The Good: Excellent acting, Great continuation of plot, Interesting character twists, Answers, New questions!
The Bad: Pacing is a killer, Requires multiple rewatchings to catch everything
The Basics: Twin Peaks returns from the high of a perfect finale to a strange and wonderful premiere that will please fans and bewilder anyone trying this out as their first episode!
[IMPORTANT NOTE: As I proceed through the episodes of Twin Peaks with reviews, it is absolutely impossible to discuss some of the episodes without revealing some of the surprises I will work hard to keep while reviewing earlier episodes, especially when discussing second season episodes. No matter how careful I am, it is impossible to write about some of the later episodes without letting slip that some of the characters were (ultimately) not the killer of Laura Palmer or killed, etc. I shall do my best to minimize that, but given how serialized Twin Peaks is, it is almost impossible to do even a minimal plot summary without some nuggets slipping out. These reviews may be ideal for fans of the series who are sitting down to watch individual episodes and want to have a guide as to which episode did what, because Twin Peaks episodes do not have names, just episode numbers!]
[Secondary note: This episode - because of how the amazing previous season ended with "Episode 7," reviewed here! - is utterly incomprehensible without having seen the prior episode. But more than that, it is impossible to make an even remotely helpful or useful review of "Episode 8" without revealing some of the climactic events from the first season, most notably the final shot of "Episode 7" - if you haven't seen the first season of Twin Peaks and want to be truly surprised by the intensity and twists of the finale, you can't read this review. Sorry. Believe me, I've tried and this is take four of my review because I tried three prior attempts to be vague enough to maintain all of the surprises and it just does not work. That said, enjoy, intrepid reader!]
[Final Note: As I continue reviewing the Twin Peaks episodes, they shall come in groups now and unlike all the ones that follow - which are comprised entirely of episodes I have not yet reviewed, this set includes two episodes I have already reviewed in addition to two I have not. As a result, to make the best possible decision on whether this boxed set is right for you, please check out my reviews of "Episode 6" (here!) and "Episode 7" (link above) for the last details on what is included in this set. Thanks!]
When one has created one of the best season finales of all time, it's hard to come back from the sense of pace and movement and recapture the style of the beloved show that went on hiatus. David Lynch, co-creator of Twin Peaks faced a daunting obstacle when the series was picked up for a second season and he returned to the show to direct "Episode 8," the second season premiere that he co-wrote to continue the storyline of the investigation into the murder of Laura Palmer and a parallel storyline of Benjamin Horne's manipulations to get the land the Packard Saw Mill was on. Lynch begins the season with an extended (ninety minutes when it originally aired, less about seventy two now without the commercials) episode and instead of trying to recreate the feverish pitch and momentum of the finale, he starts cold and he makes the audience wait and by the time you're swearing profanities at the screen for the agony of an episode that simply is not going anywhere, it's off and running and the questions viewers wanted answered (well, some of them, anyway) are being answered at a lightening pace.
Agent Cooper lays on the floor of his room at the Great Northern having been shot three times, though only one that penetrated him (cagey guy, wearing an FBI-mandated bulletproof vest to One-Eyed Jacks the night before) and as he waits to die, he finds himself bewildered by the appearance of the porter bearing the milk he ordered. The porter is no help and after a protracted exchange with the man who does not seem to understand or care that Cooper is laying near death, Cooper slips into a vision state where he meets the Giant, who gives him three clues to help him find Laura Palmer's murderer. Rescued by Truman and Deputy Andy, Cooper discovers the tangible evidence that his vision was real when he understands that his ring is missing (taken by the Giant). Cooper rushes his recovery and is up and about well before Doctor Hayward would be happy about it. Albert returns to investigate the shooting and in the process, Cooper begins to learn all about what happened the night before.
With the Packard Mill burned down, Shelly and Pete hospitalized as a result of being inside when it was set ablaze, Shelly finds herself visited by a very loving Bobby and Pete returns home - with the aid of Truman - to a very empty house. Dr. Jacoby awakens and provides some answers to Cooper, James Hurley is set free from his overnight incarceration, only after Donna stops by with her new bad girl personality. Audrey manages to escape having sex with her first client through sheer luck alone, but finds her elation short-lived as Blackie puts together exactly who she is and kidnaps her. Benjamin Horne tries to deal with the aftermath of the fire and Leland Palmer returns to work with a song in his heart. But it is Maddy who gets the shock of the episode when she suddenly has a vision - like the type her aunt Sarah (Laura's mother) has - leading her to suspect the evil that killed Laura is closer than she can imagine!
First off, it's rare that a series has enough attention to detail to truly recall exactly where everything was when it left off. Cooper answered the door to his room in the final seconds of the prior episode because he thought it was room service. So, of course it makes perfect sense that room service would arrive. But in typical Twin Peaks fashion, the porter who is delivering Agent Cooper his milk is so oblivious as to not even notice the man dying on the floor, instead treating it as mundane. The scene is far too long (quite possibly the whole length over the initial hour come in the agonizing appearances and disappearances of the old man in the doorway and in the room) and were it not for a genuine appreciation of David Lynch's ability and desire to capture the surreal, this beginning would have absolutely killed the episode.
Fortunately for fans, the opening reassures those who love Twin Peaks that they are returning to the same place they left and they are going deeper into the rabbit hole. The link between the porter and the giant establishes a visual element that will recur throughout the second season.
Outside the dreamlike state that encompasses the opening to "Episode 8," Twin Peaks returns to form with a continuation of the storyline in such a way that it is guaranteed to keep viewers tuned in. No, we are not given the identity of Laura Palmer's murderer, but some of the plot lines that were most confusing or distracting are wrapped up neatly. Benjamin Horne wakes up in the seat of power with only insurance companies to wrestle with to seal the Ghostwood deal, Dr. Jacoby neatly wraps up the necklace clueline, and Shelly and Bobby's sudden chance for happiness together given Leo's absence is almost as joyful to watch as Big Ed watching over the comatose Nadine is difficult to watch.
But in addition to wrapping up plotlines, this episode wisely chooses to expand the characters in different directions where they can. Albert returns to rankle Truman - well, he returns to investigate who shot Cooper, irking Truman is just gravy for him - and this affords the deeply cynical forensic investigator to grow beyond his monolithic quipping. He illustrates a genuine caring for Cooper in their scenes together.
But the scene that steals the show is possibly the deepest game David Lynch plays in Twin Peaks and while I enjoyed the scene the first time I saw the episode, it was not until I rewatched the episode after finishing the series that I truly understood the significance of it. The scene I am referring to is a simple one and it seems to rest outside the entire rest of the episode as it does not relate to any of the established plotlines. Major Garland Briggs is eating pie as the Double R Diner when Bobby joins him. The Major uses the opportunity to share a story with his son about a vision that he had involving an epiphany that his son would find true happiness and live a good life. The usually crass Bobby sits through the long and strangely specific story until the end, clearly enraptured by his father's words. But the richness of the scene cannot be appreciated within the context of this episode alone. Instead, one has to pay special attention to the setting of Garland's dream; it suggests something quite powerful about the Major's character that was never made explicit in the series.
In addition to the quiet character scene where Garland Briggs moves emotional mountains to try to bond with his son, the other characters begin to change as well. Most notable of these is Donna Hayward, who - in reaction to Dr. Jacoby being mugged the night prior during the "distraction" she and James initiated - sheds her good girl image and takes up smoking and even tries her hand at seducing James in his prison cell. She is given an anonymous lead into the murder of Laura Palmer and we discover her new path is just beginning. Hers is possibly the most inorganic character growth of the episode, but not the most shocking.
That honor goes to Leland Palmer. Leland's hair has turned bright white and he communicates most often in song, a clear psychological reaction to the brutality he committed the night before. Leland is disturbingly chipper and when there is a family dinner between the Haywards' and the Palmers', Leland finds the time and space to surprise everyone with his boisterous attitude and his singing. He has always been an unstable character, but this transformation is just big and surprising, but at least it makes sense.
Also making perfect sense is Cooper's lack of change. It's ironic that so little of the plot of "Episode 8" even bothers to address who might have shot Cooper and instead, Cooper focuses on the meaning of his vision and of his meeting with the Giant. And Cooper reminds the viewer that they have to treat themselves well each and every day with his usual appreciation of coffee and doughnuts.
Kyle MacLachlan plays Cooper virtually identical to how he played him the prior season and in this case, the consistency is a good thing; it assures the viewer that the series has not fallen out of step, that it knows where it is going and that the protagonists are still going to get us there in good form. MacLachlan plays the role well creating a genuine sense of physical discomfort, as if he had actually been shot. Moreover, MacLachlan plays off both Michael Ontkean (Sheriff Truman) and Miguel Ferrer (Albert) incredibly well and if the show had been bigger and had more interaction, I'd compare the trio to a Kirk, Spock, McCoy type relationship.
Ray Wise steals his scenes as Leland Palmer. He easily bounces back from the crying, whimpering Leland of the prior season to be a convincing singing, dancing lawyer who captivates ever scene he is in. The role requires him to be upbeat and move a lot and he makes it work. He makes it work while making it seem perfectly within character. That's a big risk for David Lynch to take.
Not all of the risks Lynch takes works. Harry Goaz as Deputy Andy is forced to do a protracted bit of physical comedy after Andy hits his head and it is painful to watch for its absurdity. Goaz captures a genuine awkward and fluid movement style that is wrenching to watch, but the result is more silly than meaningful.
Similarly, Lynch introduces Gertrude Hayward (Donna's younger sister) for the episode to provide a piano recital. It is a weird scene that does little other than allow Leland to sing and dance again (and work himself up into a state) and it does not truly work. It begins the trend of Twin Peaks doing weird for the sake of weird. In the middle of all the strangeness and surrealism, there's a little girl disconnected from everything else to stop the episode and play piano for everyone! I'm not truly complaining, but only because the part is played by a disturbingly young Alicia Witt (who I thought was fabulous on Cybil), who I am a bit of a fan of.
This episode is essential and well worth it for those who were rallied by the amazing season finale and anyone who likes surreal drama, detective shows and cinematic dreams will find a lot to like in "Episode 8." But it is not a perfect episode and those who have not been watching Twin Peaks will largely be lost. And those who are fans of the series can find the seeds of where the series will go wrong in its second season beginning here, but with an attentive (second) viewing, we can also recognize the salvation of it that comes in the end.
"Episode 9" then continues the storyline and while that begins to get a little shakier, it does maintain the character development and acting on as solid of footing as "Episode 8." "Episode 9" is right before an important turning point when the second season of Twin Peaks begins to change in significant ways.
Waking up for another morning, Agent Cooper and Albert have breakfast with one another and Albert reluctantly admits that he has no leads on who shot Agent Cooper. He also mentions that Cooper's former partner, Windham Earl has escaped a mental institution and that Cooper might be in danger from him. They visit with Ronette Pulaski, who is out of her coma, but in a state of shock. Shelly visits with Leo, who is in a coma of his own, having survived being shot by Hank Jennings . . . barely.
While Donna Hayward begins investigating the Meals On Wheels program that Laura Palmer was a part of, the Log Lady and Major Briggs meet and the Major is inspired to share an apparent extraterrestrial signal printout with Cooper, a document that makes it seem like something in the universe is looking in on the FBI agent. When James, Donna and Maddy record a song together, Donna becomes jealous and Maddy has a vision of Bob, the best - though ethereal - suspect in the murder of Laura Palmer.
"Episode 9" has some real conceits to it, but the best and the worst both involve Donna. David Lynch directed "Episode 9" and it contains a vintage Lynch scene wherein Donna visits one of the elderly shut-ins from the Meals On Wheels program and meets an old lady and her creepy magician grandson. The scene is disturbing and surreal as the kid sits still and makes food appear and disappear and speaks in riddles. It is a true dreamscape and David Lynch is easily one of the reigning experts on translating dream imagery into cinematic magic. The scene works and it's strange and unsettling.
Conversely, Lynch makes the audience into a complete tool by making it sit through the James Hurley musical number. James sings a song with Donna and Maddy providing accompaniment and it is like a 1950's early rock love ballad and it's just bad. On the character front, it begins to insinuate a confusion in James between Maddy and Laura and this is something Donna picks up on and becomes jealous of. Lynch is doing some excellent foreshadowing in this episode, but the falsetto and the duration of the song combine to make for terrible television. Indeed, in the larger scheme of things, this musical interlude seems to serve only to provide a theme for James Hurley. From this point on in Twin Peaks, James will usually be introduced by some variation of this awful ballad as his theme music. And it is enough to make one shudder.
"Episode 9" contrasts the prior few episodes well because not much happens. Instead, the episode is characterized by fewer scenes that are longer and involve more complicated dialogues between characters. The first act is essentially two scenes; Cooper and Albert talking and Donna delivering food for the Meals On Wheels program. It is not until late in the episode - when the scenes cut away to poor Audrey who learns the precise connection between Horne's Department Store and One-Eyed Jacks and is promptly captured - that that intriguing trend changes. Instead, much of the episode is long stretches of dialogue involving two characters only.
This is also possibly the weakest episode in terms of the Cooper/Truman bond. Cooper has his interactions with Sheriff Truman as the two look into Hank Jennings, but Cooper spends more time with Albert and in some ways that works very well for Cooper's character. Sometimes, it is difficult to remember that the entire series of Twin Peaks - up until and through "Episode 9" - has taken only about a week's time in the universe created in the show. As a result, despite Cooper's fast bond with Truman, it makes perfect sense that he and Albert would share some bonds that their experiences together prior to the series would connote.
It is in that vein that we're almost able to excuse the musical build-up portion of the episode; of course James would be confused singing a love song with Maddy and Donna when Laura's been dead less than two weeks! That makes sense. What doesn't make sense is why Maddy was accompanying Donna on the song in the first place.
Regardless of the weaknesses in "Episode 9," this boxed set is a vital chapter in the Twin Peaks saga. This is the build-up and aftermath to the day everything happens on the show. Indeed, following this, there are only - truly - two more big events: the revelation of the killer of Laura Palmer and the final showdown between Cooper and Earl, but both of those events are a long way off and it's a rocky road between here and that point. This set is easily the best bang for the buck of all of the bundled episodes.
[Knowing that VHS is essentially a dead medium, it's worth looking into Twin Peaks - The Complete Second Season on DVD, which is also a better economical choice than buying the VHS. Read my review of the second and final season reviewed here!
or check out the entire series, available in the Gold Box Definitive edition, reviewed here!
Thanks!]
8/10
For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!
© 2012, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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