Twin Peaks: The Path To The Black Lodge

October 16th, 2008

Season 2, Episode 20

Synopsis

Lucy announces her intention to enter the Miss Twin Peaks contest, and will soon decide whether Andy or Dick will act as father to her child. John Wheeler learns a friend has been murdered, and he must leave Twin Peaks immediately. Donna finds her birth certificate has no father listed, and old photographs of Ben clowning around with her parents.

Briggs tells Cooper about Windham Earle’s involvement with the military project Blue Book. Windham was secretive with the information that sorcerers cultivate evil exponentially in a place called the Black Lodge. Cooper theorizes Windham is searching for this Black Lodge in the woods near Twin Peaks. Cooper is sure the petroglyphs on the blackboard have something to do with the Lodge. The bugged bonsai is present.

Having eavesdropped on their conversation, Windham laughs at their stupitidy. Leo hides the electric shock collar trigger in his pocket.

At the diner, a woman takes a bite of pie and her arm starts twitching. Shelly and Bobby go over her contest speech. Duane and Lana discuss ways to convice the other judges to vote for her.

Cooper meets with Donna, Shelly, and Audrey about the torn poem pieces they received. Donna mentions her father’s old friend, Audrey the library guy, and Shelly the large tip. Cooper says they were all visited by Winham Earle in disguise. He says the three of them are in grave danger.

Worried that Windham will kill Shelly, Leo activates the shocker he stole earlier — and shocks himself. Windham Earle laughs and grabs some shackles.

Ben asks Audrey to enter the Miss Twin Peaks contest to protect the ferret. He tells her John had to leave suddenly. Audrey dashes off after him. Pete stares at the wood in the hotel fireplace and says “Josie, I see your face.”

Andy, Cooper, and Harry stare at the petroglyphs on the chalkboard, trying to decipher its secrets. Cooper tells Harry about Annie. His arm twitches mysteriously.

Major Briggs walks through the woods, touching the odd tattoo behind his ear. A man in a horse suit walks up to him and shoots him with a tranquilizer dart. It’s Windham Earle.

At the diner, Annie pours Cooper coffee. They kiss. A plate of dishes falls on the ground and some syrup drips in slow motion. Ominous music plays.

About to take off, Audrey waves down John’s plane. He greets her on the tarmac, and brings her aboard for some romance. Pete’s hand starts to shake.

Windham has tied Major Briggs up and shoots at him with a crossbow. He injects Briggs with truth serum. Briggs rambles incoherently about the White Lodge and the time when Jupiter and Saturn meet.

Catherine and Andrew get more aggressive with the puzzle box. He presses some buttons and it opens, revealing another box. He smashes that one open revealing — yet another metal box.

Annie arrives at a dance to celebrate the start of the Miss Twin Peaks contest. Cooper greets her, smiling. He wants to protect her and she likes to be protected. She wants to enter the Miss Twin Peaks contest, too.  Suddenly, all goes dark as the giant appears to Cooper, waving and saying “no.”

John’s plane takes off. Audrey meets Pete on the tarmac, sadly saying he was the man of her dreams. Pete offers to take her fishing.

Windham sings as Leo and Briggs scream. He superimposes a map of Twin Peaks over the petroglyph wall. It’s a map leading to the Black Lodge.

A phone rings. The wind blows through the trees. A small circle of stones surrounding water appears in the woods. An arm reaches out through the dark night. It is Bob. The camera pans down to the small pool, revealing a red curtained room to strains of saxophone music.

Thoughts

Windham Earle’s true intentions become clearer. He’s not only after revenge on Cooper, but also searching for the mysterious Black Lodge which is a place of evil somewhere in the woods around Twin Peaks. He also has something nefarious planned for the Miss Twin Peaks contest. So far, pretty much every woman in Twin Peaks has entered — Lucy, Lana, Shelly, and Annie, who is falling in love with Cooper.

We also see indications of a return to the bizarre, twisted dream world that was so key in season one and largely forgotten during the middle of season two. It’s summed up through one truly chill inducing moment — the final chill-inducing scene of a pool in the woods and the creepy hand emerging from the darkness. This is undoubtedly the Black Lodge, and the red curtains indicate a connection to the mysterious red room where Cooper met Laura Palmer and the midget man from another place. So we’ve come full circle. Windham Earle wants to find the place where Laura Palmer talked to Cooper in his dream. Like I said, creepy.

Next Episode: Miss Twin Peaks
Previous Episode: Variations On Relations