Welcome back to a world both wonderful and strange - Twin Peaks The Return.

 Welcome back to a world both wonderful and strange - Twin Peaks The Return.

PLOT - 25 years have now passed, and Agent Cooper is still trapped inside The Black Lodge. With the possibility of escape, Cooper gets a small window in order to return to his own body that has been walking the Earth ever since that fateful night of the Miss. Twin Peak's contest. This doppelgänger possessed by an evil spirit has been committing unspeakable crimes for years, dropping off the map completely, and driving Cooper's body trying everything within it's spirit not to get taken back to the Black Lodge. With a series of brutal murders being committed in the midwest, all clues seem to be surrounding a mysterious glass box in New York City, as well as the original town of Twin Peaks where Deputy Hawk receives a message from the Log Lady that something is "missing" and that he's the one that has to find it. 

LOWDOWN - Even trying to write that summary, I kept stopping wondering if any of this made sense. Well guess what? It doesn't. I guess that's just another reminder why Twin Peaks and David Lynch's twisted and amazing mind is something of legend. Basically, long story short, years ago around 2000/2001 I showed my friend Mike the mini-series The Stand. While watching it, he remarked that several cast members were from the show Twin Peaks. That following weekend we sat down and watched the whole first season he had special ordered from the UK long before an official release. I still remember how floored I was over how much I loved it. I sorta knew a little bit about Mr. Lynch's work, mostly his 1986 crime cult classic film Blue Velvet. This was a very unusual and beautiful film I watched late one night and ended up loving. This was Lynch's mind stretched out into a TV series where we learned of Laura Palmer, the tragic beauty queen who's body washed ashore in the small quirky town with very colorful characters. Here we met Kyle Maclachlan aka the charming and strange F.B.I Agent Dale Cooper. I downright adored Kyle in Blue Velvet and seeing him play Cooper was a role he was born to play. Cooper is a kind, weird, coffee loving man who's values are solid, and is the strange hero we could all look up to. I've always loved Kyle in basically everything he's done, but in my eyes he will forever and always be Lynch's leading man. Cooper is brought into this small town and meets all of the characters who are all in some strange way connected. The first season was a soap opera/crime drama where the famous question "Who killed Laura Palmer?" was on everyone's mind. With a cast full of zany strange characters, affairs, crime, drama, and much more we were able to witness the darker side of this charming town, and the secrets beneath the late Miss. Palmer and what exactly she was involved with before she was brutally murdered. 

The first season was left with a massive cliffhanger, and season two continued the storylines of all these unusual characters as well as Cooper's investigation of Laura's murder. Over the course of this show we see how Cooper is unlike any other F.B.I agent. He uses his belief in the great unknown as well as visions and dreams to guide him to using the clues to help solve the murder. I honestly want to very soon to break down my love of this show, and what exactly made me fall in love with it. Between the strange characters, the drama, and of course Lynch's weird and down right gorgeous view of the world as Cooper goes deeper and deeper into this case is something I'll save for later. All I can say is once I finished season 2 like so many others I wanted more. I felt cheated that the show's main storyline was solved so quickly, and after another huge plot was opened up, we were left with more unanswered questions as well as a very unsettling cliffhanger worse than the season before. Twin Peaks became a cult hit, with more and more fans mourning the fact it became canceled. I myself instantly fell in love with it, and even watched the very strange prequel Fire Walk With Me (I originally hated this movie, now years later after re-watching it have grown fond of what exactly Lynch tried to do with it.) I received the gold boxset one holiday, and this series was something I constantly re-watched. It soon became my sick show, whenever I was laid up with a bad cold or flu I would re-watch these episodes, always joking that it made more sense when I had a high fever. 

Now I know this show wasn't for everyone. But I saw Lynch for what he was, and was more than happy as I met more and more people who were die hard fans of the legendary first two seasons, or had just discovered how unusual and strange it had been. In 2014 I even got a huge tattoo based off the show displaying Cooper in all his glory with coffee and pie. My friend Melissa who also loved the show got a stunning sleeve based off the show, and makes killer mugs based off designs now made so famous from this cult series. Time wore on, and I kept collecting as many Twin Peaks things as possible. I even bought the epic blu-ray set of the Missing Pieces which included Fire Walk With Me. Around this time rumors were flying high of Twin Peaks returning since after all, it was coming on 25 years since the show originally tried. I think we all remembered Laura Palmer promising Cooper that she would see him again in 25 years. Fans stayed hopeful, and finally a few years back Frost and Lynch broke the internet by tweeting that our favorite gum was coming back in style. After several more hints dropped by the original cast, it finally became confirmed that Twin Peaks was in fact returning.

The build up over the last two years have been huge, and just two weeks ago I was completely pumped to witness TV history. After buying tons of donuts and coffee, Mike and I binge watched the older episodes, and got ready as we returned to a world both wonderful and strange.

Now able to process what I've watched, re-watching all four episodes for the third time now, I think I have finally wrapped my mind around what exactly I had saw. When it first aired, I was sorta in shock. I didn't know if I loved or hated it. Showtime was behind The Return, and I felt honestly it seemed to be in good hands. Still, there wasn't a lot of promotional material behind it, and it really didn't seem to kick into overdrive until a few weeks before. Still after loosely following the production (not wanting anything to be spoiled) I was on the edge of my seat, praying this wouldn't let me down. When it aired, I watched as characters I've loved so dearly over the years return, as we followed the confusing and tragic story of Agent Cooper. Some scenes really did leave me scratching my head, wondering what in the world was I watching? Then I remembered to just sit back and enjoy the ride. Lynch knew exactly what he was doing, and has all ready claimed that this will be an 18 hour long movie. Will all loose plot holes be solved? Most likely not. Will more open up? Of course. Still, with four episodes in, I really am not bothered that we haven't seen much of the iconic town. Cooper has always been my favorite and watching this three-part storyline of Cooper finally able to escape The Black Lodge, trying to return to his original body where Evil Cooper (sporting really sexy long hair) aka BOB has been living as a crazed murdering manic with plenty of people willing to work and kill for him. (His intro was AMAZING) 

Here we see Cooper's body doing unspeakable crimes, knowing that his time may be short since 25 years are in fact up and The Black Lodge will be trying to take him back. With Cooper still strapped in the lodge (the scenes between him and Laura gave me chills) he's able to escape, first unable to jump back into his original body, only to take over the body of an overweight man named Dougie. Here it's shown Dougie's purpose was to exist in case this had to happen. After 25 years being trapped between both worlds, he possesses Dougie's body, but seems to have suffered from trauma looking more like his former self. Barley able to speak or function, we watch him clearly still connected to the Black Lodge. The question remains...when will he snap out of it and remember? I've been having the time of my life watching him, and got total chills when he reached into his pocket and found the Great Northern key. This laughable storyline of Cooper adjusting and slowly remembering had me dying. Loved the Mister Jackpots scenes. "Hellooooooo!" as well as him waking up slightly when he tries coffee. I can't wait to see what's next.

The other massive storyline is of his original body, the evil Cooper blocking off Cooper from returning to his body, and crashing his car, only to be collected by the F.B.I. Loved the scene of him speaking with Albert and Gordon (part of me is still holding off that Shelly and him somehow ended up together. Wishful thinking, I know.) the entire interview scene gave me chills. I never thought Cooper aka Kyle could be so terrifying. Boy was I wrong. 

And of course we're trying to follow two separate storylines. The series of murders we know the evil Cooper was involved in in the midwest, and of course back at Twin Peaks as Hawk tries to figure out what's exactly missing? In the first four episodes we've only been treated to several original cast members being shown, but I'm sure the payoff will be worth it's wait. What little we've seen I've loved, and couldn't help but feel my heart break when the log lady wished Hawk goodnight. Also anyone else get total chills when Bobby saw Laura's photo and completely broke down? Chills. Total chills.

So I await episode 5. Honestly I haven't been this excited for anything TV wise since I placed a major bet at my work on who Negan killed this past season for The Walking Dead. I'm sure I'll continue posting since I've yet again caught the Twin Peaks fever. This summer I plan on updating on the show's return, as well as several other Twin Peaks themed posts. All I have to say is that as strange and different as these new episodes feel, I can't express enough how this is a love letter from Lynch to us. Can't wait to see what happens next!