Warning: SPOILERS ahead for Twin Peaks season 3

-

Twin Peaks has returned to our screens, perhaps even more weird and wonderful than ever. Creator and director David Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost have had twenty-five years to perfect their craft, and with Lynch directing every episode, his influence is very keenly felt. Long, intense silences, trippy, surrealist scenes and plenty of backwards talk pushes an audience to the limits of their comfort, but stick with Twin Peaks and you will be richly rewarded. As is Lynch’s wont, the first four parts of the Twin Peaks revival are littered with callbacks, references, and some hilarious cameo appearances that all reference the original two seasons of Twin Peaks, the movie, Fire Walk With Me, the recent novel, The Secret History of Twin Peaks, and… Marlon Brando.

The Bonsai Tree

Let’s start with one of the more obscure references, present in part 1. Sam is the young man charged with watching a big box in New York City, in the hope (or fear) that something might appear. Though he’s never seen anything, he says his predecessor did. Taking his eye off the ball, Sam invites a young woman named Tracy to sit with him. One thing leads to another, and while they’re busy getting it on, something; a shadowy spirit of some sort, is busy getting out of the box. It proceeds to slash them both to death.

While that’s not a pleasant watch, one thing to note, is the bonsai tree that sits on the small table next to Sam’s couch. Just a tree, possibly, except this is Lynch. In Twin Peaks season 2, Windom Earl terrorized the town of Twin Peaks, kidnapping Cooper’s girlfriend and taking her to the Black Lodge. He only knew how to find the Lodge thanks to listening in on Agent Cooper’s conversations via a device he had hidden in a bonsai tree.

With Twin Peaks continuously using the phrase “It’s happening again,” is this a sign that someone is listening in on the events taking place in that room? It’s unlikely to be Windom Earl, since BOB claimed him, but has BOB now inspired the same actions in someone else?

Lucy Answers the Phone

Lucy is one of the sweetest residents of Twin Peaks, but not one of the smartest. In the pilot of Twin Peaks, we see her struggling to cope with the relatively simple network of phones at the Sheriff’s office, and then explaining to Deputy Hawk how he needs to pick up his call, as if he were a small child.

Twenty-five years later, and she still hasn’t gotten the hang of it, and therefore she assumes Hawk hasn’t, either. Helpfully telling him he has a call waiting, she then adds “It’s the one with the light flashing.” She also hasn’t grasped mobile technology, either - collapsing in a faint when Sheriff Truman arrives in the office while still on the phone to her. Time hasn’t moved on for some.

Cooper’s Legacy: Coffee, Donuts, and Pie

It was bittersweet to see the return of Log Lady; Catherine Coulson was terminally ill when she filmed her scenes, and passed away in 2015. However, Log Lady's log had one more message, and she calls Deputy Hawk to tell him something is missing from the Laura Palmer investigation. She also invites him to stop by for “coffee and pie” on his way home, but sadly he doesn’t get there.

When Hawk has all the Palmer files pulled, he tells his officers that they’ll start work in the morning, and that he’ll bring the coffee and donuts. Not only that, but the sign on his office door, is a picture of a donut, with ‘disturb’ written underneath it. Agent Cooper has been missing (to them) for 25 years, but his influence hasn’t left. It also appears that the memory of coffee hasn’t entirely left Cooper, either. When he takes a sip of the stuff in part 4 (as Dougie), it jogs something in his memory.

Jacques Renault Returns… or does he?

At the end of Part 1, we find ourselves back at the Bang Bang Bar (still the local bar of choice, it seems). As Shelley (Machden Amick) shoots a flirty look toward newcomer Balthazar Getty, look to the man tending bar behind him. It’s none other than Walter Olkewicz, who played drug dealer Jacques Renault, the man who used to casually date (read: sleep with) Laura Palmer.

Twin Peaks fans will recall that Leyland Palmer smothered Jacques to death back in season 1, and he seemed pretty dead and gone to us, so how is he back? Well, the credits have Olkewicz listed as playing Jean-Michael Renault. It’s unknown if his character will be expanded upon, meaning we could learn he’s Jacques third brother, or whether he’ll just stay as background. Either way, it’s a fun way for Olkewicz to take part in the revival.

Next Page: [valnet-url-page page=2 paginated=0 text='Iconic%20Moments%20Recreated']

Iconic Moments Recreated

Laura Palmer is still in the Red Room, along with Agent Cooper. Like Cooper, she is still in the same clothes. She also still talks in Lynch’s reverse speech pattern, and even says Laura’s iconic line “I feel like I know her, but sometimes my arms bend back.”

Laura’s line isn’t the only iconic moment we see recreated though; Cooper sees a white horse while he’s in the Black Lodge- possibly the same horse Sarah Palmer saw all those years ago. Then there’s the owls, which are not what they seem. An owl flying overhead alerts Agent Cooper (as Dougie) to his presence in part 4, but we’ve already been reminded in parts 1 and 2, that the owls are not what they seem.

Blue Rose

Donald Sinclair Davis, who played Major Briggs in Twin Peaks, died in 2008. Still, he made an appearance in season 3 part 2, as a head, chanting the words “blue rose” to Cooper while he was in the Red Room.

In Fire Walk With Me, Agent Chester Desmond and Stan Stanley are given intelligence from a woman, through interpretive dance and mime. We’re not kidding, that’s a real thing that happened. The agents decipher every clue except one - Blue Rose. They’re baffled, and the clue is never solved. Since then, Twin Peaks fans have figured out that Blue Rose is used to refer to a supernatural case that can’t be solved. Fast forward to part 4, and Agents Cole and Rosenfield refer to the strange reappearance of Agent Cooper as “Blue Rose.”

Dougie’s Ring

In part 3, we become aware that there are 3 Coopers. There’s Agent Cooper, stuck in the Red Room. He’s the nice one that we all love. Then there’s evil Cooper (Mr. C), the one with the flowing locks and evil heart, who seems to be the Cooper that’s possessed by BOB. There’s also Dougie. We don’t really get to see the real Dougie for long (except he was never real in the first place, but still); he’s just been with a prostitute and as she goes to take a shower, his arm turns numb, he vomits on the floor, and then disappears.

It seems as though bad Cooper (or BOB) has created Dougie, somehow, because he knows that in order for Agent Cooper to leave the Red Room, one of the other Coopers has to return. That plan seems to work. Dougie is wearing a Jade ring on his finger, and in Fire Walk With Me, it’s revealed that the Jade ring either keeps the wearer safe, or kills them. Sadly, it’s the latter for Dougie. Interestingly, Teresa Banks and Laura Palmer both wore that ring and had numbness in their arms right before they died, too. Where’s the ring now, though? Is anyone else wearing it?

Deputy Hawk

“If ever I’m lost, I hope you’re the man they send to find me.” So says Agent Cooper to Deputy Hawk at the end of Twin Peaks season 2. Perhaps it’s fitting, then, that Log Lady instructs Hawk to take another look at the Laura Palmer files. Something is missing, and Agent Cooper has been gone 25 years. Will Hawk eventually be the one to bring him back? And by that, we mean will he find the real Agent Cooper, now currently living his life as Dougie Jones? Hawk has been a fan favorite for all of Twin Peaks; solid, steady, dependable and with an intuition and acceptance of the paranormal that most small town Sheriffs do not have. Maybe his mind will be open enough to finally figure the puzzle out.

Next Page: [valnet-url-page page=3 paginated=0 text='Agent%20Tamara%20Preston']

Agent Tamara Preston

One of the absolute highlights of part 3, was the return of Lynch as FBI Agent Gordon Cole, and Agent Arthur Rosenfield, played by the late Miguel Ferrer. Together, they are absolute comedy gold, helped largely by Agent Cole’s hearing impediment and his refusal to turn his hearing aid up. When Rosenfield tells Cole their colleague feels car sick, he bellows “This is South Dakota. Cossacks are from Russia.”

The colleague that Rosenfield is referring to, is Agent Tamara Preston. It’s easily assumed that Agent Preston is merely brought in to even out the gender imbalance slightly, but in fact, the character features as the main character in Frost’s 2016 novel, “The Secret History of Twin Peaks.”

Phillip Jeffries

Played briefly by the late, great David Bowie in Fire Walk With Me, Phillip Jeffries is mentioned several times in the first 4 parts of Twin Peaks season 3. Rumor has it that Bowie was set to reprise his role, but sadly that wasn’t to be. Right now, no one knows if the role has been recast, but there is over 200 cast names on the list, so chances are it has been. That aside, Jeffries is an FBI Agent who has been missing for 2 years. He returns to the fold in Fire Walk With Me, talking about the Black Lodge.

In part 1, we see evil Cooper on the phone, talking to Jeffries. When he is captured in part 4 and Cole and Rosenfield go to talk with him, evil Cooper claims that he and Jeffries have been working undercover. That now leads to the possibility of Jeffries also being an evil twin, and possessed by BOB. If that’s the case, where’s the real one? Has he been in the Black Lodge even longer than Agent Cooper?

Bobby’s Overacting

Some things never change. Dana Ashbrook became renowned for his overacting in Twin Peaks, though we’re assuming it was intentional since Lynch wanted it played like a melodrama or soap opera. He reappears in part 4, now working as a deputy, and seemingly much more mature and sensible than he was (it is 25 years on, to be fair). All is going well until he walks into the room where Hawk has all of the Laura Palmer files laid out, and her prom picture propped up on the table.

Bobby breaks down, with Ashbrook displaying some delightfully cringe-worthy ham-acting. Again, we’re assuming this was intentional on Lynch’s part; a dig at some of the awful work we see in soaps, maybe? A joke about how characters overreact to everyday situations? We find it hard to believe that Bobby hasn’t managed to get a grip in 25 years. Still, it’s a fun moment, and a great nod to the quirkiness of season one.

Sheriff Truman

Which one? Well, we’re asking ourselves the same question. Apparently, one is sick, and one’s out fishing. In part 4, we meet the one who’s been out fishing. For whatever reason, Michael Ontkean does not appear in season 3 as Sheriff Truman. How do you get round that? Simple, cast the man who was Lynch’s first choice to play Sheriff Truman- Robert Forster- as another Sheriff Truman.

We can imagine that this will be a running gag throughout the season, and if it’s not, it should be. Technically, Forster is playing Sheriff Truman’s brother, Frank, while Ontkean’s character was Harry S. Truman. There might never be an explanation for his absence, and we’re entirely okay with that.

Michael Cera as Wally Brando

Finally, we couldn’t let this list pass without mentioning Michael Cera’s performance of a lifetime. Rocking up in part 4 as Wally Brando, son of Andy and Lucy, Cera is brilliantly funny, channelling his inner Marlon Brando. Outer, too, since he is dressed exactly as Marlon Brando from The Wild One. He even has the lisp, and tells Sheriff Frank Truman, that he’s come to pay his respects to his Godfather, Harry Truman.

The amount of Brando references packed into his short speech is more than impressive, and undoubtedly Andy and Lucy’s love for the method actor goes a long way towards their son’s obsession; they tell Deputy Hawk that they nearly named him Marlon.

The long, uncomfortable silences as Frank Truman tries to think of something to say other than “good seeing you again, Wally,” are toe-curling, further exacerbated by the sheer pride Andy and Lucy have for their lisping son and his jauntily placed cap. Lynch is a master of horror and surrealism, but also humor, and this short scene steals the show.

Next: Twin Peaks: Why is Dale Cooper Evil?