Twin Peaks: Season 2, Episode 8 "Drive With a Dead Girl" Review

 "I'm close, but the last few steps are always the darkest and most difficult."

-Dale Cooper

"Drive With a Dead Girl" picks up with Donna (Lara Flynn Boyle) and James (James Marshall) attempting to say goodbye to Maddy (Sheryl Lee), but are told by Leland (Ray Wise) that Maddy has already gone home.  In actuality, Maddy's body is stashed in his golf bag, which he moves to the trunk of his car.

Later, Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) and Sheriff Truman (Michael Ontkean) let Leland know that Ben (Richard Beymer) has been taken into custody for involvement with Laura's (Sheryl Lee) murder.  This seems to upset him, but as soon as Cooper and Truman leaves, Leland dances.

Jerry Horne (David Patrick Kelly) takes on the role of Ben's lawyer.  Ben says he was with Catherine (Piper Laurie) the night of Laura's murder, but with Catherine missing and presumed dead, there is no way to confirm Ben's alibi.  Jerry quickly recommends that Ben get a better lawyer.

Bobby (Dana Ashbrook) listens to the tape he found in Leo's (Eric Da Re) boot and discovers that Leo and Ben conspired to burn the mill together and he plans to blackmail Ben.

Norma's (Peggy Lipton) mother, Vivian (Jane Greer), arrives at the Double R Diner and introduces her to her new husband, Ernie (James Booth).  Hank (Chris Mulkey) arrives after being missing for 48 hours.  Norma is furious, but Hank tells her some old enemies came looking for him and he had to hide.  The four have dinner that night and while the women are in the bathroom, it's revealed that Hank and Ernie were friends in prison.  Vivian has no idea that Ernie was ever in prison and Ernie claims to have gone straight.

MIKE (Al Strobel) escapes the Great Northern by knocking out a cop.  Later, Cooper and Truman pull over Leland for reckless driving and nearly discover Maddy's body in the trunk, but they are called away from Leland when MIKE is found.

Pete (Jack Nance) visits Ben in jail and plays a tape of Catherine for him that reveals she is alive and willing to give him an alibi in return for the mill and Ghostwood Estates.  The police bring MIKE in to see Ben, who says Ben is not BOB's (Frank Silva) host.  Sheriff Truman charges Ben with murder , but Cooper tells him he does not believe it is Ben.  Truman follows through anyway.  Later, they are called out to a crime scene where Maddy's body is pulled out of the river.

What Works:

This is the first full episode where we know that Leland is the killer and that allows Ray Wise to go all out.  It's so fun watching him dance his way through the episode.  Wise is always great, but now the gloves are off and he can go full crazy.

Jerry Horne returns and we get plenty of time with the Horne brothers in jail.  They have one of my favorite dynamics on the show and I love watching Jerry play lawyer to Ben.  Jerry telling Ben that he should get a better lawyer never fails to crack me up.

Speaking of Ben in prison, I love when Pete drops by to pay Ben a visit.  Pete laughing at Ben's predicament is hilarious and gives Jack Nance the chance to do something a little different in his performance.  

This episode introduces us to Ernie Niles, a character I really enjoy because he's kinda the butt monkey of the show.  Everyone is always picking on him and making him uncomfortable.  I find that very funny.  We don't get much of it here, but I enjoy Hank's glee during his dinner conversation with Ernie.

Finally, while this is a very funny episode, it ends on a dark note as Twin Peaks is known to do.  The discovery of Maddy's body is chilling, especially because it's such a similar moment to the discovery of Laura's body.  It's a great note to end the episode on because now Cooper and Truman know that things have escalated.

Crystal Coffee:

The Crystal Coffee Award goes to the most competent character of the episode.  For "Drive With a Dead Girl" I'm giving this Award to Dale Cooper for deducing that Ben is not the killer.  I like that he expresses this to Truman, but when Truman pushes back due to finally having hard evidence, Cooper lets it go.  It's a nice aspect of their dynamic.  This is Cooper's 8th time winning this Award.

Verdict:

This is another awesome episode of Twin Peaks.  It's a big change because while it's still a mystery for the characters, we now know the truth, which makes the episode feel different from what we've seen before.  We get some funny and over the top performances from a lot of characters and then we end on a perfectly dark note.  It's clear we're getting into the endgame of this mystery and it's very exciting.

 10/10: Amazing