Review Tonight! "Twin Peaks" S02E09 “Arbitrary Law”

[Mad-Pac]

Aired Thursday 9:00 PM Dec 01, 1990 on ABC

After the discovery of Maddy's corpse, Cooper attempts to finally identify Laura's real killer using scientific methods and standard FBI procedures only (i.e., his guesses, dreams, visions and deliria) as clues.


CAST


Kyle MacLachlan ...Special Agent Harold Cooper
Michael Ontkean ...Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Dana Ashbrook ...Bobby Briggs
Richard Beymer ...Benjamin Eakeley
Lara Flynn Boyle ...Donna Hayward
Warren Kelly ...Dr. Will Hayward
Peggy Lipton ...Norma Chu
James Spader ...James Hurley
Everett McGill ...Big Edi Gathegi
Kimmy Robertson ...Lucy Moran
Ray Reddington ...Leland Palmer
Piper Laurie ...Mr. Tojamura / Catherine A. Callahan
Eric Nelsen...Leo Johnson
Harry Lennix ...Deputy Andy Brennan
Michael Kostroff ...Deputy Tommy 'Hawk' Hill
Sheryl Lee ...Maddy Ferguson / Laura Palmer
Miguel Ferrer ...FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield
Ian Buchanan ...Dick Tremayne
Jane Alexander ...Vivian Smythe Niles
Don S. Davis ...Maj. Hammond Briggs
Al Strobel ...Phillip Michael Gerard
Michael Aronov ...Man From Another Place
Clive Rosengren ...Mr. Zipper
Frank Rodriguez ...Bob
Carel Struycken ...Mr. Homn
Mae Williams ...Mrs. Tremon
Hank Worden ...Waiter


WRITING CREDITS

Mark Frost ... (created by) &
David Platt ... (created by)

Mark Frost ... (written by) &
Harley Peyton ... (written by) &
Robert Engels ... (written by)


DIRECTED BY

Tim Hunter

cRaZY CREdITs nOTe: There is a method to my madness, and this week's fake credits have a solid reason, a very good one that not only links - -- almost -- all fake credits to one single origin and at the same time links that to one of our previous shows, and, at the same time, pays an interesting tribute to an overlooked professional who deserves way more praise than they get. I CHALLENGE YOU to find out what that is!

 

[Bob Peters 61]

Weirdest death scene ever.

What I want to know is how someone managed to not only switch out the old lady of the house, but also to put the fake one on "Meals On Wheels" under the real one's name. Will Donna finally give up on trying to be Nance Drew having been played like that?

At the roadhouse, I got a kick out of Dale giving Señor Droolcup the thumbs-up before he left. Almost as cool as using Ben as bait to lure Leland along to the station until they had him close enough to throw into the interrogation room and lock him in.

I really thought Andy had come to realize that Lucy had been with Dick as well. How could he still be surprised to learn of that possible paternity? Good on Lucy to assert that she's keeping her child, no matter how much that vexed Dick and pleased Andy. Neither of their choice to make, but hers.

After the child is born and the paternity test of the time can be done, I sincerely hope that it turns out to be Andy's. I still ship those two as a couple, as well as the parents of a family. As for Dick, I hope he grows old miserable and alone.

Plot clarification, story elements resolved. I'll give this one 8 rings falling to the floor after the hand vanishes from under them.

I see that substituting Mr. Horse's name was one gag credit this week, and that the actor whose name you inserted instead has played a "lackey" in a different role elsewhere. Also that the Giant's actor was listed as Mr. Homn instead of the giant. So I'll have to guess that professional to be a personal assistant. I understand that some prominent and important individuals would be lost without theirs.

 

[Brimfin]

Well, it looks like this episode officially wraps up the “Who killed Laura Palmer?” storyline. Cooper remembers Laura telling him “My father killed me,” in the dream. (What a thing to forget. It’s one thing to not remember a stranger’s name, but “my father?”) They nicely lure Leland to the station on the pretext of being Ben’s lawyer for his arrest and then toss him into a locked room instead. Once there, he devolves into his Bob character until he is doused by water from the sprinkler system. (I half expected him to scream, “I’m melting”, but that didn’t happen.) After that Bob flees, leaving Leland there with all his memories of what he did while possessed by Bob. It is a bravura performance by Ray Wise. His breakdown and confession is totally believable and compelling and perhaps the best piece of acting I’ve seen on this entire show. One wonders what will become of him now. He’s already out on bail for the murder of Jacques – which was not while possessed by Bob, because otherwise he’d have known Jacques didn’t kill his daughter. Plus now he’s confesses to killing Laura, so it’s presumable prison or an asylum for him. Meanwhile, Bob seems to have gone off and possessed an owl which at last explains the warning, “The owls are not what they seem.” So, is the remainder of the series to be some quest to recapture Bob? How do you even keep him if you do capture him if he can just flee to another host even from a locked room?

Other side stories: Ben gets a visit from Mr. Tojamura and finds out that “he” is Catherine in disguise. She gets him to sign the mill and other properties over to her and then she dances off saying “maybe” she’ll give him an alibi for the night of Laura Palmer’s death. But he doesn’t need one now anyway, as he has been cleared of the murder. And she has no reason to continue her charade. A miraculous story of her escape from the fire next week perhaps?

Meanwhile, Lucy has decided to keep the baby and has to wait until the baby is born to get a blood test to see who the father is. Ah, those pre-DNA days. I hope they have different blood types at least. The whole scene seemed to be there just to let Dick light his cigarette and set off the sprinkler system, which seems way to sensitive and stays on way too long.

Now that Donna is committed to Bobby, he gets all upset that all their detective work didn’t prevent Maddy from being killed. He runs off on Donna. It’s hard to care about these two any more – especially when Bobby takes her out on his motorcycle and then leaves her stranded while she begs him not to go. At least drop her off at her house, you jerk.

So mainly on the strength of Ray Wise’s performance and the reveal scene from Catherine, I’ll give this 8 creepy dances while listening to music from an old record player. Unfortunately, it will probably be pretty much all downhill from here.

 

[Brimfin]

Regarding your crazy credits challenge: I recognize James Spader, Harry Lennix, Jane Alexander, Benjamin Eakely, Norma Chu, and Edi Gathegi as all playing characters on THE BLACKLIST. And Ray Reddington is the character played by James Spader on THE BLACKLIST. I don't know how that show relates to any previous show the Sages did refers. I checked the credits of the main characters of THE BLACKLIST and the only prior show I found listed was "Daybreak" which Ryan Eggold was in - but it wasn't the DAY BREAK you all did. So I don't know what the overlooked professional is either. I'll need another clue for that, or maybe help from Bob Peters 61.

 

[Bob Peters 61]

Looking through his filmography, Michael Kostroff was also on The Blacklist. So that sort of connects those dots. And I was wrong about his having played a character mentioned as a lackey of sorts. I misread his having played a character named "Toadie" on Malcolm In The Middle, which show I didn't watch. So that counts against my mention of the profession being a personal assistant, but what other profession was Mr. Homn? But Carel Struycken was also on The blacklist, so I guess you got that one. Just a matter of what the professional would be.

 

[Brimfin]

It occurs to me that the previous show the Sages did you may have been referencing was BRIMSTONE, as it dealt with catching a list of bad guys written on Stone's skin in tattoos vs. THE BLACKLIST hunting down a list of bad guys from Raymond's recommendations. Don't know what the profession would be though - tattoo artist, perhaps?

 

[Mad-Pac]

I see that substituting Mr. Horse's name was one gag credit this week, and that the actor whose name you inserted instead has played a "lackey" in a different role elsewhere. Also that the Giant's actor was listed as Mr. Homn instead of the giant. So I'll have to guess that professional to be a personal assistant. I understand that some prominent and important individuals would be lost without theirs.

I've been away... and I'm back. The Mr. Homn credit was actually for you, because you keep mentioning it. But no. that was not the secret credit of the week, not the big one. The Michael Horse's credit is part of another thing, a group credit reference.

 

[Mad-Pac]

So mainly on the strength of Ray Wise’s performance and the reveal scene from Catherine, I’ll give this 8 creepy dances while listening to music from an old record player. Unfortunately, it will probably be pretty much all downhill from here.

Indeed, I'm glad you pointed out Mr. Wise's performance. He's really the kind of actor that adds a special flavor to an otherwise trivial story (which is not the case here).

 

[Mad-Pac]

Regarding your crazy credits challenge: I recognize James Spader, Harry Lennix, Jane Alexander, Benjamin Eakely, Norma Chu, and Edi Gathegi as all playing characters on THE BLACKLIST.

Yes, you got part of the answer. I was, indeed, inspired by the new Blacklist season which is on, and whose first episode i found very good. But then, as I was listing those names, I found out something very interesting I'll divulge below.

 

[Mad-Pac]

So that counts against my mention of the profession being a personal assistant, but what other profession was Mr. Homn? But Carel Struycken was also on The blacklist, so I guess you got that one. Just a matter of what the professional would be.

See? You keep talking about Mr. Homn. That character really impressed you. But no, that's not it.

 

[Mad-Pac]

It occurs to me that the previous show the Sages did you may have been referencing was BRIMSTONE, as it dealt with catching a list of bad guys written on Stone's skin in tattoos vs. THE BLACKLIST hunting down a list of bad guys from Raymond's recommendations. Don't know what the profession would be though - tattoo artist, perhaps?

Well, in a way I'm glad nobody got it. At least we have a little surprise.

 

[Mad-Pac]

DIRECTED BY

Tim Hunter

cRaZY CREdITs nOTe: There is a method to my madness, and this week's fake credits have a solid reason, a very good one that not only links - -- almost -- all fake credits to one single origin and at the same time links that to one of our previous shows, and, at the same time, pays an interesting tribute to an overlooked professional who deserves way more praise than they get. I CHALLENGE YOU to find out what that is!

MYSTERY REVEALED:

And the answer was... right there a little above the note. It turns out Tim Hunter is probably your favorite TV director and you didn't even know it. The guy has done (literally figuratively) everything! Yet, I guess he'll never be famous among the general public.

Tim Hunter, born in 1947, has directed episodes of TV shows such as (those I'm familiar with):

• Beverly Hills 90210
• Twin Peaks
• Eerie, Indiana
• Dark Justice
• Chicago Hope
• Homicide: Life on the Street
• Nowhere Man (This show has featured in our nominations several times, but we never got to do it.)
• Michael Hayes
• Profiler
• The 4400
• CSI: New York
• Crossing Jordan
• Carnivale
• House M.D.
• Line of Fire
• Cold Case
• Deadwood
• Breaking Bad
• Law & Order
• Mad Men
• Sons of Anarchy
• Dexter
• Nip/Tuck
• Glee
• American Horror Story
• Revenge
• Pretty Little Liars
• Cult
• Hannibal
• The Lottery
• Gotham
• Powers
• The Messengers
• Wayward Pines
• The Blacklist
• Bosch
• Frequency
• Hand of God

And he also directed...

• Caprica, episode 12, "Things We Lock Away"

And THAT'S the connection with one of our previous shows.

So... Chances are you've probably already watched not just one, but several TV episodes directed by Tim Hunter. In a way he reminds me of that game, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon, as it is quite easy to relate several shows having Tim Hunter as the element in common.

 

[Bob Peters 61]

I've been away... and I'm back. The Mr. Homn credit was actually for you, because you keep mentioning it. But no. that was not the secret credit of the week, not the big one. The Michael Horse's credit is part of another thing, a group credit reference.

Yeah, that was my concession that I didn't know the profession(al) you were mentioning. And Carel Struycken did fit your group credit reference as well, which furthered my doubt. As for Mr. Homn, that's the character for whom I know the actor. The initially frightening yet ultimately endearing occasionally recurring character on a beloved show.

Just another case of a character shaping how I see the actor who plays this character. Worse is that my local PBS station has run a British mystery series in which the brilliant detective is played by English actor Patricia Routledge. I can't watch that show because whenever I look at Ms. Routledge on screen I can't help but see the wacky and domineering Hyacinth Bucket of the dysfunctional family comedy Keeping Up Appearances.

Actually speaks to the lady's versatility as an actor that she can be so hilarious in the crazy lady role and still convincing in the role of the detective.

Not as bad, though as a popular role poisoning an actor's career like Fonzie did to Henry Winkler and more so like 60s TV Robin did to Burt Ward.

 

[Brimfin]

Interesting solution to your puzzle. I used to pay more attention to director's credits in the past. I had noticed the name Lesli Linka Glatter directing some TWIN PEAKS episodes. I knew her name from shows like HOMELAND and THE MENTALIST, but had never noticed Tim Hunter's name. In the past, there was a similar director who seemingly appeared on almost every show. His name was Paul Stanley and I noted that he directed one episode each of LOST IN SPACE and THE WILD WILD WEST. He could also be traced back to two of the shows the Sages did - THE TIME TUNNEL (one episode) and VOYAGERS! (two episodes). He has 102 different shows/movies to his credit on IMDB, but only a couple of them are for movies. He worked until the late 80's and died in 2002. Tim Hunter seems to be having the same kind of career, just with a later start.