Summer of Twin Peaks: Episode 3-Rest in Pain

Directed by Tina Rathbone and written by Harley Peyton, the fourth episode of Twin Peaks entitled Rest in Pain revolves around the day of Laura Palmer’s funeral services as emotions run high while Special Agent Cooper believes that he has a hunch on who killed her. While Cooper believes that there’s a lot more to the case, he also deals with the tension between Sheriff Truman and Agent Rosenfield as the latter found some clues during Laura’s autopsy that opens the door to an underworld in the town. All of which plays into things that is happening where Cooper and Truman confront Leo Johnson who denies anything despite Cooper’s reciting all of Johnson’s past criminal activities.

It’s an episode that does close a moment where everyone says goodbye including Laura’s look-a-like cousin Maddy (Sheryl Lee) who visits to attend the funeral to Leland Palmer’s comfort. Yet, it’s a moment where the town would unravel as Bobby Briggs would claim that Laura’s real killer is the whole town in saying that they didn’t do enough to help her. It’s an episode where it features some very intense and intentionally cheesy dramatic elements along with comical moments that prove to be very funny in the most unintentional ways. Thanks in part to Harley Peyton’s script which not only manages to balance the disparate tones of the story but also find ways to keep the focus about the mystery surrounding Palmer’s death.

Under Tina Rathbone’s direction, the element of humor, drama, and suspense is engaging as well as being offbeat as it also features little moments that do play into the story. Notably a scene involving Ed Hurley and his wife Nadine (Wendy Robie) as the latter thanks him for giving her the accidental solution for her silent drapes as it is among some of the weird moments of the episode. Yet, it’s the funeral where Rathbone’s direction has nearly all of the principle characters in the frame while building up something where things will explode. It’s a very comical moment while it is followed by Shelley Johnson working at the diner telling the customers exactly what happened.

Its final moments would play more into the underworld where Truman and Deputy Hawk (Michael Horse) would invite Cooper into a secret society that involves Ed Hurley as it relates to a secret drug smuggling ring that Truman and Hawk are trying to end. It’s the episode that would give a proper introduction to Jacques Renault (Walter Olkewicz) and his family who are in connection with Leo Johnson into transporting drugs. What would happen would unveil more about the dark elements of the town as well as more about Laura Palmer and her connection with the Renault family. With Miguel Ferrer being great as the asshole FBI Agent Rosenfield and Sheryl Lee providing a brief yet wonderful performance as Maddy Ferguson. It’s an episode that plays more into the tension between Josie Packard and Catherine Martell where the former tells Truman about what she wants to do as it is clear that Martell is trying to ruin Packard.

Rest in Pain is a fantastic episode from Tina Rathbone and Harley Peyton as they manage to find a balance between elements of humor and drama. It’s also an episode that isn’t afraid to find the line of unintentional humor as it plays into David Lynch’s idea of playing against the rules of conventional television mysteries. In the end, Rest in Pain is a thrilling and witty episode of Twin Peaks from Tina Rathbone.

Twin Peaks: Season 1: Pilot - Episode 1 - Episode 2 - Episode 4 - Episode 5 - Episode 6 - Episode 7

Season 2: Episode 8 - Episode 9 - Episode 10 - Episode 11 - Episode 12 - Episode 13 - Episode 14 - Episode 15 - (Episode 16) - (Episode 17) - (Episode 18) - (Episode 19) - (Episode 20) - (Episode 21) - (Episode 22) - (Episode 23) - (Episode 24) - (Episode 25) - (Episode 26) - (Episode 27) - (Episode 28) - (Episode 29)

Season 3: (Coming Soon)

Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me - (The Missing Pieces)

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