Twin Peaks: Season 2 Premiere "May the Giant Be With You" Review

 "The owls are not what they seem."

-The Giant

Season 2 of Twin Peaks kicks off with Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) shot and laying on the floor of his hotel room.  A elderly and confused waiter (Hank Worden) finds Cooper, but does not seem to realize that Cooper needs help.  Cooper is then visited by the Giant (Carel Struycken), who says he will tell Cooper three things and to believe him when they come true.  First, there is a man in a smiling bag, second, the owls are not what they seem, and finally, without chemicals, he points.  He takes Cooper's ring with the promise to return it when Cooper finds all of the statements to be true.  He also tells Cooper there is a clue at the house of Leo Johnson (Eric Da Re).

Cooper is found by the police and patched up by Dr. Hayward (Warren Frost).  When he learns of all the violent events of the night, Cooper leaves the hospital to get back to work.  Hawk (Michael Horse) finds Leo's jacket, which smells of gasoline, implicating him in the mill arson.  They also find cocaine hidden under a loose board.  Andy (Harry Goaz) discovers Leo was in jail on the night of Teresa Banks' (Pamela Gidley) murder the previous year, which makes Cooper suspect Leo did not kill Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee).

Cooper gets the other half of Laura's necklace from James Hurley (James Marshall) and gets Dr. Jacoby (Russ Tamblyn) to explain that he saw James and Donna (Lara Flynn Boyle) bury it, which is how he was able to take it.  He also believes that Laura allowed herself to be killed because she wanted to die.

Cooper comforts Ed Hurley (Everett McGill) over Nadine's (Wendy Robie) suicide attempt.  Ed reveals that he accidentally shot out Nadine's eye on their honeymoon.  Cooper then notices a body bag that looks like it is smiling, which he had seen Jacques' (Walter Olkewicz) body in earlier.  Later that night, the Giant visits him again to tell Cooper he has forgotten something.

Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn) puts on a mask and manages to keep Ben Horn (Richard Beymer) at bay long enough for Jerry (David Patrick Kelly) to call him away.  The brothers meet with Hank (Chris Mulkey) to discuss Leo's survival and that he is currently in a coma.  They also believe Catherine Martell (Piper Laurie) to be dead.

Donna receives a note telling her to look into the Meals on Wheels program.  She volunteers to take over Laura's old route.

Sheriff Truman (Michael Ontkean) takes Pete Martell (Jack Nance) home from the hospital and learns Josie (Joan Chen) has gone to Seattle on a business trip.  

Leland Palmer's (Ray Wise) hair has mysteriously turned white overnight, but he has a much more positive attitude about life and goes back to work with the Horne brothers.

Ronette Pulaski (Phoebe Augustine) has a nightmare and relives Laura's death at the hands of BOB (Frank Silva).

What Works:

Before I watched Twin Peaks for the first time, the only things I knew about the show was that it was weird and there was a giant.  Watching this episode for the first time was very exciting for me.  This is the weirdest the show has been since Cooper's dream and this time it's happening in the real world.  And the arrival of the Giant is incredible.  Carel Struycken gives a fantastic performance and gives the show some very exciting developments.

Ronette's nightmare could give anyone nightmares.  We've never really seen the death of Laura Palmer before, and while we don't see the whole thing, we get to experience part of what Ronette and Laura went through.  It's very disturbing and Frank Silva is once again incredible as BOB.

Ray Wise hasn't had a ton to do so far on the show.  He's always given a great performance, but it's definitely been limited.  He gets to be far more over-the-top starting with this episode and it's a breath of fresh air.  Anything to get more screen-time for Wise.

Albert Rosenfield returns to the show and is again played brilliantly by Miguel Ferrer.  He's such a likable jerk.  I love when Andy finally has enough and yells at him and when Ed tells the tragic story of Nadine losing her eye, watching Albert trying his best not to laugh is both horrible and funny.

I also love the scene where Major Briggs (Don Davis) tells Bobby (Dana Ashbrook) about his dream about him.  It's such a sweet and wholesome moment and the first positive interaction between these two that we've seen.  

Finally, it's a little thing, but the hospital food being disgusting and constantly referencing that in the episode is hilarious.

What Sucks:

There are a couple of moments in the episode that make me want to cringe out of existence.  Donna wearing Laura's sunglasses and trying to act like Laura is just pain.  And the dinner party scene, especially the poem, is awful to sit through.  I just feel embarrassed while watching these scenes.

Crystal Coffee:

The Crystal Coffee Award goes to the most competent character of the episode.  For "May the Giant Be With You," this Award goes to Deputy Andy Brennan for helping to save Cooper, discovering Leo's alibi for Teresa Banks' murder, and for putting Albert in his place.  This is Andy's first time winning this Award.

Verdict:

Some cringey moments aside, this is a great episode of Twin Peaks and a fun way to open season 2.  I love the weirdness, the introduction of the Giant, Ronette's nightmare, the scene between Major Briggs and Bobby, and the awesome performances of Ray Wise and Miguel Ferrer.  This episode has absolutely got it going on.

 9/10: Great