Edward Copeland's Tangents: Twin Peaks Tuesdays: Episode 23

Tuesday, August 14, 2007

Twin Peaks Tuesdays: Episode 23

By Edward Copeland
The walls are closing in on Josie Packard as all her misdeeds seem to be coming to life, her enemies are all assembled and even her allies are uncertain and helpless to offer aid.

Cooper hasn't let Truman in on his suspicions about Josie yet: they've been preoccupied with the sick games that Windom Earle has brought to Twin Peaks. Dale plays the tape Earle sent him to Harry along with showing him the death mask of Caroline, whom Cooper describes as the love of his life. The sheriff is concerned that Windom Earle could gain such easy access to Cooper's room at the Great Northern and suggests protection, but Dale reassures him that if Earle wanted him dead, he'd already be dead.

At the Packards, Pete and Andrew are having some morning breakfast fun, much to the annoyance of Catherine who says, "Watching you two act like the Hardy Boys always brings out the worst in me." Pete is called away to help with the next chess move and after he leaves, Josie comes in and sees for the first time that her husband is indeed alive. "I'm home honey. Did you miss me?" Andrew says, prompting Josie to faint. "She looked surprised," Andrew laughs.

Hank, out of the hospital on on crutches, reports to Harry's office. Harry informs him that he's not just going back to jail for parole violations, he's also charging him with shooting Leo. "Ouch," Hank says. He then offers a deal: Information on who killed Andrew Packard. He'd be a witness for the prosecution. No deal, Harry says. Hank asks if he's serious that punishing someone for shooting Leo would mean more than fingering Andrew's killer, especially since Harry is sleeping with her. Hawk kicks out Hank's crutch and then takes him away under Truman's orders. Hank isn't the only one ready to finger Josie: Albert reports to Cooper that the bullets taken out of Jonathan were an exact match to the ones fired at Cooper. Dale says he doesn't take it personally. Albert says there's an "epidemic of multiple gunshot wounds following this chick around. She's a menace." Cooper wants to give Josie the chance to turn herself in first, though Albert is very skeptical that that will happen.

Audrey's new role in her father's business has prompted some jealous from the hotel's concierge Randy St. Croix (Ron Blair) and as she sits at his desk, a stranger (Billy Zane) arrives. Audrey is too preoccupied to notice much, though the man tells of seeing an old photo of Audrey in pigtails. Audrey also gets a note: It's a third of the letter Windom Earle had Leo write. Ed is surprised to see Nadine come home early from school. She's upset, because she wants to break up with Ed because she and Mike had a "magical night" on a school wrestling trip and she says they are in love. Besides, she adds, "You and Norma do it."

Catherine listens with glee as Cooper accuses Josie, who sticks by her denials of involvement in Jonathan's murder. He tells her he'll give her until that night to turn herself in, then he's coming for her. Once Cooper is gone, Catherine tells Josie that Eckhardt insists that he see Josie alive and asks what will he think when he learns Andrew is alive. "You have to help me. I think I've gone mad," Josie says. Catherine searches around the bookcase and then finds what she's looking for, but what she's really doing is leading Josie to a gun, which she takes.

Recovered from his Confederate victory in the Civil War, Ben Horne has changed many things, choosing a jogging suit over his suit and chomping on celery instead of cigars. The stranger turns out to be an old acquaintance of his, one John Justice Wheeler, whom he introduces to his "Executive Assistant Bob Briggs." Ben has decided to embrace goodness and his first plan concerns saving the pine weasel, which is threatened with extinction by the Ghostwood development. Jerry thinks it is a clever plot to thwart Catherine, but Ben insists he's serious. After he saves the creature, he may even consider a run for the Senate. In yet another disguise, Earle visits the diner and leaves Shelly her third of the note. Norma learns that her sister is coming from a convent and then Ed whisks in and grabs Norma in his arms and proposes marriage, now that he and Nadine have "broken up."

At the cabin, Windom is keeping Leo busy by having him make arrows for him. Norma visits Hank in jail and he begs her to be his alibi for the night Leo got shot, but Norma refuses. In fact, she's only there to ask for a divorce. An angry Hank gives her a choice: Be his alibi and he'll give her his divorce. Norma still declines and Hank says she can go ahead and be Ed's whore if she likes. "I'd rather be his whore than your wife," Norma spits before leaving. Albert tells Cooper that a witness places a woman matching Josie's description exiting the car where Jonathan's body was found. "If you aren't gonna bust this bitch...," Albert says, but Dale once again insists he'll take care of it. At the Packards, in a visual reminder of the first shot of Josie ever seen in the series, Andrew comes to visit her. She tries to apologize and he said he hated her at first, but that he did love her once, but tells her not to try to lie and say she returned his feelings. Andrew advises her to go back to Eckhardt, since he is the only one who has the resources to save her from her legal entanglements. Donna and James share a picnic and James announces plans to continue traveling, but Donna opts to return home. Bye bye James. Don't let the screen door hit you in the ass.

At the roadhouse, Shelly and Donna run into each other, realizing they both got the same note and third of a poem. Soon, Audrey arrives with the final piece of the puzzles and the three girls wonder what it all means, unaware that Windom Earle is watching from a few stools down the bar.

Harry, who overheard part of Albert and Cooper's conversation, goes to Catherine's looking for Josie and she directs him to Eckhardt at the Great Northern. At the hotel, Eckhardt gets a surprise when he finds Andrew alive in the elevator. He figures Josie betrayed him. "Josie loses her heart with amazing regularity," Andrew tells him, indicating her involvement with Harry. As Cooper practices fishing techniques in his room, Catherine calls and tells him Josie is with Eckhardt in his suite. Cooper grabs his gun and proceeds to Eckhardt's room. He hears a shot and bursts in. Eckhardt and Josie are both lying prone on the bed when Eckhardt slowly rises, a huge splotch of blood on his shirt. He halfway smiles at Cooper, before collapsing dead and revealing Josie upright leveling the gun on Cooper. Josie immediately claims she killed him in self-defense. Cooper asks if that's what she'll say about him and asks why she shot him. Josie says he came to town and she knew this day would come and she wasn't going to jail. Harry arrives, also bearing a gun and urges Josie to drop her weapon. She weakly cries, "Harry" as a tear

rolls down her cheek and she collapses. Harry runs to her and announces that she's dead. Cooper looks sad and puzzled at the same time. As a sobbing Harry cradles his dead lover, Cooper suddenly sees a bright light and BOB climbs onto the bed, asking, "Coop, what happened to Josie?" before vanishing and The Man From Another Place (Michael J. Anderson) appears, dancing on the bed. The apparitions vanish and Cooper again sees the devastated sheriff holding his late love. Cooper doesn't see what happens next though. The camera pans to the drawer pull of the nightstand next to the bed and we see Josie's anguished face in the drawer pull before the wood contorts to her face, leaving a shrieking image and yet another mystery.