Twin Peaks: S02E09 “Arbitrary Law”
Why are David Lynch episodes the best of Twin Peaks? Is it that he gets the best scripts, or is he just supremely talented? The same goes for Jack Bender of Lost: every time his name would come on screen, I knew we’d be in for a classic. To answer my question, I’d suspect it’s both.
Alas, this is not a David Lynch episode, but rather a Tim Hunter episode. I’ve been surprised to look at the names that have directed episodes of Twin Peaks to see they’re still directing episodes of Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and the like. Even though I love those two shows, this is one of the only times I’ve been thoroughly disappointed in the directing in an episode.
I’m not sure whether to blame Tim Hunter or the three-man writing team for this episode, which feels extremely rushed. ABC pushed you to a reveal about Laura’s killer, right? Did they push you to get rid of Leland too? “Arbitrary Law” feels like we’re pushing towards something inevitable, like this is supposed to happen, but it is also missing a lot of good, quiet moments. There were glimpses of it, for sure, like Donna’s meeting with Leland or Leland’s death monologue. But most of it felt like it was going by so fast, I couldn’t savor the moments and intensity.
Plus, I hate dutch angles. And the final shot? Just lazy.
