10 Things We Learned From Twin Peaks: The Return Part 3
2. The FBI Is Back
The FBI presence in The Return sees the return of Gordon Cole and Albert Rosenfield and the debut of Special Agent Tamara Preston, the latter of whom has been given the unenviable task of deconstructing the grisly aftermath of the New York box murders.
Lynch as Cole slips into his role with far more familiarity than Lynch as writer/director slipped back into the show itself. Albert has been weathered by age (and, sadly, real-life illness, which led to the death of actor Miguel Ferrer). The dulled edges of his sharp, sardonic forensics specialist lend the show a rich pathos. The severe passage of time is an almost unprecedented luxury The Return has thus far explored to devastating emotional effect.
Chrysta Bell's performance has generated mixed reviews, though her mannered and formal readings acting as a sharp counterpoint to Dale Cooper's whimsical intuition. It's clear that Bell is a singer first and an actor second, but the meta presentation of the character - a tacit acknowledgement of Lynch-cum-Cole's fondness for beautiful women - is an astute means of questioning her character's investigative ability by way of the actress' performance.
Both Bell and Preston are marked for redemption throughout the remaining hours.