You all know my review style. I like to watch an episode in its entirety and then give my raw emotional impression of what I just saw, usually highlighting the most important aspects of the story and point out some curious aspect of it. I don’t subscribe to descriptive reviews.
However this doesn’t work with Twin Peaks. There isn’t much of what we can call a story, but fragments of a bigger story instead. Most shows have their episodes structured as something with beginning, middle and an end, with a bigger plot running in the background. Twin Peaks, on the other hand, likes to begin lots of new stuff and not finish anything. Because of this, I have to change my style, and describe things more (preferably as I watch them) in the hopes this will all make sense in the future. Bear with me here.
So… Here we go.
Leland is in trouble. But I think he won’t have problems getting away with murder by pleading insanity, or strong emotional distress, or both actually. Leland is defending himself in court. Is he crazy? Oh, well, we already know he is. OK, I think this will only strengthen his insanity plea. But of course that doesn’t end here, so we’ll learn more next episode. (And this is a sentence I’ll have to repeat more and more.)
Andy has to collect a sample of his “homunculi”. I thought all it would take him would be to think of Lucy (though that could be a case of hate masturbation, or mixed feelings at best), but that point is moot, since he decided to take an erotic magazine to the restroom. And, of course… Lucy caught him red-handed. Or should we say, hairy-palmed? The situation was, of course, hilarious and obviously, as most soap operas and sitcoms demand, she wouldn’t ask him for any explanations and he would offer any so we get classical humor through misunderstanding.
Lucy chooses Cooper as her confidant. I laughed at the part in which he asks her “Are you still seeing this DICK?” No room for subtlety there. I can’t believe Lucy is falling for that Dick’s smooth talking. But then he overplays his hand by offering her money to have an abortion. Even such a gullible girl like Lucy won’t take that. But of course that doesn’t end here, so we’ll learn more next episode.
Meanwhile, Audrey’s ordeal knows no limit. Well, at least she can rest assure that the kidnappers are perfectly “reasonable” people, something that is emphasized several times actually, which is a good sign, or at least was, until Mr. Reasonable is shot dead by Mr. Flawless French Accent.
So… Ben is being blackmailed by the French man. Now Ben will pay attention to his daughter’s situation, finally. Especially because that will hurt him in the pocket, where it hurts the most. But of course (you guessed) that doesn’t end here, so we’ll learn more next episode.
Donna’s connection with Harold “The Piemaker/orchid grower” deepens. But she’s more interested in Laura’s diary. To her surprise, Harold makes it no secret that he has the diary. Harold rambles about putting things in a larger context because people are living novels or something while he reads Laura’s diary entry in which Laura admits that Donna wouldn’t be her friend if she knew about Laura’s “insides” (?), and in this case I’ll just assume she was not talking about her intestines because those, I’m afraid, have gone back to the eternal circle of life to feed lower life forms. Methinks Donna is pretty interested in that diary. But of course that doesn’t end here, so we’ll learn more next episode.
So, Jocelyn is back finally! With so many characters it’s wise to give some of them a break from time to time. Truman doesn’t really believe Josie went to Seattle, and suspects she’s after the insurance money. I’d say he did his best to show as much objectivity as he could while tearing up her closes in the passionate act of love-making. Oh, and of course there’s some creep peeking through the window. In Audrey’s absence, somebody else has to play that role. But of course that doesn’t end here, so we’ll learn more next episode.
Then we have the bit about the restaurant critic. All he wants is “typical American food”, a burger and fries. OK, here’s what I think will happen. First, I don’t think that’s the food critic at all, and they’ll move heaven and earth to please the guy and then the real food critic will show up and she’ll be kind of rude with him and will be afraid he’ll give them a bad review, but in the end he’ll love the food and it all ends well. But of course that doesn’t end here, so we’ll learn more next episode.
Cooper is an eternal optimist. Only he would call haven a place where he was hot point blank. Nothing more to say about that.
The judge that comes to work on Leland’s case also brings a county clerk who also happens to be super-hot. And she and Dale share some compromising glances, I think, or perhaps I’m reading too much into it. I don’t think they would cast such a remarkably looking woman if she were to remain an anonymous extra in the background. On the other hand, I see she won’t remain in the show very long, so I guess this is one more thing we’ll have to wait and see to understand. But of course that doesn’t end here, so we’ll learn more next episode.
A strange Oriental man comes to Twin Peaks all the way from… “Seattle”, land of mystery. Ha, nice joke. I’m afraid the credits ruined the joke for me. I think I’ll be changing that to prevent that from happening to others. But of course that doesn’t end here, so we’ll learn more next episode.
Speaking of Oriental men, Hank comes across one in the dark in the restaurant where he works. And of course, the Oriental man is some sort of martial artist. Hank’s blood brother? I know, I know. Wait and see. Why would I want any answer in this episode at all? But of course (for the final time) that doesn’t end here, so we’ll learn more next episode.
I find it hard to grade a show with this structure, so until second notice I’ll keep giving it 5 story fragments.