By Carl Hershberger

First seen in season 2 episode 6 ‘Demons,’  Cappy is described in the script as a studious young man. With his marvelous head of hair this seemingly minor character played by Ron Kirk looks like he could be the bastard son from one of Harry S. Truman’s high school flings, and he possesses a Frank Truman-like knack for investigation.  A true Bookhouse boy, Cappy’s favorite book is The Boys of Summer by Roger Kahn, a non fiction publication on baseball history.

The leather clad Cappy must have been a useful boy because Major Garland Briggs assigns him to research the owl cave petroglyph symbols. Was Cappy examining information already compiled by Douglas Milford and Major Briggs in ‘The Secret History of Twin Peaks’ dossier?  It’s difficult to fathom what facts Cappy could have obtained that Briggs didn’t already know by heart.  The Major knows a lot more than he’s willing to let on. For instance, when Briggs was injected with truth serum by Windom Earle, he revealed the meaning of the Owl Cave symbols.  “There’s a time if Jupiter and Saturn meet, they will receive you.” 

 There are other jobs for Cappy to do though. On an old VHS tape recording in Briggs’ possession the sheriff squad are viewing, Windom claims the dugpas were evil sorcerers who obtained their power from the Black Lodge and cultivated ‘evil for the sake of evil.’ Secret Agent Dale Cooper immediately tasks the poor Cappy with even more busy work:  ‘Cappy, I want you to dig up everything you can about the dugpas.’ How he was to accomplish this feat is a mystery. Hopefully Joey Paulson helped fetch the books.

In my opinion the dugpas are the evil Woodsmen of season 3 who aid BOB and Bad Cooper. The ever inquisitive Cappy may have found out too many particulars for his own good.  Imagine if Cappy located their hiding place at The Convenience Store and drove his bike back to Twin Peaks to tell Cooper his findings.  It would have been his final ride. Like poor Bill Hastings of Buckhorn,  he got his skull cracked like an egg shell.  

It’s possible the newly escaped Bad Cooper had other plans for good old Cappy. There might be a multitude of Cappy tulpas out there doing the work no one else bothers with.