He was set to come back but backed out very suddenly. My personal suspicion is it was illness or a family issue.

You'll all regret these comments during her heartfelt 5-minute monologue in part 12

I think it's also informed by the image we have of Diane from the original series - hyper-competent and devoted to the job, the Bureau and the g-men. The Diane we first meet here calls him "fucking Cooper" at the outset, is nasty to everyone and has no regard for the Bureau. To me that indicates someone who became…

Showtime did not have any control over the ad campaign here. Lynch flatly rejected their massive PR plans.

Some of the redneck folks in episode 1 (including the speaking roles), some others since. I am not keeping a tally, but some folks are.

And then it was punctuated with the eerie silence and the phone call, which was Renault hissing about underage girls and the slimy underlayer of the town that is still there. That creeping weirdness was deliberate.

IIRC he was actually contractually obligated to another TV pilot that didn't launch at the time.

It is a very grim reveal but I'm beginning to feel it's a copout if they don't go there, given what now appears to be in place re: Diane.

I would love to believe he'll be back that week or in part 9 but I have no idea.

I would not be shocked if we saw him at this point.

If there is one name they'd hide it's David Bowie.

There's anywhere from 5-10 people so far who have appeared but aren't on that cast list. Joan Chen and David Bowie aren't on there either but judging by the last few episodes Josie and Phillip Jeffries may yet turn up onscreen.

Yep. And this is it - I knew it was an old cue: https://www.youtube.com/wat…

A lot of people say a lot of things re: this show. Some of them are lying.

But why would he mention her, thus far? Ben and Audrey often had a difficult relationship as is.

Well, we don't know that yet.

I never disliked it or thought it was too long. Not when I saw it live as a little kid, not today. So my tolerance for Lynch testing people's patience is kind of an upper limit.

I think it's unlikely there will be a downer ending.

I wanted him to be Audrey's to really violate the sort of cozy sense of fan entitlement re: some characters, but I didn't think they'd go there with Cooper. Now I think that's it. It is a real sting in the tail for the people only watching for that pairing.*

It's always been a real show.