Twin Peaks: Queen of Hearts Act Two: Meet the Earles
Act Two allows us to know a lot more than we ever have about Caroline Earle, and games come into focus.
As you found out in my write up of Act 1 of Queen of Hearts, I’m a giant Twin Peaks nerd — and there are MANY of us. There are enough huge Twin Peaks geeks that one of us made a Fan Film that picks up events after Season 2. Act 2 of Cameron Cloutier’s fan film, Queen of Hearts, was released today and it delivered on the promises of the first act: and more, and I wanted to talk about my experiences watching while they’re fresh.
As the first act focused on getting us reacquainted with Annie Blackburn, the second had us spend time with a very unconventional couple, Caroline (Charlotte Roi) and Windom Earle (Paul Griffiths Springer). Fans of the original series will remember that we were not given many details of the love triangle of Cooper, Caroline, and Windom, but Windom’s bloody revenge via chess game and beauty contest were unforgettable contributions to Twin Peaks lore.
Before I get to the Earles, I think this is a great time to comment on Nico Abiera’s performance. In this second Act, we see a lot more of Cooper and Nico’s brave and nuanced portrayal. In the first act, we were able to see the ferocity of a Lodge-touched Cooper, but in Act Two we’re able to see how effectively he is at capturing Cooper’s optimistic, kind naivete.
Cameron Cloutier’s love of Lynch’s work and style is evident throughout this Act, and what makes it even more fun is how he makes it his own with his music selections. Neil Diamond and the Doors didn’t make it into the original run: yet both find a sensible (and hilarious) place here.
I was also delighted to learn that Cloutier made the sensible self-insertion move of playing Gordon Cole (and did a wonderful job of it, to boot). There are many flourishes lifted, lovingly, from Lynch’s work. These flourishes happy accidents, like the inclusion of a thematically relevant birdcage that was found on set when filming Windom’s hospital return scene.
The emotional opening of the Act is the appropriately surreal moment of Caroline and Cooper meeting, which led to an amazingly awkward dinner scene. I laughed at the Eraserhead-adjacent music, and the laugh was a welcome relief from the tension between Windom and Caroline.
It is through Abiera’s Cooper that we feel most comforted and attached, yet concerned — as Windom and Caroline play their game for him and on him. After all — we already know how this must end for everyone.
It is when Windom introduces Dale to the chessboard that we get to see glimpses of Springer’s Earle, and I am excited to see more. His thoughtful delivery of a piece of Windom’s philosophy, that the chessboard is a symbol of life, just as he begins to set up what will be a very deadly game of cat and mouse is sly and complex — and I can’t wait to see how his Windom comes loose.
We get to see Caroline, Dale, and Windom interact on a series of delightfully absurd and strangely picturesque scenes. It’s through these moments that you can see Dale growing closer, Windom growing more menacing, and Caroline growing more confident and engaged — less frightened.
Charlotte Roi as Caroline (of many names) helps answer what Dale would find so intriguing and engaging about her. From our first moments with her, she’s a beautiful, intense curiosity who stares down anyone looking at her. Caroline was the one to really cement the ill-fated Earle-Cooper partnership, she enigmatically attaches to each of them in different ways. With Windom she is enthusiastic and animated, and with Cooper she is quieter and more introspective.
The scenes Cloutier wrote really help to make sense of the distance between Caroline and Windom, and how Dale was so enchanted by Caroline — she’s not just beautiful and smart, but also vulnerable, silly, and funny — and understanding.
Act Two closes with a return to Annie and the introduction of Bookhouse Boy Dean. In this scene we are treated to the silent resolve with which Annie is meeting the psychological torment she faced, and what she will inevitably face next. This Act closes at the absolute perfect moment and left me excited to see what’s next!
Watch Act Two here: