Why Audrey Horne has one of the most tragic characters in Twin Peaks The Return.
Yesterday I celebrated my love for Twin Peaks The Return in the best way possible. I decided to visit my good friend Shane Murphy who has been my tattoo artist for the past several years, and has been responsible for all of the stunning tattoos that cover my legs. Shane runs a killer company called Theater Of Creeps where he makes amazing pins and prints. Back in 2014 Shane did my first Twin Peaks tattoo which displayed Agent Cooper along with a slice of cherry pie and coffee. After watching The Return, something that I've been waiting for ever since I originally fell in love with David Lynch's wonderful and strange masterpiece, I knew I needed a tattoo based off this season to go along with my other Twin Peaks piece.
I originally planned on getting Audrey Horne, who will be the subject of this article. Finally I talked it over with Shane who thought if I wanted an Audrey piece to save it and get my personal favorite character this season to go along with my Agent Cooper one. Yes, I ended up getting Evil Cooper aka Mr. C the evil doppelgänger who escaped the Black Lodge at the end of Season 2, taking over Cooper's body and becoming one of the main villains in The Return. I really have to hand it to actor Kyle Maclachlan he knocked this performance out of the park. In fact he played several Coopers this time around, but I feel this best was with Mr. C. Long hair, blacked out eyes, and being a complete and heartless bastard. I'm waiting until my tattoo heals to take a photo of both of my Cooper tattoos side by side, but the piece came out beautiful and I can't thank Shane enough for yet again making another stunning piece on me. While Shane was tattooing me, I was filling him in on who Mr. C was, and how truly awful of a person he is. That's when I told him about all of the terrible things that he did this past season and how it affected a fan favorite. Ms. Audrey Horne. This article is FULL OF SPOILERS!!! If you haven't seen it yet please stop reading now! Here I'll be expressing my own personal theories on what happened to her, and how truly heartbreaking this icon became this time around.
Audrey Horne, played by the gorgeous Sherilyn Fenn was one of the most popular characters from Mark Frost and David Lynch's show that ran for two seasons in the early 90's. Audrey was forever associated as one of Lynch's mysterious, beautiful, quirky, and strong women he's always been so great at writing. It was Fenn who truly pushed Frost and Lynch's character further, by putting her own spin on it, and showing how truly gorgeous, feisty, and strong Ms. Horne could be. Between her stunning blue eyes, the tiny mole on her face, her China doll pale skin, how she instantly stole the show in the first episode when we saw her change out of her school shoes for red pumps instead. How she had an ashtray and would smoke in her locker, and cause trouble for her sleazy father's hotel business. She seemed like a character from a 1950's pulp magazine. Her hypnotic dancing, how head over heels she became with Agent Cooper, and acutely displayed true talent for helping him several times on his case, so much as even going undercover at her father's casino, becoming kidnapped, injected with drugs, and nearly killed. Audrey was never a helpless character. She used not just her beauty, but her brains to aid Cooper in trying to figure out who killed Laura Palmer? She discovered the ugly truth about her father, and knew she was competing with a dead girl that her father was sleeping with. Her mother clearly not close with her, and her brother mentally disabled (I guess it's said in a book that she thew him down the stairs as a kid. Damn Audrey!) Even though it didn't seem like it, but she was friends with Laura Palmer, and was jealous of the attention she got, mostly from her father. Audrey was a rich girl, who started off causing trouble, acting honestly like a brat. By the end of season 2 we see a whole different side to her. She helped Cooper, put her life in danger, tied a cherry stem with her tongue!, wasn't afraid to get evidence, fought back, and stood up for herself. What I really loved was how she knew school wasn't for her. That she honestly was the true heir to The Great Northern, and fought hard to prove herself that she did indeed have it in her for taking over the business. This was after putting her life in danger, turning her back on her father, feeling completely heartbroken, and learning that as much as Cooper did desire her, he was sticking to his morals and wouldn't sleep with her. The scene of her showing up in his hotel room always gets me. Audrey at this time is slowly discovering more secrets about her father, and is starting to learn the truth about what's been going on behind closed doors with her family. Needing comfort, she puts everything on the line, and is gently turned away by Cooper who shows what an upstanding guy he is. Yes she's 18, yes they have flirted, but he's an FBI agent, and she's involved in a case he's working on. He doesn't want to take advantage. (I still roll my eyes since we all knew the real reason why Audrey and Cooper were never paired up together, which later on opened the doors for the Annie and John character to be the new love intreats. I'm sorry but if I was Lynch I would be bullshit with LFB, but when you have a jealous actress on set dating the leading man, you really don't wanna rock the boat. I really do hope LFB not returning for this season was Lynch and Frost giving her the middle finger.) What I would have done to see Cooper rescue Audrey from The Black Lodge at the end of season 2. Still, I believe it really did all work out in the end. Audrey quickly proves herself, like I said saving Cooper's ass in her own way several times, before slowly learning the ins and outs of her father's business, trying to shake the image of the spoiled brat from the employees as well as her father. She stands by her dad while he has a complete mental breakdown, and stands up to her uncle, showing yet again that the hotel is hers, and she's going to make damn sure it stays that way. She meets John Wheeler and even though the love story between them was cringe worthy, it shows she doesn't run away from everything to board a plane and ride off into the sunset with him. Nope, she gets laid, and watches the man she has feelings for leave. It always kills me when days earlier John asks if there was ever anyone special? Here Audrey looks sadly down and says there was...but not anymore. We know she is trying to move on from Cooper. Even when she thinks he's checking out and tells him he's perfect, that one day he better watch out, she'll be grown up and on her own. You can clearly tell she likes him so much, and even after everything he's sticking to his guns, and rather be friends with her. What always annoyed me was the fact Annie was just a few years older. I liked Annie, but yet again like Audrey and John it just didn't click like Cooper and Audrey.
Audrey keeps working at the hotel even after John has left, and even enters The Miss Twin Peaks contest to please her father and keep up public relations even though she's one of the many targets for that season's crazed villain. The last we see of Audrey is her handcuffing herself to the Twin Peak's Savings bank, right in front of the basement vault to protest the Save Ghostwood campaign yet again putting her father's business first. She acts alone here, but chains herself up. Here is where tragedy strikes. The bomb inside the safety deposit box explodes killing the men there (I guess it says in that Frost book that poor Pete threw himself over Audrey, getting himself killed and saving her.) This explosion is bad...bad enough that we learn in The Return that she was even in a coma following what happened due to her injuries.
Durning The Return fans were wondering after countless episodes where Audrey was? She was a major part of the first two seasons, became a huge cultural icon over the years, and a staple in the Lynch world. There is countless tattoos and art pieces based off this character. She was just as popular as The Log Lady, Laura Palmer, and Agent Cooper himself. When she wasn't showing up, fans began to wonder? Where was Audrey? Theories floated around, but there didn't seem to be any answers. Nobody knew where she was? (Yes, I'm putting aside all the production drama we've heard about.) Rumors were that she was a millionaire that paid for the glass box in New York. Fans wondered since Ben was still running the Great Northern, and there was no mention of Audrey anywhere. We meet a handsome, and mysterious young man at The roadhouse in about episode 5. A man who looks a lot like someone we knew. Slanted blue eyes, a small mole on his face, smoking a cigarette. This man right off the bat shows something isn't right with him. He pays off a police officer that's off duty, and then becomes violent with a young woman who asks if he has a light. He grabs her, sexualy assaulting her in his booth, becoming like a crazed animal saying he's going to rape her. This scene is extremely disturbing, and fans were stunned when durning the credits we saw that this character's name was Richard Horne.
Who was Richard Horne? Right away everyone knew it HAD to be Audrey's child since it was a little too far fetched to believe he was Ben, Jerry's, or even Johnny's.
It wasn't until Sheriff Truman speaks via Skype with Doc Hawyward that we learn a frightening truth that began to spiral countless theories. It appeared the Evil Cooper (nobody in Twin Peaks knew he had become taken over by this horrible spirit) visited Audrey in the ICU where she was in her coma. The doc mentions he believed he was visiting Audrey Horne since he saw him walking out of her room, giving a very creepy and unsetting grin before leaving. We all knew about the fire following and Major Briggs' death. It appeared that Evil Cooper did a lot of damage before leaving Twin Peaks. It seemed as if BOB knew exactly who to hurt since the real Dale and Audrey's relationship was so pure. That's when fans became to suspect the worst.
Evil Cooper raped Audrey while she was in her coma, impregnating her with Richard Horne. His crazed evil spawn.
We follow Richard, seeing he's paying off dirty cops, he's had many run-ins with the law, uses and deals coke, and commits a horrible crime by accidentally running over a young child with his truck and fleeing the scene. He then later attacks the only witness to the crime by beating her nearly to death. Before leaving down he visits his grandmother Silvia and meanly disabled uncle Johnny and violently assaults them stealing all of his grandmother's money. This scene is beyond disturbing and it makes you wonder...where is Audrey? Richard calls Silvia his grandmother, and remarks she always wanted him to leave, so after he gets his money he'll go. We see him assault both his grandmother and uncle and leaves. It seems as if he's very mentally disturbed. Almost as if Evil Cooper's tainted soul passed on his violent outbursts onto his son. Still, where's Audrey? No mention of her? Poor Ben, when told about what his grandson has done doesn't even look surprised. He tells the sheriff "That boy has never been right..." and says he never had a father. So where's his mother?
We learn in the following episodes when Audrey finally shows up she's older, yet still so beautiful. She's in an office, speaking to Charlie, a small man who appears to be her husband. Fans couldn't believe it, It seemed so out of the blue. After all this build up, this was where Audrey was? Her and Charlie bicker, going back and forth, building up frustrating tension. Audrey is looking for her lover, a man named Billy and needs a ride to the Roadhouse since she believes that's the one place she hasn't looked yet for him. We have no idea who Billy is, besides that he's Audrey's lover (something she's very up front about in front of Charlie) Charlie calls another character who knows Billy, and seems to be driving Audrey crazy. We feel like Audrey here. The convo honestly goes in circles and have we no idea what's going on. Charlie talks to Audrey like a parent would to a child. Here fans were left stunned, mostly became she didn't mention her son Richard. Many questions kept coming up, and people wondered if she really was indeed where she thought she was.
When Richard sees Cooper in the warehouse after he wins the arm wrestling contest. Here fans like myself were screaming very well knowing they were father and son, and Richard seemed to recognize Cooper.
We see Audrey again, acting like a child, still in the house, still in the same clothes even though it's supposed to be days later, uneasy, and anxious, wanting Charlie to take her to find Billy. She seems helpless, as if she can't leave without him. She wants to go, but doesn't. She can't make up her mind. She seems frightened a little by Charlie's settle remarks, almost as if he's threatening her. She doesn't remember where The Roadhouse Is. Here she becomes violent attacking Charlie, saying how much she hates him. My friend Mike brought up a good point. What if Audrey in her sub-conscience looks at Charlie as Cooper. She hates him for what he did to her.
Then the kicker happens. In another episode Richard confronts Evil Cooper, saying he recognized him back at the warehouse, that he's seen his photo before, a photo that belonged to his mother. When Cooper asks who his mother is, Richard for the first time in this entire show looks frightened as well as a little heartbroken. He states "Audrey Horne." Theories are now confirmed, Audrey had Richard, and clearly isn't in his life. Somehow Richard is angry with Cooper, and wants revenge. Maybe he knew his mother had been raped and Cooper abandoned her. Maybe Cooper no longer becoming around resulted in why Audrey isn't there. Whatever it is, we see a tiny flicker of Richard being a real human. Maybe this was the little bit of Audrey he has in him. Cooper tells him they will talk on the way and both get into Cooper's truck and drives away. This same episode Audrey and Charlie finally after what seemed like weeks have left the house and are in The Roadhouse. A performer is playing on stage and both order at the bar. When Charlie tries to toast to them, she smirks, glaring at him with hate in her eyes before saying "To Billy..." We wonder ad the audience what exactly is going on? Is it an arranged marriage? Clearly she hates him. Why are they together then? That's when the MC on stage announces the next performance will be "Audrey's Dance." The dance floor clears and a very confused Audrey sees the spotlight on her. She gets up as the same music from the original show that she once danced to like in a dream, thinking about her special agent as a teen plays. Here she dances like she did once 26 years ago, swaying to the music lost in glow of purple lights as everyone watches. Suddenly a fight breaks out, and Audrey snaps out of her dance, racing to Charlie frightened before grabbing him and begging him to please get her out of there.
That's when BANG! Audrey finds herself either awake now, or snapping out of whatever she was now in a white room. Her face has aged, and clean of makeup, She's staring at her reflection in a mirror, and looks shocked. It's as if she's just woken up. Staring, she says one word...
"What?!"
Before it cuts to black.
As for her son, he's led to an empty field in the next episode by Evil C, looking frightened as he makes him climb up on a rock to follow the coordinates he's been given. 2 match, one doesn't. He tells Richard he's 25 years his senior. To climb up top and this device he has will beep if he's close. Richard doesn't try to argue, or protest. He gets up, holding the device before the beeping gets louder and louder...when BOOM. Richard walks into a trap that's been set. It'a almost as if he gets an electric fence. He suddenly lights up screaming in pain before exploding. Cooper sighs, really not that bothered before saying "Goodbye my son..." and walks away. Here yet again a huge fan theory was confirmed. Evil Cooper did rape Audrey in the hospital, he did get her pregnant, and he was Richard's father. It seems as if he really didn't care that he just killed his offspring. It's a fitting end to what a terrible person Richard was, almost as if he was a dog that needed to be put down. Cooper of course goes head to head with the good one back at Twin Peaks and thanks to Freddie and Lucy, Bob escaped him, and he's sent back finally to The Black Lodge, trapped in his personal Hell after all these years of misery he's caused.
So here we wonder, where was Audrey? Was she dead? Did she get taken to The White Lodge? (Remember when she wakes in the white room we hear the same buzzing like running power) Did she lose her mind and she's in a mental hospital? Did she never wake from her coma? The theories are endless. I believe everything with Charlie was in her subconscious. Maybe Charlie was her shrink, or doctor. Someone she hated and resented. Someone who had to talk to her like she was a child. The talks always going around and around in circles. I don't think there ever was a Billy, and if there was maybe in Audrey's mind it was John, or maybe even the good Cooper. I think either two things happened. Audrey lost her mind or never woke up from her coma.
I mean Audrey could have woken up durning the assault by evil Cooper. Which is so disturbing. Think, here is a man she truly loved and cared about, felt safe, and she wakes up to find him raping her? Or maybe she woke up later, recovering from her injuries, and she's pregnant. Did she ever meet Richard? Did having an evil child make her lose her mind? I think she never woke from her coma. I think in her subconscious she knew she had been assaulted. I think she was trapped in her own personal Hell. Unable to escape (maybe physically she was in the coma, but her mind was taken to the white lodge) Here she can't leave. Trapped in her own personal prison. She was raped, gave birth to a son by the man she thought she loved and could trust. (I feel they missed the boat never letting the good Cooper knew this happened. Think how much it would have KILLED him knowing Mr. C did this to Audrey, using his body.) It really is so tragic and these two resulted in this kind of storyline. Brilliant writing by Frost and Lynch. That Audrey couldn't raise her son, that Ben and Silvia did and were unable to handle him. That Richard had problems from the start, constant run-ins with the law. That Audrey never recovered and Ben even at such an old age is still running the business, now divorced from Silvia. Her parents put through Hell because of her son, and she's basically forgotten, either still in a coma or mental hospital. With all of the result sexual abusive stories being told, you have to hand it to Lynch and Frost. Both Audrey Horne and Laura Palmer tragically were beautiful young women, betrayed by men...most of all men they thought they loved and could trust. Their life's ruined because of this. Sadly these two beautiful women could write #metoo as well.
I kept waiting for Cooper to find Audrey, wake her like in Sleeping Beauty and rescue her yet again. Sadly this didn't happen. Instead, we're led to believe what we think or didn't think happened with her. Audrey is trapped somewhere, and unable to escape. Cooper never came and I'm sure just like in the first run in the show, she prayed for him...the real him to come. Sadly he never did.
Now their child, a crazed bastard was murdered, and at the end of it all, Audrey and Cooper were never reunited. That's why I really wish we could still get a season 4. Maybe in this new world people are different. Maybe Richard is a good character, and Cooper could find his mother and rescue her. Still, I find Audrey's backstory between 2 and 3 absolutely heartbreaking. Between Cooper, Mr. C, Richard, and Audrey it's a tragic tale, that never has the neat tied up ending we all expected. I really hope in Frost's new book he at least expanded a little more on this.
So, hopefully in the future I can pay tribute to Ms. Horne. Until then, total props to Lynch for bringing us these two star crossed tragic characters who had one fo the most disturbing and heartbreaking backstories out of anyone from the show.
So people? What did you think really happened to Audrey? Is she alive? Dead? Still in the coma? In a mental hospital? Message me and let me know you're thoughts!
