Twin Peaks 2017 episode 5: Who is Amanda Seyfried playing?

Her role, as Rebecca 'Becky' Burnett, has been described as a 'pivotal new character' for the series

*WARNING: SPOILERS FOR TWIN PEAKS SEASON 3 EPISODE 5*

One of the most surprising elements of David Lynch's long-awaited return to Twin Peaks is how little time we've spent so far in that titular, beloved town.

Indeed, outside of Agent Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and his FBI compatriots, it's a question as to even how much of a role the series' original characters are set to play in these new unfolding events, spanning now from New York to Las Vegas. We haven't even seen Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn) yet.

That may be about to all change, however, with the introduction of a brand new character in episode 5: Amanda Seyfried's Becky, who's been described as a 'pivotal new character' for the series.

She's the daughter of Double R Diner waitress Shelley Johnson, who was first seen in episode 1 discussing her daughter being with the wrong guy, with her friend insisting: "Everybody loves Steven."

That Steven we also met in the latest episode, played by Caleb Landry Jones, and his inappropriateness is fairly evident; he's a coke-addicted mess seemingly incapable of putting together a basic CV to find employment.

Many fans will, inevitably, be hoping that Becky is a daughter that Shelley had with her sweetheart from the original series, Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook). However, there's no clear evidence of it yet. The pair have yet to be seen together, and Becky's last name is Burnett, one she shares with Steven and presumably a sign the pair are married.

The drug-fuelled toxicity of Becky and Steven's relationship, and the seemingly angelic innocence of Becky to the outside world, comes off as eerily similar to Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee)'s doomed existence.

Shelley even mentions to her friends, "I can see it on her face. There is something really wrong." It's a statement that seems to echoes the early concerns of those around Laura, which begs the question as to whether her "pivotal" new role involves meeting a similar fate.

Twin Peaks airs 2am on Mondays on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV with the Entertainment Pass, in a simulcast with the USTwin Peaks airs 2am on Mondays on Sky Atlantic and NOW TV with the Entertainment Pass, in a simulcast with the US airing on Showtime. The episode will then be shown again at 9pm on the following day. You can catch up now on season one and two via Sky Box Sets and NOW TV.