Now, are you going to quit playing games or do I have to end your story, too?
The first silver box contained Monte Cristo Number Twos.
The second contained a set of monogrammed diamond cufflinks.
Credit: Suzanne Tenner/SHOWTIME
The third contained the keys to a BMW convertible.
Bushnell received their proverbial gold, frankincense, and myrrh with humility.
A wrong has been made right and the sun is shining bright!
The conga train formed anew and Rodney made like the conductor, pulling on an imaginary whistle.
They kept the party going like they were living out the happily ever after of a never-ending story.
$30 million can make you believe such impossible things.
This was suddenly not a very good Friday for Anthony Sinclair.
The Lucky 7 Judas beheld the mini Mardi Gras parading through the halls and felt dread.
He had set up Dougie to be whacked by the Mitchums, not venerated by them.
His face went ashen.
He hid under his desk in shame yet called the wrong man to confess his failure.
Anthony said yes, but his soul screamed no.
He didnt want that stain on him; he didnt want to become a violent man.
There was a whole level of the Inferno devoted to such dudes.
Something tells me the slip and fall report on his computer aint ever getting finished.
So was his new jungle gym.
So, one of those tacky-glitzy casino-style jungle gyms.
Damn, I want one.
David Lynch made this blissful beat more enchanted and maybe unsettling?
by casting a spotlight around the yard, as if trying to capture Sonny Jim.
Janey-E watched her son with Dougie at her side, wanting this magic moment to last forever.
She had thought Dougie had gone on another bender when he didnt come home the night before.
Sonny Jims in Seventh Heaven, she said.
Dougie repeated the words Seventh Heaven as if they meant something, but couldnt divine the significance.
Maybe Dante can help.
This is surely Janey-Es prayer, too.
Perhaps she thinks its already come true, that shes living some blue heaven in the dunes of Vegas.
But how illusory is this glitzy joy, how fleeting is this material happiness?
Eat, drink, and be merry on your jungle gyms, for tomorrow, you may die.
Yet Whats the story, Charlie?
was also limned with ominous foreshadowing for almost everyone.
It is called The Farm.
and believed he had trapped the grim reaper stalking him.
Ray had it backwards: His Shiva his bringer of death, his destroyer worlds had trapped him.
Mr. C ascended by freight elevator to a higher floor to confront Ray.
Now, if you accept my contention that The Farm is Hell, then check this out.
Murderers whove been violent to people and property.
Suicides whove been transformed into trees and bushes and become food for demonic harpies.
Blasphemers marooned in a burning desert, scorched by acid rain.
Make of these observations what you will.
Think about them when we revisit Anthony.
You have to play a game an arm-wrestling duel with Renzo.
Win, and you become the new boss.
Lose, and you become owned by the boss or killed.
Muddy told him to turn away.
Mr. C didnt budge.
The mottled skin man-in-black kept his cool; you could say he was a model of seventh heaven temperance.
(He was certainly devoid of spirits, BOB and otherwise.)
Mr. C also wasnt too impressed with demon godfather Renzo and all his minor devil foot-soldiers, either.
(The Farm = The Allegory of the Cave:Breaking BadEdition.)
What is this, kindergarten?
teased Mr. C, working his flat tones to droll effect.
He told them he didnt want to be their boss if he beat Renzo.
He just wanted Ray.
Lets step inside and play the game, said Renzo, pretending to be a gentleman about it.
But then the hot-headed fiend donkey-punched Mr. C on the way to the testing table.
Is there no honor among thieves?
That was from the nursery school teacher, quipped Renzo.
Mr. C was hardly fazed, but his black eyes burned.
They took their seats.
Muddy, playing referee, called out the rules.
Renzo and Mr. C clasped mitts.
Renzo immediately got the upper hand, but we all knew that Mr. C was just toying with him.
We also saw playing cards on the table at Buellas shack in the woods during that scene.
Solitaire is also known by another name: Patience.
Mr. C took Renzo back to starting position with ease.
It hurt my arm when you moved it down here.
He then drove Renzo the other way, toward pain and suffering, defeat and death.
Doesnt that hurt your arm when I go like that?
And I think its much worse when I put it down there.
His goon squad was stunned.
And Ray was freaking the f out.
Mr. C finally decided enough was enough.
His black eyes flared with intensity a psychotic snap and he drove Renzos hand to the table.
He then rammed a fist into Renzos nose and seemingly through his face, ending the bad mans story.
I mean, wouldnt it be better, all things considered, if Renzo put him down?
It wouldnt be the last time in Whats the story, Charlie?
that Lynch and Mark Frost played wicked games with our rooting interest.
Cmon, admit it: Yall were kinda hoping for Anthony to kill Dougie, werent you?
Again, more on that soon.
(Recap continues on page 3)
Victorious, Muddy declared Mr. C the new boss.
Mr. C asked for phones, and the scene seemed to be prodding us to wonder why?
when one of the goons noted that theres no cell reception at The Farm.
We know that Black Lodge entities have an affinity for electricity; they might even feed on it.
Did Mr. C need the phones for their battery packs so he could replenish his energy?
of the pager-like machine in Buenos Aires: Mr. C was eating.
Hes like an A-bomb-munching monster from aGodzillamovie.
Ray tried to run.
Mr. C crippled him with a shot to the leg.
Info was coughed up.
Ray only knew The Man Who May or May Not Be Phillip Jeffries as a voice on the phone.
He said you got something inside you that they want, explained Ray.
Mr. C asked if Phillip ever mentioned a Major Briggs.
Mr. C didnt question the response.
Ray said that Phillip conspired with Warden Murphy on the assassination plot.
A prison guard who was most likely not a prison guard slipped Ray an emerald owl ring.
Ray was supposed to put it on Mr. Cs left-hand ring finger after he killed him.
Do we think Ray is a Black Lodge entity, too?)
Mr. C made Ray produce the ring and put it in on his own finger.
He then asked for the coordinates.
What if he fabricated these numbers?
How would Mr. C know?
Mr. C asked for Phillips location.
Last I heard, he was at a place called The Dutchmans, said Ray.
As Ray stopped breathing, the owl ring on his finger disappeared.
We cut to the Red Room and saw the ring drop on the chevron floor.
A copy of Rays body materialized in the Red Room, even as his corpse remained in The Farm.
Maybe well see Ray again, somewhere in the Sycamore trees.
So: What is The Dutchmans and where is it located?
Well, this isnt the first time this season that a course has been set for a not-real place.
(John, you are the Nadine to LynchFrosts Dr. Amp.
Thanks for keeping the golden dream alive during the run silent, run deep years.)
He fit right in among the violent cases in the hellish rung that is The Farm.
Contributing to the unease and the dark comedy was some drama in the background.
(Ill s in your mouth!
F you, you twinkies!
Ill cut your nuts off!)
She was Tasered into submission and silence.
The Fusco played by David Koechner entered with the results of Dougies fingerprint analysis.
That didnt sound anything like the Dougie Jones they knew.
They wouldnt be the last.
Re-enter Anthony Sinclair, on the hunt for one Detective Clark.
Clark offered to sell him Aconitine, a toxin with a rich literary history.
(The story involves a novelty trick bomb, a beat that sounds somewhat Audrey-esque.)
It makes me sick just looking at you.
Anthony blanched at the judgment why so harsh?
Couldnt they see hes trying to protect their crew?
but he knew it to be true.
Hes cracking, said Clark to his crooked partner after Anthony had scurried away.
Chantal, munching on chips, wondered aloud about Mormon teetotalism and temperance.
Ditto Hutch, who hazily recalled that Mormon dudes were allowed to have multiple wives.
If Mormon dudes could reproduce with multiple wives, why werent there more Mormons?
I guess its the drinks, she concluded.
Maybe theyll be the ones wholl ruin the Fuscos Sunday dinner?
Dougie was distracted by the sight of cherry pie, giving Anthony an opportunity to spike his mug.
This is going to be the beginning of Coopers second reincarnation!
Our hero is going to get born again right!
Do it, Anthony!
Dougie approached Anthony from behind and noticed that his shoulders were sprinkled with dandruff.
Or was it Black Lodge magic dust, shed by Coopers fairy godfather Mike?
Dougie reached out to feel the flakes, then kneaded them into Anthonys shoulders with his fingertips.
(Did Dougie think he was making a pie?)
This massage this human contact stood in contrast to the arm wrestle between Mr. C and Renzo.
It had the same effect, a victory over an enemy, but by different means.
Dougies gentle touch nudged Anthonys conscience.
He grabbed Dougies coffee, hustled to the bathroom, and poured it into a urinal.
quipped some dude taking a whiz.
Seventh rung of hell averted!
Upstairs, a Christian dynamic of forgiveness played out.
Anthony, with Christ-figure Dougie at his side, confessed all his sins in the court of high-father Bushnell.
He had been seduced by greed, envy and the things of the world.
He had lied and cheated for money, the root of all evil.
He had defrauded Bushnells business and subverted the integrity of a righteous enterprise.
The big man let his fallen friend and No.
1 sales agent have it, ripping into him with the right amount of shame.
Anthony moved into the atonement phase.
He wanted nothing more than to make this right, and hed rather be dead if he couldnt.
I havent slept for weeks.
I cant live like this.
(Fix your hearts or die!)
Bushnell presented his terms for penance.
Anthony would have to testify against Duncan Todd and Detective Clark and his partner.
Anthony was okay with Todd but initially balked at ratting out the bad cops.
Theyre worse than Todd!
You dont know what youre asking!
But Bushnell wasnt really asking, and Anthonys desire for sanctification was greater than his fear.
I only want to fix this mess I made!
In this moment, at least, Anthony proved Detective Clark wrong.
Confessing and committing to atonement?
Nothing cowardly about that.
I think he did it again this week.
Becky called Shelly to complain about Steven: Her flaky, drug-addled hubby had been MIA two days.
We met him anew enjoying the company of Norma Jennings, as it should be.
But as things have almost always been, these old true loves arent together.
Three of the five are turning a profit.
One of the two that isnt: the Twin Peaks flagship.
Its the only one that doesnt use the Norma brand.
and not charging enough for them.
The profitable locations follow her recipes but use cheaper, lamer, world-of-s stuff.
People are buying those pies, but Norma has heard they dont like them as much as her pastry.
Norma, youre a real artist, but love doesnt always turn a profit, said Walter.
On behalf of the board of directors (the Double R has a board of directors, too?!
Will Norma sell out?
His pounding interrupted Nadine in the middle of work.
But her heart melted and eyes popped wide when she saw it was her hero, Dr. Amp.
She gushed and thanked him for the inspiration of his words.
You have done so much for me, said Nadine.
Thanks to you, I am really starting to shovel myself out of the s!
Now, I want all your Nadine-Jacoby shipper fiction.
But the scene took a peculiar, slightly dark turn when Jacoby recounted the last time he saw Nadine.
It was seven years ago.
She was down on all fours in a supermarket, chasing after a potato she had dropped.
There was a big storm that day, he recalled.
Nadine was either embarrassed or triggered.
Oh, she said, and didnt finish the thought.
Two bits of synchronicity here: (1) Boxing match brings to mind Battlin Bud.
are dream narrative tactics.
So is narrative looping.
At one point, Sarah got up to fetch another bottle of Vodka from the kitchen.
At another point, she got up and left the room again.
She deserves a mercy.
The gaming of Sarah Palmer needs to stop; her goddamn bad story needs an end.
Last weeks reintroduction of Audrey Horne left fans dissatisfied if not upset.
It wasnt just that she wasnt the character we once knew.
There wasnt anything authentic or credible to the character she had.
Turns out Audrey herself would totally agree with that assessment.
Audrey still wanted to know what exactly Tina had told Charlie on the phone.
Charlie told her to just stop it already.
Suddenly, Audrey changed the subject and began questioning her own existence.
I feel like Im someone else.
Have you ever had that feeling, Charlie?
Nope, he hadnt.
Like Im somewhere else and Im somebody else.
Have you ever felt that?
No, I always feel like myself, said Charlie.
And it may not always be the best feeling.
Well, Im not sure who I am, but Im not me.
This is existentialism 101, said Charlie.
It was hard to tell what he meant by his lack of empathy and demeaning put-down.
Had he heard this pattern before and grown tired of it?
Was he trying to stop a familiar, repeating spiral by pumping the brakes on her self-pity?
Regardless, Audrey resented it.
Oh, f you, Charlie!
So what the f am I supposed to do?
Charlie said what she was supposed to be doing was going to the Roadhouse.
But Audrey didnt know where it was or had forgotten.
Or was she just feigning Roadhouse ignorance?
Charlie had had enough.
Now are you gonna stop playing games or do I have to end your story, too?
What did that mean?
Is this some elaborate role-play between husband and wife or psychotherapist and patient?
Oh my gosh: Is this Legion?
End your story, too?What other story has he ended?
Did he mean Renzo?
Whatever Charlie meant, his ominous ultimatum fascinated and floored Audrey.
She asked earnestly, What story is that, Charlie?
Is it the story of the little girl who lives down the lane?
A personal story known to both of them.
The nursery rhyme Ba-Ba Black Sheep.
Poison is a key plot point.
Charlie pretending as if his meta-subversive threat had never been said reverted back to context.
Were they going to the Roadhouse or not?
Now youre looking like you want to stay…
I want to stay and I want to go.
I want to do both, said Audrey.
What should it be, Charlie?
Which me would you be, Charlie?
Help me, Charlie!
Its like Ghostwood here?
I have many thoughts, many theories, and Ive already suggested a few.
She might have been a patient there once.
She might be a patient there now.
Ive done a 180 on Audrey.
Last week, I kinda hated whatever it was Lynch and Frost were going for.
I still have no idea what theyre going for, but dammit, I want to know.
It means wantingTwin Peaksto end.
And I dont want that!
I want to linger here forever!
In Audreys should-I-stay-or-should-I-go clash, I see, hear, and feel my own conflict interest.
Lets hit the road to the endgame?
I do not want to go there!
Help me, LynchFrost!
I feel like Ghostwood here!
For the first time, a fictional musical act took the stage.
Yes, that James Hurley.
He was last seen hopping on his bike and blazing south to San Francisco.
Now, 25 years later, James was on the Roadhouse stage, singing Just You once again.
Was James performing for her?
His song spoke for us, too, and that longing to linger in the story ofTwin Peaksforever…
- It was a moving still life of quiet pain and sorrow, beautifully sad and subtly devastating.
Look closely at Eds reflection in the window during the over-the-shoulder shot.
What game is Lynch playing here?
More clues that theres something screwy with representational reality and temporal continuity?
Also, watch the cars that pass by.
The first one that leaves frame on the left glitches or doubles as it goes…
This show is going to make me crazy, isnt it?
Audrey, is there room at Ghostwood for one more patient?
