Twin Peaks: Arbitrary Law

July 30th, 2008

Season 2, Episode 9

Synopsis

Albert returns to Twin Peaks, announcing that Laura and Maddie were murdered by the same individual. A letter “O” was found beneath Maddie’s fingernail, along with fibers from a white fox. Cooper requests 24 hours to find the killer.

James gives Donna a promise ring. They kiss.

Vivian doesn’t like the omelet Norma has prepared. Norma complains about being unable to please her. Andy mumbles something in French over pie – “I am a lonely soul” – the contents of Harold’s suicide note. Donna recognizes the phrase from Harold’s neighbor, Mrs. Tremond.

Donna leads Cooper to Mrs. Tremond’s house. A lady comes to the door and says the older Mrs. Tremond passed away. She hands over a letter that was left for Donna from Harold. It contains a page from Laura’s diary. The page recounts Cooper’s prophetic dream of a red room with Laura and the mysterious midget, and says MIKE can stop BOB. Laura wondered if Cooper was MIKE, and she wants to die so Bob can’t hurt her anymore.

Cooper tells MIKE (via Gerard, the one-armed man) that BOB killed Maddie. MIKE says appetite, satisfaction, and a golden circle means a ring. Cooper mentions the ring he gave to the Giant. MIKE says the Giant has all the clues he needs. The elderly butler appears in the hall with a glass of milk, saying “I know about you.”

Cooper searches Ben Horne’s office. Harry believes Ben is the killer. He finds a telephone call between Ben and Laura the night of the murder. Albert hands over Ben Horne’s blood test.

Mr. Tojimura visits Ben in jail, asking him to sign over the Ghostwood land. Ben claims he’s unable to sign do so. Mr. Tojimura puts a foot with red toenails through the bars – it’s Catherine in disguise. Ben is overjoyed – since they were together on the night of Laura’s murder, she can provide him with an alibi. He signs Ghostwood over to her.

Donna asks Leland to send Maddie a tape recording. He tells him that the police now have Laura’s secret diary. Leland is disturbed, and Donna begins to suspect that Leland may have killed his own daughter. Leland chews a stick of gum and goes to get some lemonade. He looks in a mirror to see Bob, and prepares to kill Donna.

Leland puts on a record and starts dancing with her. He then pulls Donna toward her suddenly. The doorbell rings. It’s Harry. He asks Leland for his help and takes him out the door. Donna visits the lake, and tells James that Maddie and Laura were killed by the same person. He drives away on the motorcycle. Donna cries.

Cooper and Albert bring Leland, Ed, Ben, and Leo to the bar. Cooper announces that the killer is one of these men, and he’ll use “magic” to identify him. Major Briggs escorts the elderly butler into the room.

The butler offers some gum to Cooper. Leland says this is his favorite gum. The butler says this gum will come back in style – the words spoken to Cooper by the midget in his dream. Suddenly, Cooper remembers what Laura whispered in his ear in that same dream: “my father killed me”. The giant appears to Cooper and gives him the ring which drops to the floor. He chews the stick of gum and picks up the ring.

Cooper, now certain Leland is the killer, decides to reveal this sneakily. He names Ben as the killer and asks Leland to act as Ben’s attorney. As they exit the bar, Cooper gives a thumbs up to the elderly butler.

As Ben is placed in a cell, Cooper and Harry grab Leland and lock him up. They interrogate Leland, who is flipping out, possessed by BOB. Ben is free.

Leland (BOB) admits to killing both Laura and Maddie. The confession is enough to convince Harry that Leland is the killer.

Lucy tells Andy and Richard that she is keeping the baby. Richard’s cigarette smoke tips off a smoke detector.

Ben’s blood test was the wrong type. Cooper rattles off a list of clues that indicated Leland as the murderer:

The midget danced in the dream. Leland also liked to dance, inappropriately.
Leland said his neighbor Robertson was a grey-haired man. After Jacques murder, Leland’s hair turned white. The letters left under the victims were spelling “Robert.”
Maddie reminded Leland of Laura.
Leland called Laura from Ben’s office, ripped out the pages in the diary, and was the third man who followed Laura and Ronette into the woods. He took the girl’s to the train car.

From his confinement, Leland recounts a poem:

Through the darkness of future past
The magician longs to see
Once chants out between two worlds
Fire, walk with me
I’ll cut you with my death bag
You may think I’ve gone insane
But I promise, I will kill again

Fire sprinklers go off. Leland screams and hurls himself at the wall, repeatedly. BOB has left his body. Leland realizes he killed his daughter and starts crying. He lies on the floor of the wet cell and dies. Cooper talks him to the light. He says he sees Laura and dies.

Harry decides Leland was insane. Albert mentions the oddity that other people (Laura’s mom Sarah, Maddie) had seen BOB. Major Briggs mumbles about evil, and Cooper vows to stop it. Harry wonders where BOB could have gone.

We then see a brief montage of something running through the woods and an owl.

Thoughts

Very great moment: Catherine’s grand reveal to Ben.
Donna cries, again.
Ray Wise does a stellar acting job playing both the evil BOB and then Leland, dying as he realizes his horrific crime.
It seems the Midget may in fact be MIKE and he possesses Gerard, the one-armed man. Similarly, the Giant possesses the elderly butler, and BOB possesses Leland.
The ring represents the “circle” of killing and pleasure received as BOB feeds on the fear of his victims.

Overall, I feel this episode was a long time coming. I’ve read it was Lynch and Frost’s intent to never reveal Laura’s killer, but unfortunately, all the clues dropped thus far had to have a resolution. But while it did take a while, I feel the episode lives up to the promise.

Clues: