Twin Peaks, third season, seventeenth episode: The past dictates the future

Seventeenth episode: The past dictates the future / The Return, Part XVII

Content: Gordon tells Albert of a secret plan to find "Judy", an extreme negative force, and is informed that Cooper is headed for Twin Peaks. The remaining coordinates lead Cooper's doppelgänger to "Jack Rabbit's Palace". He is transported to the Fireman, then to the Sheriff's Department, and mistaken for the real Cooper. While talking to the doppelgänger, Frank receives a call from the real Cooper. The doppelgänger draws a gun but is shot by Lucy. Cooper, the FBI and the Mitchums arrive. Woodsmen tear at the doppelgänger's body, releasing BOB's orb. Freddie knocks out Chad, who had escaped his cell, and smashes BOB's orb with several punches. Cooper puts the Owl Cave ring on the doppelgänger's finger, sending him to the Black Lodge. Naido transforms into Diane. Cooper unlocks a door at the Great Northern, where Mike takes him to Jeffries, who transports Cooper to the night Laura died. Cooper prevents Laura's murder; in the morning, her corpse vanishes. As he leads her through the woods, she disappears. Sarah screams and smashes Laura's photo.

Analysis: This episode must be seen as the finale of the series while the eighteenth episode should be interpreted as an epilogue and open ending which is a typical trademark for David Lynch's nightmarish works. It becomes obvious that the Fireman is trying to trick Evil Cooper by sending him to the Sheriff's Department where he is going to be defeated by Freddie instead of letting him unite with Judy who possesses Sarah Palmer. When Bob is defeated, this event creates a rift in the time-space continuum, hence Dale Cooper's superimposed face. Dale Cooper tries to take advantage of Judy's momentary weakness by traveling back in time to save Laura Palmer which means that the Fireman's angel survives while Judy can't feast on Sarah Palmer's garmonbozia because her daughter never died. Just before Dale Cooper manages to lead Laura Palmer into the White Lodge to save her, Judy leaves Sarah Palmer's body who has a hysterical breakdown and gathers its last energies to kidnap Laura Palmer into a different space-time continuum. This final action leads to a draw as neither the White Lodge led by the Fireman, nor the Black Lodge led by Judy win the eternal battle between good and evil. The events in the seventeenth episode basically nullify everything that happened in the timeline we followed since the beginning.

Description: This episode is a brilliant conclusion that leaves no questions unanswered in my opinion. All important characters reunite in Twin Peaks for a finale filled with action, emotion and tension. On one side, Evil Cooper is defeated, Bob repeled, Teresa Banks, Laura Palmer and Maddie Ferguson saved, Leland Palmer delivered and Sarah Palmer freed from Judy. On the other side, Laura Palmer gets kidnapped into another time-space continuum, so she can't defeat Judy. Ben and Jerry Horne will reunite again after the latter got lost in the woods. Richard Horne was never born because Bob didn't possess Leland Palmer, Josie Packard, Windom Earle and Dale Cooper. This means that Josie Packard and Windom Earle survive as well. Diane Evans comes back to reality after Bob has been repeled and can be with her lover Dale Cooper. The story ends well for Norma and Big Ed who can finally marry while Nadine turns the page thanks to Doctor Jacoby. Gordon Cole, Tammy Preston and Albert Rosenfield can write the final dossier about the events in Twin Peaks. Things turn back to normal for those working at the Sheriff's station: Bobby Briggs, Andy Brennan, Tommy ''Hawk'' Hill, Lucy Moran and Frank Truman. Chad Broxford is punished for his wrongdoings. Harry Truman is still sick. The Log Lady is still dead. The only persons whose fates aren't clearly revealed are Garland Briggs' and Audrey Horne's. It still isn't clear whether Garland Briggs died in an accident or was killed by Evil Cooper because he knew too much. If the former is the case, he might still be dead but if the latter is the case, he might still be alive. On one side, Audrey Horne might still be stuck in her own reality due to the conflicting time-space continua and several traumata from the past such as the explosion at the bank that wasn't changed but it could also be possible that she returns to live a normal life since she has never been raped by Evil Cooper and Bob.

Favorite scene: There were many outstanding scenes. My favorite moment was Dale Cooper's moving farewell speech to everyone present at the Sheriff's Department. This moment was a perfect conclusion to the original timeline of events portrayed in the first three seasons of Twin Peaks so far.

Rating: 10/10