Day Two Hundred and Seventy-six - Twin Peaks: Season 1, Episode 3, "What the hell kind of two-bit operation they running out of this treehouse, Cooper?"

Wheels within wheels within wheels... we get to see a whole lot of plot concerning all of the various goings-on around town, but there's so much concerning so many people that it's hard to see just what it means in the grand scheme of things that revolve around Laura's murder.

To be frank, nothing directly does... but the very event of her murder has repercussions that have influenced this entire town and everyone in it.

For example, because Laura was murdered, Audrey's father lost a major deal with "the Norwegians," and needs to blow off steam with his brother (played by David Patrick Kelly of The Warriors fame) at One-Eyed Jack's, a casion/cathouse across the border in Canada. Also, Laura was holding ten grand for Bobby who owes Leo the dough for a cocaine shipment. Plus Ed sports wounds from his fight last episode because he was staking out the roadhouse.... all because of Laura's death.

It's all connected... everything and everyone in town is pushed in some direction thanks to Laura's murder, and that really makes you think, doesn't it?

This episode also marks the first time that we get something truly supernatural... though, it's confusing as hell... because this is the first time that we're introduced to The Red Room. Now, thanks to the Tibetan Baseball sequence, The Red Room could've easily just been written off as a dream of Cooper's in which his unconscious state was sifting through clues and giving him enigmatic answers in return. With the inclusion of Mike and Bob, though, in eerily related messages directed at who knows who (Mike, the viewer, Agent Cooper), there's no doubt that these visions are of Outsider Spirits (or, perhaps, some combination of the two).

It's been pointed out to me that episode 2 wasn't the first time we see Bob... if you pay attention to the brief shots of Laura's mother screaming at the end of the pilot, you can indeed see a long haired figure in the mirror. I always thought it was Laura, as her mother has a habit of seeing her face wherever she wants, but the internet research I've done does confirm that it was Bob (or, rather, his actor, Frank Silva).

To be honest, I could've done without the Mike and Bob bits... particularly Bob and his promises about catching you in his "Deathbag." Silva's delivery is very, very rough. I could handle the ham and cheese from Mike, but Bob was sort of the straw that broke the camel's back. Thank god it ended quickly and we're taken back to The Red Room.

The Red Room... man... so many ships have sailed, creatively, because of that single set piece.

And let's not forget Miguel Ferrer making his first appearance as the rude forensics expert, Albert Rosenfield. He was one of my favorites in the series, along with David Duchovny (who plays Denise... we'll get to him later).

You know, I think that... aside from Bob... the only thing that really annoyed me about this episode was the cutesy puppy love scenes between James and Donna. They don't last long, though, so I lived... obviously. Plus, the comedy scenes like Tibetan Baseball and Nadine's silent runners make up for it.

And, I think that about does it for today. We'll be back tomorrow with more Twin Peaks (possibly two episodes) before heading into our first weekend of Horror Movies here on Couchbound, so stay tuned as our Spooktacular continues!

Until tomorrow, Potatoes~