10 Things We Learned From Twin Peaks: The Return Part 14
3. James Is Still Cool (And Relevant To The Plot)
After bearing witness to Freddie's story of banterific pub shenanigans-cum-predestined superhero origin, James checked the furnaces as part of his "allotted duties in life".
He entered the Great Northern basement, confronted by the dislocated ethereal humming flirtatiously investigated by owner Ben Horne and assistant Beverley. Steam, mirroring the smoke in the woods and perhaps indicating an intrusion of otherworldly forces, materialised in the background. From James' point of view, the camera, patrolled with Lynch's trademark ominous pace, eventually settled on a door, at which point the humming intensified.
The association of fire and darkness - James at one point was cloaked entirely in black - with this ethereal humming is curious. At first, it was discussed in parallel with the good Agent Cooper in a classic Peaksian scene of romantic tension. In Part 14, it was framed as something deeply sinister. Perhaps it could be both, depending on who opens the door - but then, doors in the Lynchverse are harbingers of dread and despair.
One thing is clear, through the thick smoke and the darkness; only Lynch can imbue dogsbody duties, with which everybody is familiar, with a sense of the great unknown.