‘Twin Peaks: The Return’ – After 27 years, David Lynch’s Cult Hit is Back
Twin Peaks: The Return premiered May 21 on Showtime and received nothing short of a standing ovation from fans and critics.
Season three picks up right where season two left off. Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is waiting in the red themed Black Lodge. Other familiar faces make appearances in the first two episodes that premiered. Doctor Lawrence Jacoby, and Sarah Palmer both got air time.. Shelly Johnson, Lucy Moran, James Hurley, Ben and Jerry Horne, Deputy Andy Brennan, Deputy Chief Tommy “Hawk” Hill, and even Margaret “Log Lady” Lanterman all show up for brief cameos. The show feels reminiscent but with a brand new plot.
Most of the scenery in the first two episodes doesn’t take place in Twin Peaks. In fact, it takes place in Buckhorn, South Dakota. This is where we see Agent Cooper’s doppelgänger, and “not long after the fake Agent Cooper escaped the Black Lodge with the battered body of Annie Blackburn, he disappeared. Ever since, this Mr. C — played by MacLachlan with long hair and tough-guy leathers — has become some kind of criminal kingpin, with operatives spread across the country.” While evil Agent Cooper sets forth his plan, a new mystery has sprung.
In Buckhorn, a body has been discovered. A local librarian has been murdered in her apartment by someone with a knack for the gruesome. The librarian is not the only murder. Most of the first two episodes focus on the bloody side of murder, on the truth of what it is and what truth it holds. The revival asks the same questions the original asked.
Oddly enough, viewership numbers for the newest season were shockingly low with only 506,000 viewers. But this doesn’t mean much in a time of internet streaming, where anyone can watch at any time convenient to them. The original series received 8.9/10 from IMDb, 95% from Rotten Tomatoes and 9/10 from TV.com. In time, especially with the standing ovation the premiere received at Cannes, Twin Peaks: The Return will surely be recognized like its predecessor.