Recap of Episode 28

Season 2 Episode 28

Written by: Barry Pullman

Directed by: Tim Hunter

Original Air date: June 10th, 1991

"I have a new game for you."

At Windom's cabin, Leo has one hand chained to the ceiling while Major Briggs sits half conscious next to him. Leo manages to use his free hand to unlock the chain around the Major's ankle. Leo tells him to, "save Shelly." Major Briggs struggles to get up, but makes his way out of the cabin. Leo gazes at the picture of Shelly on the Queen of Spades card. Later Windom returns wearing a suit and some white faced makeup with blackened teeth. He tells Leo that he has a new game for him and waves a burlap bag in front of him. Then Windom pulls the bag aside and reveals a frightening smile. 

"A good day for healing."

Norma shows Annie and Shelly at the diner the pies she made for the Miss Twin Peaks contest. Norma hopes to see one of them as the winner. She also notes that it will be a good day for healing, especially after what happened to Laura Palmer. They ask Norma how she feels about winning the contest twenty years ago. Norma tells them not to remind her, but Annie and Shelly say she would still win. Norma teases that they're just buttering up the judge. Annie and Shelly tease her back and wonder which one of them Norma will vote for. 

"From the bottom of my heart, I don't want to be the town bathing beauty."

Ben walks into his office and finds Audrey sitting in front of the fireplace. He's carrying a bunch of philosophy books, as well as the Quran. He says inside these books are the answers to him being a better person. Then Ben notices that Audrey is upset over John Justice Wheeler. Audrey says it's only been a few days and she hopes it doesn't hurt this bad in a week. Ben tries to console her. Audrey resiliently changes the subject to her trip to Seattle. She says the Packard's are using Twin Peaks Savings and Loan to fund cash to the Ghost Wood project, and they don't want bad publicity. Ben says in that case bad publicity is exactly what they're going to get. Then he asks if Audrey thought more about entering the Miss Twin Peaks contest. Audrey replies, "Daddy, from the bottom of heart, I don't want to be the town bathing beauty." However Ben convinces her to win the contest so she can use her influence to help their cause. 

"Fear, my favorite emotional state."

Andy studies the blackboard with the Owl Cave petroglyph in Harry's office curiously. Dale asks if Andy's taken his eyes off it yet. Harry tells him no and Hawk is looking for Major Briggs. Dale then proceeds to tell Harry that Windom's been looking for The Black Lodge since as far back as 1965. Meanwhile Windom Earle listens to their conversation through the Bonsai tree. Dale explains to Harry that he thinks fear killed Josie and after her death he saw Bob. Dale says he thinks fear attracts Bob. Dale also thinks Bob comes from The Black Lodge. He explains that The Black Lodge is possibly what Harry has referred to in the past as, "the evil in these woods." Dale thinks there is a source of great power there. 

In Windom's cabin, he listens and screams, "Eureka!" He realizes fear is the key and notes it's his favorite emotional state. Windom rants to Leo that he hasn't been this excited since he punctured Carolyn's aorta. Then he tells Leo he's enjoyed their time together and Leo has been a faithful companion. However, he says he's disappointed that Leo let Major Briggs go. Windom smiles at Leo's unseen condition and says he'll have plenty of time to think about what he did. Then we see Leo is holding a rope in his teeth that is attached to a cage full of tarantulas. 

"By George, I think you've got it."

At the Roadhouse, Mr. Pinkle rehearses with all the ladies entered in the Miss Twin Peaks contest. He encourages the girls to bend over while he gazes at their cleavage. Lucy asks what the point of this is, but he snaps that you should never question the vision of your choreographer. Nearby Norma asks her fellow judges, Dick and Mayor Milford, what qualities best represent Miss Twin Peaks. While they are standing there and stagehand struggles by holding a fake deer against his groin. After Lana approaches Dick and asks if he can help her with something in the storage room. She flashes Mayor Milford a devilish smile. Once inside the storage room, Lana toys with Dick by turning the flashlight on and off. He asks what she's looking for. Lana turns off the light once again and says she thinks she found it. Dick stammers saying, "By George, I think you've got it."

"Your forest is beautiful and peaceful."

Dale talks to Diane in his room and tells her that he's just completed his afternoon mediation, shares thoughts on the Windom Earle case, and then talks about Annie Blackburn. Right then someone knocks on his door. Dales answers and finds Annie standing there. She tells him she needs his help to write her speech for the Miss Twin Peaks contest. It leads to a metaphoric discussion about their relationship. Dale says her forest is beautiful and peaceful. Annie replies that part of it has been damaged and every forest has its shadow. She also says she can see half her life's history in his face. Dale kisses her and says he wants to make love with her.

"I pinned him in a minute five."

Nadine has a slideshow at home in front of Mike, Norma, Big Ed and Dr. Jacoby of all her wrestling wins. She's especially proud of pinning a contender with, "quads like bridge supports," in a minute five. After Dr. Jacoby says he wants everyone to talk about their feelings. He has Nadine start first so she says that her relationship with Mike is hot and she's very happy, which makes her worry about Ed being sad. Then Ed speaks up and tells her that he's going to marry Norma. Nadine looks intense, squeezes Mike's hand and says they're getting married too. She squeezes Mike's hand so hard that he screams in agony. 

"Garland? Odd name. Judy Garland?"

Major Briggs makes his way out of the forest just as Hawk is driving by. He's disoriented, and asks Hawk which way is the castle. Later in the Sheriff's station, the Major sits confused while Dale and Harry try to talk to him. When Dale calls him by his name, Garland, Major Briggs shakes and replies, "Garland? Odd Name," then questions, "Judy Garland?" Dale asks him if Windom Earle did this to him. The Major says it was God he supposes. Then he says he was taken to the woods, but the King of Romania wasn't able to attend. Dale thinks the Owl Cave petroglyph is pointing to a place in time and they have to find the entrance at exactly the right moment. Andy walks in and begins staring at the blackboard again. He asks if the 4-H Club could have anything to do with it. Harry says it's doubtful. 

"Fear and love open the doors."

Later Dale gets excited when he realizes that what Andy mistook for the 4-H Club was actually the planets, Jupiter and Saturn. He deduces that when Jupiter and Saturn align the door to The Black Lodge will open. Major Briggs starts yelling, "Fear and Love open the doors." Dale thinks Love opens the White Lodge and Fear opens the Black. Briggs insists that they have to protect the Queen. Dale realizes that the winner of Miss Twin Peaks is in trouble. Andy realizes something and starts calling to Agent Cooper, but Dale is distracted. Andy then runs over to him and knocks the Bonsai plant over in the process. When it breaks, Windom's listening device is exposed. Dale takes a look and says Windom is way ahead of them. 

At the Packard's house, Pete and Andrew struggle to open Eckhardt's last metal box. Catherine watches with a smile. Andrew gets frustrated and shoots the box open with his gun. Inside, is a key. They decide it needs to be kept out in the open. Catherine decides to put it the cake saver. Meanwhile Donna comes downstairs at her house dressed up for the contest. She asks her parents what is going on with Ben Horne. They won't talk to her so she says she's going to find out from Ben Horne for herself. Then Donna storms out in anger. 

"Did you bring your whole family with you?"

At the Miss Twin Peaks contest, the girls preform a group number with umbrellas for the audience. They attempt a Rockette's type number, although a bit sloppier. After Doc Hayward hosts the show. At the bar, Mr. Pinkle tries to flirt with The Log Lady. Lucy performs the first talent portion and does a bold dance number that ends with a daring split. Backstage, Bobby notices The Log Lady is at the bar and standing backstage with him. He walks over to the The Log Lady backstage and asks if she brought her whole family with her. However it's actually Windom Earle in costume. He proceeds to smash Bobby unconscious with his log. 

"Contortionistic Jazz Exotica."

Dale and Harry arrive at the contest. Dale says whoever wins needs 24 hour guard. Then Doc Hayward introduces Lana's performance called, Contortionistic Jazz Exotica. She's dressed in an a belly dancer costume, and proceeds to do a sexy dance. Dick is quite taken with her. After the ladies give their speeches. Audrey goes first and says if something you love is in danger, you must fight to save it. Dale listens intently. Backstage, Donna approaches Ben Horne and asks what's going on with her mother. Ben says he wants to do the right thing. He starts to tell her that her mother and him had a past, but Donna interrupts him and asks with disgust, "You're my father?" Then she runs off.

"It's not a puzzle at all, it's a map!"

Annie gives a strong speech while Windom Earle climbs through the rafters. Lucy takes Andy and Dick backstage and tells them that she's decided, regardless of biology, that she wants Andy to be her baby's father. Dick takes it well and rushes off to cast his vote as judge. Andy tells Lucy he promises to be a great father, but right now he has to find Agent Cooper.

Doc Hayward then announces that Annie is the winner of the Miss Twin Peaks contest. Lana is quite upset. Dick tells Mayor Milford that Annie gave a beautiful speech. Annie is crowned and given flowers. Right then the lights off, a strobe light goes haywire, and the crowd begins to scream and panic. Nadine gets knocked out. Dale spots Windom onstage dressed at The Log Lady, but Windom sets off a bomb to stop him from coming closer. Then Windom gags Annie and drags her off stage. Finally the lights come back on. Dale tells Harry that Windom got Annie. Harry rushes off to find her. Andy stops Dale and tells him finally figured out what the petroglyph means. He says, "it's not a puzzle at all, it's a map!"

End of show!

Overall there is a lot of good stuff jammed into this episode. It also plays for a lot of laughs. For me, I think Bobby getting his head smashed by Windom's log takes the cake. Andrew shooting Eckhardt's metal box is pretty fun to watch as well. Leo's fate is unfortunate, but there must be some way out of it. Maybe we'll find out when Twin Peaks returns!

Windom Earle certainly makes a pretty scary, yet amusing Log Lady. I love how he manages to create complete chaos at the contest. You'd think after the Little Pine Weasel disaster the people of Twin Peaks would have learned not to attend, or at least not to panic, at public events. Either way, it was definitely entertaining to watch. 

Annie's fate is quite important going forward, and probably the most important aspect of this episode, especially if you're familiar with The Missing Pieces. You can read my review of The Missing Pieces in Issues 1 & 2 of The Blue Rose Magazine. Finally I think Lana's unique dancing stole the show at the contest, watch below!

Recap of Episode 27 <-----> Recap of Episode 29