The fifth episode of Twin Peaks‘ much-maligned Season 2 may not immediately be seen as one of the weakest episodes of the already lesser batch, but it’s the point where two of its most baffling storylines started. One of these is a step in a peculiar direction for a character that almost seems like the writers just had no idea where to take her, while the other is one that, even at the time, was racially insensitive and now seems like a shocking development for one of the most critically acclaimed TV shows in history.
Twin Peaks Episode 12 Is a Wild Turning Point for the Series
Twin Peaks was no stranger to unbelievable plot threads and character digressions that appeared to be going nowhere. Among them is Nadine Hurley, the one-eyed wife of Big Ed, who spent much of the show’s first season developing a silent system for drape runners. In Season 2, Nadine attempts to patent her invention, but when her patent is denied, she attempts suicide in her depression, which leads us to the Nadine storyline that begins in Twin Peaks Episode 12.
A curious development has happened with Nadine since her suicide attempt. Now awake after being comatose, Nadine’s mind has reverted back to her teenage years, with the character confident that she’s still in high school; however, that’s not the only thing. In addition to believing she’s a teenager again, Nadine also has uncompromising super strength, which is revealed in this episode after she tears the refrigerator door off its hinges. The thread of Nadine possessing both Hulk-like strength and believing she’s a teen started here and carried on for weeks, including her being re-enrolled in high school and even joining the wrestling team; all of which would continue for the next sixteen episodes of the series, but it all began here.
The second major storyline that begins in Episode 12 of Twin Peaks is one of its most controversial. In the episode, a mysterious Japanese businessman, Mr. Tojamura, makes their debut and attempts to purchase the lucrative Ghostwood Project from Ben Horne. It’s certainly possible that this storyline appeared straightforward to viewers at the time, but what became clear in the following episodes is that there is no Mr. Tojamura; instead, it was Packard Sawmill owner Catherine Martell (Piper Laurie) in disguise.
Yes, in 1990, one of the biggest shows on television featured an Academy Award-nominated white actress wearing yellowface. Laurie not only wears prosthetics and a wig to attempt and sell the disguise, but also utilizes an affectation in her voice that is clearly based on offensive stereotypes. To attempt to preserve the secret that it was Martell in disguise, the series even credited Laurie as “Fumio Yamaguchi” in the credits, and told cast and crew on set that she was a Japanese actor. The storyline only lasts a few more episodes, a far cry from the extensive Nadine subplot, but it’s easily one of the most problematic storylines in the entire series, and both of them started in one episode.
