Twin Peaks, Episode 1.2: Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer

Twin Peaks: Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer

The second regular episode of 'Twin Peaks” is when the show would truly make its imprint on the American public. Some of the program's most indelible images are presented here. In “Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer,” Dale Cooper utilizes a spiritual and philosophical method to help narrow down the suspects. Leo Johnson emerges as the most suspicious. Which is fitting, as he was harassing Mike and Bobby earlier in the episode. Meanwhile, there are two new arrivals in Twin Peaks. The first of which is Jerry Horne, Benjamin Horne's even more eccentric brother. The second is Albert Rosenfield, the acerbic FBI forensic specialist who immediately begins rubbing the locals the wrong way.

David Lynch would return to direct “Zen, or the Skill to Catch a Killer” and that is extremely evident. The episode is immediately packed with sequences that have that difficult-to-describe Lynchian atmosphere. Leo meeting with Bobby and Mike, a subplot I have otherwise little interest in, becomes captivating thanks to Lynch shooting it as a dark journey into the ominous woods. It's already clear that the woods are a place of deeply symbolic and primordial meaning in the world of “Peaks.” Lynch continues to build upon the hysterical wailing of grief in a moment where Leland Palmer dances with his daughter's photograph, still trapped in a state of unbreakable agony.

Yet maybe my favorite sequence in the episode – well, second favorite – involves the Horne brothers. Jerry Horne – played by the perfectly sleazy David Patrick Kelly – and his brother's rapturous praise of a brie-and-butter sandwich is hilarious and weird. The two visiting the One Eyed Jack's brothel has a dream-like atmosphere, highlighted by warm color yet subtly uncomfortable. Look at how the new girl, presented in lingerie, responses when Benjamin Horne approaches her. She looks clearly unhappy, disgusted maybe, before forcing on a fake smile. It's a moment that says a lot with a little.

Needless to say, this might be my favorite scene in “Zen” but it's far from the best. Dale Cooper's dream, which concludes the episode, was simply unlike anything else on television in 1990. Honestly, there's still not a lot like it now. Though the footage was shot as the alternate ending to the pilot, it proves far more impressive here. All the ingredients come together perfectly here. BOB and MIKE's poems about their lives and habits, delivered through the shadows of Dale's dream. The utterly unforgettable Man from Another Place, Michael J. Anderson talking backwards and spasmodically dancing through the unforgettable red curtains and checkered floors of the Black Lodge. It all flows in that perfect dream logic fashion as Lynch's best work.

The little moments of comedy throughout “Twin Peaks” continue to be a major factor in my enjoyment of the show. The Lynch-directed episodes especially highlight how damn delightful Dale Cooper is. He whips out a flute and plays it a little upon arriving at his hotel room. He flashes a thumbs-up at Sheriff Truman while attempting to talk with Albert Rosenfield – more on him next time – which is hilarious. The sequence where Coop utilizes his shamanistic method of determining suspects, proceeded by a brief monologue about the Dali Lama, is another highlight. It's hilarious but also spiritual, in that uniquely “Twin Peaks” way. This is a world where the absurd points in all directions, inward and outward, the dark and the light.

So, in other words, it's one of the best episodes of television ever produced in America. Or, at least, the last ten minutes are. [9/10]