Spoilers

“Arbitrary Law”

So the story of “Who Killed Laura Palmer” came to a conclusion in this episode, at least for the most part. Leland Palmer was revealed to the world as ‘Bob’ and he was shown to be the killer of his own daughter.

This is one of those episodes of TV that I always remember. The final scene where Leland/Bob kills himself is completely compelling and goose bumps-inducing. Ray Wise had been amazing with his performance as Leland Palmer up to this episode and this absolutely is his magnum opus. The scene of Leland laying in the interrogation room being held by Cooper is unbelievable. Leland’s realization of what he had done to Laura was powerful and Cooper’s kind way of directing Leland to the light was caring and hopeful.

The scene preceding this with Leland in full Bob mode and being interrogated by Cooper was another amazing scene that illustrated Ray Wise’s astounding performance. The way he switched from chaotic insanity to a calm, evil aura showed what an wonderful actor Ray Wise was.

When Leland had Donna in his house, I remember being totally sold on the chance that Leland was going to claim another victim and the scene was scripted so brilliantly that, as a viewer, you could not be sure that Donna was going to survive.

Of course, then there was the scene with Donna and James, a scene that really highlighted once again what a doofus James Hurley was. I really dislike him even as I recall being a fan of James when I first watched the show back int he 1990s. I would love for James to hop on his motorcycle and just ride off and leave twin peaks forever. I know that is not what he will do, but Donna deserves someone so much better than this loser.

It was also a welcome return for FBI Agent Albert Rosenfield, played by the incomparable Miguel Ferrer. In a few sparse scenes in the show so far, Albert has taken quite a lengthy journey for his character.

Even though the show hints at Bob escaping from his fate, the conclusion did not feel tainted. It brought this mystery to a satisfying conclusion, even if it was initially intended to never have been solved.

Of course, the shot of the owl at the end of the episode was a great piece of potential foreshadowing. We all know that the ‘owls are not what they seem.’

Spoilers

A couple of thoughts off the top:

• I really dislike Donna, James and Maddy. I liked them much more the first time I watched this show, but they are just so dumb.
• Ray Wise was just brilliant. He deserved an Emmy for his work this season.
• As a General Hospital fan, seeing Ian Buchanan as Dick Tremayne was a hoot.
• I started off and kept watching. Each episode ended with something remarkably compelling that I just had to keep watching.

“Laura’s Secret Diary”

I bought Laura Palmer’s Diary when it came out in stores. What a tie-in to the show. It did not give anything really solid, but it was a cool tidbit. The show’s introduction of Harold Smith was not my favorite part of the series because it tied in to the whole Donna mess. Still, they knew how to make money.

Leland confessing to Jacques’ murder was powerful. Of course, it would lead to more than just that murder.

I honestly think the whole thing with Andy and his sperm container rolling across the floor was one of the funniest things I have ever seen. I was able to tell Harry Goaz, the actor who played Andy, how funny I found that scene when he came to the Iowa City Memorial Union for a Twin Peaks watch.

“The Orchids Curse”

The fact that it took Cooper this long to remember the note that was under his bed was a travesty. It was way longer than it should have been.

The whole Nadine in high school story was funny too, but I am not sure they ever totally explained why she had such an incredible strength.

Cooper and Truman go to One Eyed Jacks and rescue Audrey. Not before Blackie was killed by John Renault. Hawk came through big time. Good thing Coop and Harry can’t keep a secret.

“Demons”

Bobby and Shelly getting screwed over with their insurance claim with a handicapped Leo is poetic justice for their bad behavior, but felt overly cruel for poor Shelly, who did suffer at the hands of Leo for quite awhile.

Of course, it led to the classic Leo line that I say to this day, “New shoes.”

The arrival of Gordon Cole, played by David Lynch himself, was a highlight. Having a non-working hearing aid and having everyone yell so he could [barely] hear was a great gag that worked the whole time.

The whole scene with “Mike,” the one armed man was creepy as could be.

“Lonely Souls”

It is happening again.

What an episode this one was. So much happened in it and the last ten minutes or so were some of the best scenes you will ever see on TV.

The reveal of Killer Bob as Leland was done as perfectly as you would see and the scene where he kills Maddy has to be one of the most unexpected and violent scenes ever to make network television. Watching the scene flash from Bob to Leland and he danced around with Maddie was completely unbelievable. There is no way we get a scene like that today. There are several moments where it is difficult to watch.

There may be no more tragic character on Twin Peaks than Maddy Ferguson. She came to Twin Peaks for her cousin Laura’s funeral and because she resembled Laura, she had to go through so much. Not only did she have to deal with James’ weird obsession, but ends up being the replacement daughter to Leland who, by the way, is the psychotic killer. She was nothing like Laura, but she had to pay for Laura’s sins.

With Cooper, Harry and the Log Lady at the Road House, we see the Giant make a reappearance uttering that phrase I lead off this section with… “It is happening again.” How unnerving and chilling was that. Then, when Maddy had been killed, the feeling that overtook Bobby, Donna and Cooper at the Road House was suspenseful. They knew something had happened. Donna started to cry and you could see even Bobby was affected. It was all very much like a dream and it had been shot that way. David Lynch did direct this episode and you can see his fingerprints all over it.

This was not all for this episode. The discovery of Laura’s secret dairy at Harold Smith’s place, torn to shreds by Harold who hanged himself with his flowers. The episode started off with that shock, but who remembered that after the ending?

Cooper and Harry arrested Ben Horne, who is looking as if he were the killer. Of course, we knew it was not him. Even when he was first being arrested, it was clearly not him. He was the patsy, the red herring for the audience. Back when it first aired, I did not think that it would be Ben, but I never guessed that it would be Leland, either.

Another shock of this episode that gets rolled over with the ending was the reveal that Mr. Tojamura was, in fact, Catharine Martell back from the dead and hiding in Japanese make-up. The scene where she revealed herself to Pete is one of the happiest moments of the show, certainly of this episode.

Everything about this was disturbing, especially when you stop and think about the fact that Leland killed Laura and that he raped her and abused her as much as he did, though under the guise of Bob. Could this be why he was so grieved when Laura’s body was found, that it was an internal guilt driving him?

An exceptional episode of TV that just combines the emotions of the audience with one of the greatest plot reveals of all time.