10 Things We Learned From Twin Peaks: The Return Part 3

8. Garmonbozia Is Still Lodge Spirit (And Nightmare) Fuel

Cooper Space
ABC

The opening sequence in the far reaches of the Black Lodge cuts to a scene of Mr. C, Coop's doppelganger, in the throes of agony, navigating his car along a South Dakota highway.

The Red Room curtains materialise in front of his windshield as he struggles with the wheel. The reemergence of the real Dale Cooper into the real world threatens his existence in what is a phenomenal performance from Kyle MacLachlan, sweating and gurning within the intercourse between two worlds, struggling to suppress something boiling inside of him. His eye is drawn to the cigarette lighter; the real Cooper almost enters the material world through it, subsuming his doppelgänger, but what appears to be a numerological intervention spares him. Cooper instead seems to materialise in a new building development in Nevada.

It does not spare him from the sickness; in a grotesque scene, a sludge of garmonbozia, the creamed corn sustenance on which the Black Lodge spirits feed, spills out of his mouth alongside what appears to be black material. On first viewing, it almost looks like an eel. A second would be hard to stomach; that brutal sensory assault extends to sight, sound and smell.

Lynch was characteristically secretive when promoting the show ahead of its two-hour premiere, but warned viewers to revisit Fire Walk With Me. The divisive 1992 film's advancement of the Twin Peaks mythology is crucial beyond garmonbozia.

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!