Twin Peaks: Season 2, Episode 9 "Arbitrary Law" Review

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

"Arbitrary Law" picks up with Albert Rosenfeld (Miguel Ferrer) confirming that Maddy Ferguson (Sheryl Lee) was killed by the same person as Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee).  Sheriff Truman (Michael Ontkean) plans to call Maddy's family and inform them, but Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) asks for 24 hours so he can solve the case.

Donna Hayward (Lara Flynn Boyle) overhears Andy Brennan (Harry Goaz) talking about Harold Smith's (Lenny Von Dohlen) suicide note and connects it to Mrs. Tremond (Frances Bay) and her grandson.  She tells Agent Cooper and they go to Mrs. Tremond's house, where they discover a completely different woman who lives alone.  She gives Donna a note that was addressed to her and Donna discovers pages of Laura's diary.  They reveal that she and Cooper had the same dream and mentions that the only person BOB (Frank Silva) is afraid of is MIKE (Al Strobel).  It also has an entry of the date of Laura's death that confirms she knew she was going to die as it was the only way to escape BOB.

Catherine (Piper Laurie) visits Ben Horne (Richard Beymer) in jail, while in disguise as Tojamura.  She reveals her true identity and he signs over Ghostwood and the mill to her in exchange for confirming his alibi, but she leaves without doing anything.

Donna visits Leland (Ray Wise) to have him send a copy of the song she and Maddy recorded with James (James Marshall) to Maddy.  Leland gets a call from Maddy's mother saying Maddy never made it home.  Leland convinces Donna to relax and dance with him.  As Leland pulls Maddy in close to attack her, the doorbell rings and the Sheriff asks Leland to help him with a new murder.  Donna realizes Maddy is dead and tells James, who leaves in anger.

Cooper goes to see MIKE, who tells him the Giant (Carel Struycken) can help him find BOB.  Cooper holds a meeting at the Roadhouse with Truman, Albert, Hawk (Michael Horse), Ben, Leland, Ed Hurley (Everett McGil), Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashford), Leo Johnson (Eric Da Re), Major Briggs (Don Davis), and the old waiter (Hank Worden).  The waiter gives Cooper a stick of gum, which Leland make a comment about, which makes Cooper remember his dream and that Laura told him her father killed her.  Cooper tells the police to take Ben back to the station and asks Leland to come along as Ben's attorney.

At the station, under the guise of bringing Ben to an interrogation room, Cooper and Truman manage to shove Leland inside instead and lock him in.  Ben is released and they interrogate Leland, who reveals himself to be BOB and that Leland was just a vehicle who doesn't remember much of what BOB does.  BOB confesses to the murders.

Meanwhile, Lucy (Kimmy Robertson) meets with Andy and Dick Tremayne (Ian Buchanan) and tells them she is going to have the baby and will do a blood test to determine who the father is.  Dick's cigarette smoke causes the sprinkler system to go off, which makes BOB go berserk.  He forces Leland to bash his head into the metal door repeatedly, which fatally wounds him.  BOB leaves Leland, and he realizes that he was forced to kill Laura because she wouldn't give herself over to BOB.  Cooper comforts Leland as he dies.

The next morning, Cooper, Truman, Albert, and Major Briggs discuss whether Leland was insane, if BOB was real, or if he was just a metaphor for evil.  Finally, they wonder if BOB does exist, where is he now?

What Works:

This really is the end of an era for Twin Peaks.  The audience and the characters now all know who killed Laura Palmer.  The mystery is over, but the show still goes on.  I think this episode does a great job of wrapping up this storyline for the characters, but reminding us that BOB is still out there.  It kind of feels like a season finale and works well on that front.   

Ray Wise gives his swan song in this episode and boy does he deliver.  His performances as BOB and Leland in the interrogation room are simply fantastic and unnerving.  And his dance with Donna is very intense.  She was probably seconds from being murdered and that's a chilling thought.  He goes out on a high note, for sure.

I have a problem with the Roadhouse stuff, but I love the atmosphere of the scene.  I always love when the supernatural elements interact with the real world and we get to see the pieces come together for Cooper.  I really like how the scene is shot and the music is very effective.  

Finally, I really like the end of the episode where Cooper, Truman, Hawk, and Major Briggs discuss the nature of Leland and BOB.  It's an interesting discussion and chilling to realize that BOB is still out there.  And I really like Cooper talking about how it's the job of the four of them to stop the evil.  It's inspiring because these four are men I would trust with that job.  While the darkness can be overwhelming, it's a nice thought that there are people like them who will do their best to combat the darkness.

What Sucks:

Just a couple of minor things here.  As per usual, James is very annoying.  Luckily, he's only in two scenes.  As for the Roadhouse scene, it's not as effective as it could have been.  It's like that classic scene in whodunnits where the detective gathers the suspects and reveals how the crime was done and who did it.  The problem is; the audience already knows who did it and Cooper doesn't really reveal anything.  I don't really know why Ed, Bobby, and Leo had to be in the scene.  It would have worked much better if the audience didn't know Leland was the killer.  I love the atmosphere, but the logic of the scene falls flat.

Crystal Coffee:

The Crystal Coffee Award goes to the most competent character of the episode.  For "Arbitrary Law," the Award goes to Dale Cooper, of course.  He solved the murders of Teresa Banks, Laura Palmer, and Maddy Ferguson.  What else needs to be said?  This is Cooper's 9th time winning this Award.

Verdict:

"Arbitrary Law" wraps up the Laura Palmer mystery nicely with an excellent performance from Ray Wise, some creepy atmosphere, and a solid finale.  I have a few nitpicks, but this episode has definitely got it going on.

 9/10: Great