Damn Fine Joe And Other Thoughts On Twin Peaks Part 5

Coop’s mind is still missing, as are clues to Hawk’s quest. But the world of Twin Peaks continues to grow in surprising ways. The mystery billionaire has (presumably) been revealed and Dr. Jacoby’s shovels now have a purpose. And, somewhere, BOB waits.

Spoilers, of course, follow …

The Case

Back in Buckhorn South Dakota, the coroner found Dougie’s wedding ring in the stomach of the beheaded man. His prints also set off a flag at the Pentagon relating to Major Briggs. Even as the local PD attempt to understand this new clue, the Department of Defense is on its way to check things out.


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As for Cooper, he attempted to live a day in Dougie’s life by going to his office at Lucky 7 Insurance. Janey-E told him to call the person they owe money to, but of course, Coop has no idea who that might be. Instead, he called out one of Dougie’s coworkers as a liar and keyed into several words when Dougie’s boss handed him a number of case files. Sadly, Coop’s mind was still a blur and he stayed late to examine the shoes of a statue in the office park.

While Cooper’s winnings at the casino may inadvertently save the Jones family, it also attracted the attention of the casino boss (Robert Knepper). Blaming the casino manager for being in on a heist, he was more than happy to beat up the poor guy and fire him. Also, Jim Belushi is his bulldog, so we know he’s bad news. But is he the man looking to end Dougie’s life? He did not recognize Coop’s face on the casino video footage, so someone else must be behind that.

In fact, the hit men called their minder, herself terrified to find Dogie’s car was still in tact. She sent a message to her superior via Blackberry, which appeared to connect to a box in Buenos Aries. The car itself was finally destroyed thanks to some auto thieves. It also probably ignited a love of fire in the boy across the street who witnessed it all.

Meanwhile, Bad Cooper’s phone call created trouble for the Warden and left us with only one phrase: “The cow jumped over the moon.”

The Updates

Dr. Jacoby’s shovels now make sense. They’re part of his income stream as he is an Internet conspiracy vlogger called Dr. Amp. His show is clearly popular in Twin Peaks with the likes of Jerry Horne and Nadine Hurley (Wendy Robie) watching his broadcasts. He never really states what he believes except a general distrust of the government and an all encompassing poisoning of the Earth.

Oh, and for $29.99, you can buy one of his golden shovels to dig yourself out of the shit.

Shelly’s opinion of her daughter’s boyfriend was one hundred percent correct. Pale, strung out and driving a Firebird, he coaxed Becky into begging Shelly for money. Aspiring to be something like Hank Jennings or Leo Johnson, he comes off more hapless than a teenage Mike Nelson (Gary Hershberger); who throws him out of his office after receiving the boy’s terrible resume. In fact, it’s difficult to understand why Becky (Amanda Seyfried) is with him. Sadly, both Shelly and Norma (Peggy Lipton) recognized the behavior.

Based on the conversation Frank had with Harry, it seems the latter Truman’s illness is serious. Also, Hawk’s investigation continues fruitlessly.

The Questions

  1. Did Preston find a difference in the prints between Cooper and Bad Cooper?
  2. If BOB has been with Bad Cooper all this time, why is he a silent passenger?
  3. Who was the bad news young man played by Eamon Farren at the Roadhouse?
  4. Why does Janey-E ignore all the signs that something is seriously wrong with her “husband?” Did Dougie have similar episodes?
  5. If the corpse in Buckhorn is Major Briggs, does that mean he faked his death and palled around with Bad Cooper all these years?
  6. Will Nadine buy a shovel?

Not about Judy

While Phillip Jeffries was not mentioned this week, he haunts the episode. In fact, it is possible that he may have been the one to put the contract out on Dougie. The Blackberry message from the hit men’s handler relayed to that box in Buenos Aries, the city Jeffries vanished from in 1987. The box later turned into an artifact resembling the Phantasm ball from Part 3. Also, Jeffries’ vanishing acts are associated with the transmission of power and telecommunications. He could’ve been the source of the problems at the prison when Bad Cooper made his phone call.

Of course, that presumes they’re on the same side. If Jeffries tried to kill Bad Cooper and Dougie, is he on the side of the angels?

Damn Fine Joe

Though Twin Peaks continues to delay Cooper’s homecoming, it also continues to be laugh-out-loud funny. Cooper’s mindfog produces some amazing comedic moments. In the same vain, Candy Clark deserves recognition for her performances as well. Her scene as Frank’s wife Doris is stunning and funny. In fact, it also strengthen the notion that Frank really doesn’t belong in Twin Peaks. He’s too mild-mannered and grounded to handle the out-sized personalities.

Outside of town, the threads continue to be intriguing and the overall extension of pain and suffering to other cities makes a lot of sense.

At the same time, it’s also nice to finally see a story develop in town. The drug trade was referenced in Part 4, but players are starting to appear. And even though the Roadhouse is a more upscale venue these days, it still plays as the arena to the darker dealings in the county.

Hopefully, next week will see Cooper’s mind return and a payoff for Jade’s choice to mail his room key back to Twin Peaks.

Erik Amaya
Erik Amayahttp://thesatelliteshow.com
Host of Tread Perilously and a writer at Monkeys Fighting Robots. Voice of Puppet Tommy on The Room Responds and former host of The Satellite Show. A seeker of the Seastone Chair and the owner of a Legion Flight Ring. Sorted into Gryffindor, which came as some surprise.