15 Best TV Moments Of 2017 (So Far)

5. Wally Brando - Twin Peaks

Twin Peaks Lucy Andy Michael Cera
Showtime

Episode: Part 4

Twin Peaks: The Return is, to the surprise of no one, a strange, unfathomable beast. David Lynch has ripped up the rulebook on making a TV show and then set fire to the pieces, creating a series that is part mind-boggling mystery, part sensory overload, and part just WTF.

There are many moments of pure Lynchian genius, but while Mr Jackpot is a close second, the best so far is the appearance of Michael Cera as Wally Brando, son of Andy and Lucy.

We knew in advance that Cera would be appearing in the series, but it would've been impossible to predict anything quite like this. Heck, I'm still not 100% sure what this even is. Born on Marlon Brando's birthday, Andy wanted to name him after the actor but he was named Wally instead (we don't learn why), and goes by the surname Brando rather than Brennan.

He's a hilarious, bizarre riff on Brando, dressing like The Wild One but talking like The Godfather. The odd juxtaposition speaks to the very nature of Twin Peaks and Lynch himself, and Cera's impersonation is spot-on. It provides us with a surreal moment (nothing new there in Twin Peaks), but also The Return's funniest one.

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Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.