Diane, July 5, 1 p.m. The narratives spiraling around the sleepy little town are converging. What was once a disparate, intricate web of topsy-turvy relationships is now a tightly packed web of, well, topsy-turvy relationships. This pair of episodes is the most straightforward the show has been since the beginning of its first season, even as it runs its main narrative engine off dream logic and primal, existential horror. But as the narrative begins to cohere, thematically the depths are becoming even more expansive.
Here’s five thoughts on episodes 3 and 4 of Twin Peaks season 2: “The Man Behind Glass” and “Laura’s Secret Diary.” Spoilers below.
1. Love Theme Rundown
I’ve commented before that the theme song is often used in the show’s score to signal a love scene of some sort, using its eerie synths to accent the on-screen emotion with either a cutting irony or a much-needed dose of sincerity. Twin Peaks in its second season has so far been turning the expectations established by the first 8 episodes and turning them on their head, and this element is no exception. Though the love theme sits out episode 4 entirely, in “The Man Behind Glass” it’s used three times, each with a wholly different connotation. The first time is maybe the most traditional use, appearing as Big Ed visits his wife Nadine, who is comatose after her suicide attempt (more on that below).
In another appearance, it gets a remix. As James and Maddy discuss his discomfort in his relationship with Donna, the theme briefly plays before it becomes overlaid with a piece of music that the trio recorded in a living room earlier this season. The synth-filled songs clash and harmonize at odd times, making them a perfect pairing to represent the discord between the love triangle – particularly when Donna witnesses the two bonding and (correctly) recognizes the spark between them.
The strangest use, though, comes from Albert, the snide FBI forensics expert who spends most of his time in Twin Peaks insulting the humble townsfolk and quaint amenities. When Sheriff Truman meets Albert’s words with the threat of violence, Albert launches into a speech extolling the virtues of nonviolence, concluding that his passionate embrace of the teachings of Gandhi comes from a place of love for all mankind. Twin Peaks is fascinated by duality, of dark and light, good and evil or (more often) evil and eviler. Albert’s love of love contrasts nicely with his love of dismissive, tossed off cruelty.
2. Peaks’ Anatomy
We spend a decent amount of time in “The Man Behind Glass” at the local hospital, checking in with the various patients and those that love (or loathe) them. The episode opens with an out-of-control Ronette Pulaski, who has pulled out her IV and is violently resisting the attempts of the nurses and doctors to calm her. Quickly her carers realize that someone has tampered with the IV despite her being under 24 hour guard, and Agent Cooper concludes that the mysterious man from his vision has likely visited and threatened her. Cooper outlines his theories about the man to Truman and a skeptical Albert, just in time for Laura’s father Leland to appear and say he recognized the man from his vacations as a boy. Leland gives a link back to one of Cooper’s first visions, helping to identify the man as Robertson, or Bob.
Big Ed and Nadine have what at first seems like a nice moment, as Ed sings “On Top of Old Smokey” to her as she lies in her bed – never mind that the song is about a man who lost his “true” lover, making it an extremely inappropriate song to sing to your wife while you pine for another woman. His song makes Nadine stir, but her incredible strength lets her break her restraints. A horrified Ed knows immediately that something is wrong with her, and she confirms his suspicions with only a couple sentences: her personality and memories have regressed back to her 18-year-old self, believing herself to be a senior in high school.
Finally, to help him put together his memories from the night Jacques Renault was murdered near him, Dr. Jacoby is hypnotized. Although at first he struggles to stay on track, he provides the police with what they need to arrest Leland for the murder of the man he thought killed his daughter.
Continued below3. Best Laid Plans
While the investigation into Laura’s murder is temporarily set aside for Leland’s arrest and impending trial, a couple of young women in way over their heads are finding their plots in varying stages of unraveling.
After her undercover operation at One-Eyed Jacks last episode went haywire, Audrey Horne is in the clutches of her father’s goons, who plan on using her to blackmail her father for a big payday. The scheme brings to town Jean Renault, the last (as far as we know) living Renault brother. Compared to his brothers, and to the other hired thugs we’ve seen, Jean is a genius. He plays all of the players against each other, aiding the kidnappers in drugging Audrey, blackmailing Ben Horne into providing both money and Agent Cooper (who he blames for his brother’s death), and ultimately killing one of the kidnappers in front of Audrey before the rescue effort begins. Cooper, for his part, sets in motion a scheme to get Audrey back, enlisting Sheriff Truman for some sort of off the books operation.
Meanwhile, Donna bonds with the mysterious shut-in Harold Smith, who claims to have been close with Laura – so close that she left her secret diary with him. Harold is always kind, but Badalamente scores each of his scenes with a suspicious tone that counters his outward appearance. In one of the best scenes of the series so far, Donna visits Laura’s grave, emotionally monologuing that she misses her friend and that she wanted to be more like her, then lamenting that she, Maddy, and James are still cleaning up Laura’s messes.
Lara Flynn Boyle’s performance here is emotional and gutting, giving her character’s behavior a resonance that had been lacking up until now. “It’s almost like they didn’t bury you deep enough,” Donna says; it’s a catharsis that the show sorely needs, a scream at the girl who has sparked so much difficulty and trauma in the town because of her own self-destruction. With her heart bared, Donna resolves to get the diary from Harold by whatever means necessary, enlisting Maddy and guilting her into aiding the cause.
4. Small Town Shenanigans
A trademark of Twin Peaks is its marrying of its darker, nihilistic tone with paper thin whimsical diversions that often include the exact same characters as the dark scenes. The newest diversion is the hint of the arrival of a secretive travel critic who could put both the Great Northern Hotel and the Double R Diner on the map. The plot is a classic sitcom set-up, sparking multiple comedy-of-errors moments where the characters mistake passing strangers for the critic.
It wouldn’t be Twin Peaks, though, if it didn’t weave in a sharp bite with that silliness. One of the mistaken individuals is a man with clear ties to Josie Packard, who is in bed with someone shady off-screen, named for the first time in “Laura’s Secret Diary” as Eckhardt. Femme fatale tropes have danced around multiple of the show’s women, but Josie is starting to fit the mold most cleanly. She bristles at the mention of her secret employer, and unconvincingly denies having any feelings for her current lover Sheriff Truman. How culpable she is in the various double dealings remains to be seen.
5. The Trial Approaches
By the close of “Laura’s Secret Diary,” Leland is nearing his indictment for Renault’s killing, which he willingly confesses to without much prodding. The trial brings to town Judge Sternwood (Royal Dano), a kind, seemingly fair man who seems to have the same love of Twin Peaks and his people as Agent Cooper. He comes off immediately as Cooper’s Ghost of Christmas Future, believing in his own esoteric religion – he tells Leland that, hopefully, they’ll see each other in Valhalla – and showing deep bonds with all the townspeople he comes across during his few scenes. Unlike Cooper, though, he has a dose of cynicism about all the goodness. As Cooper refers to the town as Heaven, Sternwood remarks that Heaven has given them a case of arson, murder, and attempted murder of a federal agent.
With the trial awaiting the arrival of the state prosecutor, Leland is left in limbo as each of the main plotlines faces a major reckoning on the horizon. Between Leland’s trial, Audrey’s impending rescue (or, perhaps, murder), and Donna and Maddy’s heist, the next episodes are sure to be doozies.
