10 Things We Learned From Twin Peaks: The Return Part 4

Naomi Watts established herself as one if, if not the, best actresses of her generation in Lynch's Mulholland Drive. She has been handed an even more difficult role than her fractured psyche Hollywood nightmare in The Return.

Watts in her very first scene is tasked with an unedited, prolonged showcase reel. She is incensed that husband Dougie, unbeknownst to her, ducked out of his kid's birthday celebrations for a three day romp with an escort. She scales back the emotion to judge this new, unknown situation carefully, before falling into the throes of relief and ecstasy when she discovers Dougie's casino winnings. The obvious problem here is that Cooper, as Dougie, is as helpless as an infant, and her inability to grasp that stretches suspension of disbelief. Conversely: how important is that in a Lynch work, in which realism is an obstruction to his sensory, subconscious assault? Isn't any notion of realism purposefully destroyed when Cooper as Dougie doesn't even know how to take a p*ss?

Incidentally, that scene is just one of many knowingly reassuring odds that the pure heart of Cooper remains unextinguished by the Lodge. His eventual toilet break is one of the simple pleasures Cooper once loved ("There's nothing like urinating in the open air").

Also: isn't it realistic, human nature to ignore and deny the horrors of life - in this case, symptoms of dementia - when they confront you?

Truthfully, the need for these mental gymnastics might hint at a wider problem with the subplot; but just enough evidence has been planted to enable suspension of disbelief.