ERIC KOHANIK

A solution to those twin piques?

HOLLYWOOD

When last seen by millions of TV viewers across the U.S. and Canada, FBI agent Dale Cooper had just taken several bullets in the chest as ABC´s Twin Peaks rolled out its cliffhanger season finale.

Fortunately, though, Cooper had just come from a stakeout as part of his ongoing quest to find out who killed Laura Palmer. And, being the dedicated, by-the-books agent that he is (not to mention that psychic tendendency of his), you can easily bet the last cup of "damn fine coffee" at the Double R Diner that Cooper had his bullet-proof vest on.

"I think he does have a sixth sense," reflects Kyle MacLachlan, the actor who plays the straight-laced FBI agent. "And I understand it´s not that uncommon. For people who do devote their lives to this kind of thing, it develops because they have to use so much of that thinking-ahead process."

MacLachlan has had to use plenty of his own thinking-ahead process lately. That´s because there are now two questions that have piqued everyone´s curiosity: Who killed Laura Palmer... and who shot Agent Cooper?

The solution to those twin piques - or, at least part of the solution - lies somewhere within this weekend´s two-hour season premiere of Twin Peaks (Sunday on ABC). Ever since the cliffhanger first aired last spring, even MacLachlan´s closest friends have been after him for the answers.

"They ask all the time," he laughs. "And I just say to them, I don´t know."

Created by Mark Frost and filmmaker David Lynch, Twin Peaks revolves around the ongoing adventures of the residents of a fictional small town in the northwestern United States. The town´s seemingly peaceful existence was shattered by the murder of the local high-school homecoming queen, Laura Palmer. And ever since the FBI sent Agent Cooper in to solve the case, all heck has been breaking loose.

"As I´ve been working with Cooper, I´ve become more comfortable with him and understand him a bit more," says MacLachlan. "Cooper is almost unreal. He is someone that is so different. He seems to know the answers, and he´s very together, or seems to be. He doesn´t mince words. He says what´s on his mind and how he feels. And I think people respond to that."

Indeed, the entire show met with widespread media attention and audience praise when it premiered last spring. And this summer´s reruns have attracted a whole new flock of fans who have become hooked on the show´s quirky blend of soap opera and murder mystery.

Preparing for the role of Dale Cooper has come fairly easy for MacLachlan, who admits he didn´t put a great deal of research into playing an FBI agent.

"The show is not like a Hill Street Blues or a St. Elsewhere, you know, where the detail is very, very important," explains MacLachlan.

"I mean, we try to be as honest and truthful as possible, but it´s also a little bit eccentric."

According to MacLachlan, gearing up for the eccentricities of his role every week is a fairly simple process.

"You know, once they do my hair and I put the clothes on, the character sort of slips on," he says. "It´s like putting on another suit."

Still, MacLachlan concedes that the show always remains challenging. Largely, that´s due to the countless plot twists that seem to creep in from every direction.

"I don´t know what they have in store," MacLachlan says of the upcoming season. "I´m not exactly sure what direction he´s going to go yet, but more will come out about Cooper as the shows go along." For MacLachlan, who grew up in Washington state, the setting and mood of Twin Peaks carries a familiar feel. The atmosphere, he says, will likely have an even greater influence on his character during the new season.

"That´s part of his dilemma," says MacLachlan. "I think he really does care and enjoys the people in the town very much. But he´s also got a job to do, and there´s a certain amount of detachment that has to come with that. But he gets a real kick out of the things he sees around him.

"I think the longer he is in Twin Peaks, the more he´ll mellow. I don´t think he´ll mellow completely. I think that´s what makes him such a wonderful character. He is a lot of different slices of a lot of things. There´s a whole range of things, and that´s sort of fun to be able to play with."