On our last episode, the season finale of season one of “Twin Peaks,” we were left with several cliffhangers. Waldo is dead, the log knows things, Audrey is trapped at One Eyed Jacks and, Agent Cooper has been shot. Hopefully, room service is on the way.
Room Service
While Andy panics on the phone, the granddaddy of all room service staff shows up. This man has to be over a hundred years old and he’s senile. He goes about his business, never reacting to the seriously wounded agent Cooper. The fact that this man stops long enough for Cooper to sign the tab, hints that showrunners David Lynch and Mark Frost were only stretching their muscles in season one. I love the writing for this series and the witty flashes of insanity that Lynch and Frost toss out at the most unexpected moments. Their brilliant shuffling of comedy and horror within the same deck of cards has raised my level of respect for the show.
And, speaking of witty flashes of insanity, after the old coot leaves Cooper’s room, a giant appears at Cooper’s feet and, he is offering three riddles. What, no wishes? The riddles are just as mysterious as the giant and they make no sense to Cooper. There is a man in a smiling bag; the owls are not what they seem; without chemicals he points. The giant wants Cooper’s ring and Cooper won’t get it back until all three things come true. If this giant (Carel Struycken) looks familiar to you, it’s because he played Lurch in the 199os Addams Family films.
Before leaving Cooper, the giant offers one more riddle; Leo was locked inside a hungry horse. Just when you think it can’t get more bizarre, the giant tells Cooper, before vanishing, that he’ll need medical attention. No shit Sherlock!
Oh my God! Will the poor, mysterious and underpaid Diane be forced to listen to the recording of Cooper’s death prattle? Blah, blah, blah, Cooper mentions to Diane that luckily for him, he was wearing his bullet proof vest, but he had hiked it up to get at a wood tick. He was also hoping to visit Tibet. Diane is spared further bucket list wishes when Harry and the others show up. We later learn that although Cooper survived, the wood tick didn’t.
Cooper learns about the other disasters that happened while he was speaking to the giant: the mill burned down; Leo was shot and is in a coma; Jacque was strangled; Shelly and Pete had smoke inhalation; Catherine and Josie are missing and, Nadine took too many pills and is in a coma. Cooper’s response; get a search warrant for Leo’s house. So, I’m guessing he’s going with the giant’s clues.
Audrey
Poor Audrey is hiding behind a mask. She doesn’t want daddy dear to know it’s her. I don’t know about you, but I would have yanked that curtain back, and hopefully, given the old pervert a heart attack. Audrey, who up to this episode acted like she wasn’t frightened of anything, is way over her head. Blackie has made it very clear that Audrey is required to make the guests happy. When she’s praying for Cooper to save her, you see that Audrey is still an innocent; a scared little girl and we all want to save her. Is it just me? I find myself more interested in Audrey’s situation than I am in what happened to Laura. Sherilyn Fenn’s Audrey is more vibrant than the other female characters on “Twin Peaks” and I think it’s because Sherilyn is having so much fun with her character.
Ben and Jerry are true dirt bags who use the manager at the Horne department store to lure young girls into working for the casino/bordello. It’s human trafficking, no matter how you look at it. Blackie is hooked on drugs and because of this addiction; she’s willing to do all the nasty work for the Horne brothers. I wonder if she also started out behind the perfume counter.
Leland
If you didn’t already know about Leland, by now, you should be putting the puzzle pieces together. This man just killed Jacque Renault. He plays the part of grief stricken father, but there is an evil within him. You can see this evil in his eyes. Leland’s hair has turned white overnight. He blames it on the stress from his daughter’s death. What’s with all this singing and dancing?
Was Leland like this before his daughter died? Leland surprises Ben and Jerry with his white hair, but they readily join in on his song and dance routine. I love watching Ray Wise work his magic on us. In the first season, he had us feeling sorry for him, but little by little he is pulling away the mask and we don’t know if we should laugh or run for our lives.
Conclusion
Nothing is as it seems on this show. The scene with the hospital food was pure genius. I’m pretty sure this is how The Blob began. I worked at a hospital for fifteen years and, I’ve also been a patient many times. The food was always good; boring but good and, if we ever dared to serve our patients the muck that Shelly and Jacoby were served, the patients would have thrown the tray at us. This show doesn’t disappoint in the gag department, and maybe, this is a good thing. From Andy’s antics with a loose floor board to the return of wisecracking Albert, there is always something to divert us from the horror that silently waits to scare the bejeebers out of us.
Big Ed is rethinking his vows with Nadine. Her attempted suicide has made Ed remember why he fell in love with her. He tells Cooper that he accidently shot out Nadine’s eye on their honeymoon, but was it an accident? Norma’s not happy about Ed and Nadine, and Bobby suspects that Hank shot Leo. He’s right.
Why are Donna and Maddy acting so strange? Are Laura’s sunglasses haunted? Did listening to the Laura’s sexual innuendos make Donna and Maddy want to emulate their friend? When Donna drops by the jail, Lucy and James both notice the change. Donna is now smoking up a storm and, her new persona scares James. While Lucy and Andy scan the pile of Flesh World magazines looking for Theresa Banks’ photo, Leland is visiting the Hayward home where Doc’s daughters do a tribute to Laura. Leland does another song and dance routine, but I actually look forward to Leland’s act.
No matter how silly Cooper appears to be on occasion, he knows his shit. He has deduced from Laura’s tape and Jacque’s confession that there was a third man involved in Laura’s death. The giant told the truth about Leo being locked up inside a Hungry Horse. It was a jail in Montana. Leo has an alibi for Theresa Banks’ murder. Cooper also knows that Laura knew Bob. Cooper is smart alright and that is why he was shot. He’s too smart.
The giant returns that night with a new riddle and to remind Cooper that he forgot something. If Cooper doesn’t find Audrey’s note, there won’t be much to laugh about.
See you next week, and maybe, we’ll get another song and dance routine from Leland.
Filed under: cult, Marie Gilbert, television, Twin Peaks Tagged: addams family, Agent Dale Cooper, carel struycken, david lynch, Kyle MacLachlan, Leland Palmer, Mark Frost, Ray Wise, Sherilyn Fenn, the blob, twin peaks
