20 Best TV Episodes Of 2017

3. Twin Peaks: The Return - Part 17

Twin Peaks The Return Cooper Diane Gordon
Showtime

Truly the strangest TV show of the year, Twin Peaks: The Return did the impossible. It picked up a beloved story 25-years later, and set about defying expectations and breaking convention. For almost its entire run, The Return was weird, confusing, brilliant, and on more than one occasion frustrating; Part 17 ensured it was all worthwhile.

David Lynch had been toying with us for 15 episodes, before starting to truly bring things together in Part 16. One episode later and it all became clear, payoffs started happening, and we received an episode that perfectly blended Twin Peaks: The Return with both Fire Walk With Me and the original series fans first fell in love with.

It brings everything together in surprising and thrilling ways, from Lucy's big moment to the dramatic, joyous return of Agent Dale Cooper to the town of Twin Peaks. Good, at least momentarily, seemingly triumphs over evil.

It connects a number of the dots from across all three elements of Twin Peaks mentioned above, bringing back a version of Philp Jeffries, the real Diane, and revisiting Laura Palmer. It's not just a great, gorgeous, and daring episode in its own right, but one built on a quarter-of-a-century of history and desire, and that makes what we see truly powerful.

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Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.