2016 has been a shocking year for many, many reasons, but there is one group of people who are more eager than most to see out this year and welcome in 2017. Peakies, as Twin Peaks’ fans are affectionately known in some circles, will finally get closure to one of the most devastating (and seemingly unresolved) finales in TV history.
On June 10, 1991, the final two episodes of Twin Peaks aired on the ABC network in spectacular fashion following on from what had been a difficult season. Since resolving the central mystery of the series so far, the murder of Laura Palmer (against the creators’ wishes and by network demand), the show struggled to keep its pace and, with co-creator David Lynch working on his movie Wild at Heart, quality dipped significantly. With declining ratings, the network decided to pull the plug on their once worshipped show and, despite some of the best episodes at the end of season 2, Twin Peaks finished. Tragically, those who kept watching were not only treated to some of the series’ best work, but also to the aforementioned cliffhanger that has left many of us disturbed and horrified for over 25 years. But with a signature cryptic tweet, fans finally got the news they’d been desperate for from Lynch himself:
Dear Twitter Friends: That gum you like is going to come back in style! #damngoodcoffee
— David Lynch (@DAVID_LYNCH) October 3, 2014
Twin Peaks was coming back with a limited series that could even be more than that and it would be on Showtime where it would (we hope) find the respect and reverence it deserves.
From here on, beware of SPOILERS (yes, this is necessary, even for a 25-year-old show and much of this will be confusing if you aren’t familiar with the show).
So, here we are. 30 episodes, a Pilot and a movie in. On top of that we have 3 official books and an audiobook release. But still, we are plagued with questions from that final episode. Let’s have a look at what we know so far about each of those secrets and resolve a few mysteries ready for Season 3.
There is much to be gained from re-watching the main series, the pilot, the 1992 semi-prequel movie, Fire Walk With Me aswell as reading the 3 companion books, Jennifer Lynch’s The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer, Scott Frost’s The Autobiography of Dale Cooper and the recent 2016 release, Mark Frost’s The Secret History of Twin Peaks. For completists, you can also pick up the All Access Guide book and the Diane Tapes audiobook, although these are significantly less essential.
The main story element that haunts fans is the fate of Agent Cooper and his love interest, Annie Blackburn. With Coop trapped in the Black Lodge and his evil doppelgänger unleashed on the townsfolk of Twin Peaks, most fans are desperate to know if the real Cooper is safe and, perhaps more so, what his evil version has been up to. So far, all we know is that evil Cooper’s first act was to summon Major Garland Briggs, whose final communication simply read, “Mayday.” With the untimely death of Don S. Davies (Briggs), we can safely assume that evil Cooper is certainly causing havoc as he runs amok in town and that Major Briggs has not survived. Incidentally, we can see the immediate next scene following Cooper’s return in the Blu Ray set exclusive Missing Pieces companion-film.
But what about Annie?
When asked directly, “How’s Annie?” at a book signing last month, co-creator Mark Frost simply replied, “Patience.” However, we do know more than that cryptic response assumes. Earlier, I described Fire Walk With Me as a semi-prequel due to its complex approach to chronology. Although primarily set during Laura Palmer’s final seven days (and during the earlier Teresa Banks investigation), there are many aspects that relate to the future in terms of the final episode. Philip Jefferies (David Bowie) demonstrates the movie’s playfulness with time and space, especially when viewed alongside The Missing Pieces vital companion of deleted scenes. The key scene in the theatrical movie is when Laura is lying on the bed in her room and she is confronted by a vision of Annie who appears to be visiting her from her current situation in the present day. As far as this doesn’t completely show Annie to be fine (she has been treated but appears in a trance-like state), we can at least deduce that she is alive some time after Cooper’s return from the Black Lodge. The most vital scenes, however, come from The Missing Pieces. They are integral to unlocking Annie’s fate and also give closure to a character we know will not return for Season 3 (Heather Graham is sadly not on the now-available full cast list).
By watching Fire Walk With Me alongside The Missing Pieces, we can follow the key narrative thread of the Jade Ring, the history of which is revealed in detail in Frost’s Secret History book. The implication appears to be that the ring holds power, but attracts evil. It has been passed down through important historical figures but ultimately ends up with Annie, who is therefore targeted. In her admission to hospital in The Missing Pieces, that ring is removed and stolen by a nurse, who we assume will become the next victim of Bob (or perhaps Cooper’s doppelgänger in the absence of Bob’s terrifying actor, Frank Silva?). Without the ring, Annie has been spared and is safe from the influence of the Black Lodge. So we can relax:
Annie’s fine.
There are plenty of other mysteries that people are trying to resolve across various Twin Peaks forums and fan sites, many of which are concluded in Frost’s book or through assumptions based on the cast lists provided. For example, Josie is pretty much still trapped in a drawer knob. Despite regretting asking to leave, actress Joan Chen is not returning for Season 3. From fictional press cuttings, we discover the fate of Audrey Horne et al in the bank explosion, where Audrey is clearly described as having survived. Leo Johnson is probably dead after poisonous spiders covered him (again, not appearing in Season 3).
Some mysteries may remain unsolved, and we should be prepared for that but with the payoff of new mysteries and plotlines to come. The link between Ben Horne and Donna is unlikely to be explored unless through the returning character of the previously barely-used but returning Gersten Hayward from the original series. James Hurley’s adventures after the end of season 2 (the tedium of which challenged even the most obsessive fans) are, in honesty, unlikely to be of much interest.
For me, however, the biggest remaining question is what to expect in terms of style. I loved the light humour juxtaposed with dark elements in the series, but the far darker and relentlessly unpleasant Fire Walk with Me remains one of my favourite (and the quintessential of) Lynch’s films. With Showtime airing the show, there is certainly scope for more violence and stronger sex and language as per the movie, which would certainly reflect modern approaches to American TV drama. However, this risks the alienation of the core audience of Twin Peaks who previously rejected the movie for its content; the film was famously booed at Cannes. That said, the movie has grown a cult following and has been rightly reappraised as the masterpiece it is, so I think we can hope for (and expect) a darker overall tone combined with comic touches that were missing and sought after in 1992. Lynch was clearly hurt by the reaction to Fire Walk With Me and it is likely that he would want to avoid anything too problematic for the core audience. That said, Lynch is renowned for making movies on his terms that reflect his own personal vision, so we can’t expect too much pandering to fans’ wishes. His recent output has been some of his most challenging material and entirely shot on digital since Inland Empire, but Twin Peaks‘ return to conventional film might indicate his willingness to embrace the show’s history. Only time will tell, so bring on 2017!
Want to discuss theories? Want to argue a point? Maybe you have your own views on how Twin Peaks should return? Get involved in the comments section or the RGM forums.
