Twin Peaks, Episode 2.16: The Condemned Woman

Twin Peaks: The Condemned Woman

Before “Twin Peaks” can really move forward with its new story lines, it has to put a few others to bed for good. Josie continues to be caught in a web of lies and manipulation, at the mercy of her still-alive husband and wicked sister-in-law. Sheriff Truman and Coop try to help her, even if it increasingly looks like she's the one who shot the agent. Meanwhile, Nadine dumps Ed, opening him up to finally propose to Norma, who subsequently leaves Hank in a jail cell. Ben Horne begins his next scheme and Windom Earle continues the machinations of his master plan.

I've made no secret of how much I dislike the story surrounding Josie. Since “The Condemned Woman” is nearly an entire episode devoted to this particular plot thread, it's hard for me to care too much about it. Josie's reasoning for trying to kill Cooper is shaky, at best. Whether Josie is totally a victim or a hardened manipulator is never really focused on. The various forces pushing or pulling her in whatever direction are all so clearly plot devices. Did anyone actually care about Thomas Eckhardt or Andrew Packard? Did the show put much effort into developing these men, aside from the effect they had on the other characters?

But at least the Josie storyline is finally over. What about the show's continued inability to think of something interesting to do with Benjamin Horne and his family? The utterly ridiculous Civil War obsession being put to bed, Ben Horne winds up with another particular interest. His next scheme involves creating a public fund to protect the Pine Weasel, an endangered species that lives in the Twin Peaks woods, in order to disrupt Catherine's development of the Ghostwood property. It's another example of aggressive comic relief that feels ingenuine, and shows the writers' desperate attempt to do anything with the character.

You'll notice that the various plot entanglements of “The Condemned Woman” don't have much to do with what made “Twin Peaks” so beloved. That would be its melding of a traditional detective narrative with Lynchian surrealism. Perhaps the team behind the show was seemingly aware of this. Within the last few minutes of the episodes, things suddenly get weird for no reason. A spotlight is shown on a bed as BOB appears to scream and grimace and the Man from Another Place appears to dance. This does not feel like a natural inclusion but, rather, an attempt to remind viewers of why they liked this show in the first place. The final moments of “The Condemned Woman,” where Josie's soul is seemingly trapped inside a wooden knob on a bedside drawer, at least flows more with the show's dream logic.

But, hey, at least that particular plot thread is resolved. Also resolved, at least for a while, is James Hurley's romantic melodrama. He has a tearful, kissy farewell with Donna and then gets out of town. I will not miss him. I'm also not too disappointed by Hank seemingly being put out-of-commission for a while too, as I was never a big fan of that particular plot either. Still, due to its focus on the lamer digressions, “The Condemned Woman” probably ranks among my least favorite episodes of the entire series. [5/10]