Twin Peaks Episodes 3 and 4 Plot Summary:
Special Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle McLachlan) finally passes from The Black Lodge back into the real world, however he’s assumed the body of a schlubbier version of himself named Dougie. Back in the real world, the real Cooper can barely talk, and is in near state of shock throughout his early moments back on earth. These moments include making a killing in a casino, and finding out he has a wife (Naomi Watts), and a son. Meanwhile, the Twin Peaks sheriff’s department — namely Hawk (Michael Horse), Andy (Harry Goaz), and Lucy (Kimmy Robertson) — keep trying to figure what The Log Lady’s message to Hawk means. Gordon Cole (David Lynch), Albert (Miguel Ferrer), and new agent Tamara Preston (Chrysta Bell) head to South Dakota where they find “Dale Cooper” in prison.
Twin Peaks episodes three and four brought the audience, much like Special Agent Dale Cooper, back to earth.
Last week’s return was a very non-linear return that left a lot of fans scratching their head wondering what exactly was going. David Lynch really took the gloves off, pushing his chips to the center of the table. If you didn’t like the weirdness, there was the door. However, if you dug it — you were rewarded immensely this week.
These latest episodes, while still inherently bizarre, brought back one of the original series mains selling points — off-the-wall humor.
Yes, these three episodes, while still riddled with a whole bunch of stuff that I can’t even fathom to explain, will have you wiping tears from the corner of your eye throughout the two hour run.
Kyle McLachlan, who pulls triple duty here, absolutely kills it as both the schlubby Dougie, and the simple yet incredibly damaged Dale Cooper. McLachlan’s delivery is just perfect, and his demented, deadpan take on Cooper’s sincerity and honesty kills it.
Yet, as great as McLachlan was, there was one man who stole the entire two hours.
Michael Cera.
Cera appears midway through Episode 4 as Andy and Lucy’s son — Wally Brando. Wally is dressed exactly like Brando from his 1953 film The Wild One, and has adopted a weird version of Brando’s accent from The Godfather. Wally’s entire speech to Sheriff Truman (Robert Forster) about wanting to pay his respects to his ailing godfather (Sheriff Harry S. Truman from the original series), and then rambling about his dharma traveling the U.S. on his motorcycle is one of the greatest things I’ve ever seen on television.
Hot take: Wally Brando may be the greatest character Twin Peaks has ever seen. And given the amount of amazing and memorable characters David Lynch created in this series, that’s a bold call.
However, it wasn’t all laughs and weirdness in these episodes.
Outside of Wally Brando, the best parts of these episodes were commanded by the return of David Lynch’s Gordon Cole, and the late Miguel Ferrer’s Albert. The duo bring their inherent levity to the table (especially when Cole talks to David Duchovny’s Denise), but they also bring a heavy dose of drama.
In one of the great scenes of the season, nay the entire series’ canon, Albert and Gordon have a quiet, but frank conversation about things not being right about the newly resurfaced Cooper (who’s actually the “Cooperganger” Bob). They both know something is terribly wrong, and this conversation throws a pall of doom and seriousness to a season that so far has been more about psychedelic visuals, and deadpan hilarity.
If the first two episodes of Twin Peaks had you worried, episodes three and four will provide you relief, as well as a lot of laughs, a sense of dread, and a weird feeling in the pit of your stomach.
Cameo Watch: David Duchovny, Adult Swim star Brett Gelman, Jane Adams (HBO’s Hung), Josh McDermitt (aka Eugene from The Walking Dead), Ethan Suplee (My Name is Earl), Meg Foster (They Live), Richard Chamberlain (Thorn Birds), John Ennis (Mr. Show with Bob and David), Karl Makinen (Richard on The Walking Dead), Sarah Paxton (Aquamarine), and Naomi Watts.
Original Cast Return: Bobby Briggs..who now works for the sheriff?
Rating: 8 out of 10
