Twin Peaks Rewatch 24: The Condemned Woman

[Chris]

Twin Peaks Rewatch 24:

 

 

The Condemned Woman

Pine weasel or no, Ben Horn's wishes that Twin Peaks remain pure and unspoiled are too little, too late. We're way past that. So far past it that people's heads are transforming into furniture, that the villains are so interchangeable even the characters themselves can barely tell each other apart, that someone seems to die once a week and nobody cares. Welcome to Twin Peaks' 24th episode, "The Condemned Woman."

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• Episode 25 Pre-Discussion Thread
• Catching up? Listen to the Rewatch archive.

[LostInTheMovies]

I see this more as the end of the bad than the beginning of the good, but compared to the last couple weeks, yes, it's an improvement. It's a bit startling to see the Josie story limp to an actual end because the show has almost lulled you into thinking the mediocre storylines and endless wheel-spinning are just going to continue forever and ever and ever...

 

Bringing Bob and the Little Man back is a nice idea in theory but I think the way it's executed just hammers home how far the show has traveled since early season 2. Seems so forced. I feel much the same about the drawer pull to be honest, even though it was Lynch's idea. First time I watched the series I felt like, ok they've already flubbed all the soap opera stuff - did they HAVE to go and flub the supernatural, as well?

 

On the other hand, the show's efforts to finally bring lame-duck stories to an end, its guilty conscience about abandoning its own icons (see not just the Bob/LM stuff but Josie in the mirror, recalling the pilot), and ability to deliver a memorable, iconic moment (and silly as I think it is, the drawer pull does qualify as that) proves that there's some life in Twin Peaks yet. Or should I say, it's aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive! (That's not a Frankenstein reference, as you'll see when you watch this episode.)

[mikemariano]

Bringing Bob and the Little Man back is a nice idea in theory but I think the way it's executed just hammers home how far the show has traveled since early season 2. Seems so forced. I feel much the same about the drawer pull to be honest, even though it was Lynch's idea. First time I watched the series I felt like, ok they've already flubbed all the soap opera stuff - did they HAVE to go and flub the supernatural, as well?

It's so awful. This episode really does ruin Bob for me and to me the character never really recovers.

[SuperBiasedMan]

I know this keeps coming up but it really is incredible to cut from the face of a poorly handled character extruding from a piece of wood to the photo of Laura Palmer.

 

Also none of Josie's story every really worked for me, especially not her relationship with Truman. So maybe this is be being an emotionally detached ass but I just laughed at his melodramatic shouting "Put it down!". I can't record video to make gifs, but marvel at some of the faces crammed into that line:

 

Josie has always felt weird as a character. Like she was written to be this femme fatale manipulative woman even if she was slightly trapped by her circumstances. But then the actress plays her as someone who is trapped by circumstances and just trying to survive meekly. Which would be a much better character if the writers had any intention to support that instead of her being a 'master in the art of seduction'.

[LostInTheMovies]

So maybe this is be being an emotionally detached ass but I just laughed at his melodramatic shouting "Put it down!". I can't record video to make gifs, but marvel at some of the faces crammed into that line:

He tops these in the next episode. Oh does he ever.

"Thats the good thing about about the law IT DOESNT BREATHE YOU CAN'T KILL IT!!!!"

Terrible dialogue to begin with but the delivery is spellbindingly awful.

[Mike Danger]

I was watching this while also playing Fire Emblem and I actually had to pause the game and rewind at that "Put it down" because I thought there was another character in the room that I'd somehow completely missed.

 

I actually like BOB's reappearance, but the dream man then appearing dancing on the bed is exactly too much of them shouting "GUYS THE SUPERNATURAL STUFF IS BACK"

[Elen]

Josie has always felt weird as a character. Like she was written to be this femme fatale manipulative woman even if she was slightly trapped by her circumstances. But then the actress plays her as someone who is trapped by circumstances and just trying to survive meekly.

Nicely articulated! Josie always felt weird but I didn't quite know where the dissonance was. That seems spot on. Her character seems to be written a bit like Laura with more culpability: bad things have happened to her, and she herself has done very bad things of her own volition. But with Laura you can see that in the actress's perfomance (that Laura has her own darkness) and not much with Josie at all.

 

"Thats the good thing about about the law IT DOESNT BREATHE YOU CAN'T KILL IT!!!!"

Oh good Lord, I'd forgotten about that. Yikes.

[mikemariano]

FYI, Billy Zane is basically playing Mitt Romney.

[sclpls]

Haha yeah, I thought about the Mitt Romney thing too!

 

So I really liked Sherilyn Fenn's acting in this episode. As an actress I find her a touch inconsistent on the show generally, but I thought her performance was an authentic expression of Audrey's character.

 

This episode was still mostly bad, and I personally rank this as the worst ending of all Twin Peaks episodes, but there are at least some pretty strong moments to remind you of the good things about the show - I think Pete's scenes are strong. Most of the plot stuff is not that great, although I like Ben's new scheme to reinvent himself as an environmentalist out of a desire for revenge.

 

Also good riddance to Josie.

 

Of course now we're going to have to endure a bit of Truman melodramatically wallowing in self-pity, oh well

[thaquoth]

Most of the plot stuff is not that great, although I like Ben's new scheme to reinvent himself as an environmentalist out of a desire for revenge.

 

The celery-chomping was a nice touch too.

 

I generally really enjoy post-breakdown Ben.

[Elen]

I generally really enjoy post-breakdown Ben.

I think it's a testament to the actor's charm that I'm able to switch over to rooting for Ben pretty easily. I mean, he's such a monster for most of the series: a statutory rapist, owner of the world's sketchiest brothel, drug pusher, liar, cheat, etc. But because it's TV and the show itself has changed so much I kinda go, "Eh".

 

So Billy Zane was a replacement love interest so we wouldn't be creeped out by Cooper and Audrey, right? So why do they make a point to tell use that Wheeler remembers her as a ten-year-old? Kinda gross.

 

Why would a group of girls, one of whom has been terrorized and another who has been kidnapped and nearly killed, in a town so recently rocked by the murder of a young woman, not be suspicious or alarmed by a creepy, random note from a stranger and show up to the location it listed?

 

I saw a funny Tumblr post about the moment with Albert, Cooper, and Truman in the hallway. It looks very different out of context.

[sclpls]

Also, James and Donna's picnic scene might be the Platonic ideal of awful James acting. Also, what is up with that picnic arrangement? No way teenagers have it together enough to setup a picnic like that.

[alexpiercey]

We knew that Bob was inhabiting Josie for a while now right? I feel like everyone thinks Bob's appearance is just the show trying to reuse old imagery, but Bob possessed Josie right after he left Leeland right?

But I will agree having the dancing guy back is a bit much.

[Jake]

We knew that Bob was inhabiting Josie for a while now right? I feel like everyone thinks Bob's appearance is just the show trying to reuse old imagery, but Bob possessed Josie right after he left Leeland right?

But I will agree having the dancing guy back is a bit much.

Is that actually shown? I absolutely do not remember that happening!

[pabosher]

We knew that Bob was inhabiting Josie for a while now right? I feel like everyone thinks Bob's appearance is just the show trying to reuse old imagery, but Bob possessed Josie right after he left Leeland right?

But I will agree having the dancing guy back is a bit much.

 

... We did?!

[mikemariano]

It's interesting to contrast Shelly and Josie.  Both of them have suffered through comically ridiculous abuse, but when she's at the Double R, Shelly gets to escape from her awful home life.

 

 

But Josie's only escape happens during brief moments with Truman or her offscreen "shopping trip."  When she comes back into Twin Peaks for the final time even those escapes have been piled up with misery.  Where's Josie's Double R?

[fledermaus]

I think it's a testament to the actor's charm that I'm able to switch over to rooting for Ben pretty easily. I mean, he's such a monster for most of the series: a statutory rapist, owner of the world's sketchiest brothel, drug pusher, liar, cheat, etc. But because it's TV and the show itself has changed so much I kinda go, "Eh".

 

You forgot the almost incest.  I agree that Ben Horne is the only thing that makes these episodes bearable, if that.  I agree that the guy is such a jerk, but he does love to scheme, and I find that irresistible.  Even when Katherine gets one over on him, he can't help but admire a well played scheme.  His "save the weasels" idea is even better when you know

 

It's all a plan to prevent development around the mill he was just cheated out of. Priceless.

[LostInTheMovies]

This podcast was hilarious - more fun to listen to than this episode is to watch, to be honest.

[Alex P]

This podcast was hilarious - more fun to listen to than this episode is to watch, to be honest.

 

Agreed, I'm sure I'm not the only one, but the podcast is the only thing keeping me watching at this point. 

[z_bill]

The Josie inside the knob nonsense was the main thing I remembered about the dregs of season 2. I'd always reference it through the years and people would say "I don't remember that." To the point where I questioned my own memory of the show. On rewatch, it was way WAY more over the top than my memory. Okay, it did happen. And it was insane.

To me, it was shades of Liquid Terminator, and Jake's comparison to Ace Ventura was super good.

Also, I remember when I first saw the show maybe 8 years ago getting up and yelling at the screen, "A shelf knob!? She got trapped in a SHELF

KNOB!!" To which my then-gf responded, "What's a shelf knob? Shelves don't have knobs."

Okay. That's all I have re: knobs rn.

[syntheticgerbil]

The bad 3D in that doorknob part made getting this far almost worth it.

 

Wonderful.

[Woodfella]

Just caught up and really enjoyed how often the actor who plays Harry used his 'serious, big boy, angry acting voice' this episode.

[Sana]

the Little Dancing Man on the bed..Guys, don't forget the show was filmed 25 years ago,  on the verge of the 90s, after all the 80s, and most of you here started to watch cartoons with much more advanced visual effects that that poor shelf knob :-D  But my question is: did you notice how the dancing little man had different shoes?! Lord, I just saw it, although I saw the show for a number of times by now. I wonder what idea the creator's had with those shoes.  

[mistercrayon]

While the last episode was kind of over the place I think at least it was quite an interesting episode. This one a lot of things happened but my overall impression was a little less enthusiastic. 

 

The chess game start was fine I guess. 

 

Pete making a breakfast with a smiley face was fine I guess

the whole Packard eckhardt josie stuff is a real turn off. Especially when they are all lying to each other but for an end I don’t get. Like was eckhardt meant to be goaded into killing Josie in the great northern except all he wants to do is sleep with her? It’s all confusing to zero sense. 

 

Hank comes in overly cocky given that he’s totally in the poo. Kind of weird how him and James are both described as witnesses in the episode. 

 

Billy zane stuff is weird. Is he trying to flirt with Audrey by posing as a complete pedophile? :-S 

 

Ed is pragmatic about him and nadine.

 

good on Norma for booting hank. He’s got all the crap deals today. 

 

I nice recreation of josies first scene for some reason. 

 

I like this “new leaf” Ben. No cigar, celery. What I really liked is that this Ben is doing this ghostwood sabotage as part of his game. It’s so good to have this part of Horne exist all the way through. 

 

I can’t comprehend what the purpose of bringing Shelly with Donna and Audrey was. Seemed kind of arbitrary. 

 

All of the weird “lodge” stuff along with josies death seemed kind of tacked on (I guess they needed a way to prevent everyone killing her). I wonder if those 3 d graphics were good for the time?