Season 3 Analysis Parts 1-7

This post analyzes events from Parts 1 to Parts 7.

Now that we are further along in the season, expect more season analysis and predictions. I’ll divide each of these posts up by major storylines: Cooper/Dougie, EvilCooper/Mr C, Twin Peaks, and Buckhorn, SD. I’ll also include a “Loose Ends” section regarding side mysteries that pop up. Obviously, as we go along here, these storylines will intersect. We are not going to rehash the scenes unless they are absolutely necessary. If you want detailed overview of the episodes, check out the Episode Guides.

Cooper/”Dougie”

Part 7 is one of the best parts so far in this season. Not only are we really beginning to see the plotlines begin to intersect, but it feels like the pace of the shows is about to speed up.

Over the last 6 weeks, we have watched as Dale Cooper escapes from the lodge and then come back to “reality.” But he’s not all there. People think he is the guy he replaced – Dougie Jones who is married, has a child and works at an insurance company in Las Vegas. In many ways, “Dougie” is “filler” to help lengthen the overall story. But I’ve been thoroughly enjoying watching Kyle MacLachlan play this character. But like many fans, I am also ready for the real Agent Dale Cooper to wake up.

It appears that Mr C/Evil Cooper also put a hit on Dale Cooper. He hired Duncan Todd to find some people to kill Cooper once he returned to the real world. This failed and Duncan Todd hired Ike The Spike to kill Loraine (the original hit woman) and “Dougie.”

Many fans expected, including myself, Cooper to finally wake up once Ike the Spike attacked him. Cooper did seem to wake up a bit, perfectly handling Ike and defusing the situation, but still has not fully awaken. As we head into Part 8, I think we will see that this event is the beginning of Cooper’s wake-up. (Will Ike the Spike now be killed for failing to kill Cooper?)

As Part 7 ended, it appeared that witnesses were being interviewed. I believe this event will go nationwide and someone who knows Cooper will see the news reports and identify Dougie Jones as Dale Cooper. This very well could be Audrey Horne who sets in motion the process to bring Dale Cooper back to Twin Peaks for the final confrontation with …..

Mr C / Evil Cooper

The Evil Cooper has been running around for 25 years expanding his criminal empire. He appears to have his hands in several situations. It’s not until Part 7 that we learn that Mr C could also be quite wealthy (the picture of him in front of his mansion in S America).

Mr C discovers that there is a hit on him, and he kills the woman who was part of the hit team. Her partner, Ray, was arrested and is in Federal Prison. Evil Cooper wrecks his car during the “Dougie/Cooper exchange” and he also finds himself in the same federal prison.

This now opens the door for Gordon Cole and Albert Rosenfeld to become involved. They fly out to South Dakota. They know something is wrong with Cooper so they track down Diane.

One of the highlights in Part 7 is Diane. She is obviously upset with the FBI, Gordon, Albert and Cooper. Laura Dern plays a wonderful part as Diane who is one “tough cookie.” Ultimately Diane meets with Mr C and she informs Gordon that the man in prison is not Dale Cooper. This scene harkens back to the scene in FWWM in which Laura asks BOB who he is.

At the end of Part 7, Mr C and Ray are out of prison (after Mr C threatens the warden). We know from the first two hours that Mr C is interested in finding Bill Hastings’ secretary. He is also interested in finding specific coordinates. Could the secretary be a former Twin Peaks resident?

After Diane’s visit, the FBI is now fully aware that the Cooper in prison is not Special Agent Dale Cooper. But with Mr C’s escape, they cannot continue interviewing him. I’m unsure how they will proceed, but I think the news report from Las Vegas will somehow get to the FBI – along with the call from the Pentagon. Gordon, Albert and Tammy may split up in their investigation as someone goes to Vegas and another heads west to ….

Buckhorn, SD

Over in Buckhorn, South Dakota, police are investigating the death of Ruth Davenport. Her body is missing and has been placed in a bed with a male body. We later learn the male body is Major Briggs whose fingerprints have shown up multiple times over the past 25 years. Cynthia Knox from the Pentagon flies to South Dakota to confirm the fingerprints do belong to Briggs. A call to her supervisor will initiate a call to the FBI.

The surprising information about Briggs’ body is that it hasn’t aged in 25 years and he was killed in the last several days. Up to this point, it was suggested that Briggs died in a fire at the station he worked at, per Bobby Briggs. I believe we will find out that Briggs went to the station to put a procedure in place (we learn this in the Secret History book). This process destroys the station and Briggs appears to have been killed. But instead Briggs leaves this earthly plane and travels to different points in time which explains why his fingerprints show up at multiple locations. Mr C (or someone connected to him) captures Briggs and ultimately kills him just before Season 3 begins (maybe at the same time the “ringing” started in the Great Northern). I generally hate the concept of “time travel” but Lynch has used the concept of flexible/manipulative time in previous works. The other option is that this body was manufactured.

One of my favorite characters in Buckhorn is Bill Hastings who is played by Matthew Lillard. Even though we haven’t seen him for a few hours, the first scenes we saw him in were great. He was having an affair with the now-dead Ruth Davenport and his wife has been having an affair with George, the lawyer, and possibly Mr C.

It also appears a spirit haunts the sheriff station in Buckhorn. We have now seen a dark figure first sitting in a jail cell and now walking down a hallway. Who this is I don’t know. We have seen this spirit with Bill Hastings nearby and also near the body of Briggs.

Twin Peaks

But our story doesn’t end there. Over in Twin Peaks, Hawk has discovered the missing pages from Laura’s Secret Diary (I still have some doubts). Hawk figures that Leland placed the pages in the bathroom stall door. More importantly, Hawk has begun to put the pieces together that the Good Cooper was not the one who came out of the Black Lodge. Maybe it will be Hawk who will ultimately make the phone call to the FBI?

Several new characters are introduced and several older characters have been shown. Two of the new characters to keep a watch on is Richard Horne and Becky (Shelly’s daughter). Becky is introduced in a very Laura-Palmer sort of way and rumor has been that she is going to play a pivotal role later on. Richard Horne is our new “bad boy” of Twin Peaks. Richard has no qualms assaulting women and appears to be a regular user of drugs. After taking some new drugs that are coming from Canada by a character named Red, Richard runs over a young boy.

Ben Horne and Beverly, his secretary, is trying to track down a loud humming noise in the Great Northern. They also receive Cooper’s old hotel key that Jade placed in the mailbox. What the humming sound is I don’t know, but I believe Ben will contact the Sheriff Department regarding the key which will add one more piece to their puzzle.

The big question is when does Audrey Horne return. Lynch and Frost have kept Audrey under wraps. I believe Audrey’s introduction will be instrumental in helping to wake up Cooper completely. Imagine for a moment the scene when Cooper and Audrey see each other again after 25 years. Cooper’s mind and memories could come rushing back with a single kiss (very Sleeping Beauty like).

I believe Hawk will be instrumental in helping Cooper, once he returns to Twin Peaks. I would love to see Hawk enter the Lodge and confront the spirits with his Native American heritage.

Loose Ends

What is the Glass Box? We still don’t know much here. A rich person may own or even the government. I think it’s possible that Mr C owns the box. I don’t think we’ll return to the Glass Box until the end of the season.

What came out of the Glass Box and why? A spirit from the lodge came from the box. I believe it was trying to capture Cooper and bring him back or kill him. We may never really know.

Beverly and Tom – probably a throw-away storyline, but we have learned that Beverly has a husband who is very sick – probably cancer. I don’t think this story will connect to anything down the road and will remain a loose end.

Nadine / Norma / Ed Triangle – Even though we have seen the ladies, we still haven’t seen Ed. Who is married to who? Anyone’s guess….

Sarah Palmer – We have only seen Sarah once. She was sitting in her living room watching a big screen TV with cigarettes and alcohol throughout the room. How she connects to this story we don’t know yet, and may not know until the third act.

Diane – mentioned above but I will mention again here – why is Diane so angry? Fans have suggested she may have been raped by Mr C. This is a possibility since the last time she and Cooper met were at her apartment. Mr C seems to smile when they talk about that night but Diane does not remember that night fondly.

Janey & Sonny Jim – are they real people? And once Cooper wakes up, how will he handle explaining what happened to Dougie Jones?

There’s plenty more going on but these are the major plotlines that I’m watching closely. As the story progresses, some of these loose ends may become more important.