Jake

Twin Peaks Rewatch 47: The Return, Part 12

Recommended Posts

Has anyone considered the possibility that Johnny Horne might be Richard's father? That would still jibe with the notion of his having grown up without a father, while also explaining why Truman went to Ben about Miriam rather than Audrey.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, Digger said:

"It's a goddamn bad story, isn't it Hawk?" Sarah Palmer

 

She's right.

 

Why are you spending your time here if this is what you're going to post?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
Just now, Jake said:

 

Why are you spending your time here if this is what you're going to post?

Because I loved Twin Peaks.  I loved the characters and the quirkiness, and I keep trying to like this show, but story just isn't happening.  It's pointless to try to figure anything out because it is purposefully obtuse.  The important things happen off camera and then are related in long scenes of people staring at each other and saying things the viewer already knows (like the Truman/Horne scenes this episode, the Blue Rose scene at the start), or characters saying or behaving in ways that make no sense (the French lady, anybody at the club).  I don't think we've seen any characters make a progression. Characters are acting in ways that don't seem to fit what we knew about them, and we don't get enough time with them or any of the new characters to connect with anyone.  No one acts the way people do, which is unhelpful, some weirdness is quirky or scary or confusing, but if every character is unfathomable, and no rules of the universe are established or explained it all becomes nonsense.  It seems the story teller is purposefully keeping viewers from the story, and will explain some of the strangeness we witnessed in the last two episodes when one character explains it to another.  

 

I think they probably should have started with the last episode, then a viewer could parse what is meaningful and what is random.  The show seems to me to be really disrespectful of its viewers.  

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Boy people really do swing hard on their opinion of the show episode to episode. Y'all were gushing after last episode some people saying they think it might be better than the original show, now everyone hates it and are angry about it in it's entirety...

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Albert: *lore dumps into camera for solid four minutes*

Cole: Tammy, you're the best in the biz and that's why we need you on this Blue Rose task force to investigate these paranormal happenings.

Tammy: Oh cool I thought that's what I've been doing for the last week and a half but no that's totally fine I'm in *sips wine*

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
23 hours ago, MarkHoog said:

I've been enjoying most (but definitely not all) of this season, but this is the first time that I've actively disliked an episode. Sure, it was funny that I could've learned a foreign language in the time it took that French lady to leave Cole's room, but frankly I've had my share of that this season. I'm sorry, but unlike my ability to love and be kind my patience actually has limits. The podcast often discusses the fact that a lot of what we see will/might be appreciated differently once we've seen the whole batch of episodes, so yeah, until then I can't be bothered with whatever's rattling in Sarah's kitchen, Billy's (?) whereabouts and whether the two women in the Roadhouse have any relation to that armpit scratching lady that we'll probably never see again.

 

The only scene that really grabbed me was the one with Ben Horne. There's was a sad, pensive sort of sweetness to it.

I'm guessing Billy is they guy Andy went to question- the truck owner who didn't show up for his interview and that the Chuck that Audrey referred to was Richard.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm beginning to suspect that the Woodsmen may be the cause of the noises coming from Sarah Palmer's house. Earlier in the episode, during her meltdown in the grocery store, she warns the cashiers to watch out for 'them' (or something along those lines). This all got me thinking of Gordon's vision of the Woodsmen on a staircase in the previous episode. If you compare that shot with one of the staircase in the Palmer house, the similarities are rather striking. Check it out:

 

Untitled.png

 

3389232500c9a6e663f8b70676b13677--david-

 

Of course, I could be making connections where there are none (I'm even second guessing myself as I write this), but at this point, who knows. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 hours ago, BizzyDQ said:

Hey! Remember that universally loved character? Let's make her awful! 😭

I hope you ain't talkin about Audrey, because she's never been that great

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
1 hour ago, Alex P said:

Albert: *lore dumps into camera for solid four minutes*

Cole: Tammy, you're the best in the biz and that's why we need you on this Blue Rose task force to investigate these paranormal happenings.

Tammy: Oh cool I thought that's what I've been doing for the last week and a half but no that's totally fine I'm in *sips wine*

Haha, I had the same thought.

What also confused me (secret history spoilers):

Spoiler

Wasn't Tammy up to speed with all the Blue Book/Rose stuff when she read Major Briggs dossier? I just finished the book, and this scene felt like the book wasn't canon at all.

Then I thought, what if she will read the dossier after The Return? But then her character in the book sounds out of place as well, especially after Alberts lore dump.

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'm thinking Billy's the dude whose truck Richard hit the kid with who failed to meet Andy at 4:30, because the episode where that happens is the same one where the panicked dude comes to the RR looking for Billy, but I never heard of Chuck as a nickname for Richard :/

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
8 hours ago, theBobert said:

I'm beginning to suspect that the Woodsmen may be the cause of the noises coming from Sarah Palmer's house. Earlier in the episode, during her meltdown in the grocery store, she warns the cashiers to watch out for 'them' (or something along those lines). This all got me thinking of Gordon's vision of the Woodsmen on a staircase in the previous episode. If you compare that shot with one of the staircase in the Palmer house, the similarities are rather striking. Check it out:

 

Of course, I could be making connections where there are none (I'm even second guessing myself as I write this), but at this point, who knows. 

 

ooh man, that would be so creepy if it was the case. looking at the details though, the palmer's staircase doesn't have that same sideboard / trim on the wall.

 

I think that shot of the woodsmen would most likely be in the convenience store?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I am very happy to have had some scenes with Sarah Palmer.   And Hawk continues to bring an excess of warmth and humanity to every moment he's onscreen.  That mixed really, really well with Sarah.

 

Just in case, like me, you didn't catch this in 2014, this clip is a must-watch.  It's not precisely a Season 3 preview (as the youtube link says), but it certainly plays like one.  Apologies if this is common knowledge:

 

 

INTENSITY!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

With regards to the AUDREY SCENE, i just thought i'd mention that i've watched it several times now and i'm not sharing the general disappointment i've picked up from the peaksphere:
 

It was cryptic: Talk of a contract, a marriage without wedding rings, a mysterious one sided phone call, a slew of new character names that may or may not link up to previous events.

It was oddly paradoxical: Charlie stating he doesn't have a crystal ball when there is one blatantly in front of him in several shots.

It was deliberately teasing the viewer: Audrey exasperation of not being informed of what was happening in the phone call and leaving it on a cliffhanger.

The dialogue was purposefully outdated and corny: Audreys 30's talk of 'call a spade a spade' and 'dreams harken to truth'. Charlies talk of 'you can't talk to your husband like that'.

It was odd and funny, had a foul mouthed lady in distress, a little person, long silent staring and talk of bad, violent dreams.
 

I mean, apart from missing a Badalamenti track, it couldn't be more Twin Peaks!
 

Two thumbs up!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
11 hours ago, Marius said:

Haha, I had the same thought.

What also confused me (secret history spoilers):

  Reveal hidden contents

Wasn't Tammy up to speed with all the Blue Book/Rose stuff when she read Major Briggs dossier? I just finished the book, and this scene felt like the book wasn't canon at all.

Then I thought, what if she will read the dossier after The Return? But then her character in the book sounds out of place as well, especially after Alberts lore dump.

 

Yeah, I have no idea where/if the book fits into any of this. Especially regarding Tammy. 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

So I may be the only person who feels this way but I am kind of annoyed of how after every episode the only thing anyone can seem to talk about is when Cooper is gonna "wake up". Sure we see bits and pieces of the man we knew during the original series and FWWM but I can only assume that he will never be the Cooper we once knew. 25 years trapped in any place would scar a person not to mention that place being the red room. In my mind Cooper has some form of PTSD from this experience and for him to simply snap out of it just wouldn't feel right. Who knows maybe I will feel differently if we see Cooper get his real body back from Mr. C.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I'd be more annoyed by it if the direction weren't clearly fucking with viewer anticipation.  I mean come on, the cherry pie scene was totally dangling Cooper in front of viewers and it was fantastic.  The follow up to it in this latest episode was equally well played.  That's some skilled Cooper-edging.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
2 hours ago, TheArm said:

So I may be the only person who feels this way but I am kind of annoyed of how after every episode the only thing anyone can seem to talk about is when Cooper is gonna "wake up". Sure we see bits and pieces of the man we knew during the original series and FWWM but I can only assume that he will never be the Cooper we once knew. 25 years trapped in any place would scar a person not to mention that place being the red room. In my mind Cooper has some form of PTSD from this experience and for him to simply snap out of it just wouldn't feel right. Who knows maybe I will feel differently if we see Cooper get his real body back from Mr. C.

I think this expectation partially comes from us being told before the show started that it would primarily be about Cooper's return to Twin Peaks. Thinking about that now, I wonder if that means his personality will come back or if he will just physically wind up in the town of Twin Peaks? 

But I totally agree that suddenly having Cooper come back would likely be more unsatisfying than having him remain in his current state forever. It's not as though he is simply a man with amnesia who has forgotten who he is and simply needs to be reminded of his past identity...he hasn't even formed a coherent thought, yet.

 

A friend of my father's who had Alzheimer's died of a stroke last week, at age 68. He was no longer able to form new sentences and just would say "I went on a lot of bike trips" or point at random objects and say "these are my bike trips". He didn't even really know who his wife was anymore, but if my Dad walked in carrying a bike helmet he would light up with joy. They did, in fact, go on a lot of bike trips. Not much of his previous personality came through, but he still had these glimmers of recognition and happiness from things that linked him to his past.  

 

Cooper's current state reminds me more of my father's friend than an amnesiac character who only needs to find the right key to jog their memory. I think to get the old Cooper back we would require a larger event triggered by some lodge-related phenomenon, and not just another reminder of his past self. 

Philip Jefferies was gone for the same amount of time before he returned in FWWM. Twin Peaks isn't very internally consistent with this kind of stuff, but I wonder if his appearance could provide any clues to what Cooper would be like if it hadn't been for Bad Coop's Dougie-vessel meddling? 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
16 hours ago, theBobert said:

I'm beginning to suspect that the Woodsmen may be the cause of the noises coming from Sarah Palmer's house. Earlier in the episode, during her meltdown in the grocery store, she warns the cashiers to watch out for 'them' (or something along those lines).

 

That noise of the bottles rattling out of nowhere in her house definitely had that familiar electric buzz behind it. I listen to the show with headphones on but playing it back without you can barely make it out. Also bizarre how Hawk asks her if someone is in the house, and she replies "no, just something in the kitchen"  okaaay!

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
3 hours ago, TheArm said:

So I may be the only person who feels this way but I am kind of annoyed of how after every episode the only thing anyone can seem to talk about is when Cooper is gonna "wake up". Sure we see bits and pieces of the man we knew during the original series and FWWM but I can only assume that he will never be the Cooper we once knew. 25 years trapped in any place would scar a person not to mention that place being the red room. In my mind Cooper has some form of PTSD from this experience and for him to simply snap out of it just wouldn't feel right. Who knows maybe I will feel differently if we see Cooper get his real body back from Mr. C.

I wonder if the people complaining every episode about cooper not waking up would have been the same people constantly complaining about them not revealing Laura's killer. :P

 

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I had been assuming Audrey didn't live in Twin Peaks anymore, and that was why nobody ever mentioned her in situations where it would clearly make sense to mention her. Then Audrey showed up talks about going to the Road House so I guess that's what I get for making assumptions about anything in this show. I don't think she's in a coma, but there's clearly something weird going on here.

 

Also, I'm a little surprised people are so down on this episode. It wasn't my favorite episode, certainly, but it wasn't categorically worse than anything else we've seen.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
43 minutes ago, Cleinhun said:

 

Also, I'm a little surprised people are so down on this episode. It wasn't my favorite episode, certainly, but it wasn't categorically worse than anything else we've seen.


I've been watching all episodes twice at this point (a few more than that). Usually once when it airs and then again a few days later to take it all again and also gather whatever I may have missed. This is the first episode where I had a hard time making it through multiple scenes on the rewatch. Not to say that it's bad, there's still some good stuff in there, but generally I've been even more floored by what's happening and end up liking the episodes more than I did after the first round. Opposite happened here. Which surprised me, honestly.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
9 hours ago, TheArm said:

So I may be the only person who feels this way but I am kind of annoyed of how after every episode the only thing anyone can seem to talk about is when Cooper is gonna "wake up". Sure we see bits and pieces of the man we knew during the original series and FWWM but I can only assume that he will never be the Cooper we once knew. 25 years trapped in any place would scar a person not to mention that place being the red room. In my mind Cooper has some form of PTSD from this experience and for him to simply snap out of it just wouldn't feel right. Who knows maybe I will feel differently if we see Cooper get his real body back from Mr. C.

 

I'm not even sure what Cooper returning to his senses looks like anymore. Would it even fit? Cooper was a relentlessly positive force in the original run of the series, and he fit in because the show never felt nearly as dark as it does now. To me anyway. All I can picture is him giving Richard Horne a thumbs up after he runs over that kid. 

 

In the absence of Cooper, I feel like we've got some great characters to take his place. I really love seeing Gordon and Albert and Bobby. And I'll feel pretty devastated for Sonny Jim and Janey-E when Dougie vanishes from their lives. I don't know. It's going to be strange.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites
22 hours ago, Marius said:

Haha, I had the same thought.

What also confused me (secret history spoilers):

  Hide contents

Wasn't Tammy up to speed with all the Blue Book/Rose stuff when she read Major Briggs dossier? I just finished the book, and this scene felt like the book wasn't canon at all.

Then I thought, what if she will read the dossier after The Return? But then her character in the book sounds out of place as well, especially after Alberts lore dump.

 

 

Maybe the secret history book takes place after the show?

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

The Secret History dossier was recovered 17 July 2016 and given to Agent Preston on 4 August 2016. Does any of the episodes reveal when the show takes place?

 

Also, my initial thoughts were that the scene was constructed like that just for the benefit of the people who hadn't read the book.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

I think the show is intended to take place 25 years after the original.  I don't think any specific years have been mentioned, but a couple of people have referred to 25 years.  So that would make it 2014.  S1/S2 take place over the span of a few months in spring of 1989.

Share this post


Link to post
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now