Twin Peaks: Season 3, Part 2 "The Stars Turn and a Time Presents Itself" Review

 "Is it future?  Or is it past?"

-Mike

Part 2 begins with Bill Hastings (Matthew Lillard) being visited by his wife, Phyllis (Cornelia Guest), in jail.  Bill tries to claim that he was never in Ruth Davenport's (Mary Stofle) apartment, but dreamt he was there the night of her murder.  Phyllis doesn't buy it and reveals she knows they he and Ruth were having an affair.  Bill reveals he knows she has been having an affair with their lawyer, George (Neil Dickson).  Phyllis leaves Bill in jail, but neither of them notice a Woodsman (Stewart Strauss) in a nearby cell, who disappears soon after Phyllis leaves.  She gets home to find Mr. C (Kyle MacLachlan) waiting for her and he shoots and kills Phyllis with George's gun.

Mr. C sends Ray Monroe (George Griffith) to gain information from Bill' secretary, but Ray never comes back.  Mr. C heads to the motel where he is staying with Darya (Nicole LaLiberte) and gets back as Darya hangs up the phone and claims she was talking to another associate, Jack (Steve Baker).  Mr. C reveals that he killed Jack earlier for wiring his car.  Mr. C holds Darya at gunpoint as they listen to a recording of her phone call, which was actually with Ray.  Someone claiming to be Phillip Jeffries ordered Ray and Darya to kill Mr. C, but Ray got himself arrested for transporting firearms across state lines.  Mr. C reveals that he is supposed to be dragged back into the Black Lodge the next day, but he has a plan to avoid it.  Then he kills Darya.  Mr. C calls the phony Phillip Jeffries, who reveals that he knows Mr. C recently had a meeting with Major Briggs (Don S. Davis).  Mr. C downloads files on the prison where Ray is being held before meeting his associate, Chantal (Jennifer Jason Leigh), in the room next door, where he tells her to clean up the Darya mess.

Deputy Chief Hawk (Michael Horse) has a look around Glastonbury Grove, where the entrance to the Black Lodge is located.  He gets a call from Margaret Lanterman (Catherine E. Coulson) who invites him over for pie and coffee when he is done.

In the Black Lodge, Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) sits with Mike (Al Strobel) before he vanishes and Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee) appears.  She tells Cooper he can go out now.  She takes her face off and reveals a bright light behind it and that she is both living and dead.  Laura is suddenly ripped away by an unknown force.  Mike returns and leads Cooper to the Arm, who has evolved into a tree-like form and tells them that Mr. C must return in order for Cooper to leave.  Leland Palmer (Ray Wise) appears and tells Cooper to find Laura.  Cooper prepares to exit and opens the curtains of the Black Lodge to see Mr. C driving across South Dakota, but the Arm's doppelganger interferes and drops Cooper out of the Black Lodge and into the glass box in New York City.  He just misses Sam (Benjamin Rosenfield), who is in the lobby getting coffee from Tracey (Madeline Zima).  Cooper is transported out of the box and falls through space.

Sarah Palmer (Grace Zabriskie) is still living in the same house in Twin Peaks and watches footage of lions killing an African buffalo.

At the Roadhouse, the Chromatics perform while Shelly (Mädchen Amick) drinks with her friends and complains about her daughter's boyfriend not being a good guy.  James Hurley (James Marshall) and Freddie Sykes (Jake Wardle) arrive and Jean-Michel Renault (Walter Olkewicz) tends the bar.

What Works:

Once again, Matthew Lillard gives an excellent performance as the weight of the situation starts to sink in.  He's only in the beginning of the episode, but he does a great job of setting the tone for what is to come.

Kyle MacLachlan continues to be terrifying as Mr. C.  I love his dialogue about not needing anything.  He only wants things.  Then we get the scene with him and Darya and it's a nightmare.  Mr. C's brutality and the performance from Nicole LaLiberte really show what kind of character Mr. C is.  It's a long and drawn out scene that we know is going to end poorly for Darya, but you can't look away.

The return to the Black Lodge feels like we never left.  It's eerie how similar everything is to when we last saw the Black Lodge.  Everyone in the Black Lodge scenes does an excellent job.  I especially like the evolution of the Arm.  For many reasons, Michael J. Anderson coming back wasn't an option, but this was a great solution to bringing the character back.  The look of the Arm is disquieting and it gets even worse with the doppelganger, which I found genuinely creepy.  The Black Lodge scenes have always been highlights of the series and that continues to be the case in season 3.

Finally, I love the visual effects used here.  They aren't what you would see in aa traditional Hollywood project.  You wouldn't call them realistic, but with the type of supernatural characters involved, they really work for me.  For example, the head of the Woodsman just floating away.  The effect is eerie and very otherworldly.

What Sucks:

I got nothing for you.

Crystal Coffee:

The Crystal Coffee Award goes to the most competent character of the episode.  For this episode, the Award goes to Mr. C for successfully killing Phyllis, Jack, and Darya, as well as getting a hold of the information on the prison where Ray is being held.  This is his 3rd time winning this Award, which ties him for 3rd place with Audrey Horne.

Verdict:

Part 1 got us off on the right foot, but Part 2 really sends us into the stratosphere.  I loved this episode thanks to the amazing performances from Lillard, MacLachlan, and LaLiberte.  We get some really interesting scenes in and out of the Black Lodge, unique visual effects, and a deeper and darker look into Mr. C.  This episode has absolutely got it going on.

 10/10: Amazing