Twin Peaks: Season 2, Episode 12 "The Black Widow" Review

 "Coop, I may be wearing a dress, but I still pull my panties on one leg at a time if you know what I mean."

-Agent Denise Bryson

"The Black Widow" picks up with Bobby Briggs (Dana Ashbrook) dropping by Ben Horne's (Richard Beymer) office.  Ben asks Bobby to follow Hank Jennings (Chris Mulkey) and photograph everything he does.  Bobby gets some incriminating photos and gives them to Ben.

The newly married Lana Milford (Robin Lively) discovers her husband, Dougie (Tony Jay), is dead from a heart attack.  Doguie's brother, Dwayne (John Boylan) blames Lana and Hawk (Michael Horse) comforts her.

Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) starts looking into buying a cottage in Twin Peaks.  He ends up visiting Dead Dog Farm, which hasn't been looked at by buyers in a year.  However, Cooper discovers tire tracks from multiple vehicles outside, as well as baby laxative and cocaine inside.

Dick Tremayne (Ian Buchanan) learns that his charge, Nicky (Joshua Harris), has been followed by misfortune his entire life and that his parents died under mysterious circumstances.  Later, Dick is nearly injured while changing a flat tire.  Dick suspects Nicky may be responsible and tells Andy (Harry Goaz) of his suspicions.

Nadine Hurley (Wendy Robie) joins the school wrestling team and annihilates Mike Nelson (Gary Hershberger) in an exhibition.

James Hurley (James Marshall) meets Malcolm Sloan (Nicholas Love), the brother of Evelyn Marsh (Annette McCarthy) and her husband Jeffrey's (John Apicella) chauffeur.  He tells James that Jeffrey beats Evelyn every couple of weeks and she breaks something of his to get back at him, which perpetuates the cycle.  James asks Evelyn about the situation and they end up kissing, but Jeffrey returns home.  That night, James and Malcom hear Evelyn getting hit, with Malcolm promising to kill Jeffrey one day.

Cooper and Sheriff Truman (Michael Ontkean) meet with Colonel Reilly (Tony Burton) who is investigating the disappearance of Major Briggs (Don Davis).  Reilly reveals that the message the military received concerning Cooper did not originate from deep space, but the nearby woods.

Cooper has his opening chess move printed in the newspaper, only to receive Windom Earle's (Kenneth Welsh) next move ahead of the printing, meaning Earle perfectly predicted Cooper's opening move. 

Cooper is then visited by Audrey Horne (Sherilyn Fenn), who gives him the photos Bobby took.  It shows Hank meeting Jean Renault (Michael Parks), Ernie Niles (James Booth), and Preston King (Gavan O'Herlihy) at Dead Dog Farm.  Cooper gives this information to Agent Denise Bryson (David Duchovny) as well as a sample of the cocaine to compare to the drugs planted in Cooper's car.  Denise tracks down Ernie and forces him to cooperate with a plan to turn the tables on Jean.

At the Briggs' house, Major Briggs suddenly reappears and is unsure about how long he has been gone.

What Works:

One little thing I like about this episode is the story of the Milford brothers.  Last episode, their feud was treated as a joke and a running gag for the townsfolk and the audience to laugh at.  All of a sudden, Dougie is dead, and while there are funny moments, there is a a sad and tender moment as Dwayne laments the death of his brother.  I appreciate the abrupt tonal shifts in this show, even in the smaller storylines.

Speaking of abrupt tonal shifts, let's talk about the Little Nicky of it all.  I will never not laugh at Andy imagining Nicky as the devil.  Yes, this is a pretty worthless subplot, but it makes me laugh.  Dick being so dramatic and Andy being clueless is simply priceless.

Warren Frost also has a great episode with his short screen-time.  Dr. Hayward isn't exactly the comic relief on this show, but I love his reactions to Dwayne's accusations against Lana.  Some great face acting from Frost here.

The forward momentum in the Jean Renault storyline is exciting.  I love seeing the pieces coming together to take down these scumbags.  Plus we get a really fun interactions between Denise and Audrey.  I love how impressed Audrey is by Denise.  It's just a really sweet moment.  And then we get Denise making Ernie feel uncomfortable, which always makes me laugh.

Finally, we get an excellent cliffhanger with the return of Major Briggs.  We get a great scene between Bobby and his mother and then the Major is back.  It's good to have this family all back together and getting along.

What Sucks:

Well, the Evelyn Marsh storyline continues, now with Malcolm Sloan, another winner of a character.  Who cares?

Crystal Coffee:

The Crystal Coffee Award goes to the most competent character of the episode.  For "The Black Widow," this Award goes to Audrey Horne for spying on Ben and Bobby, stealing the photos, and giving them to Cooper, which allowed him and Denise to move forward in their investigation.  This is Audrey's 3rd time winning this Award.

Verdict:

"The Black Widow" is another fun episode in a weird era of the show.  I enjoy the weirdness of both the Nicky storyline and the death of Dougie Milford.  Plus we get some interesting developments in the Jean Renault plot and the return of Major Briggs.  Yes, the Evelyn/James stuff sucks, but I really like the rest of the episode.  

 9/10: Great