Director: David Lynch
Writers: Mark Frost
Stars: Kyle MacLachlan, Elizabeth Anweis, Chrysta Bell

Review by Mary Cox

This season of Twin Peaks is another testimony to Lynch’s commitment to diegetic sound and to silence. Every episode ending with a performance at the Roadhouse is an obvious example of how Lynch uses diegetic music in his work, but the previous two seasons played with this (in an arguably less successful way) through moments such as James’ weird and unnecessary performance of “Just You.” Silence is just as important as diegetic sound for Lynch when it comes to building tension in his scenes. Some of the more long and drawn-out moments from this episode, such as the exit of Gordon’s French Woman, are set against an empty audio backdrop to really highlight and exacerbate our feelings of frustration.

Lynch did decide to cut us a break with the dynamic return of Audrey Horne, although her interaction with her soon-to-be ex-husband still heavily plays into the theme of impatience and waiting that we’ve seen throughout the rest of the episode. While most of the characters are somewhat the same as they were twenty-five years ago, Audrey has evolved from a shit-stirring schoolgirl into a viciously unhappy adult. The true identity of “Billy” clearly is a mystery, but one thing that we do know for sure is that he’s not the same person as Richard Horne. There’s been no clear explanation as to how Audrey escaped from her coma, but we do learn from Benjamin Horne that Richard never had a father. This definitely provides evidence to the theory that Richard is actually the son of Bob Cooper, who we know was seen exiting Audrey’s hospital room towards the end of the second season.

After Grace Zabriskie gave us another incredible performance as Sarah Palmer in her stunning supermarket meltdown, the scene between Hank and Sarah has a small detail that you might not have caught initially. It’s worth mentioning that the new season of Twin Peaks is definitely more connected to Fire Walk With Me than you might think. When Hank visits Sarah’s house, we get a quick shot of the infamous ceiling fan that we know is heavily symbolic of Bob/Leland’s abuse of Laura. When we connect this particular imagery to the unusual sounds coming from inside Sarah’s house, it’s possible to interpret that there’s still some connection to Bob or to the Black Lodge inside the Palmer residence.

The theme of tonight’s episode, as well as within the the last few episodes in general, is a criticism of impatience, and a meditation on the notion that “good things come to those who wait.” We’ve seen this motif in past episodes, such as in Part 11’s screaming woman in traffic, and the Mitchum Brother’s frustration with Candie in Part 10. This depiction of impatience has continued in Part 12 through Albert’s frustration at Gordon over his long goodbye with the French Woman, and through Audrey’s temper tantrum while her ex-husband is on the phone. Even Hutch and Chantal’s conversation about killing the Warden comes back to not wanting to drag things out.

We have also seen patience be rewarded. In Part 9, Betty Briggs is rewarded for waiting a quarter of a century to give Major Briggs’ capsule to Bobby and the other Sheriffs. The Mitchum Brothers are rewarded with 30 million dollars (and a cherry pie) by showing patience in Part 11. As fans of the series, we all are desperate to know the truth about the Black and White lodges, and to see Cooper make a full return. Lynch knows how we feel, and is imploring us to show a little patience and to enjoy this series while it lasts. Like Gordon Cole says to Albert: there’s a fine Bordeaux right in front of you, so sit down and drink it.

******
“Mary Cox is an entertainment writer from the United States. Her hobbies include making good beer and bad decisions, watching drag queens fight on the internet, and overanalyzing everything. Mary one day hopes to be the person shouting “World Star” in the back of a Waffle House brawl video. She is currently tolerating life in Toronto. You can follow her on Twitter at @M_K_Cox”t