10 Things We Learned From Twin Peaks: The Return Part 10
7. Janey-E Give One Ride
In a scene pivotal to the spiritual awakening of Dale Cooper, the wife of the man whose identity he has unwittingly assumed had sex with him. In an age of consent awareness, this was questionable territory.
The way in which the scene was framed just about knowingly located and reached the "line" without blurring it. Janey-E, in a rare moment of calm, salivated over Cooper's frankly astonishing physique. Immense credit must go to Kyle MacLachlan; the principal photography schedule ages him just south of sixty when it was filmed. His abs and vascular arms tell a lie. Janey-E, purring in the doctor's office with delightful facial expressions (a visit days too late for some, but the car crash backstory and Dougie's synthetic origins have assuaged niggling suspension of disbelief issues), pounced on him in the bedroom. MacLachlan went all in on both his workout regimen and physical comedy. His arms flapped involuntarily like bird wings. More conscious was his reception of the act; the ridiculous smile plastered over his face drew an equally involuntary guffaw from your reviewer. The staging was both comical and tender. For the first time, Cooper wore an actual expression after the act. He was in a state of knowing bliss.
If the gender roles were reversed, this scene would have caused a Game Of Thrones-level furore. It should matter. But that it doesn't is as much a reflection of the scene itself than any skewed societal lens.
Cooper is in there somewhere. His instincts kicked in when disarming Ike The Spike. They did here too, it would seem. His buzzing face told a story, not just a punchline.