2x15 Slaves and Masters

[3.1/10] Got word that this is considered one of the worst episodes of the show and yeah, it’s pretty awful, but frankly not significantly worse than the show usually is, so it’s hard to take the cries that this is the nadir too seriously.

But I get why this ep is so derided while at least some others are given a pass. For one thing, it leans heavy into the James/Donna/Mrs. Marsh storyline and the ensuing overwrought melodrama. It’s a plotline that’s been crap since it started and wallowing in it for three overblown scenes’ worth of nonsense does the episode no favors. Mrs. Marsh semi-remembering the whole thing in flashback at a funeral is a mildly interesting wrinkle, but it’s more bouts of bad acting and soapy ridiculousness.

Speaking of ridiculousness, we get the goofy conclusion to the “Ben Horne thinks he’s General Lee” storyline, with Dr. Jacoby, Audrey, Jerry, and Bobby doing an alternate reality recreation of Appomattox. It’s pretty dumb, and lightly offensive, but at least it’s sort of silly in the way that’s more palatable than when the show’s trying to be serious and failing miserably. Oh, and we see Audrey’s brother for the first time in forever! He’s even (in)appropriately in full Native American garb for his father’s bout of insanity.

Then we get Wyndam Earle as a third rate psychopath torturing Leo Johnson and tormenting Cooper with clues about the hypotenuse of their little love triangle. The shock collar is cartoonish, Earle himself is too outsized to have any real menace, and the whole chess angle so overdone that whole thing falls apart.

So with all that, is there anything good about “Slaves and Masters”? Well, I don’t know if I’d call it good, but there’s interesting motifs of people in uniform standing in lines. Is there a point to the symbolism or is it just some pattern for the sake of a pattern? Who knows! But it’s something. The only decent thing storyline-wise is Cooper and Alfred (who’s always a pleasure to have back) uncovering that Josey probably killed Jonathan and may have even had a hand in Cooper himself getting shot, but being hesitant to tell Sheriff Truman because of his relationship with her. There’s some emotional heft there that plays on Cooper’s relationship with Truman to decent ends.

But Josey’s actual part of the storyline is pretty terrible. Again, Joan Chen’s not a good actor so her efforts to seem disturbed or manipulative come off eyeroll-worthy. In the same way, Catherine Martell and Mr. Eckert exchanging Bond villain lines over dinner is a big stupid nothing.

We also get more with Norma and Ed, where they’re supposed to having intimate, wistful pillow talk that’s sunk by the show’s usual bad dialogue. Nadine kind of gives them her blessing, but who knows what will come of that. It’s becoming increasingly clear that it’s dangerous to have someone with super strength and mental instability roaming around unchaperoned, but whatever, it doesn’t even make the top ten most foolish things on Twin Peaks.

Otherwise, we’re just deep in the weeds on the Wyndam Earle storyline and there’s nothing, at least nothing so far, to show for it. This one is, perhaps, a little worse than usual, but only because the other episodes of the show didn’t devote as much time to garbage like the Marsh storyline. The quality of the show hasn’t gotten worse. It’s still as poorly written and acted as ever. But it’s major mystery, the only decent thing about this show story-wise for much of it’s run, is worse, with the Earle business being a paltry substitute for the Laura Palmer stuff.