Twin Peaks: The Return (Episode 5)
/ Twin Peaks Watch
Take a step back, and think about it — Dougie has only been around for 25 years. That was established in episode four, and exactly why the Black Lodge created this Cooper doppelgänger is a bit of an unknown, but either way… The man has over this period managed to get not one, but two gangs on his back. In addition, Mr. Jackpot Cooper hasn’t made life easier for him with his 0,000+ winnings.
And let’s give the casting of the casino managers a pause and a loving clap. One thing was pulling in Jim Belushi, who does an admirable job, but throwing Robert Knepper into the mix? Inspired. To me, he is a regular Ray Wise, and I’m sure many feel the same. His inclusion was as fitting as it could be.
Meanwhile, learning he owes the mob ,000, Naomi Watts unceremouniosly and literally kicks Dougie out of a car to get him to work. This is when we start seeing Cooper ever so slowly start waking up. How long until he sheds Dougie? My guess is episode seven. We are seeing Cooper’s basic instincts kicking back in — the sight of a gun, «case files» being mentioned, spotting a lie1… I suppose it’ll suck for Dougie’s friends and family when he’s gone, but from a story-arc perspective, episode seven would be a perfect place to get some real sembelance of Cooper back.
Dougie’s place of employment is the Lucky 7 insurance company, and… This might just be me, but doesn’t the employees there serve as doppelgängers of Twin Peaks inhabitants? Yes, it’s easy to read too much into these things, but come on! Bob Stephenson’s Frank is a dead ringer for Jaques Renault.
Conversely, does the scene of him drinking tea remind anyone of Angelo Badalamenti spitting out espresso in Mulholland Drive? This is kind of the polar opposite of it.
Elsewhere, in Evil Land, it is becoming increasingly possible that Bob and Cooper are meshing into one being, one that sheds both previous personalities. Proof is Mr. C (as we apparently call him) looking into the mirror, flashback showing how Bob should be showing in the reflection, yet nothing happens. Then the line, «You’re still with me. That’s good.» For how long? Who knows.
We also meet Benjamin Horne’s son, Richard, smoking away, and being as cool as only a Lynch character can be. It doesn’t take long for him to grab a girl and threaten to do all kinds of Bob-like things to her, when it kind of hits… Is this another person possessed by a Black Lodge inhabitant? Is he possessed by Bob? It doesn’t seem impossible, and whatever or whomever he is, Richard seems more Bob-y than Mr. C.
And on that note, let’s end on a…
Bonus fact!
The band playing Bang Bang Bar is Trouble, headed by David Lynch’s son, Riley.
Until next time, you may or may not want to check out the Twin Peaks Rewatch podcast. It’s… well, better than something not good.
1 Which adds another word to his vocabulary: «liar».
Ratings from around the web
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One Star Classics | 6/6 |
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Cumulative Score |