Gordon Cole first appeared in David Lynch and Mark Frost's Twin Peaks, which began in 1990, as the FBI's hard of hearing regional bureau chief. Lynch played him himself, wearing hearing aids and misunderstanding conversations in a loud, cheerful voice. The character returned in Twin Peaks: The Return in 2017 and became a favourite source of short reaction clips online. This what the hell line spread on soundboards because it works without context, as a loud stand in for confused disbelief at any strange announcement or scene.