Twin Peaks: The 30th Anniversary

It was thirty years ago tonight that the world was introduced to the small town of Twin Peaks. I was only eight years old going on nine when I sat in my living room in Smyrna, Tennessee, and watched this scary, funny, strange thing unfold before me. I couldn’t quite understand it all at the time, but I knew there was something powerful in what I was seeing. This was like watching a fairy tale, the world was somewhat familiar but also another strange place. For the next thirty years, I would find myself obsessed with the show.

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Book Review – Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier

Twin Peaks: The Final Dossier
Flatiron Books, 2017
Written by Mark Frost

TheFinalDossier

The final piece of Twin Peaks, for the time being, has been released. This comes in the form of co-creator Mark Frost’s meta-novel The Final Dossier. The Final Dossier continues the investigation of Tamara Preston from The Secret History of Twin Peaks. In the previous volume, she is pouring through an archive of documents about events in the Twin Peaks area dating back to the time of Lewis and Clark. In The Final Dossier, she has remained behind in the town after the events of the finale to debrief Director Gordon Cole on what has become of the townspeople and her own thoughts on what exactly happened. Beneath the surface, I read this as co-creator Mark Frost’s personal interpretation of the series. David Lynch is known for creating incredibly enigmatic art that he wants everyone involved from the actors to the viewers to interpret for themselves. It’s not too big of a jump to assume even though Frost contributed to The Return he may have different readings of what happened in the show.

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Twin Peaks: The Return – Part 18 Breakdown, Thoughts, and Analysis

Part 18
Written by Mark Frost & David Lynch
Directed by David Lynch

twinpeaks

This won’t be the standard dissection, but more a reflection on the emotions and ideas I have had in the week following the finale of Twin Peaks: The Return. My immediate reaction was a strong feeling in the gut, a sense of being overwhelmed, but overall positive. I was definitely ready to ruminate and one day reexamine the piece in its entirety. As with all work by Lynch, there is no Meaning, there are many meanings and understandings. He would be the first to not put authorial voice over your own interpretation and has never shown an interest in decomposing his work. As he says, “the work is the work.”

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Twin Peaks: The Return – Episode 17 Breakdown, Thoughts, and Analysis

Part 17
Written by Mark Frost & David Lynch
Directed by David Lynch

Video clips will come in about a week as those are uploaded to YouTube. I am waiting a week to revisit Part 18 for some reasons, so look for that next weekend.

Part 17

Gordon Cole toasts the FBI with his agents Albert Rosenfeld and Tami Preston. He continues his speech by confiding a secret he has kept from Albert for 25 years. A being of extreme negative energy was discovered many decades ago. In ancient times it was called Jowday but is now referred to as Judy. Many agents disappeared in the search for Jowday. Off screen during season two, Gordon made a plan with Cooper and Major Briggs to find and stop Judy. This was part of Cooper’s purpose for entering the Red Room and coming in contact with the Lodge spirits.

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Twin Peaks: The Return – Episode 16 Breakdown, Thoughts, and Analysis

Part 16
Written by Mark Frost & David Lynch
Directed by David Lynch

audrey dance

Doppelganger Cooper and Richard Horne arrive at one set of coordinates, a spot in the hills of Western Washington. Doop explains to Richard that three people have given him coordinates, only two people matched. Richard says they should check out the two that match. Doop hands him a device and explains he will need to climb on a rock atop a nearby hill and follow the growing beeps on the instrument. Meanwhile, Jerry Horne crests another hill yards away, but not close enough to distinguish who these people are. Richard follows the sound and ends up being incinerated by an electrical trap laid by individuals out to stop Doop. Reacting coldly to the death, Doop confirms Richard was indeed his son. Before leaving he texts Diane a message that reads only “=) all.”

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Twin Peaks: The Return – Part 15 Breakdown, Thoughts, and Analysis

Part 15
Written by Mark Frost & David Lynch
Directed by David Lynch

Part 15

We open on a surprisingly bright sunny day, as Nadine Hurley walks with purpose down the highway, a golden shovel over her shoulder. She arrives at the Gas Farm to tell Big Ed she is setting him free from their marriage. Nadine has had an epiphany and realized that he and Norma Jennings should be together, that her jealousy stood in the way. I think she both genuine and has developed feelings for Dr. Amp aka Jacoby based on their last scene together. Ed takes this in and sets off from the station.

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Twin Peaks: The Return – Episode 14 Breakdown, Thoughts, and Analysis

Part 14
Written by Mark Frost & David Lynch
Directed by David Lynch

andy hero

We begin with FBI Director Gordon Cole returning a call to Twin Peaks Police Department. He has an exchange with Lucy where she assures him she does go home and has gone a vacation; the department is not her home. On the horn with Frank, Cole learns about the missing pages of Laura Palmer’s diary and the implication that there are two Dale Coopers out and about in the world. Now, Cole knows they cannot trust Doop when they next cross paths.

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Twin Peaks: The Return – Part 13 Breakdown, Thoughts, and Analysis

Part 13
Written by Mark Frost & David Lynch
Directed by David Lynch

Sherilyn Fenn in a still from Twin Peaks. Photo: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME

Cooper, the Mitchum Brothers, their gals come to Lucky 7 celebrating, making a conga line through the office. They end up showering gifts on Bushnell, diamond cuff links and a car. Tony Sinclair sees all this going on and calls Mr. Todd, nervous and worried. Todd tells Tony it is his job to kill Dougie now.

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Twin Peaks: The Return – Episode 12 Breakdown, Thoughts, and Analysis

Part 12
Written by David Lynch & Mark Frost
Directed by David Lynch

audrey

At the hotel in Buckhorn, South Dakota, Albert pours glasses of wine for himself, Gordon Cole, and Tamara Preston. Preston is being inducted into their inner circle, becoming an agent who will investigate Blue Rose cases. Albert explains that this is an extension of the closed Project Blue Book files and was started by Gordon and Phillip Jeffries. Jeffries recruited Dale Cooper, Chet Desmond, and Albert to be their agents specializing in these supernatural investigations. This explains Cooper’s strange techniques to deduce who killed Laura Palmer.

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Twin Peaks: The Return – Episode 11 Breakdown, Thoughts, and Analysis

Part 11
Written by Mark Frost & David Lynch
Directed by David Lynch

becky

A trio of young boys play catch outside their home. The ball rolls across the road, and the eldest goes to retrieve, only to find a broken and bloodied Miriam crawling out of the woods. So she survived the attack by Richard Horne which makes her able to testify against him one day.

Over at the Fat Trout Trailer Park, Becky receives a phone call telling her Steven was seen with another woman. She calls Shelly in a rage saying she needs Shelly’s car and gets a handgun she has hidden away. Becky steals the car when her mother arrives, but Shelly hangs onto the hood only to be thrown. Carl Rodd finds Shelly and gets her a ride back to the Double R. We learn Bobby is Becky’s father. Carl radios Maggie at the PD and gets Shelly in contact with Bobby.

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