LOST & FOUND: TWIN PEAKS – SEASON 2, EPISODES 6 & 7

Demons & Lonely Souls (S2, eps. 6 & 7)

“Lynch’s villains seem not merely wicked or sick but ecstatic, transported: they are, literally, possessed….they have yielded themselves up to a Darkness way bigger than any one person….Lynch’s idea that evil is a force has unsettling implications. People can be good or bad, but forces simply are. And forces are – at least potentially – everywhere. Evil for Lynch thus moves and shifts, pervades; Darkness is in everything, all the time – not ‘lurking below’ or ‘lying in wait’ or ‘hovering on the horizon’: evil is here, right now.” – excerpted from ‘David Lynch Keeps His Head,” by David Foster Wallace

“In other words, the conventional Victorian belief that the path of good or evil is simply a matter of personal choice, along with the concept of the existence of a certain system of morality that guides society toward goodness and prevents evil, is being thoroughly criticized here as a fabricated lie.” – excerpted from “The Devil Can Cite Scripture: Intertextual Hauntings in Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Katherine Linehan, published in The Journal of Stevenson Studies Vol. 3

The Giant: “It is happening, again. It is happening, again.”

There are some acts and ideas so unspeakable that to witness them is to feel complicit in blasphemy. To confront them is to confront real horror – a horror that goes beyond our culture’s interest in Fun House spook-a-blasts and copious gore, and ventures into deeper, more terrible places.

This week’s episodes reveal the identity of Laura’s killer, and in doing so Twin Peaks takes us to one of those places: a room in which the people who should love us most become monsters both literal and figurative; a room in which the one person who should never have harmed Laura Palmer is revealed to be a vessel for pure, unblinking Evil. “Demons” leads us up to the door of that room, and “Lonely Souls” walks us inside to witness, without any means of distancing, the utter violation of a human soul. If you haven’t seen “Lonely Souls” yet, I’d advise that you don’t read this column (or look at the above picture – too late!) until you have.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that “Lonely Souls” is the most disturbing hour of television I’ve ever seen (and on this show that’s saying something). Nor is it exaggeration to say that the revelation of the killer’s identity is one of the most horrifying scenes I’ve ever witnessed. With this week’s episodes, Twin Peaks plunges us directly into the abyss. It offers us a look at true Evil. But before we take the plunge, we need to walk to the edge of the cliff – which is where “Demons” comes in.

[Author’s note: This is a big, exciting week here at Lost & Found – the identity of the killer revealed, and the debut of Fernando Reza’s commemorative Twin Peaks art print. You can see a reproduction of it at the end of this column, and I encourage you to check it out. It’s a beautiful, evocative piece of pop art]

Thoughts on Demons:

• I think we can all honestly admit that “Laura’s Secret Diary” and “The Orchid’s Curse” (last week’s episodes) are not very good episodes of Twin Peaks. There’s a lack of a strong center to each hour, a feeling of spinning wheels and an increasing reliance on caricature over quirk that’s both troubling (I suspect the show’s “fallow period” is going to resemble those two episodes quite a bit) and kind of frustrating. When this show is cookin’ it really cooks which is why, following a string of fun/spooky episodes at the top of this season, those two episodes felt a bit lead-balloonish.

Neither “Demons” nor “Lonely Souls” has these problems. Both are overall-excellent episodes, with “Demons” nicely propelling us forward on several fronts before settling in for some metaphysical tomfoolery at the end, and with “Lonely Souls” shattering whatever relative peace this community has regained following Laura’s death, and shattering as well the audience’s remove from the horrors promised to us by creators Lynch and Frost. Both episodes are shot through with thickly-palpable atmosphere on a directorial level as well – a sharp contrast from the noticeably-average direction of the last two installments. There’s a heightened-yet-grounded reality to these proceedings that has been lacking, and that helps in turn to ground some pretty out-there stuff.

Harold: “You are unclean. You have contaminated me.”

• We return to the scene of Harold’s bizarre face-raking, both Donna and Maddie terrorized by the sight. By trying to steal Laura’s diary from him Donna appears to have sent this psychotic botanist right over the edge. There’s a madness to him that springs forth whole here, and it generously affirms his overall creepiness. Certainly he makes for an effective red herring as far as potential killers go but this red herring spoils quickly, given that we learn the truth in the next episode. I should also note that I have no real idea why Donna thought this plan would be a good idea at all. Why not steal the diary herself? Why involve Maddie, which necessitates smuggling an entire person into Harold’s agoraphobic little kingdom, when you could sneak something much smaller out by yourself?

• Cooper carries a rescued-but-still-super-druggy Audrey to the Bookhouse (which looks like it’s much larger than I’d originally thought, with a big back room area and at least one made-up bed), looking every inch the White Knight in the process. Audrey finally recognizing Cooper and telling him that she’d prayed for his help is a nicely emotional moment, and both MacLachlan and Fenn do good work here.

Cooper: “This isn’t the first time my actions have brought suffering to someone I care about, in the name of doing what I had to do.”

• After Cooper is assured of Audrey’s eventual recovery he and Truman put all the pieces together for themselves, summing the various machinations up that have lead them to this place: Jean Renault’s identity, his desire for revenge against Cooper, and Cooper’s uncharacteristic violations of his own code. As the darkness swirls deeper around these characters we’re beginning to see cracks in Coop’s chipper façade. We’ve learned already about the woman he lost, even if we don’t know the details (though, if you’ve gone ahead and read Cooper’s Autobiography then you know exactly what happened) and now we see, for perhaps the first time, the shadow of doubt cross Cooper’s face. Truman, being who he is, immediately points out that they saved Audrey’s life  – arguably something well worth a little bending of professional codes – and that Cooper’s the best lawman Truman’s ever seen, but that he “thinks to much.” This seems to set Cooper somewhat at ease, but it’s interesting to see his character fall prey to self-doubt in this way.

• And hey – did you notice the painting of two owls hanging in Harry’s office? Two white owls?

• Coop tells Ben Horne that his daughter’s been safely returned, which results in one of the most awkward hugs I’ve ever seen.

• Shelly and Bobby get an unpleasant shock as they receive the first insurance check for Leo’s condition. Thanks to “state and local taxes, equipment fees, medical and maintenance costs, administrative fees,” the promised sum of five grand a month has been reduced to $700 – a sum that’s hardly worth the effort, stress and general danger involved in caring for one’s physically abusive, drug-running vegetable husband. And just when things can’t get worse – when Shelly has realized that she can’t survive on $700 a month – Leo opens his mouth and makes a sound. Worse still, when the two of them attempt to get back to the kind of carefree, naughty shenanigans they so enjoyed together, basically just totally making out in front of Veggie-Leo (who’s decked out in a party hat and accompanying kazoo) Shelly swears that she sees him move. Leo’s obviously coming back into play in this narrative, and while I’m not the biggest fan of his character (understatement!) I’m looking forward to how it pushes Shelly and Bobby’s respective stories along.

• To her credit, Donna actually tries going to the police for a change (albeit after the fact) in the matter of Laura’s secret diary. Truman, pretty understandably, doesn’t have a lot of time for her given that she’d previously come close to getting Dr. Jacoby killed. And speaking of Jacoby – I miss him. He’s supposedly off recuperating in Hawaii and I find myself wondering whether Russ Tamblyn (who is, incidentally, the father of Amber Tamblyn) had another conflicting acting gig during this stretch of the season, or whether the show simply decided it didn’t need him for the time being.

Gordon Cole: “WHEN AN AGENT GOES DOWN IN THE FIELD I JUMP RIGHT UP AND PAY A VISIT.”

• Welcome to Twin Peaks, FBI Regional Bureau Chief Gordon Cole. You’ll fit right in around here. In past columns I’ve talked about how the show’s version of the FBI gives the impression of a nuthouse, cross-pollinated with the Justice League. Gordon Cole – played, incidentally, by David Lynch himself – does nothing to dispel that impression.

• It’s as though there’s an avalanche coming – stones and dirt beginning to drift their way downhill toward some unconscious, collective destination. Directly on the heels of Cole comes Philip Michael Gerard, the one-armed man. When last we saw him, Gerard had failed to inject himself with his “chemicals” and had apparently become Mike, the personality that Cooper met in his dream/vision from Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer. Here, he’s back in control, but barely.

• The Mad Pirate Teenager Nadine continues to make little sense to me, though her storyline seems harmless enough at this point.

• Josie can’t leave this show fast enough for my tastes, although the addition of her mysterious Japanese associate Jonathan makes for a more interesting mystery. It’s clear that the unseen Mr. Eckhart has some sort of hold over her, but it’s not clear why, or to what purpose. I don’t have any idea at this point where Josie’s story is headed, but I suspect that if she leaves again she won’t be gone for long. That’s regrettable, but I’ll hope that she brings a few interesting story elements/characters with her when she returns.

James: “Well, if you really love someone its like this bright light is shining on you all the time….but I just don’t think you can be like that all the time.”

• Guhhhh.

We’re back in over-soaped territory with James and Maddie. Luckily, they keep it short and sweet(?) this time. As remorselessly cheesy as James’ words here are, I can’t help but feel like they have a degree of metaphysical significance. Twin Peaks as a whole is interested in the ideas/ideals of Love and community and the ways in which secrets can kill that Love and community from the inside. Salvation, or so James clumsily implies, requires connection to both. James and Maddie have a heart-to-heart, and while it’s not interesting per se, there’s an interesting quality to part of the exchange – a Vertigo-esque commentary on how Maddie essentially “became” Laura following her death, and how she enjoyed the experience of becoming “somebody different.” All of which leads to Maddie’s announcement that she’s decided to leave. Adios, Maddie….?

Cole: “YOU REMIND ME OF A SMALL MEXICAN CHIHUAHUA.”

• Cole and Cooper have their first interaction, and while it’s amusing it also further emphasizes the gathering darkness in this episode. According to Cole, Albert is concerned that Cooper might be getting in over his head “again.” We learn from Cole that Cooper went “into the chute in Pittsburgh” during a prior case, a phrase that suggests Cooper lost himself to isolation and obsession in that city. If you’ve read his Autobiography then you know why that happened, and you have some idea of how it happened. This is why I’d suggested that you read the book before these episodes – Cooper’s past begins to come to the fore here, and his Autobiography gives scenes like this one immediate meaning and import without ruining any real surprises or upcoming developments.

• And speaking of which, Windom Earle makes his first off-screen “appearance” in this episode, sending Cooper an opening Chess maneuver via a simple white card. Those of you who’ve read Cooper’s Autobiography (it’s free!) already understand why Earle does this.

• Leland appears to be rebounding nicely, displaying for the first time his legal skills in a private conversation with Ben Horne. It raises the question of just how complicit Leland is/was in Horne’s dealings prior to the death of Laura – and it raises an even more interesting question regarding Leland’s overall morality. We’ve felt a lot of sympathy for his character in the wake of Laura’s death, and Wise’s performance has been solid and impressive throughout in selling us on that sympathy. Yet, here we see that Leland has the ability to sink to Ben’s scheming level, effortlessly spinning out a scenario for stalling the Japanese Ghost Wood investors. That they share this avuncular amorality all but begs the question: Has Leland, in the past, been a frequenter of One Eyed Jack’s? I find it hard to believe that he hasn’t been.

• Mr. Tojamura, the mysterious Japanese investor involved in Ghost Wood, is one odd duck, huh? He gets a lot odder, really quickly.

• Philip Michael Gerard is taken in for questioning, and we learn that the medication he takes contains “traces of Haliperidol,” a powerful anti-psychotic that is used to treat schizophrenia and multiple personality disorders. Without his chemicals, Gerard’s personality seems to dissolve away before our eyes, as “Mike,” the baritone-wielding man from Cooper’s dream, rises to the surface of Gerard’s psyche and makes himself known to them at last. This whole sequence is terrific fun, and Al Strobel’s dual performance is well-acted stuff.

Mike: “Do you understand the parasite? It attaches itself to a life form and feeds. Bob requires a human host. He feeds on fear…and the pleasures. They are his children. I am similar to Bob. We once were partners.”

• Twin Peaks’ mythology gets a little clearer here as Mike explains more about Bob’s nature and Appetites (and his own, apparently). Both Bob and Mike are “inhabiting spirits” – entities capable of possessing human beings and living through them in a parasitical fashion, like spiritual ticks growing fat on “fear…and the pleasures.” Bob was apparently, at one time or another, both Mike’s partner, implying equality, and his “familiar,” implying an inequality in which Mike was the “superior spirit,” with Bob acting as Mike’s servant (See: Witches and their familiars). Cooper asks where Bob comes from, but Mike tells him (somewhat pompously) that this information “cannot be revealed.” This information will be revealed however, and you are going to love it.

Mike: “This is his true face. Few can see it – the gifted…and the damned.”

• Interesting: Mike looks directly to Cooper when he refers to “the gifted.” We’ve known Cooper to be an exceptional lawman, and one whose unconventional methods produce exceptional results. Here, the possibility is introduced that Cooper is somehow “special” on a level that goes beyond intellect or deduction, no matter how oddball.

• Creepy: Mike looks directly at us when he refers to “the damned.”

DISCOVER WHO KILLED LAURA PALMER….AFTER THE PAGE BREAK!