(7) "Twin Peaks,"See You At The Curtain Call

 

"Cooper's words are a harbinger of his own arrogance, a need to play God that dooms him to a limbo (a nullity, really) of his own devising. 

 

How did he get here? And especially after an episode (Part 16) in which he appeared to have had a life-altering spiritual epiphany. Perhaps the simple truth is that old habits die hard. Cooper can't help but be the square-jawed boy scout. Yet all his positive energies, from his effusive love of coffee to his penchant for airy koans like "Every day, once a day, give yourself a present" (the very qualities that have endeared him to many characters on-screen as well as generations of Peaks-lovers off-screen), are nothing without their negative complements. Deny the repugnant qualities of your soul and there's nothing for your moral tendencies to resist.

And that's entirely Lynch and Frost's point. Cooper has overstepped his bounds by interceding in Laura's tragic journey. He's mistaken a selfish action for a selfless one, and a price must be paid.

But imperfection is anathema to the "good" Cooper. "Good" people don’t let others die, and it's this stubbornness, this refusal to accept the yin with every yang, that damns Cooper for eternity.

So he becomes a non-person in a lifeless world. "

read review by Keith Uhlich

(7) "Twin Peaks," Episodes 17 & 18 Recap: See You At The Curtain Call on Notebook | MUBI