There will be new Twin Peaks next year and it feels damn fine to say so. David Lynch and Mark Frost's iconic television series ended in a bleak and brutal manner back in 1991, leaving behind a myriad of mysteries.
The chances of any resolutions looked as dead as the cremated rashers of bacon Special Agent Dale Cooper so loved to devour, especially as the magnificent cinematic prequel Fire Walk With Me only served to leave more plot threads dangling in the wind like the traffic lights of Twin Peaks.
Answering the central 'Who killed Laura Palmer?' question midway through its second year, against Lynch's wishes, arguably pushed the show towards its early cancellation.
So while we're keen that the mysterious nature of the world is preserved and the owls remain not what they seem, we can't help but wonder what might be tackled in the upcoming third season and its accompanying book...
Twin Peaks 2017 cast, trailer, release date and everything else you need to know about season 3
1. Annie, are you okay? Are you okay, Annie?
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"How's Annie? How's Annie?" The final words of the second season finale have haunted fans ever since they left the lips of Dale Cooper's demonic doppelganger after he head-butted his bathroom mirror and revealed the grinning reflection of Killer Bob.
For Cooper's beloved love interest Annie Blackburn was last seen lying in the woods covered in blood after exiting the extra-dimensional Black Lodge, a creepy establishment where evil spirits like to hang out. Not unlike the House of Commons, but with more red drapes and backwards speaking.
Fire Walk With Me's 'missing pieces' revealed that Annie was taken to hospital, where she remained in a trance like state and relayed the message that the 'good Dale' is in the Lodge.
Heather Graham's character proved to be a lovely and underrated presence in an increasingly dark world, but her absence could pave the way for the ultimate wish to come true - Cooper finally hooking up with Audrey Horne.
It's either that or watching a trout's leap at midnight to cure their broken hearts. Providing he's the good version and she's still alive…
2. Did Audrey survive the explosion?
After a fling with Billy Zane's corny businessman John Justice Wheeler, spirited teenager Audrey chained herself to the vault of her local bank in protest at plans to partially destroy the town's forest. Not great timing, as a nearby safety deposit box was booby-trapped and blew up the building.
Her fate was left as tangled as the cherry stalk famously tied by the tongue of Sherilyn Fenn's character. Given that she survived being propositioned by her own father during an undercover mission to brothel One Eyed Jacks, we're confident she somehow made it out alive. Although the mere matter of death is far from an obstacle to appearing in Twin Peaks.
3. Are hands still shaking?
Towards the end of season two, members of the Twin Peaks community experienced a strange syndrome where their hands started shaking without explanation.
It felt like the foundations were being laid for a new mystery to be addressed in the originally planned third season, although perhaps the locals were simply suffering from an extreme form of caffeine withdrawal. In that town, a cup of Joe as pale as midnight on a moonless night can cure almost anything.
4. Where is the good Dale Cooper and what has the bad one done?
Our dashing hero bravely entered the Black Lodge in a bid to rescue his beloved Annie, offering his soul to his nemesis Windom Earle in return for her release. The dreaded Bob had other ideas though, inhabiting Cooper's doppelganger (much like he possessed Laura Palmer's father Leland) and emerging into the real world.
What kind of crimes has the bad Coop committed since? Is the good Coop still trapped inside the Lodge? Will Laura Palmer visit him 25 years later as promised?
How will his loyal secretary Diane cope without the constant bombardment of Dictaphone tapes to transcribe? Has modern technology made her redundant?
With Kyle MacLachlan on board, you'd expect most of those questions to be addressed by the new season. This is Lynch though, so don't count your cherry pies until they've baked.
5. Did Shelly and Bobby get married?
The goofy duo's romance was blossoming by the end of the series, despite their doomed attempts to swindle some insurance money by providing care for Shelly's brutal, braindead husband Leo. Bobby declared he wanted to marry the Double R Diner waitress, although she was quick to point out she still had her wedding ring on. Speaking of which…
6. Is Leo still out there in the woods?
Leo Johnson could trade a few tales with Leonardo DiCaprio about woodland-based misfortune. Not many can say that.
The wife-beating, drugs-smuggling trucker received his comeuppance in spades, being reduced to a vegetative state after a gunshot wound and then used and abused by Cooper's twisted enemy Windom Earle in his log cabin hideaway.
Leo was last seen beneath a cage of poisonous tarantulas, rigged to be released should the string attached to Leo's teeth be moved. It's like his very own Bushtucker trial, minus a grinning Ant and Dec beside him. We don't wish him luck.
7. Has Big Ed finally chosen Nadine or Norma?
You have to pity poor 'Big' Ed Hurley. The gas station owner thought he was finally able to have a future with the love of his life Norma, after his aggressive, one-eyed wife Nadine suffered memory loss after a suicide attempt and fell for teenage student Mike Nelson. This all changed when the amnesia subsided in the second season finale, causing Big Ed to fall as silent as the drape-runners in his house.
8. Are Deputy Andy and Lucy still together and who is her baby's daddy?
The fluctuating romantic fortunes of the squeaky-voiced receptionist and the endearingly hapless police officer provided some of the show's funniest and sweetest moments. They ended the series on a high note by confessing their love for each other, but will they still be together in the third season or has debonair men's fashion guru Dick Tremayne seduced Lucy again? Who is Lucy's baby's real daddy? Poor Andy had enough trouble gathering his sperm sample in the series let alone disseminating it.
9. Where is Agent Chester Desmond and what does the green owl ring mean?
A new character introduced in the prequel movie, Chris Isaak's FBI hotshot was investigating the murder of young prostitute Teresa Banks before the same killer turned his attention to homecoming queen Laura Palmer.
His sleuthing, bolstered by some cryptic hints courtesy of David Lynch's near-deaf FBI bureau chief Gordon Cole, led him to the Fat Trout trailer park where he vanished after finding a distinctive green 'owl' ring.
It was the same ring worn by Teresa and Laura prior to their murders, as well as by Annie Blackburn after she emerged from the Black Lodge. A deleted scene from Fire Walk With Me shows a nurse pinching the ring, which is probably the worst thing a healthcare worker can do apart from supporting Jeremy Hunt.
10. Who is Judy?
Note to any budding filmmakers out there – if you want audiences to leave the cinema wearing 'WTF' facial expressions, make sure the last shot of your movie is a close-up of a monkey-like creature's face as it quietly mutters the name "Judy".
Fire Walk With Me's memorable ending proved so confounding because we have no idea who this Judy is.
The only other reference to this mythical Judy figure comes from the late, great David Bowie's FBI Agent Phillip Jefferies, who tells Cooper and his colleagues: "I'm not going to talk about Judy. In fact we're not going to talk about Judy at all, we're going to keep her out of it." The film's deleted scenes involve more references, but are again too cryptic to decipher.
11. How did that fish get in the percolator?
We've been wondering that ever since the show's pilot, when kind-hearted lumberjack Pete Martell served Cooper a cup of coffee that was more damn fin than damn fine. It's a mystery that is likely to remain until the end of time… and quite right too.
Twin Peaks will air new episodes on Showtime in 2017.
