And so, after a 25-year wait, the third season of Twin Peaks is over, with all parties converging on the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Office to battle the forces of evil… or so you might think.

It’s interesting that Showtime/Sky have opted to show the last two episodes of this season back-to-back, because they don’t actually form a two-part finale. I’m assuming this was more a case of getting a summer show out of the way to clear a slot for the new slew of fall shows. 18 follows 17 in the sequential way that each instalment has arrived week-on-week, and by the time the last scene had finished… the inevitable sense of ‘oh’ formed a pit in the stomach. Not that these episodes are disappointing, rather that just as the story is getting really interesting, it stops.

Episode 17 is by far the more crowd-pleasing, as Agent Cooper finally confronts Evil Cooper… sort of. All the old gang are here and there’s some sort of resolution 30 minutes in, leaving 90 minutes to answer some of those really big questions. Even Lynch himself (as Cole) does a fair bit of Peaksplaining at the start, teasing that this is the time for answers… but just how many will be addressed?

Episode 18 is a tougher watch, not least because we enter into a new realm, which is fine, but the clock is ticking. Laura Dern with bright red bob (as opposed to a bright red BOB!) again steals the day, her sinewy back pumping away in some loveless intercourse in a dark room. And then Cooper gets to wander round the Red Lodge and meets Leland Palmer, who directs him to find Laura, except that she isn’t Laura any more and Cooper is now Richard.

David Lynch has used the trope before in Mulholland Drive and Lost Highway of people not being who you think they are, of playing multiple roles and multiple stories at the same time. I have no issue with this device, but I can’t believe that this is it. This is the end, with so much left dangling, and with so much time spent in previous episodes building up to this point.

Verdict: In its own way, the conclusion is no less frustrating than the end of Twin Peaks Season 2 – the story is far from complete and the non-resolution of Episode 16’s cliffhanger is beyond frustrating. Still the weirdest thing on TV, apologists will tell you that its shortcomings are what make it unique, but I need to digest this before I decide just how many new items of clothing the emperor is wearing.

Episode 17  – 9/10, Episode 18 – 7/10

Nick Joy