Twin Peaks, third season, fourth episode: ...brings back some memories

Fourth episode: ...brings back some memories / The Return, Part IV

Content: Special Agent Dale Cooper alias Dougie Jones wins several jackpots in the casino thanks to some visions of the Black Lodge before being given a limo ride to Dougie's home. Dougie's wife, Janey-E, is upset about her husband's disappearance, but her mood changes upon seeing his casino winnings. Still near-catatonic, Cooper settles into life as Dougie. While getting dressed, he sees a vision of MIKE, who informs him that either he or his doppelgänger must die. At the Sheriff's Department, Sheriff Frank Truman gets an update on Hawk's investigation, and Deputy Bobby Briggs tells Truman that Cooper was the last person to see his father, Major Garland Briggs, before his death. Andy and Lucy's son Wally Brando arrives at the Sheriff's Office to pay his respects to his sick godfather Harry. Gordon meets with FBI Chief of Staff Denise Bryson before heading to South Dakota to see Cooper with Albert and Tamara. Cooper's doppelgänger claims he has been working undercover for Philip Jeffries. Gordon and Albert discuss their misgivings about Cooper, and decide to look for the one woman they think can help them.

Analysis: There are three important elements to analyze here. Throughout the third and the fourth episodes, Special Agent Dale Cooper's behavior as Dougie Jones has been catatonic and he has only copied gestures and repeated words of people around him. However, when he drinks a cup of coffee, he suddenly seems to remember his former identity, says "Hi!" and gives a thumps up which were typical gestures for Special Agent Dale Cooper twenty-five years ago. This is a sign that Dale Cooper's mental presence is getting stronger than Dougie Jones' mental presence. A second important element to analyze is that Special Agent Dale Cooper was the last person to see Garland Briggs alive before he died in a fire. This could mean that Garland Briggs discovered the secret of Special Agent Dale Cooper's evil doppelgänger and was killed by him. It could also mean that this discovery forced the doppelgänger to go into hiding. This made me think of the first episode, where the body of an unidentified beheaded man was found next to the head of a librarian in South Dakota. Maybe this body could be Garland Briggs'. Its appearance could mean that there is an instability in the space-time continuum. This makes me think about the following element: Could it be possible to travel back twenty-years in time for Dale Cooper once he has defeated his doppelgänger and to wake up in the Great Northern Hotel where the second season ended? The last thing to analyze is the fact that Gordon Cole and Albert Rosenfield have realized that something is abnormal about Dale Cooper who is in fact his evil doppelgänger. They say that there is only one woman that could help them find out what's going on with Dale Cooper. Since Heather Graham who played Cooper's love interest Annie Blackburn hasn't been cast for the third season, there are only two women I could think of who know Dale Cooper well enough to tell whether something's wrong with him or not. The most logical choice would be Audrey Horne who had a romantic interest in Dale Cooper. The only other choice that would make sense to me is Margaret Lanterman alias the Log Lady with her seemingly supernatural knowledge. A third and last option could be a completely new characters but I don't think that would be appropriate here.

Description: After three sinister episodes, the fourth part is definitely the most light-hearted episode of the new season. Watching the erratic behavior of Special Agent Dale Cooper in Dougie Jones' body is absolutely hilarious. The scenes at the casino and at his home are pure comedy gold. On the serious side, we get some background information about the deceased Garland Briggs as well as his son Bobby who has become a deputy. We get the predictable information that either Dale Cooper or his evil doppelgänger must die. Gordon Cole and Albert Rosenfield realize that something is wrong with Dale Cooper's doppelgänger. Other than this, the different cases and mysteries don't really make any progress. Sheriff Frank Truman and Wally Brando are the first two characters that I don't really like yet. The former is lacking charisma and the latter just seems to be pointless with his weird cameo appearance out of nowhere. The episode is overall still entertaining but is the first to have some minor lengths.

Favorite scene: There is no question about this: Dougie Jones winning jackpot after jackpot is the most hilarious scene of the third season so far.

Rating: 7/10