Twin Peaks Episode 11 is a Damn Fine Piece of Television

Twin Peaks Episode 11 Plot Summary:

The Mitchum Brothers (James Belushi, Robert Knepper) plan to kill Dougie Jones (Kyle McLachlan). Gordon (David Lynch), and Albert (Miguel) investigate the area where Haskins (Matthew Lillard) met Major Briggs. Shelly’s (Madchen Amick) daughter (Amanda Seyfried) goes ballistic. 

If there were ever an episode that felt truly akin to the original Twin Peaks series, it’s Episode 11.

The sublime mixture of weirdness, quirkiness, drama, and comedy that made the original series an absolute masterpiece was on full display in this episode. It was the right mixture of diving into the still unknown, and still bewildering world of the woodsman, and returning home to see what our beloved characters in the Pacific Northwest were up to.

We didn’t get many answers to the big questions of the season so far. However, we are getting close. Gordon and Albert now know about the mysterious, and murderous woodsman. Dougie Jones/Dale Cooper had his first, verbal independent reaction (“Damn good.”), and we’re only an episode away from Truman, Hawk, and Bobby heading into the woods.

Everything clicked perfectly here because there was a definitive balance. No one story was given excessive screen time — a problem this season has had throughout.

The performances in this episode really cemented this chapter’s excellence. The combination of Robert Knepper, and James Belushi has really been the most pleasant surprise of this season. They have terrific chemistry, and their awkward comedic timing works wonders in the world of David Lynch.

It was also refreshing to see Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook) and Shelly Briggs (Madchen Amick) back together on screen. Neither have had a ton of screen time so far, so it was a real treat to see them with more of a prominent role in this episode.

And if you dug the return of old Twin Peaks characters, take a closer look at who Steve (Caleb Landry Jones) was hooking up with. If you thought that was Alicia Witt aka Gersten Hayward (sister of Donna Hayward) — you get a slice of pie.

So Twin Peaks fans if you’ve been really frustrated so far by this season, hark back to my words about Episode 9. Everything is coming together slowly. The last three episodes have been fairly strong, so I think once we start getting into the home stretch we’re going to be in for a wild, and amazing ride.

Rating: 8 out of 10

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JME1FAIIosY