2x13 Checkmate

[5.0/10] It’s nice to know that, whatever Twin Peaks’s other failings, it’s still good at being creepy. Mrs. Bloom noted that the final image of the episode, with Cooper’s former partner having set some random dead man up in Truman’s office with a chessboard, feels very much like a proto-version of something from Dexter. (For the love of god, let’s not use the word “tableau.”) Like most things in the show, it’s a bit cheesy, but it’s still a haunting thing to have our heroes walk in on.

But much more chilling than that is the scene with Shelly and Leo. I’ve been cold on the two of them as a pair of the numerous weak links, but the scene with the two of them was one of the scariest and best in the show. The hum and creep of the power coming on and off, while the music unnervingly stops and starts, creates a frightening mood from the get go. The cinematography -- slow shots of light bulbs and empty furniture -- lend to that scary atmosphere as well. And the smiling face of Leo, with his party hat and cake-covered face, is the best use of the character there’s been yet.

Here’s the other thing I really appreciated about this episode. When Twin Peaks is bad, most of the time it’s just kind of dull, but the stuff that’s bad here is appropriately loony or pulpy that I can at least laugh at it and be entertained by it.

The peak of that is Nadine’s storyline. It actually led to somewhere for once! For one thing, seeing her go all predatory on Mike was its own kind of creepy, but also speaks to the persistence of teenage Nadine that likely helped her in wooing Ed. Even beyond the backstory that Ed gave of the two of them early in the season, that sort of “won’t take no for an answer” perseverance helps the two of them make sense as a couple back in the day.

And her super-strength actually came in handy! I don’t particularly care about Ed and Norma. The forbidden love angle has been weak from the start and their rekindling didn’t do much for me either. (Though is the first time we’ve ever seen the two kiss?) By the same token, Hank being magically behind Ed after he says goodbye to Norma was silly as all get out. But I laughed my head off at Nadine bursting in and using her superpowers to knock Hank around the house. It’s cartoony as hell, but it was fun in a bent sort of way, and I could at least enjoy the ridiculousness of it.

Were that the same could be said for the continuing lame adventures of Deputy Andy and Dick Trelane. Their little escapade to the orphanage drags out this go-nowhere storyline of whether Little Nicky really is a demonspawn even further. Though at least Dick has the smarts to know to get out while they can and read the stolen file in the car.

Also, James’s story continues to be the absolute pits. The cut-rate Kim Bassinger femme fatale angle with Mrs. Marsh is dull, and whether it’s the actor who plays James (who actually smiles here!) or the garbage-level dialogue, the lines exchanged between them about James’s survivor’s guilt over what happened with Laura and Maddy goes over like a lead balloon. The twist with Mrs. Marsh making out with her “brother” could be a Game of Thrones-like twist, but I suspect it’s part of some black widow scheme to have James kill Mr. Marsh so the two of them can inherit the estate and be together. Feh.

But we get some decent material from Major Briggs. While the radioactive symbol floating through the galaxy and then turning into flames was goofier than the Disney character, the way that the normally stoic Briggs was clearly shaken by his experience gave his recounting force. It’s more mumbo jumbo in terms of dialogue, but Briggs sells it, and his struggle between what’s classified and transcendent, better than it has any right to be sold.

We also get a pretty darn good Cooper caper. The sting gone awry with Norma’s prospective father-in-law is a nice setpiece. The hostage exhange gives Cooper some more nobility. It’s a fitting end(?) for Jean Renalt, who is at least able to assess the situation with clear eyes. And we even get Denise/Dennis using her cross-dressing ways (and Cooper’s quick thinking) to save the day! The scene where she shows up dressed as a waitress from the Double R packing a pistol is, again, broad action movie stuff, but it works with the vibe of the show in a fun way.

Were that the same could be said for Ben Horne and Catherine Martell. Ben’s going nuts and having a Civil War obsession was kind of amusing as a change at first, but now it’s quickly run its course. And I don’t know if anyone was really clamoring for him and Ben to start being romantic with one another again. Similarly, Audrey is mired in this story which is dragged down, naturally, by the inclusion of Bobby who is, as usual, focused on himself and trying to turn this association into a money making scheme, while putting the moves on his latest attempted conquest. Basically anything going on at the Great Northern that doesn’t involve Coop is skippable.

Otherwise this is an episode that you can pretty well divide into the third. There’s the material that’s legitimately good and entertaining, like the Sherrif’s sting operation and the creepy Leo scene. There’s the stuff that is corny but so off the wall that you can’t help from at least appreciating it ironically like the Nadine material. And then there’s the stuff that’s just nigh-unwatchable Drek, like James’s adventures in Dynasty and Ben’s insane playroom, where the only pleasures to derive are from the abject terribleness of the dialogue. Still, that’s better than a lot of Twin Peaks episodes can muster, so I’ll take it.