite effectual. But as far as the narrative is concerned – the Twin Peaks police department are on Coop’s trail, now with set of cryptic instructions to follow.

But they aren’t the only ones, with Gordon (David Lynch) & Co.’s FBI squad still reeling after learning of cruel Coop’s escape. They decide to take another route and go to South Dakota, to figure out what’s up with Briggs’ mysteriously young corpse. While there we catch up with a plot strand that kicked off in the first episode but has been left dormant since – that of William Hastings, the headteacher-cum-murderer (apparently). As it happens he is more than a victim of the supernatural, but an enthusiast of it, running a blog that talks of various strange happenings, and other ‘dimensions’, one he has said to have visited. More than the potentially interesting direction this takes his subplot in, it was a display of very raw emotion in what is often an intentionally sterile show. Matthew Lillard gives a powerful performance – one that might well be classed as overacting, but in effect this counteracts the underacting that is often employed around him. It is Twin Peaks’ continued devotion of a significant amount of its length to deadtime that gives these moments of emotion or extremity their power, and it’s a formula that works consistently.

Beyond this we get various strands of various other subplots, though none get particularly far – Twin Peaks is a show that inches along, a little happening over a lot of characters. These include Ben’s (Richard Beymer) continued search for the hum in his building, Jerry’s (David Patrick Kelly) escapade with The Talking Shoe, and Sky Ferreira’s uncomfortably loud rash-scratching in The Roadhouse. These are intriguing, entertaining, and unsettling in that order which, I suppose, is a succinct description of Twin Peaks as a whole. Entering the second half of this new (and probably final) season the overall quality has remained fairly consistent, with twin peaks (haha) in Parts 3 and 8 – here’s hoping this consistency will be maintained to the finale.

Twin Peaks: The Return airs Mondays at 2am in simulcast with the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, and is then repeated at 9pm on Tuesdays.

Milo Garner reviews the next chapter of David Lynch’s return to Twin Peaks.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

Despite a very surrealist first few episodes, the Twin Peaks revival has since settled into a form more familiar to its original run. Sure, it’s a lot more Lynchian than before; but the provincial, ensemble dramatic form is fairly similar to what we’ve already seen. As such, when Part 8 opens with Ray (George Griffith) and Bob Coop (Kyle MacLachlan) conversing in a car, my expectations were pretty set. It was strange as always – with some mention of a new obscure location, ‘the farm’ – but no more than the usual. Following this is some quite sudden action – the pair pull guns on one another, but Ray had sabotaged Coop’s attack. Coop is shot, seemingly dead. Shortly after his apparent demise, ghostly figures begin to surround Coop’s body, touching and rubbing it. They fade in and out as Badalamenti’s bassy synth is muffled in the soundtrack, accompanied by the terrified screams of Ray, similarly obscured. It’s a shocking and frightening opening – even for Twin Peaks – and sets the tone for the rest of the episode. The surreal is back, and better than ever.

Following this early section is a switch in formula – most episodes in this new season have concluded with a band playing at the Roadhouse, whereas here we are presented with one very early on. And the band in question are none other than ‘the’ Nine Inch Nails, an industrial outfit with whom Lynch had formerly collaborated with on the soundtrack for Lost Highway. They play ‘She’s Gone Away’ as the camera treats the scene like a fully-fledged live music video – the performance is great and suits the tone of the show perfectly. This is also as close to normalcy as we will get in this particular episode. Quickly following the song’s conclusion we are taken somewhere Twin Peaks has never yet strayed – that’s right, the 1940s. As a title informs us, the date is July 16^th 1945; and as has been foreshadowed by a massive poster in FBI HQ, we witness a nuke go off. But more than that, the camera slowly pushes toward the mushroom cloud. It closes in, maintaining its unhurried pace, until we are enveloped by the dark. Following is one of Lynch’s most compelling – and terrifying – sequences yet, one that bears far more similarity with Douglas Trumbull’s groundbreaking work in 2001: A Space Odyssey’s closing sequence and The Tree of Life’s ‘universe’ section than to any of his own filmography. Only an additional dose of chaos and fear are injected into this journey through oblivion. Aside from the fractious and often abrasive visuals, the soundtrack is key to instilling an intense feeling of unease. On it is Penderecki’s Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima – perhaps an obvious choice in some ways, but also one utterly chilling. Penderecki’s music has the ability to terrify even unaccompanied, as I am well aware, so linked with such engrossing and off-putting imagery it is given ever more power – that Kubrick used his music in both 2001 and The Shining to a similar end is further evidence of this. Following this, we are again shown a giant purple ocean (a la Part 3). The camera tilts up to a great rocky structure reaching for the sky, atop it a lighthouse-like building. We cut within – the visuals suggest the 1920s, but the music that we are still in the forties. A woman (Joy Nash) sits alone and beside her in a bell-like steampunk-esque looking object, and soon she is joined by the Giant from the Black Lodge (Carel Struycken) – though this room, and the colour of the remainder of the episode, is monochrome. In the next room, the iconic Giant rewatches the last section of the episode on a projector, then ascends into the sky and spews a golden substance, and an orb (there’s always an orb).

Even for Lynch, this is very bizarre yet utterly compelling. On the day of watching this particular episode, I had recently finished Matthew Barney’s somewhat deranged Cremaster Cycle, a surrealistic series based around the muscle that lowers testicles (it’s weirder than it sounds). I feared Lynch’s ‘TV surrealism’ would seem muted in direct comparison, but as is evident in the above description, he held his own, and then some. In fact, this might be some of the bravest TV of recent times – certainly, it is some of the best. By this point, actual implications for the plot are limited at best – it seems that Bob may have been created, or triggered, by the nuclear blast (though we can’t be sure) and that Laura Palmer might have some greater significance as an orb with her face on it drifts toward a representation of Earth. Maybe hers is the ‘Return’ in the series’ title? Regardless, this is an episode very much worth watching for the ride rather than the scant plot that can be found between the cracks.

Continuing on, the episode then fast-forwards to 1956, and we see a sinister being descend from the sky. This one of many Woodsmen (Robert Broski) is a hobo-looking character whose otherworldly nature is fairly clear – he wonders around his desert locale repeating ‘gotta light?’ while crushing the heads of those who he passes with his hand. He ends up at the local radio, who are playing ‘My Prayer’ by The Platters. After killing a woman and the host (with a horrifying [s]platter of blood) he speaks into the microphone: ‘this is the water, this is the well, drink full and descend, the horse is the white of the eyes and dark within’. Of course, we all expected him to say ‘gotta light?’, but a cryptic message is at the very least not unpredictable for Lynch, unlike the majority of this episode. All the while this is happening, a young couple are parting ways after what seems to be a first date. The girl, once home, is sent to sleep by this hijacked radio message, and we see a small creature – a frog crossed with a fly, at first glance – climb into her mouth. We had seen it hatch from an egg a while earlier – but what it is or what it is doing remains totally obscure. As might be clear, this episode has almost nothing to do with the events that directly preceded it, and indeed only featured a trio of recognisable characters. But, nonetheless, it was totally compelling and has instantly become a favourite episode of mine, not just of Twin Peaks but of TV as a whole. This sort of experimentation, regardless of its meaning, rarely graces the small screen and rarer yet at this quality. Let’s only hope Lynch has allowed himself a few more such flourishes as this before the curtain closes on Twin Peaks once again.

Twin Peaks: The Return airs Mondays at 2am in simulcast with the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, and is then repeated at 9pm on Tuesdays.

Milo Garner reviews the next chapter of David Lynch’s return to Twin Peaks.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

After a couple of weeks that seemed to tread water a little plot-wise, Twin Peaks: The Return hits us with some forward momentum in Part 7. This is clearest in Hawk’s (Michael Horse) subplot – the documents discovered in the toilet door turn out to be missing pages of Laura Palmer’s diary (though with one still unaccounted for). Using these pages, Hawk and Sheriff Frank Truman (Robert Forster) come closer to understanding the truth of the Bob – Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) relationship – the many plot strands are beginning to close in. Frank goes on to reveal that within his desk is an absolutely incongruous screen that slides up from the woodwork, and using it he Skypes Doc Hayward (Warren Frost, to whom this episode is dedicated) to ask about when he last saw Coop; this is mostly an aside, besides a name-drop of Audrey Horne, confirmed to be in a coma following the Season 2 finale rather than dead, but an interesting invasion of clearly modern tech into the still-leafy town of Twin Peaks.

But despite this movement in Twin Peaks itself, the star of this episode is surely Diane; introduced in Part 6, hers was perhaps the best reveal of the series so far. Now we meet her as an actual character, and in an almost-expected reversal from her absolute silence in the original series, she is mouthy and sassy; she’ll take nothing from no-one, and it’s great to see. Laura Dern pulls this off excellently, as might be expected from an actor of her calibre, and lights up the screen in any of her featured scenes – especially when she is face to face with Bob in Cooper’s form. But we aren’t done with bad Coop yet – we later see him talking to the warden, forcing him into a deal that would set him and his crony, Ray, free unto the world again. This Coop seems to have some serious influence, and the ominous sounding ‘Mr. Strawberry’ sounds like a character we’ll be spending a lot more time with in future episodes, for good or ill.

Besides this eventful business returns a story strand from the first couple of parts – the decapitated body with a different head. Here we find that this body is confirmed to belong to Major Briggs (Don S. Davis) – though with a twist. The body is the age he would have been 25 years ago and it appears to have been dead only a few days. ‘Blue rose’ indeed. Returning to the weird world of Dougie Coop, we get mostly what would be expected. Police turn up at his office and Janey-E ends up doing most of the talking as would be expected (and Naomi Watts is still brilliant as would also be expected). That said, it isn’t entirely uneventful: the dwarf from last episode – Ike ‘the Spike’ – approaches the couple with a drawn gun. What ensues is a bizarre fight scene featuring perhaps more karate chops than the rest of Peaks combined, with the mysterious Arm appearing and telling Cooper to squeeze the dwarf’s hand off. Coop obliges, with some of Ike’s skin ripping off and attaching itself to his gun (for some reason). Ike gets away and we’re thrown into interviews on the scene – interestingly shot from news-eye-view. To my memory, this is the first time Twin Peaks has indulged in interview shots and it is a mildly jarring stylistic decision, but it mostly works. Exactly what is going on with this Ike character, and why Arm seems to have it in for him, is predictably unclear, but it has spiced up Dougie’s subplot quite effectively nonetheless.

Beyond these established stories we also delve into something quite new, returning to Ben Horne (Richard Beymer) in the Great Northern. He and Beverly (Ashley Judd) search for the origin of a mysterious ringing sound, with Ben then receiving the key to Room 315 – the room Coop was shot in. Beverly then returns home to a suspicious and sickly husband. Scant pickings here, but that Ben might have a deeper role the mere cameos afforded to some of the other veteran characters is comforting in of itself. Finally, Lynch offers the audience one of his patented ‘moments’ – the camera sits at a wide angle in the Bang-Bang Bar, showing us the sinister Jean-Michel Renault (Walter Olkewicz) behind the bar as an employee sweeps the floor. But for a good while, there is no cut; we simply watch the man sweeping to the sound of Booker T & the M.G.’s ‘Green Onions’. It’s the sort of thing that probably wouldn’t be replicated in any other TV show, and it’s the sort of thing that really makes me love Twin Peaks.

Twin Peaks: The Return airs Mondays at 2am in simulcast with the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, and is then repeated at 9pm on Tuesdays.

Milo Garner reviews the next chapter of David Lynch’s return to Twin Peaks.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

Part 6 of the Twin Peaks comeback kicks off where 5 ended, with Dougie-Coop (Kyle MacLachlan) alone, entranced by a cowboy statue outside his insurance firm. And so the familiar model is replicated, with Cooper, part-zombie, being led along by kindly members of his world, while near-oblivious to everything going on in it. This time there is some change – the police officer that first escorts him home realises that he has some kind of genuine problem, something most other characters have failed to verbally articulate. Beyond this, we are given some tentative teases to Coop’s inevitable return (perhaps this is ‘the return’ heralded in the series’ title?), with him looking longingly at the cop’s police badge. However tantalising these little tags are, there is a continuing sense that the audience’s patience is being tried. But then we are pulled back in – following strange glowing marks (like in the casino in Parts 3 and 4), Coop seemingly unveils some inconsistencies in papers he was given by his boss, albeit chooses to reveal them in strange childlike drawings. What this is leading to is, of course, obscure, but engaging enough that it isn’t an enormous issue. The other side of this storyline concern Dougie’s outstanding debts with various crooks, this time with Naomi Watts’ Janey-E taking charge. It can’t be understated the amount Watts’ raises the acting bar in Twin Peaks – her performance is constantly and consistently great, and in honesty shows up some of the more ‘TV’ acting that has always pervaded the series (intentionally or not). Hopefully, her character has somewhere to go beyond this side part, as it would be a shame to see her relegated to the side for good.

But on the subject of tantalising teases – one in this episode is probably one of the biggest surprises of the season. Laura Dern makes her Peaks debut in a role that has been present since 1990, and though her screen time is only a few seconds, hers is a reveal we were all waiting for (even if we didn’t know it). Another big hitter an appearance is Harry Dean Stanton, reprising his character Carl Rodd from Fire Walk with Me. His role in the episode is very small, and it could well just be a cameo of sorts, but nonetheless, it’s nice to see some Lynch veterans appearing every episode or so. His main act is one of witnessing another – a terrible crime committed by Eamon Farren’s reckless rebel Richard Horne. In a sequence that was painfully telegraphed, yet still shockingly graphic, Richard runs down a child in the street while speeding. Stanton’s character sees something, maybe a spirit, rise to the sky – that’s all we know for now. As for Farren himself, he had just encountered another of Twin Peaks’ new and sinister residents, the ominously (hey, just like the -) named Red (Balthazar Getty). Red is seemingly in the drug business, and in a wonderfully intimidating performance, terrifies Richard via the use of some fairly advanced coin tricks – he flips a dime in the air where it remains suspended, before reappearing in Richard’s mouth, and then back in Red’s palm. But despite his efforts, he isn’t the scariest moment of this episode, nor is Richard’s hit-and-run the most shocking. In what appears to be a fresh strand, we are introduced to a new character – a murderous dwarf (Christophe Zajac-Denek) who seems set on taking Dougie’s life (no, not that one). Wielding an ice-pick, we follow him as he murders two women, one in graphic detail. As if Coop needed more problems.

As ever, despite running near an hour, we are left knowing little more, and with more questions than answers by the time the credits are played out. That a traditional weekly airing schedule has been chosen over the binge-friendly Netflix drop might not help the series itself, as it feels like something that would benefit from long concentrated doses, but it will keep the audience in a state of constant suspense for the next few months. And that’s no bad thing.

Twin Peaks: The Return airs Mondays at 2am in simulcast with the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, and is then repeated at 9pm on Tuesdays.

Milo Garner reviews the next chapter of David Lynch’s return to Twin Peaks.

WARNING: This review contains spoilers.

Part 5 of Twin Peaks: The Return, the first to be released as a single episode, probably contains the least actual plot of any so far. While most of the main strands are addressed, there is little that could be said of ‘progress’ – the mystery is less than solved, in fact we’re still trying to work out exactly what the mystery itself is. But this is no criticism – one of the great things about this new bout of Peaks is its ability to intrigue and entertain despite, or even because of, the extreme mundanity of some of its storylines. For example, Laura Palmer’s (Sheryl Lee) former psychologist, Dr. Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn), was seen painting spades gold in a past episode. What did this mean, we the audience wondered, and how does it tie into the wider world? Does it have anything to do with the ace of spades the evil doppelgänger of Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) showed Darya (Nicole LaLiberte)? We find that really, he was just painting them to sell them off to fans of his conspiracy podcast. Sure, maybe it’s a double bluff, or maybe the joke’s on us, the collective conspirators of a TV show. Red herring or not, following these characters and their strange doings is always engaging; towards the end of the second series of the original show, many of the side stories felt distracting to the main plot line – here they seem to mould into one cohesive, if currently indefinable, whole.

Like the other parts so far, this episode introduces, and reintroduces, faces new and old. Of the new faces one stands out in particular, that of Amanda Seyfried, who plays Becky. She may or may not be Shelly Johnson’s (Mädchen Amick) daughter, but seems close to her in some way, borrowing $72 before heading off to a car driven by Caleb Landry Jones’ Steven. She then snorts some cocaine and is left peering into the sky, caught in a drug-fuelled euphoria as the car speeds on. The camera is held in overhead for at least a minute – but what a minute. Many high budget television shows are making a habit of including ‘filmic moments’, but Lynch has ‘em all beat with this one, which is as of yet meaningless, but beautiful. Like many of the newly introduced subplots, we can’t glean much from the few minutes of screen time offered to Becky, but as with most of the series, we’re intrigued nonetheless.

Most of Part 5, however, is committed to the Dougie-Cooper adventures, and these are mostly solid. The only real issue is the sketch show vibe that is starting to become apparent – essentially Coop will enter an environment, be presented some stimulus, and do something strange, but a thing apparently justified enough by circumstance to not cause a serious reaction. For example, he meets one of Dougie’s co-workers at one point and, following his revelation last episode, goes for the coffee stack he was carrying. The co-worker interprets this as him just wanting coffee, even if Coop’s acting a little strange about it, and essentially treats him as normal, or at least not someone in need of immediate medical attention. Repeat this general process and that’s the gist Lynch seems to be going for. Admittedly it is sometimes quite funny, and there are some great moments enabled by it (Coop’s repetition of the word ‘agent’ is enough to make any Twin Peaks fan yearn for the ‘Dale Cooper’ that should follow), but it begs the question as to how much longer this formula will structure Coop’s plot strand.

Overall, another strong episode, though one that holds back on the overtly surreal a little (perhaps spending the most time in Twin Peaks itself so far). Again, the direction Lynch is heading in remains obscure, though one senses something is building beneath the surface, even if it’s unclear exactly what that could be at this point.

Twin Peaks: The Return airs Mondays at 2am in simulcast with the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, and is then repeated at 9pm on Tuesdays.

Milo Garner reviews the next two chapters of David Lynch’s return to Twin Peaks.

Shortly after its double-bill return, another two parts of the revived Twin Peaks hit our screens. In contrast to the plot overload offered in that initial feature-length presentation, here the narrative focuses in, offering both stranger and more recognisable elements of the Twin Peaks mythos across the pair.

Part 3 opens boldly – following Coop’s (Kyle MacLachlan) disappearance inside the New York glass box last episode, we find him in some otherworldly, purplish place. This entire sequence is what I look for most in my Lynchian adventures, and is a marvel to behold. Moving across a room also occupied by an eyeless woman in a red velvet dress (Nae Yuuki), the picture stutters – frames are skipped, repeated, or otherwise manipulated to give the scene an unnerving, even distressing tone. The audio acts likewise, with a jumbled and broken feeling to it. But everything is going exactly as intended. The closest comparison to be drawn here is not to Twin Peaks, but in this case Eraserhead. Elements of the body horror that so defined that film are here, as well as the unsettling and quite disturbing contradictions of cinematic norms. As would be expected, this scene also plants some currently unexplained seeds – the number ‘15’ is added to the phone book of non-sequitur numerals that is slowly building across the series.

Another is shown to us as the lady leads Coop to the top of the room he found himself in, revealing it to be a Tardis-like bigger-on-the-inside structure floating in space; after her departure we see Major Briggs’s (Don Davis) face float across the cosmos, speaking only ‘Blue Rose’. Very strange, very exciting. Coop then returns to the room, and finds what seems to be a contraption that will lead him back to reality – bad news for Bob, who had been assuming Cooper’s form, and who begins to feel the pull of the Red Room. But he manages to avoid this fate, as a third (!) Cooper enters the frame – Dougie, a seeming no-mark who lives near Vegas, whose finger is adorned with a ring last seen in the Twin Peaks prequel film, Fire Walk With Me. In another Eraserhead-esque moment, Dougie throws up some meaty, bloody goop, and is transported to the Red Room. Bob’s Coop remains in reality, and now the real Coop is back, in place of Dougie, though in a childlike state that renders him unable to speak any words that he hasn’t had spoken at him. He might be back, but he’s a long way from the Coop we know and love, at least for now.

Following this (welcome) madness, classic Twin Peaks gets injected into the mix, with some banter between Lucy (Kimmy Robertson), Andy (Harry Goaz), and Hawk (Michael Horse). It might feel a bit stilted and, of course, weird, but it serves as some excellent shelter to the storm that Lynch has been conjuring for most of the series so far. In mentioning Lynch, the return of his acting role should also be mentioned. Gordon Cole is back in business, and is on the case of the glass box in New York. He and Albert (Miguel Ferrer) have some great lines and recapture the chemistry they had in the original series without fault, even more than between Andy and Lucy.

Part 4, however, goes even further to reaffirm that this is still very much Twin Peaks, settling for a less strange (if only a little) and more humorous tone. It also introduces some more new talent, most notably Naomi Watts (veteran of Lynch masterpiece Mullholland Drive), who plays Dougie’s wife at perfect pitch. She tasks herself with trying to get Dougie, or rather the reborn Cooper, to function normally again, which leads to predictable but ever entertaining antics. These include but are not limited to: a tie wrapped round Coop’s head rather than his neck; Coop forgetting and then realising how to pee; and Coop attempting to gulp smouldering coffee in a sudden remembrance that it’s his thing – this to the sound of Brubeck’s ‘Take Five’, no less. Returning to the police station in Twin Peaks we are both reunited with a ridiculously old looking Bobby (Dana Ashbrook), now a member of the force, and are also introduced to Andy and Lucy’s son, portrayed in a wonderful cameo by Michael Cera. He gives a straight and deadpan speech on his various exploits and philosophies as a biker (a purposeful homage to Marlon Brando – hence the character’s name: Wally Brando), and is a great diversion from everything else going on. I don’t expect Cera to return, but he’s made his mark.

These two parts do much to affirm what this new series of Twin Peaks will be – apparently both a bout of Lynch’s cinematic weirdness without losing the essence of what made Twin Peaks so loved (though it might still be a little too strange for the more casual fans). More interestingly is that this, so far, is working. With many characters yet to be reintroduced and some of the plot strands from the first couple of episodes still hanging, it should be said that this series is still getting started – but what a start.

Twin Peaks: The Return airs Mondays at 2am in simulcast with the U.S. on Sky Atlantic, and then is repeated 9pm on Tuesdays.

In the first of our weekly reviews of David Lynch’s highly-anticipated return to Twin Peaks, Milo Garner gives a taste of The Return’s first two hours.

“I’ll see you again in 25 years” – so spoke Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) in the last episode of Twin Peaks, which aired in 1991. In what is more a surreal twist of fate than a long planned artistic venture, it seems Laura was speaking quite literally. A quarter-decade later, David Lynch – ten years retired from his directional career – returned to the helm to film 18 more ‘parts’ of Twin Peaks, titled The Return, with the first two airing as a feature length double-bill.

In its opening moments Lynch, who is directing all 18 parts as opposed to merely showrunning, presents us with an image of familiarity. We return to the Red Room, with Laura prophesizing her meeting with Special Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) 25 years hence in a clip from the show’s 1991 finale, before jumping forward to the present, with Coop still trapped exactly where he was. Aesthetically there is little contrast – the reverse cinematography is just as creepy as ever, and the sound design remains fantastic (which is incidentally credited to Lynch himself). From here we are greeted with various cryptic messages from denizens of the Red Room, old faces from the original run. A conspicuous absence is The Man from Another Place (played in the first two seasons by Michael J. Anderson, and ‘evolved’ in The Return), whose unnerving dancing was little less than iconic – but besides him and a select few others, nearly all of the cast of the original Twin Peaks appear for a moment or two across these two episodes. However despite this sense of continuity, especially engendered by Angelo Badalamenti’s unforgettable main theme, this new series has some significant stylistic differences to its ancestor.

The original Twin Peaks was a murder mystery cloaked in an ever encroaching sense of strangeness, which occasionally overtook the show in the episodes Lynch directed; but in those he didn’t, it could almost be a sort of bizarre small-town soap opera. This new season, however, follows more in the tradition of Lynch’s filmography and the select episodes he directed of the original – the long silences, the seemingly disconnected story threads, that feeling of ‘not-quite-right’; these episodes feel more akin to Lost Highway than to most of Twin Peaks. But this is no problem – in fact, it was what I hoped for most – Showtime have seemingly decided to give Lynch the reins, and taking into account his (irrational and disappointing) reassertion that cinema is over for him, it should be celebrated that we can still see his vision somewhere. As such, the domestic to-ing and fro-ing that defined much of Twin Peaks’ slower sections have been lost, instead replaced by 120 minutes of feverish surrealism.

Across the two episodes several plot strands are established, but in true Lynchian fashion none of them make too much sense as of yet – there is a sort of murder mystery in Buckhorn; Coop’s mission against Bob in the Red Room; a man watching a glass box in New York; something or other happening in Las Vegas; and a host of small strands in Twin Peaks itself. But despite there being little solid to clamp onto in terms of plot, Lynch’s filmmaking is ever engrossing. Visually, the episodes are a wonder, with the Red Room especially offering some new visual tricks that are sure to disturb and amaze in equal measure. They also sound great – Lynch knows when something should be loud, but perhaps more exceptionally, when something should be quiet. Given that Lynch is behind the wheel for every episode this time around, some of these mysteries might never fully unravel – but as made clear in Mulholland Drive, sometimes the journey is far more valuable than any solid conclusion.

Twin Peaks: The Return airs weekly on Mondays at 2am on Sky Atlantic, and then repeated Tuesdays at 9pm. We will be reviewing the series every week – continuing with Parts 3 & 4, available to stream on Sky On Demand and NOW TV.