Twin Peaks: Season 2, Episode 4 "Laura's Secret Diary" Review

 "We'll meet and raise a glass again together, in Valhalla."
-Judge Sternwood

"Laura's Secret Diary" picks up with Leland Palmer (Ray Wise) confessing to killing Jacques Renault (Walter Olkewicz).  Sheriff Truman (Michael Ontkean) calls in a judge and the state prosecutor.

Deputy Andy (Harry Goaz) wants to get his sperm rechecked and gives a sample to Dr. Hayward (Warren Frost).  Lucy (Kimmy Robertson) catches him getting ready to prepare a sample with a copy of Flesh World and gets mad at him.  Later, Dick Tremayne (Ian Buchanan) approaches Lucy and offers to pay for an abortion.  She gets furious, rejects his money, and kicks him out of the police station.

Word gets around town that a famous travel writer, M. T. Wentz, whose identity is unknown, is coming to Twin Peaks.  Ben Horne (Richard Beymer) has his staff keep a careful eye out, while Norma (Peggy Lipton) and Hank (Chris Mulkey) spruce up the Double R Diner.

Jean Renault (Michael Parks) visits Ben and shows him the tape of Audrey (Sherilyn Fenn).  He demands that Ben gets Agent Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) to deliver the ransom money.  Ben informs Cooper of the situation and he agrees to help.  Jean returns to One Eyed Jacks and discovers that Emory Battis (Don Amendolia) has hit Audrey, so Jean shoots and kills him.

Donna Hayward (Lara Flynn Boyle) visits Harold Smith (Lenny Von Dohlen), where he confesses to having a secret second diary of Laura Palmer's (Sheryl Lee).  Donna tries to convince him to give it to the police, but he refuses, saying it wouldn't help the investigation.  Later, Donna tells Maddy (Sheryl Lee) about the situation and wants her help.

Josie Packard (Joan Chen) returns from a shopping trip in Seattle and pretends to not know about Catherine Martell's (Piper Laurie) death.  When Sheriff Truman arrives to ask her about the situation, she gets defensive and emotionally manipulates Truman into sleeping with her instead.  They are watched by a man from Hong Kong, who Josie later introduces to Pete (Jack Nance) as Jonathan (Mak Takano), her cousin.  Jonathan is actually here to bring Josie back to Hong Kong once the business with the mill is concluded.  With concerns that Hank may cause problems, Jonathan sneaks into the diner and attacks Hank and threatens to kill him.

Cooper asks Truman to let him borrow one of the Bookhouse Boys for a secret mission.  Truman says he'll have his best man meet him at the Roadhouse.  Later, Truman meets Cooper at the Roadhouse himself to join the mission.

What Works:

My favorite part of the episode is actually one of my favorite moments in the whole series.  I love the friendship between Cooper and Truman and this is the episode that truly locks that relationship in.  When Cooper asks Truman for the best Bookhouse Boy to meet him, Truman arrives instead and it's such an awesome moment.  I love that Truman puts this level of trust in Cooper and Cooper seals the deal by buying Truman a beer.  Ladies and gentlemen, we have a bromance!

This episode has some crazy shifts in tone.  We go from very dark confessions of murder to the wacky subplots of Andy and his sperm and the incoming arrival of a mysterious travel writer.  A lesser show couldn't pull off that level of tonal whiplash, but Twin Peaks does it and makes it look easy.

We're introduced to another new character in this episode, Judge Sternwood (Royal Dano).  He will only appear once more on the show and his character isn't very relevant overall, but I like Dano's performance a lot.  He's a very unique character for a Judge and not what I expected.  I love that Twin Peaks even takes the time to get most of the small characters right.

Finally, Ray Wise continues to kill it.  The episode opens with his confession.  His line delivery and facial expressions are simply masterful.  He's an incredible actor and he shines every time he is on screen.

What Sucks:

I only have two minor complaints with this episode.  First, as per usual, I find Donna pretty insufferable when she is discussing her relationship issues with Maddy.  Luckily, that's only one scene.  Also, we have the introduction of the character of Mr. Tojamura, which is probably the aspect of Twin Peaks that has aged the worst.  He only appears once in this episode, but it's uncomfortable when you know he is really Catherine in disguise.  It's not great.

Crystal Coffee:

The Crystal Coffee Award goes to the most competent character of the episode.  For "Laura's Secret Diary," I'm giving this Award to Jonathan for beating the crap out of Hank with ease.  This is his first time winning this Award.

Verdict:

This is another solid episode of Twin Peaks that is elevated by the Copper-Truman bromance, the performances of Ray Wise and Royal Dano, and some interesting shifts in tone.  Apart from a couple of minor complaints, this episode has definitely got it going on.

 9/10: Great