So with this episode Twin Peaks is back on form with a plot heavy episode focusing on only a few storylines in more detail and making some big progressions on the mysteries at play. The storylines in play are the ones that put the OG residents of Twin Peaks front and centre which is always a big plus.

The episode opens with a very classic Twin Peaks moment that seemingly doesn’t connect to much else but is entertaining nonetheless. Jerry is alone in the woods, acting all weird, and decides to call his brother Ben where he talks about how someone stole his car, he doesn’t know where he is, and also the fact that he may in fact be high. This was just a classic nonsensical moment that as a fan of Twin Peaks I cherish. We then move on to the Sheriffs Department where we get some quick updates on those pages Hawk found last episode. Looks like Hawk and Frank are getting close to realising it isn’t the real Dale Cooper that has been tracked down. It seems the pages are in fact 3 of the 4 pages missing from Laura’s infamous diary, they detail an interaction between Laura, Dale, and Annie where in a dream Annie details that the good Dale is still in the lodge. This is a dream sequence that plays out in the Twin Peaks prequel/sequel ‘Fire Walk With Me’. We then get an appearance by Doc Hayward played by the late Warren Frost who is contacted by Frank via Skype and details the events that went down right after the final scene of Season 2. Apparently Evil Cooper was taken to the hospital where upon acting weird he checked himself out and left town. We also learn that Audrey Horne was left in a coma following the explosion in the Bank.

Then we get a rather interesting scene once again involving the headless body found in episode 1 and the fingerprints of Major Garland Briggs. It seems as though the body should belong to Major Briggs but where the body should belong to someone in their 70’s it appears to belong to someone in their 40’s. Could the body still belong to Major Briggs but the 40 year old version of him? I still think there is a small possibility that maybe the body is that of the real Dougie Jones but I’m doubting that with each passing episode. We also have Albert and Gordon go pay a visit to the newly introduced Diane in her home to talk her into going and talking to Cooper in prison. And it is in this scene we finally get a “DAMN GOOD COFFEE” from Gordon Cole…………. YYYEEEESSSS!!!! Diane agrees and this leads to one of the most intense scenes of the series so far. After classily stating ‘Fuck You Tammy’ to one of the FBI agents Diane goes in to talk to Evil Cooper which is the big moment of this episode. Everything about this scene was eerie as fuck, the building score, the lighting, cinematography, it all creates a masterfully terrifying atmosphere. They speak about the last time they saw each other and that seems to make Diane incredibly uneasy and she calls off the meeting early. What is it that affected her so strongly?

Following their interview as Evil Cooper is being put back in his cell he requests a meeting with Warden Murphy to discuss something about Mr Strawberry. During their private meeting it seems as though Evil Cooper has something over Murphy as by mentioning a certain name he is able to influence Murphy into giving him what he wants. And it turns out his plan was successful as by the end of the episode Evil Cooper has a car and is released from prison against the word of Gordon Cole, free to wreak havoc once again. Back in Twin Peaks we get a scene involving Ben Horne and employee Beverly at the Great Northern Hotel investigating a strange ringing sound that seems to be coming from within a specific room. Then Ben comes across Agent Coopers old room key that was previously mailed to the hotel, and thankfully he recognises the room number as the one that once belonged to Cooper. Progress people, progress.

What would an episode of this season of Twin Peaks be without some good old Dougie action because somehow through the use of his dumbness and newfound special powers he hasn’t lost his job yet. After a short interaction with the police and a brief but very welcome appearance by bombshell Elena Satine we get a moment we knew was coming from last episode. If you recall last episode you will remember that Ike ‘The Spike’ Stadtler was tasked with killing Lorraine and Dougie Jones, upon successfully making a mess of Lorraine he moved on to his next target. And here upon leaving his work Dougie is attacked by ‘The Spike’ wielding a gun and what goes down is glorious. Upon getting attacked, Dougie goes full FBI Ninja Agent Dale Cooper on him throwing him to the ground and squeezing the gun out of his hand. During this confrontation ‘The Arm’ (now in his brain on tree form) appears out of the ground telling Dougie to “Squeeze his hand off”. This was a perfectly weird and awesome scene and it looks like we’re getting close and closer to the real Cooper coming back to us.

Towards the end of the episode following a solid 2 minutes of some guy simply sweeping the floor inside the Bang Bang Bar we see a very familiar face take a phone call behind the counter. We see a member of the Renault family and the current owner of the bar, Jean-Michel Renault, talking on the phone and you probably realised that he looks very familiar despite not being in the original series. That is because the actor playing Jean-Michel is Walter Olkewicz, the man who played the infamous Jacques Renault 25 years ago……. Those are some strong genes. But, despite all of the craziness that went down this episode as the credits begin to roll we a given a nice, calm scene within the RR Diner where it seems for the majority of Twin Peaks life is continuing on as normal. Cannot wait to see where thing go from here as it’s getting pretty serious.

8.6/10