Edward Copeland's Tangents: Twin Peaks Tuesdays: Episode 20

Tuesday, July 24, 2007

Twin Peaks Tuesdays: Episode 20

By Edward Copeland
"Everything is known to me, yet somehow beyond my reach," Major Briggs tells Agent Cooper and Sheriff Truman about his disappearance in the woods. His only clear memory is that of a giant owl. They also find a strange mark on Briggs' neck. Briggs clearly is shaken by the events. "Is this meant for the soul?" he asks nervously.

Despite his past insistence on sticking to his oath concerning classified material, the major admits he thinks this "transcends" classified material and begins to tell of his unofficial work on the Air Force's defunct Project Blue Book, the unit devote to investigating UFOs. He says recently their mission had changed to a search for the White Lodge but before he can say anymore, someone from the Air Force arrives to take Briggs away. Truman tries to stop them, but Briggs tells him not to fight it and goes off. As Cooper looks again at the photo of the marks on Briggs' neck, water from the sprinkler head in the ceiling drips on it. Since the sprinklers allowed BOB to be freed from Leland, is there some kind of connection between water and the spirits in the woods? Meanwhile, an extremely nervous Ernie is hesitant to set up the drug buy for Jean, fearing the setup will get him killed, citing a condition that causes excessive sweating.

At the Double RR, Ed slips Norma a note, saying they need to talk. At the Johnson household, sounds we haven't heard in a long time emanate from the TV: "Invitation to Love." However, Bobby and Shelly are too busy fighting to notice. Shelly is tired of having to clean up after Leo and wants Bobby to help more, but instead Bobby tells her that he's not coming back now that he's Ben Horne's golden boy. Ed gets a call from James asking him to clean out his savings account for him and send it to him, even though Ed informs him that it totals $12. James laments how everything used to make sense before Laura died before Evelyn approaches, asking him for his help.

At the Double R, Nadine continues her pursuit of an uninterested Mike, even planting a big kiss on the teenager. Meanwhile, Norma tells Hank that she has to go run some errands, but Hank doesn't buy the story. Bobby's new boss has drifted further into his Civil War fantasies. After Bobby and Audrey have departed, Catherine sneaks into Ben's office. Ben assumes she's come there to gloat over his fall and Catherine admits that she did, but that despite everything, she's still hot for the slimy rat bastard. At Ed's house, he and Norma resume their affair after a very long dry spell.

At the sheriff's station, Cooper expresses disappointment that he can't take part in the raid on Renault since he's still suspended from the FBI but Harry says he's going to rectify that and deputizes Dale. Just then, Agent Bryson arrives to play his role in the drug buy and he's dressed as a man. Andy and Dick's suspicions about little Nicky lead them to the Dorrit Home for Boys where Dick searches through files for clues to how Nicky's parents died, but they are interrupted by a couple there to adopt a child. Donna shows up at Ed's, asking if he knows anything more about James. He tells her of the phone call and gives Donna the money to deliver to him. Donna doesn't notice that Norma is there and the lovers bid each other farewell as Norma head backs to the diner.

Unfortunately, Hank is in the house. "Oh Ed, the things we do for love," he says before proceeding to beat the hell out of Ed. Fortunately, Nadine comes home from school and seeing Ed under attack, proceeds to annihilate Hank with her pompom and her fists before sending him sailing through the display of figurines. Ben Horne tries to get Bobby to hand him his sword in surrender. A confused Bobby says he needs to go check with President Lincoln. In the hall, Bobby tells Audrey he has good news and bad news. The bad news is that her father has "bought a condo in flip city." The good news is he thinks he's about to win the Civil War. Ernie's excessive sweating blows the setup, causing the wire he's wearing to start smoking. Jean and the mountie bring Ernie and Bryson out at gunpoint and Jean calls for Cooper. Dale offers a trade: Give up Ernie and Dennis and take him as a hostage again. Jean accepts. In noirland, James sleeps like a baby after boinking Evelyn. She leaves the bedroom and confers with Malcolm in the hall about how well the plan is going and the supposed siblings kiss passionately.

Jean asks Cooper if the police will let him get away and Cooper answers honestly: No. Renault laments what has happened to Twin Peaks. He says life was simple for him as a drug dealer until Cooper arrived and once Laura died and Cooper came to town, the simple dream became a nightmare. Perhaps, Jean theorizes, if Cooper dies, he'd be the last to die. Maybe he brought the nightmare with him. Cooper's look leads one to believe Jean might be right. The mountie asks Jean if he ordered any food and he says no, but a woman is approaching with a tray of food, only it's Denise. Jean is aroused, but asks if he knows her. Denise hikes up her skirt, revealing a gun in her garter which Cooper grabs. Denise takes out the mountie and Cooper shoots Renault.

Strange things are happening to the electricity in Twin Peaks, causing the lights to flutter at the Johnson household, but something worse is going on. Shelly hears music and finds a toy clown running in a bed. She turns around Leo's wheelchair and finds it's empty. She turns around and screams as she sees her husband is awake again. Back at the sheriff's station, Lucy informs the lawmen that there was an explosion at the power station and then a fire at the sheriff's station, forcing an evacuation. Cooper looks around in the dark carefully and then calls for Truman to come to his office ASAP. In it, they find a man's dead body posed above a chessboard, a sure sign of Windom Earle.