Twin Peaks (TV Series) Part 13 (2017) User Reviews

A Peaks-heavy instalment alternates between side-splitting humour and gut-wrenching tension.

[TouchTheGarlicProduction · 9/10 · 6 August 2017]

The majority of the action in the Return so far has taken place outside of Twin Peaks. In fact, this episode probably spent more time in the nominal town than any of the other parts up to this point. And not only was there a lot of screen time spent in the town, but it was used very effectively, giving the spotlight to characters who have been thus far underused in the Return. Nadine finally gets something more than a brief cameo. Norma appears in a scene where the focus is on her and not Shelly. Big Ed finally shows up. And so on. It was really nice to spend time with these characters again. However, the time spent outside of Twin Peaks was where the real meat of the episode happened.

When the episode opened on the Dougie Jones plot I cringed a little internally, but what followed turned out to be one of the funniest sequences in a scripted drama that I have ever seen. The end of Part 11 was the perfect setup for a joke, and the opening of the episode nailed the delivery. While nothing else in the episode managed to top that opening scene, the Jones plot still managed to deliver the laughs throughout the episode, as well as one very tense sequence with a funny ending. However, as tense as the coffee sequence got, it was undoubtedly topped by the Doppelcoop section of the episode.

After making a brief appearance in Part 9 then vanishing from the face of the show, we finally got to spend quality time with Doppelcoop again, and we get easily his best moment so far. Kyle Machlachlan has delivered a masterclass performance, instantly rocketing Doppelcoop into the annals of iconic villains; he's funny, terrifying, and believable. And in this Part we get the best stuff with him yet. The highlight was obviously the most intense arm-wrestling scene of all time, but his interrogation of Ray and his entrance into their lair were also fantastic. The entire sequence was without a doubt one of my favourites in the Return so far.

All in all, a very strong part. The first half delivered a brilliant blend of side-splitting laughs and gut-wrenching tension, while the second half was spent cozily revisiting familiar faces in the town of Twin Peaks. The only part of the episode I didn't like was the musical performance, which was something I had joked about but never expected to actually see. I can't believe Lynch did it. The mad bastard actually did it.

The Bad One Returns

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 8 August 2017]

This episode contains some great moments. Once again the good and bad Dale command the screen. Kyle McLaughlin is so menacing as the evil Dale and the haphazard movements of "Dougie," always playing the right card in the most random of ways is hilarious. Big Ed is back. We'll see what happens. The arm wrestling scene only entices us to watch. We know Ray ain't coming out of this one, nor is the big guy who has never been challenged. There is interesting stuff going on at the restaurant. We are moving into the backstretch and all the stuff is tuned up. Let's bring it home.

Twin Peaks, third season, thirteenth episode: What story is that, Charlie?

[kluseba · 7/10 · 8 August 2017]

Content: The Mitchum brothers bring Bushnell gifts at Lucky 7 Insurance. Duncan Todd orders Tony to kill Dougie. Cooper's doppelgänger arrives at a building in Montana where Ray and a gang await him. He kills the gang boss, and Ray tells him Philip Jeffries ordered Cooper's doppelgänger dead, and that a prison guard gave him a ring. After obtaining coordinates from Ray, he kills him. Richard Horne is also in the building and observes Cooper's Doppelgänger killing Ray. The ring and Ray's spirit appear in the red room, where MIKE picks up the ring. The Fusco brothers refuse to believe Dougie's fingerprint analysis. Tony asks the corrupt policemen for poison to kill Dougie. Hutch and Chantal drive through Utah. Tony poisons Dougie's coffee, but dumps it out and confesses his collusion with Todd to Bushnell. Big Ed and Bobby have dinner at the Double R, watching Norma meet with Walter, who has helped her franchise her business. Nadine and Jacoby meet for the first time in seven years. Sarah Palmer watches a loop of a boxing match at home. Audrey tells Charlie she doesn't know who or where she is and can't leave the house. Renee cries while watching James perform at the Roadhouse. Big Ed lights a piece of paper.

Analysis: The fact that Richard Horne Comes to the place where Evil Cooper kills Ray seems to prove that Evil Cooper is actually Richard Horne's father. They could team up and become very dangerous along with Hutch and Chantal. Another thing I have observed is Audrey Horne's state of confusion. Maybe she got infected by an evil spirit when Evil Cooper raped her. Audrey Horne acts differently from the first two seasons and such a possession by an evil spirit would explain this radical change. An important element to observe in this episode is time. Sarah Palmer's television seems to have interference and loops a short part of a boxing match over and over again. Since we know that the spirits from the Black Lodge travel and communicate through electricity and time, this could mean that Sarah Palmer's house is used as a portal by evil spirits. It's also possible that she is a vehicle for those spirits herself which would confirm my theory that she is the girl from the eighth episode. Another element related to time is the fact that Bobby Briggs mentions that the police has just found a message from his father when he comes to the Double R Diner. However, this has happened several episodes earlier and Bobby Briggs has already been to the Double R Diner to talk to Becky and Shelly before. However, the way he talks about his father's message sounds as if it had just happened. This could mean that this series isn't chronological at all. I don't think this is a coincidence. Maybe the portal to the Black Lodge is opening up and not only influencing machines via electricity and people by making them feel more aggressive, confused and emotional, but also by influencing the space-time continuum. Perhaps the entire town of Twin Peaks is caught in a loop and cut from reality because of the Black Lodge. Something similar might have happened in New York and South Dakota which explains the gruesome murders that nobody could explain. In all other places such as Montana, Nevada and Utah, the space-time continuum doesn't seem to be affected. Maybe the conclusion of this third season could lead to the fact that all characters in Twin Peaks travel back twenty-five years in the past and continue to live in an undisturbed space-time continuum. This would be a happy ending since all characters of the first two seasons have changed for the worse. In the cases of Audrey Horne or Doctor Jacoby, These changes seem obvious but even those who seem to be successful such as Bobby Briggs and Big Ed have lost the loves of their lives and don't seem as happy as they could be. A return in time would mean a second chance for everyone. This could also be the moral of the series: take your chances, enjoy every day and don't let yourself down.

Description: One great sequence doesn't make a great episode yet. While the sequence involving Cooper's doppelgänger, Ray and the gang of criminals was a highlight of this season, this episode also had several repetitive and redundant moments. I wasn't impressed by Big Ed's return on screen at all, the meeting between Doctor Jacoby and Nadine Hurley was just awkward, the conversation between Becky and Shelly seemed pointless, the scene involving Sarah Palmer overstayed its welcome and even the conversation between Audrey and Charlie that gave this episode its tag-line could have been a little bit more fleshed out. Thanks to a great opening half and several interesting elements to analyze, this episode isn't the weakest of the new season but it came very close.

Favorite scene: The entire sequence involving Cooper's doppelgänger, Ray and the gang of criminals was absolutely brilliant and a highlight of this episode and the entire season. The acting was stunning, we got some important background information and the atmosphere was very tense.

Loneliness

[alencar_darwin · 10/10 · 7 August 2017]

The criticism of capitalism (yes, yes, he we go, I know, and I won't go) in the third season (I didn't noticed in the first two, too subtle, perhaps) comes at a surprise, almost out of nowhere, it's a bit clunky and, to some people (not for me), might be undesirable; for me, it adds to the overall atmosphere of strangeness (I will not spoon-feed this by me called capitalist criticism); nothing seems right; this is Twin Peaks — the no-place where everything is different (or is it?): for example, what's with the young woman with numbers (7-6-6-3) tattooed on her left arm near the end of this episode? Is that relevant? She's there, at the Roadhouse, crying while James plays that hypnotic song of his — so, yes, nothing is a surprise with David Lynch, and everything is a surprise as well; everything is surreal, no, I should say: more than real: this is a hyperrealistic story.

Something that is leaving me sleepless is, of course, Audrey Horne, with those bizarre (well, not bizarre, Lynch-ian, yes, that term) scenes (see her like that just kills me): what, exactly, her part is suppose to be? But everything is so odd here — I think that love (of all kinds) is dead in Twin Peaks, and there's only loneliness now. It's bleak, I know. However there's a theory that might explain this coldness: Cooper isn't in Twin Peaks, notice how everything and everyone around him gets better and better: he is a messiah of joy and happiness, a messenger of the gods of goodness (or should I say: capitalist goodness) themselves; his odyssey is not one of war but of peace; so as long as the pie eating and coffee drinking agent of good remains outside of the idyllic town so does the warmth and beauty and happiness and even love. That loneliness expressed in the eyes of Ed at the end of this episode while the credits role silently (something rare) seems to support me on this, but, with Lynch and Twin Peaks, you never know.

Around Cooper's doppelgänger everything is evil, is more like our world, everywhere exists corruption and darkness and despair, life seems, it becomes, valueless; here nobody cares for their neighbours, only the I must survive, if the other can't advance the I's plans then the other must be eliminated (or at the very least step out of the way): this is us, the world we build for ourselves, dangerous and cold and scary.

This show is getting so great I can't hardly breathe. I don't read the reviews because critics don't know merde. So, from where I live, I cannot say what people think of it, because I don't know anyone who watch this beautiful piece of art. All I can say is: I rather watch Twin Peaks than any other piece of TV drama ever conceived, including all the top dramas on critics' lists, or those "best (or greatest) of all times" lists.

What is this, kindergarten?

[Ducksnrabbits · 9/10 · 18 February 2024]

A lot to comment on here, but the arm wrestling scene is especially notable for a couple of reasons.

This scene gives us a fun spin on an old trope-the one where mediocre bad guys are no match for the ubermench or the supernatural character whose inhuman strength shatters their smug delusions of power, and where all the tables are turned on the bullies. We've seen this in many forms, from the heroes who flabbergast hoards of would-be attackers with their superior skills and power, to the big baddies that show the little baddies for the crawlers they are.

What makes it fun is that, elsewhere, we abhor evil Cooper. We root against him. We want him to die so good Cooper can win. He's unfathomably cruel and utterly barbaric. And here, in this scene, we totally root for him. As evil as he is, he's not a complete idiot, and he's not a cookie-cutter macho thug out to inflate his own ego through petty and pointless games of oneupmanship. His evil is calculated, thoughtful, and purposeful. The humdrum sadism and barbarity of these thugs-far more common a realistic villains that inhabit our real world, are so disgusting in their ego-driven small-mindedness and sheer stupidity. In this scene, evil Cooper sort of represents Twin Peaks against the brainless machinations of lesser films and shows, with their cliched thuggish villains. If you love the show, you root for him, because it's really an arm wrestling contest between Twin Peaks and the ocean of mindless macho content and base instinct that floods the world. Lynchian violence is often brutal and gory, but it's also deliberate and thoughtful, and intentionally challenging, rather than just chaotic action for the sake of it.

On one hand, it forces us to ask whether sinister, Machiavellian evil is worse than the mundane, despicable kind that's everywhere. On the other, we're delighted to watch a Lynchian brainchild punch in the smug bad guy's face so hard it practically implodes, and then decline the spoils of power and followers. Evil Cooper doesn't have the slightest interest in power or attention from this band of idiots. It's the thinking person's revenge fantasy against ubiquitous, hostile power morons.

Evil Cooper is still super scary after this, but it's an unexpected use of a familiar trope, and he's kind of an antihero in this scene, even out hero.

It's a little meta, and a lot of fun.

Part 13

[Prismark10 · 7/10 · 30 September 2017]

A wonderful opening sequence with Dougie dancing into the Lucky 7 insurance office with the Mitchum brothers who come bearing gifts. This includes play equipment for Dougie's son and a new car for his wife.

The sweetness contrasts with the scenes of evil Cooper who arrives in Montana wanting revenge on Ray who shot him and left him for dead. Evil Cooper has a bizarre arm wrestling match with one of the tough guys and he truly shows everyone in the room that he is the boss. Richard Horne is in attendance and senses something about Evil Cooper.

Tony Sinclair whose plans to frame Dougie to the Mitchum brothers failed, now plans to poison him but cannot go through with it and confesses all to Bushnell.

Back in Twin Peaks we see Big Ed for the first time and his nephew James sings in the bar. We still have weird scenes featuring Audrey Horne and even weirder scenes with Sarah Palmer watching boxing on a loop on television which indicates she might be possessed.

I thought after a very average Part 12 this ramp up the plot a bit, it was a surprise to see John Savage cameo as a corrupt detective, Tom Sizemore gave a very good performance as a man genuinely puzzled by the childlike Dougie Jones yet at the same time saved by him, a lot of Sizemore's performance just relied on facial expressions.

Just you...

[lareval · 7/10 · 9 October 2021]

This one mixes the old and new, the nostalgia and the shock in the same kind of strange, unexpected and frustrating fashion that has plagued this third series. But in a entertaining and hypnotic way.

Cherry Pie

[ThomasDrufke · 5/10 · 7 August 2017]

Well, this episode of Twin Peaks was nothing short of excruciating. It's not that it's poorly directed, acted, or written, but I just didn't care about anything that was happening. It's depressing to see Ed & James in such a downer stage in their lives, but it's not like they're big parts of this show or anything. And yes, I realize this new revival is far from a typical television show that has big reveals, but any sort of plot progression would have been nice. Instead, we saw Evil Cooper kill Ray & Dougie "save" Anthony's life. Aside from that, perhaps the most eventful thing was seeing Nadine finally figure out her soundless drapes. I mean come on, the scene where the 3 agents throw out a sheet a paper that could help them figure out Dougie's backstory was just a punch in the gut from David Lynch. It's essentially him telling us to forget about ever getting rid of Dougie and just deal with it. Yikes. Maybe this show just isn't for me anymore. Or maybe I'll love next week's episode and I'll eat my words.

5.3/10

Heading to the finale

[lareval · 7/10 · 9 October 2021]

We are running into the final strech of the season and things start to gearing Up. Even when it's not the expected of hoped, The Return keeps you watching and watching. Waiting for some kind of resolution.

No Questions Answered

[Samuel-Shovel · 7/10 · 9 October 2017]

The clear highlight of this episode was Evil Cooper's visit to that compound and the arm wrestling match he had with the gang's boss. Those scenes had palpable tension and you could just watch the mounting horror and discomfort on the gang's face as they watched Cooper take control.

Besides this section of the episode however, the rest was pretty humdrum. Audrey's scenes are filled with awkwardness and confusing dialogue. I was really excited to see her return but have no been pleased with any of her appearances thus far. Norma's scenes didn't do too much for me either. I guess it was meant to show how the outside world is creeping into Twin Peaks' quaint way of life. You think all the drugs and murder would have tarnished it already.

I won't go into the rest of it but I felt as if this episode did little to further the plot as we hit the back stretch of the season. Ray's demise was really the main development to occur. Beyond this, Dougie (re)discovers pie and almost gets poisoned and James replays his Season 1 ballad.

1x13

[formotog · 5/10 · 15 September 2020]

This episode had a really brilliant segment involving Bob Cooper. He superbly beat the boss in the arm wrestle before caving his face in, then got all the information he needed from Ray before blowing his brains out. He made him out on Dougie's ring first which seemed to transport him to the Black Room which is a curious detail. I have no expectation of anything coming of it though. Apart from that scene, nothing happened this episode. We got more of Dougie walking into doors and managing to pass by everyone with his mental age of 2. What really irks me is the stark contrast between the two scenes I've mentioned. The Bob plot is generally very dark, and the Dougie plot is generally very stupid. The original show was tonally consistent across all plots, whereas this sequel just isn't even remotely consistent. It's a shame because I really love the tone of the Bob plot, but it's like the show can't decide if it wants to be different from or the same as its predecessor. The police threw away the fingerprints, turning what I thought might've been a breakthrough into another big waste of time. The scene at the Double R contributed nothing, the scene with Nadine and Dr. Jacoby contributed nothing, the scene with Sarah Palmer was dragged out for too long. I get that long takes like that can have profound effect, but not if they're overused at the rate they are in this show. They have to be carefully utilised at the right times in my opinion. Part of it is on me because I don't care about most of the characters I just listed, though I do feel kinda bad for Sarah. I couldn't care less about Audrey either whose scenes are particularly mind numbing. The tonal shifts I mentioned earlier mean that I honestly couldn't tell if that performance by James at the end and the girl crying at it was meant to be funny. I certainly laughed, but I get the feeling I wasn't supposed to. Either way, I've said what I've had to say about the show in general in previous reviews so I'll just leave it there

High 5

Better episode of nonsense

[mrdonleone · 6/10 · 22 May 2020]

One of the better episodes of the latest season of nonsense called Twin Peaks: at least here a bit of fun with Dougie and evil Cooper; for the rest it can be clearly said that David Lynch belongs in an elderly center by now. Boring.

Part 13

[bobcobb301 · 7/10 · 6 August 2017]

God, can we get rid of that Jim Belushi character already? He's just a drag every time he's on screen. At least it led to some Dougie though, who continues to be as entertaining as ever. I am starting to wonder if we will see the actual Dale Cooper at all this season though.

The Killer Bob/Evil Dale and Ray scenes were great though. They completely canceled out a pointless Nadine scene and a Sarah Palmer scene that lasted 5 minutes but could have told the same story in 20 seconds.

Let's get real, let us not pretend this show is something it's not

[aqibk_123 · 1/10 · 7 August 2017]

*7.5* All right, I know that hardcore twin peaks fans might get offended by this review but I have to say this - this show might be an interpretation of modern art or a satire of comedy itself or some other smart concoction by David Lynch, but at the end of the day it's just not good TV. I respect David Lynch and I realise that his directing skills are good and he does spew out some good scenes, but the majority are just so boring (regardless of the intelligence behind the scene) that I find myself disinclined to watch it because of the slowness but also inclined because of the interesting story.

My Monday routine is that I wake up and I watch two shows, Twin Peaks and Game of Thrones. I decided to watch Twin Peaks first because it's always best to leave the best to last in my opinion. And boy was I right. Twin Peaks was a bit better than usual I have to say. The scene with the doppelgänger and his tense showdown was actually done really well and the only reason I've given this episode a 7.5. A reason that I respect David Lynch. However, the rest of the episode was the same. I understand that Dougey is slow, it's just not funny, I don't want to watch him bumping in to doors all season and repeating the last words that everyone says nor do I want everyone else to be oblivious to his obvious mental retardation or be content with the stupid reasoning that was given before. I want the old Dale Cooper back from before the revival, we've waited for 10 episodes with scene after scene of stretched out stupidity and thought to ourselves that any minute now it'll get better and it's worth the wait because David Lynch will make it interesting, but at least make this interlude entertaining... it's just bad TV.

With regards to the rest of the episode, it was the same old as before. I guess, the other straws of plot lines are okay and even though it's not something extremely satisfying right now, it might get more interesting later; we'll have to see. Overall though, I stand by what I said, at least make the interlude interesting, we need better character development of the people that we've missed since the 1990's and if we are only getting tiny snippets... MAKE IT MORE INTERESTING!!! Overall, this show has an interesting premise and plot and the directing can be good at times but most of the times it's just waiting to see when something interesting will happen and the plot will be told satisfyingly.

If you want to know real TV, then watch this and then go watch the latest episode of Game of Thrones immediately after, you'll see the difference. Maybe then the 9 that this episode has will come down to where it really deserves to be.

Yapyapyap

[pantoleinasdimitris · 7/10 · 24 February 2024]

Part 13. What can I say at this point?

To be very honest, I was expecting the series to move at a much quicker pace than expected. Look, I appreciate and love Lynch, and all of his works, but truth is, the Return could have easily used 4 less episodes. Or even more to be honest. Even though I love every episode, some feel lacking and like fillers.

This episode was very mild, I binged watch it along with the next ones and I have to say it was definitely a weaker episode.

Not much plot progression, except for the obvious focus on Mr. C, which just proves how malicious he really is. Otherwise, and apart from the Audrey scene (always a pleasure to see her!), not much else to be said and summarized.

All in all, a great episode in general TV terms, but in the greatness of Twin Peaks: The Return, it is rather mild for what it offers.

Get it done with already

[alexx668 · 1/10 · 9 August 2017]

In one word, awful, pretty much like the rest of the series. The worst offender? There is no story. 13 episodes in and almost nothing has happened. There is a bad Cooper, a good Cooper (still in a quasi-vegetable state), there are coordinates that lead somewhere and, er, that's about it. Everything is so absurd that the suspicion remains that Lynch will eventually turn it upside down Mulholland Dr style and present an alterna-universe, but so what? It will still be an awful series. To add insult to injury, Lynch has forgotten how to direct. His over-reliance on digital technology has created a show with no memorable visual moments. The only interesting scene in this episode was the ring bit. Everything else was so boring that I nearly fell asleep. Gut wrenching tension? Oh please.

Why?

[cintron-37566 · 1/10 · 19 October 2020]

An arm wrestling competition that you could see coming a mile away for no reason changes the story because the writers were so lazy lol that awful scene of events ends at around the 23 minute mark. I highly recommend keeping an eye out for scenes that don't move the story along especially towards the end and have your finger on the FF button you can clear these episodes in about 30-40 minutes. Also this dougie storyline is so so so stupid. It makes zero sense I love how people are just shoving him around like it's normal while he stares into space

Should I stay or should I go?

[dierregi · 2/10 · 13 December 2017]

Audrey forgot who she is and how to get to the Roadhouse. She wants to go there and check if Billy is OK (although I have lost track of who Billy may be) but she also wants to stay with hubby Charlie.

This is gut-wrenching stuff.

Before that, a mildly entertaining scene with evil Cooper settling scores with Ray and more of the unbearable catatonic Cooper with the Mitchum brothers. Janey was back, too, wispering more sweet "Oh Dougie".

Really romantic stuff.

When I saw James playing at the Roadhouse I felt relieved, because I knew the episode was about to end, with the usual dose of doe-eyed pretty girls, lost in their love dreams (or nightmares, such as Becky).

Only this time we had five more minutes of no action, following the Roadhouse scene, with a troubled Ed staring at the gas station and moping about Norma.

Groundbreaking stuff.... ooops, apologies... I forgot... each episode is just more awsome than the previous one.

Dougie a hero who do nothing.

[AvionPrince16 · 5/10 · 21 March 2023]

The Cooper in prison came back and learn more about who wanted to killed him. Dougie saved himself.... by doing nothing. The other guy wanted to kill him because the owner of the casinos didnt do it but he will not do it. Pretty convenient for the writing. The situations with Dougie are becoming more and more boring and unbelievable. This is non sense; but its is what it is. We hear some business plan about the double R. Dr Jacoby and Nadine are meeting together.

Not really interesting and have the same continuity of the other episodes: the non sense Dougie hero, the Cooper with long hair who killed everybody. Pretty weird and we can witness how the story is stuck like really stuck. Without the FBI agent the show look like weird and the comedy side is the only thing who remain in this episode. Sadly still hoping for more. And we saw again Audrey who mentionned the existentialism but was pretty superficial. And we had also that slow talk with the other man who really bored me as hell.