Twin Peaks, Episode 3.11: The Return, Part 11

Twin Peaks: The Return, Part 11
There's Fire Where You Are Going

The weirdness continues in Part 11 of “The Return.” In South Dakota, Gordon, Albert, and Diane continue to investigate William Hasting's information. What they find is a strange house, a vortex overhead, visions of shaggy men, and a woman's headless body... Right before Hasting's own head explodes. In Twin Peaks, Sheriff Truman and Hawk intend to head into the mountains, the Log Lady giving them a warning beforehand. This is just some of the drama happening around town. In Vegas, “Dougie Jones'” life is in danger from the Mitchum Brothers. However, a dream, a vision, and a cherry pie end up saving him.

After several episodes that finally moved the story forward, “The Return” resumes its snail's pace with “Part 11.” All of one scene in the entire episode is devoted to the on-going investigation in Twin Peaks. Frustratingly, it's largely devoted to Hawk delivering some exposition. Cooper's Doppelganger isn't even in this one. Meanwhile, “Dougie's” progression is continuing to go so very slowly. I'm sure – I'm even expecting – that the show will eventually bring all these disparate plot lines together in a satisfying, surprising way. But, I'm afraid to say, my patience is starting to fray just a little.

But let's talk a little more about Dougie Jones. Though David Lynch's protagonists are often morally gray individuals, occasionally he'll go out of his way to depict one as exceptionally good. Despite his flaws, Dale Cooper's schoolboy-like enthusiasm for pie and trees, ability to love so purely, and exceptional sharpshooting skills all distinguished him as a warrior of good. Even though Cooper is not himself these days, the show still feels the need to do this. The gambling addict from the third episode reappears to thank him, saying he changed her life for the better. This combines with the typically “Peaks” element of dreams, intuition, and dumb luck playing a role in a solving a mystery.

That's certainly very interesting, even if I wish “Dougie” would get back to normal sooner. Yet “Part 11's” best moments are some more bits of graphic, nightmarish horror. The sequence of a vortex opening up over Gordon Cole's head, bringing with it visions of the Woodsman, is a good dose of “Peaks”-like surrealism. The show's sudden interest in horror movie gore, with the influx of exploding heads, is surprising. I'm still not sure how I feel about that. This episode's scariest moment actually has nothing to do with its central mystery. The sight of a sick girl rising out of the darkness of a car, bubbling vomit from her mouth and trembling, is utterly terrifying. (Especially when sandwiched by screaming and a car honking.)

Still, another reason I'm frustrated with “Part 11” is how it returns to probably my least favorite on-going “Twin Peaks” subplot. Becky is still having a very tense relationship with her husband. Despite Shelly's attempt to reel her back in, her daughter remains as impulsive as her mother once was... Or still is, if the moment where she runs off to make-out with her new boyfriend in the middle of a family meeting is any indication. Here's the truth: Shelly is awful. She's always been awful. I've never liked her. She's a selfish, petty person who does nothing but generate melodrama. Her progeny is equally unlikable. “The Return” deciding to focus on Shelly over some of the town's other residents is frankly baffling to me.

So it's another mixed bag. For every moment of expertly handled weirdness or oddball comedy, there's an incident that slows the pacing or drags down the audience's good mood. Of course, “Twin Peaks” has always been like this. The good still far outweighs the bad. I'm hopeful it'll all come together in the end. But right now it's hard for me to rate this episode any high than a six. Sorry, Dougie. [6/10]