While not as challenging to enjoy as the last episode, hour 13 of Twin Peaks maintains a similar pattern: it reveals a lot of plot in one scene, then spends the rest of its time meandering elsewhere. The difference here is twofold. The scene with the plot exposition is lengthier and more entertaining on its own merits and the meandering is done among familiar characters and places.
The episode begins with three introductory scenes providing a check-in with Dougie (Kyle MacLachlan), who was present in only one brief scene during hour 12. The Mitchum Brothers (Robert Knepper and Jim Belushi) continue to be thrilled with both him and Lucky 7 Insurance for issuing them a $30 million check. They enter the building in a conga line with Candie, Mandie and Sandie and give expensive gifts to Bushnell Mullins (Don Murray).
During this production, Anthony Sinclair (Tom Sizemore) hides behind his desk and calls his boss in crime, Duncan Todd (Patrick Fischler) to tell him he has no idea what happened. Todd gives him one day to remedy the situation. He later visits Detective Clark (John Savage) to tell him he’s trying to keep the entire operation from falling apart. When he leaves, Clark comments that Sinclair is the one falling apart, and says he’ll call Todd.
The next morning, Sinclair waits for Dougie at work, then takes him for a cup of poison-laced coffee. Distracted by a piece of cherry pie inside Szymon’s, though, Dougie gives Sinclair time to reconsider, sending him toward a full emotional breakdown where he claims he never meant to hurt anyone. In Mullins’s office, he agrees to testify against his co-conspirators. “The two cops are worse than Todd,” Sinclair says. “You don’t know what you’re asking.”
It’s becoming clearer that the buck stops with Duncan Todd. Where does the buck stop with Bad Cooper? We come closer to finding out in a wonderful scene in Western Montana where he arrives to confront traitorous Ray Monroe (George Griffith). Gang leader Ranzo (Derek Mears) comments, “You didn’t kill him too good, Ray,” then wants to have some fun before they attempt to kill him again. He’s a new contestant for arm wrestling Ranzo, who has never been beaten.
Bad Cooper can either leave now or stay and lose. When he loses, he must do what Ranzo says, or die. “What is this, kindergarten?” asks Cooper. “Nursery school?” If he wins, though, he gets to be their boss. “I don’t want to be your boss. If I win, I want him (Ray).” What follows is a hilarious, yet tense, arm wrestling match where Cooper’s dark powers are in full force. Of course he wins, but then he deals Ranzo a face-crushing punch… literally.
Cooper then begins gathering information from Ray. The order for him to kill Cooper came through a man named Philip Jeffries, who also arranged the prison escape. He told Ray that Cooper has something inside that they want and instructed him to put a ring on him after he killed him. Cooper makes Ray put the ring on his left hand and demands that he give him the coordinates.
“The coordinates I got from Hastings?” asks Ray. (So, it seems that Ray was responsible for the death of Ruth Davenport in Buckhorn.) Cooper asks where is Philip Jeffries, then shoots Ray. The ring glows, then disappears, dropping on a familiar chevron floor. Then Ray is on the floor in this place as a mysterious hand places the ring on a round table. With another person learning the coordinates in Twin Peaks, all signs point to an impending convergence of characters and storylines.
By the way, look who’s watching Bad Cooper and Ray: Richard Horne (Eamon Farren):
Elsewhere, back in Las Vegas, the detective Fusco brothers finally get results of their fingerprint search on Douglas Jones. They have proof of what we’ve been anticipating since Bad Cooper first appeared: the fingerprints match the man who escaped from prison two days ago and, on top of that, he’s an FBI agent. It’s vital information for anyone who cares, but they don’t. Thinking the results are bogus, D. (David Koechner) crumples the paper and tosses it in the trashcan.
In Twin Peaks at the Double R Diner, we see Big Ed Hurley (Everett McGill) for the first time in 13 hours. Sitting with Norma (Peggy Lipton) we think maybe they’ve finally gotten together. However, Walter Lawford (Grant Goodeve) soon arrives and she greets him with kisses. He’s excited to share this month’s report that three of their five diner franchises have turned a profit. The one that is lagging is this one, the flagship location.
Never one to back down from an idea, David Lynch then gives us another scene with Audrey (Sherilyn Fenn) resuming where the last one ended. She’s even more unhinged this time, though, stating that she feels like she’s somewhere else… someone else. “I’m not sure who I am, but it’s not me.” Charlie (Clark Middleton) asks her, “Are you going to stop playing games, or do I have to end your story, too?” Audrey asks, “What story is it?” I’d like to know as well. What the heck is going on here?
The hour ends, not at the Bang Bang Bar where James Hurley (James Marshall) performs the song that he used to sing with Donna and Maddy in the original series, but with Big Ed sitting alone at Big Ed’s gas farm, drinking either soup or coffee, watching traffic pass. It’s a seemingly unnecessary scene, but one similar to many in the previous 12 hours of Twin Peaks. It conveys pure emotion, and the emotion here is sadness, perhaps loneliness. It’s quite moving.
