Twin Peaks season 3 episode 1 and 2: What happened to Agent Dale Cooper?

Though the return of David Lynch's cult TV show was just as cryptic as before (if not more), there was one concrete answer to be found within

*WARNING: SPOILERS FOR TWIN PEAKS SEASON 3 EPISODE 1 AND 2*

Only a fool would expect any answers from season 3, the grand return, of David Lynch's cult TV show Twin Peaks; yet, amongst the many surprises hidden within its premiere, was the revelation that we wouldn't be kept entirely in the dark.

For one, we finally got the answer to one of the most pressing questions for fans left behind by the finale of season 2: who (or what) was the Dale Cooper that left the Black Lodge?

With the show's final shot seeing Dale smashing his face into the mirror while its reflection sees Bob peering out, many assumed that Dale was possessed by Bob in a similar manner to Leland Palmer when he killed Laura.

However, season 3 has now revealed that, in fact, the Dale we see is the evil doppelganger he comes across during his time in the Black Lodge, now crossing into the our dimension to wreak havoc.

The 'Good Dale', as spoken of by Annie in Fire Walk with Me, has been trapped in the Black Lodge for the past 25 years, conversing with its inhabitants and suspended in space between its red velvet curtains.

The 'Bad Dale' has seemingly been roaming the United States; we're not entirely privy to how he's been spending the last 25 years, outside of growing his hair a little longer and switching to snakeskin-patterned shirts, but he does seem to be involved in a murder in Buckhorn, South Dakota.

The murder's been blamed on one William Hastings (Matthew Lillard); he claims never to have stepped foot in the apartment, though he visited there in a dream, which seems an indication that Bob may again be involved somehow.

'Bad Dale', too, has a connection to Hastings' wife, who is somehow involved in the crime, and he shoots her dead. However, Hastings seems to know something of importance, and 'Bad Dale' is keen to get information from his secretary, specifically a series of coordinates.

Those coordinates likely have something to do with where 'Good Dale' ends up at the very end of the episode: a glass box in New York City that is watched over by a young man, at the behest of a mysterious billionaire.

'Good Dale''s visit to the box is brief, but it seems sensible to assume that the box contains a portal of some sort to the Black Lodge, similar to that found in the woods of Twin Peaks.

Within the Black Lodge, 'Good Dale' is visited by Laura Palmer, 25 years later just as she promised in the original show, and he is delivered the message that his time in the Black Lodge is over. Only one issue: he can only leave when his doppelganger returns.

Unfortunately, 'Bad Dale' seems to have a plan to stop his return to the Black Lodge, and it somehow involves the coordinates potentially in possession of William Hastings.

Twin Peaks airs 2am on Mondays on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV with the Entertainment Pass, in a simulcast with the US airing on Showtime. The episode will then be shown again at 9pm on the following day. You can catch up now on season one and two via Sky Box Sets and NOW TV.