Twin Peaks: The Condemned Woman

September 18th, 2008

Season 2, Episode 16

Synopsis

Agent Cooper plays Windham Earle’s recorded message to Harry. They call on Pete Martell to play the next chess move. Meanwhile, Pete and Catherine are having breakfast when Josie enters the room to see Andrew Packard — her husband — whom she thought was dead all these years — still alive and well. She faints.

Cooper and Harry question Hank, under arrest for breaking parole. Harry says Bobby saw him shoot Leo. Hank tries to cut a deal, saying he knows who killed Andrew Packard. Albert wants to arrest Josie, saying the bullet found in Jonathan’s body matches the one found in Cooper -  Josie shot them both.

At the Great Northern, handsome newcomer John chats up Audrey. She receives a mysterious letter from Windham Earle, containing part of a poem and an invitation to visit the Roadhouse that evening.

Nadine informs Ed she’s in love with Mike and wants to break up with him.

Cooper questions Josie — as Catherine secretly listens. He says they have enough evidence to arrest her, and perhaps she should explain everything to Harry first. After Cooper leaves, Catherine tells Josie that Eckhart won’t be happy to find Andrew alive (it was Josie’s job to kill him all those years ago). Josie grows increasingly distraught, grabbing a gun hidden in a bookshelf.

Ben has called a meeting with John, Audrey, Jerry, and Bobby. Ben says Horne industry is on hard times, what with the mill and Ghostwood now owned by Catherine. He reveals a picture of the nearly extinct pine weasel, saying Ghostwood project threatens this harmless creature and must be stopped.

At the diner, Windham Earle, in a biker disguise, leaves a note for Shelly, which contains a part of a poem and the same invitation Audrey received. Norma mentions her sister Annie Blackburn is coming visit Twin Peaks. Suddenly, Ed bursts in, kisses Norma, and asks her to marry him.

Norma visits Hank in jail and tells him to forget about her. He demands an alibi in exchange for a divorce. Norma doesn’t want to, and leaves Hank screaming in his cell.

Josie puts on makeup (as she did in the pilot episode). Andrew shares a glass of champagne her. She admits trying to murder him and failing, then beg for help. He says the police are closing in, and her only hope is to give herself up to Eckhart.

Donna and James meet secretly in the woods. James admits getting involved with Evelyn was a huge mistake. Donna forgives him and returns to Twin Peaks, while James continues on alone.

Pete answers the door to find Harry, nervously searching for Josie. Pete and Catherine say she went to the Great Northern to meet with Eckhart. Harry runs off. Andrew stops Eckhart in the elevator, claiming Josie didn’t have the guts to murder him. Eckhart is angered by Josie’s perceived betrayal.

Donna, Shelly, and Audrey arrive at the Roadhouse with the notes they received. Windham Earle secretly watches from the end of the bar.

Cooper walks down the hall of the Great Northern when he overhears Thomas Eckardt attacking Josie in his room. A gunshot rings out — Eckhart has been shot and killed by Josie. Cooper confronts as she cries about going to to jail. Harry arrives to see Josie turning the gun on herself. She dies. Cooper has a vision of Bob hovering over the bed, asking “What happened to Josie?” The diminutive man from another place dances on the bed, lit by a spotlight.

The camera moves over to the nightstand to show Josie’s face in the doorknob — her soul is trapped within the wood.

Thoughts

• This episode brings much closure to the very long and convoluted Josie Packard plot line. It turns out she actually had a long and sordid history with unsavory characters. She tried to kill her own husband (Andrew Packard) but he faked his own death and turned her previous lover, Thomas Eckhart, against her. Harry, her lover, was totally left on the sidelines and the after effects are seen in the next few episodes.
• The other big mystery solved was “who shot Agent Cooper?” a question posed in the season finale of season one. The culprit was Josie. It sure took an awfully long time to work up to this conclusion.
• In the end, as Josie is sucked into the wood of the hotel, Cooper again sees the Bob and the midget, loosely connecting the Josie plot line to Laura Palmer’s murder, and the next big plot thread in development: Windham Earle and the Black Lodge.
• This episode also marks the end of the James / Evelyn / Malcom / Donna stuff which as I’ve mentioned before, was not my cup of tea.
• Now that the Josie and James stuff has concluded, the show starts getting back on its feet via nutty, surreal, and genuinely scary material as Windham Earle moves back to the forefront.
• The first mention of Annie Blackburn, Norma’s sister, who will be Cooper’s love interest for the remaining episodes.

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