10 Things We Learned From Twin Peaks: The Return Part 12

3. The Fate Of Audrey Horne

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Showtime

Part 12 sees the return of Audrey Horne, finally, to Twin Peaks.

This isn't the impetuous, curious 18 year-old sex siren; Audrey is a scornful and scorned figure, trapped in a loveless arranged marriage to the diminutive Charlie. They exchange looks of palpable hatred. Audrey wants to find her lover Billy, presumably the same Billy mentioned at the coda of Part 7. "What kind of sh*t are you?" Audrey asks, as Charlie expresses a desire to postpone the search. He's an oddly childlike "sh*t," despite voicing concerns over completing his "allotted duties in life." The actor portraying him, Clark Middleton, is short in stature and speaks with an innocent verbiage. He isn't "tired", he's "sleepy." Much like her presumed son Richard, her presumed unknown rapist Mr. C, and her perpetually horny father Ben, the tragic Audrey has lived a life failed by men with a distorted grasp of masculinity. The thematic echoes reverberating around the men in her life are almost shattering in their emotional weight.

Much like the object of her desires, Audrey is living a double life in plain sight. Again, it's shattering; in her own way, she has paralleled Mr. C's arc from inquisitive force of good to doomed doppelgänger of a distant past.

At its core, Twin Peaks is a story of the corruption of innocence. Audrey's story is another sad one.

Contributor
Contributor

Michael Sidgwick is an editor, writer and podcaster for WhatCulture Wrestling. With over seven years of experience in wrestling analysis, Michael was published in the influential institution that was Power Slam magazine, and specialises in providing insights into All Elite Wrestling - so much so that he wrote a book about the subject. You can order Becoming All Elite: The Rise Of AEW on Amazon. Possessing a deep knowledge also of WWE, WCW, ECW and New Japan Pro Wrestling, Michael’s work has been publicly praised by former AEW World Champions Kenny Omega and MJF, and current Undisputed WWE Champion Cody Rhodes. When he isn’t putting your finger on why things are the way they are in the endlessly fascinating world of professional wrestling, Michael wraps his own around a hand grinder to explore the world of specialty coffee. Follow Michael on X (formerly known as Twitter) @MSidgwick for more!