Twin Peaks: Season 1, Episode 3 "Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer" Review

"That gum you like is going to come back in style." 

-The Man from Another Place

"Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer" picks up with Jerry Horne (David Patrick Kelly), the brother of Ben (Richard Beymer), arriving at the Great Northern after a business trip.  Ben informs Jerry of the failure of their business deal with the Norwegians and the murder of Laura Palma (Sheryl Lee), which depresses Jerry.  To cheer him up, Ben takes Jerry across the border to Canada to a casino and brothel, One Eyed Jacks.  They flip a coin to decides who gets to have sex with the new girl first and Ben wins.

Bobby (Dana Ashbrook) and Mike (Gary Hershberger) go out into the woods to pick up a supply of cocaine, but not all of it is there.  They are confronted by Leo (Eric Da Re) who demands the rest of his money and reveals that he knows someone is sleeping with Shelley (Mädchen Amick), but he isn't sure who.  He then scares Mike and Bobby away.  Bobby goes to visit Shelley and discovers she has a bruise on her face from Leo.  He promises her that if Leo ever hits her again, he'll kill him.

Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is delivered an envelope under the door of his hotel room, with a note that reads, "Jack with One Eye."  The next morning, he sets up an exercise with the Sheriff's Department.  He explains that during a dream he learned a "Tibetan Method" of investigation.  Sheriff Truman (Michael Ontkean) says the name of every person connected to the case that has a name starting with J, as in the "J" Laura was nervous about meeting according to her diary.  Agent Cooper throws a rock at a glass bottle for each name.  Dr. Jacoby's (Russ Tamblyn) rock hits the glass, but bounces off.  Leo Johnson's rock shatters the glass.

Ed (Everett McGill) accidentally spills grease all over his wife, Nadine's (Wendy Robie), attempt at inventing silent drape runners.  She is enraged, but later realizes that grease was the final ingredient she needed to complete her invention.

Agent Albert Rosenfield (Miguel Ferrer) and his team arrive in Twin Peaks to help with the forensic side of the investigation.  Albert process to insult Twin Peaks and everyone involved in the investigation, which leads to Sheriff Truman threatening to knock out Albert's teeth.

Pete Martell (Jack Nance) manages to steal the key to his wife, Catherine's (Piper Laurie), safe and slips it to Josie (Joan Chen).  She opens the safe and discovers Catherine has two different and distinct ledger books.

Leland Palmer (Ray Wise) begins to dance with a portrait of Laura and when Sarah (Grace Zabriskie) stops him, the picture breaks and Leland has a meltdown.

Cooper has disturbing dreams.  It begins with a one-armed man who calls himself MIKE (Al Strobel), who speaks of his former partner, BOB (Frank Silva).  MIKE says they used to live together above a convenience store and that MIKE eventually cut ties with BOB by cutting off his own arm.  BOB appears next and swears that he will kill again.

Finally, Cooper dreams that he is much older and sitting in a red room with the Man From Another Place (Michael J. Anderson) and someone who looks like Laura, but the Man claims she is just his cousin.  As the Man dances, Laura whispers in Cooper's ear the name of her killer.

Cooper wakes up and calls Sheriff Truman telling him he knows the identity of Laura's killer.

What Works:

So this is the episode where I truly fell in love with Twin Peaks.  I really liked the first two episodes the first time I had watched it, but I wasn't really sure what the show was yet.  This was the episode where I discovered what Twin Peaks was and discovered that I would never fully understand the show, but was willing to go along for the ride.  You can argue all day long about which episode of this show is the best, but this one will always be my favorite.

The first two episodes are certainly quirky, but this is where things truly go off the rails.  Cooper's use of the Tibetan Method of investigation showed me that Cooper wasn't just a quirky agent.  He is going to use spiritual elements to solve this case.  This was something I wasn't expecting at all, but I loved watching him throw rocks at a glass bottle to help solve the case.

We also get Audrey's (Sherilyn Fenn) crazy dance in the Double R Diner.  It's just another weird and iconic moment that gives the show a surreal vibe.

Cooper's dream at the end lives rent-free in my head.  I don't if I've ever felt as much dread as I did when I saw the Man from Another Place standing with his back to the camera and jerking erratically.  That image is burned into my eyes.  The first time I watched this episode, I felt genuinely scared, which is very uncommon for me in watching anything scary.  He doesn't end up being a scary character (for now, at least), but that image will haunt me for the rest of my life.

As for the rest of the dream, we get our real introductions to MIKE and BOB as well as the Red Room.  These are some of the most important elements of the show and they are instantly iconic.  BOB threatening to catch someone in his death bag is particularly unnerving.

Finally, we get introduced to two excellent characters in this episode.  First is Jerry Horne.  While he and his brother are despicable, I love how much they care for one another and their love for food.  It's the only wholesome element these characters have, but it's nice shading and it makes them more fun to watch, even when they're being just awful.

We also get Albert.  His first episode does nothing to show why this character is so beloved amongst fans, but on the rewatch, it's so damn fun.  Miguel Ferrer plays such a believable asshole and he certainly makes an impression.  It makes his character arc very satisfying.

What Sucks:

I got nothing for you.

Crystal Coffee:

The Crystal Coffee Award goes to the most competent character of the episode.  For the third time in a row, this award is going to Agent Dale Cooper for figuring out that Dr. Jacoby and Leo Johnson are important to the case.

Verdict:

"Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer" is my favorite episode of Twin Peaks.  I think it's when the show fully finds itself and embraces the weirdness.  It has so many insane moments and an iconic ending.  Plus it introduces us to two more awesome characters and continues to haunt the waking hours of my life.  It has absolutely got it going on.

 10/10: Amazing