Twin Peaks, Episode 1.4: The One-Armed Man

Twin Peaks: The One-Armed Man

It's a well-known bit of trivia that the one-armed man was included in the “Twin Peaks” pilot simply as a shout-out to “The Fugitive” but he would end up becoming a serious part of the show's lore. Sarah Palmer's vision of Laura's killer, confirmed by Dale's own visions, leads to a sketch of the mysterious BOB. Cooper, Truman, Hawk, and Andy track down the suspicious One-Armed Man but this turns out to be a seeming dead end. Other leads include Dr. Jacoby casting suspicion on Leo Johnson, the object found inside Laura's stomach being identified as a poker chip from One Eyed Jack's, and a particular pet bird.

I haven't talked about it too much but a frequent reoccurring theme throughout “Twin Peaks” is the idea of doubles. You see this in the title, of course. Laura's double-life, as the sweet homecoming queen and a participant in drug-fueled sexcadpades, is the most obvious example. “The One-Armed Man” further draws this idea of doubles to the forefront. James meets Maddie, Laura's identical cousin, and is nearly overwhelmed by her appearance. Audrey Horne is determined to become involved in Cooper's investigation. A scene where she tries to convince her dad to let her get a job at his department store has a double meaning. The girl seems to be genuinely trying to connect with her father but the interaction has an obvious secret purpose. In Twin Peaks, nothing is ever as it first appears. (This episode also more prominently features “Invitation to Love,” the show-within-the-show, that begins to parallel certain elements of the story.)

My favorite thing about “The One-Armed Man,” however, is its comedy. This is probably the funniest episode of “Peaks” so far. The encounter with the mysterious One-Armed Man proves seriously underwhelming to the investigators. Mike is a comically un-intimidating shoe salesman. The journey to find the myna bird that was involved in Laura's death goes awry quickly. The appearance of a llama is among the series' best gags. Andy proves a vital source of comic relief, the parallels between Barney Fife becoming stronger, when he drops his gun or completely whiffs at the shooting range. It's an amusing episode, to the point where Dr. Jacoby performing sleight-of-hand tricks with a golf ball is among its less goofy moments.

“Peaks” being “Peaks,” we don't totally escape this forty-four minutes without some tiresome subplots. Bobby and Shelly have some gun-related foreplay. Ben Horne and Catherine Martell scheme some more. Josie Packard and Sheriff Truman and Pete and some fish all interact. The show adds to its list of growing concerns when Norma's convict husband, Hank, gets a seemingly successful parole hearing. Hank clearly has a connection with Jacques Renault, if his creepy tinkering with a domino is any indication, and his presence makes Norma uncomfortable. It's slightly more involving then the show's other romantic melodrama but I still feel my patience waning slightly during these scenes.

“The One-Armed Man” was directed by Tim Hunter, who previously made disturbing eighties feature “River's Edge.” You can tell Hunter has a strong visual eye. (Supposedly, his work on this episode was largely inspired by Otto Preminger's “Fallen Angel.”) When Coop and the Twin Peaks PD is breaking into Jacques Renault's apartment, there's several atmospheric close-ups of everyone's face. My favorite visual moment in the episode involves Donna and James going to see if Laura's necklace has been stolen. The sudden appearance of an owl – “this will be important later,” the show seems to be saying – features a sudden zoom-out.

It's a strong, good-not-great episode that, nevertheless, has some wonderful moments in it. [7/10]