We're halfway through, and all the pieces are finally in play. As much as I loved the trip of pure Lynch that was Part 8, it did seem to bring the momentum that Part 7 had finally managed to establish to a screeching halt. However, Part 9 certainly managed to get the ball rolling again. When the episode ended, I couldn't believe that an hour had passed until I thought back and realized all the things that had happened in the episode. All the major threads were addressed, and many of them finally began to merge together. It managed to accomplish a lot of plot movement without feeling too heavy or overstuffed.
The biggest development this week is the merging of the Buckhorn plot with the FBI investigation plot. And the Twin Peaks Sheriff's Department doesn't seem to be too far behind on this either. At the centre of this is of course Major Briggs, who we finally get quite a bit of new information about in this instalment, with the promise of even more to come very soon. I'm also starting to see how they're going to discover Dougie.
I don't have much more to say about the episode overall, just some specific notes. It's looking more and more like Jerry's story is not just a joke but will in fact have major significance to the lodge plot. Albert had some great one-liners in this one. The use of Deer Meadow Shuffle was fantastic. Tim Roth finally showed up, meaning that there are no longer any major actors stowed away. The (recast?) Johnny Horne cameo seemed brutal and pointless and really caught me by surprise. And finally, I really wish David Lynch would stop it with the drawn-out Roadhouse teases near the end of episodes. If you're gonna end it, end it, but don't make me sit there for five minutes wondering whether or not it will!
All in all, a very very solid instalment that gave me a lot yet left me desperate for more. We're exactly halfway through now, and I think we're right where we need to be.
