Tuesday, May 01, 2007

 

Twin Peaks Tuesdays: Episode 9


By Edward Copeland
Still recovering from his shooting the day before, Agent Cooper is ready to pursue the various strands of the investigation that have been laid out before him in season two's second episode, again directed by David Lynch. Albert remains present, offering his findings and quintessential sarcasm, even finding time for a little joke. Meanwhile, matters in the Laura Palmer investigation and its offshoots continue to grow more serious, and while Cooper and Albert share breakfast, that mysterious Asian man who was calling for Josie last week still lurks at the Great Northern, watching them from behind a newspaper.


While Cooper and his law enforcement associates continue to follow more orthodox investigative paths, Donna continues to look into things on her own, taking the note's advice to look into Meals on Wheels and encountering one Mrs. Tremond (Frances Bay) and her grandson (Austin Jack Lynch), who speak mysteriously and, in the case of the boy, performs magic (such as making creamed corn disappear from his grandmother's plate and reappear in his hands) before suggesting that Donna talk to Harold Smith next door, whom they say knew Laura well. Donna knocks on the door of the neighbor's house, but no one answers, though someone can be seen peeking through the blinds so she leaves a note.

Back at the Great Northern, Ben and Jerry find themselves on the horns of a dilemma over which of the two ledgers for the Packard Mill they should burn. The real one shows the mill slowly failing while the fake one indicates a healthy business and the Hornes can't decide which ledger would be best to show possible investors so they can mow the mill down and start building Ghostwood Estates, though there is the complication that since Catherine is presumed dead, Pete would have to sign papers agreeing to any such sale. They also learn that Catherine had caught wind of their insurance scheme, so Josie won't be getting any windfall from her death.

In what has to be a meeting for the ages, the Log Lady (Catherine E. Coulson) approaches Major Briggs at the counter of the Double R Diner. She notes that Briggs has shiny objects on his chest and asks if they make him proud, to which he replies that service is its own reward. She then inquires as to whether he knows the Log and he admits they've never been formally introduced. The Log Lady tells Briggs that the Log has something to tell him and when he can't hear for himself, she translates telling Briggs to "Deliver the message" and Briggs actually knows what she means.

Andy, who also was at the Double R taping up composite drawings of the man from Sarah's vision, Cooper's dream and Ronette's nightmare, returns to the sheriff's station, with tape still dangling from his forehead. He finally works up the nerve to talk to Lucy about her pregnancy and gives her some startling news: He once donated to a sperm bank ("because he likes whales") and was told he was sterile, which at first he thought meant he didn't have to bathe, but then later learned meant he couldn't have children so he wants to know how it is that Lucy is pregnant. Lucy looks understandably surprised. Also at the sheriff's office, Hank visits Harry for his regular parole visit which Truman wants over as soon as possible. Cooper recognizes that there is a past between Harry and Hank and Truman admits that they used to be close friends and that Hank once was one of the best Bookhouse Boys. Soon, Lucy transfers a call to the sheriff from Ben, informing him that Audrey has gone missing, which immediately alarms Cooper.

At Ben's office, Leland comes bounding in proud of his initiative of reassuring the Icelanders that everything is on track despite the mill fire, which infuriates Ben who is in the middle of receiving a call from the frantic foreigners about how the fire affects Ghostwood Estates. When Ben finishes the call, he asks Leland to just go home and not to interfere, but first Leland spots one of the drawings of the mystery man lying on a table and picks it up, proclaiming that he knows him and he has to go talk to the sheriff immediately. After Leland leaves, Ben begs Jerry to kill Leland for him. Earlier, Cooper and Truman had visited the awakening Ronette Pulaski at the hospital and showed her drawings of Leo and the mystery man and when she saw the mystery man, she practically goes into convulsions of fear.

As for Leo, he remains in a mostly vegetative state and Doc informs Shelly that they can continue to make him comfortable, but there is no certainty that he will recover and a distinct possibility that he's suffered irreversible brain damage. Despite the abuse Leo had heaped on his young wife, Shelly seems to have some sympathy for him, realizing that the jail he's in now is just as bad as a real one. Bobby sees a bright side to an incapacitated Leo and suggests to his girlfriend that she bring Leo home to care for, seeing a possible insurance settlement windfall in the deal.

Later, As Cooper prepares to retire for the evening, Major Briggs pays him a visit at the Great Northern and reveals that as part of his secret Air Force duties, he's in charge of monitoring signals received from deep space probes. Usually, it's gibberish, but the night before they received a message: THE OWLS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM stuck several times within the numbers and letters. (The message, of course, being the second of the Giant's messages to Cooper.) Dale asks Briggs how he knew to bring that to him and Briggs shows him that later, the gibberish again was interrupted with the clear message: COOPER COOPER COOPER.

Audrey, still stuck at One Eyed Jack's, stumbles upon Horne's Department Store manager Emory Battis (Don Amendolia) and interrupts his "appointment" to pump him for info about Laura and Ronette and Battis admits that he recruited girls from the perfume counter to work at One Eyed Jack's and that Audrey's father is indeed the owner of the brothel/casino. Later, Audrey makes a phone call to Cooper, since she wonders why he didn't see her note, but before she can get much information out, Blackie and Emory interrupt the call and indicate that Audrey is in a lot of trouble.

At the Hayward household, James, Donna and Maddie gather in the living room to perform what can only be called an awful song, led by James who grows more annoying by the episode. Throughout the eerie song, Donna starts giving looks as if she sees some sort of attraction brewing between Maddie and James. Come on Donna, was Mike really all that bad in comparison to this nimrod? Donna bolts and James chases her down. When the dunderhead goes over to talk to her about the phone call, she practically shoves her tongue down his throat. Soon though, Donna's father calls from upstairs that she has a telephone call and she takes it, learning that it's from the mysterious Harold Smith who agrees to meet with her to discuss Laura. Left alone in the living room, Maddie is getting those creepy feelings again and spots the mysterious man slowly entering the living room, before crawling over the couch toward Maddie and making the young woman shriek in terror before James and Donna return to see what's wrong.





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Comments:
Thanks for writing these TP posts -- I enjoy the detailed synopsis.
I have the second season set myself, but I'm delaying watching it until I find my dvd of the premiere, and watch that and the first season again -- it has been six years, after all.
-- Paul
 
That scene with 'Bob' coming over the sofa, closer and closer until he blocks out the screen -- one of the scariest things I've seen on television. Watching the episode again yesterday, I remembered clearly my initial reaction to it and got pleasantly creeped out all over again.

(Didn't remember just how awful James's song was though. Memory is selective.)

Thanks for these posts. I'm enjoying having the show on DVD, and still can't believe it was actually on network TV.
 
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