Jake

Twin Peaks Rewatch 14: Demons

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Sorry I'm a bit late responding. I overall really enjoyed this episode despite its lack of cohesion.

 

Questions for first-time viewers:

 
- Harold's breakdown scene has a certain finality to it. Do you think his role in this story is finished? Or will we see him again? What role do you expect the diary (still in his possession) to play in the rest of the investigation?
A: I imagine based on what he said that Harold knows who likely killed her, and the diary says something about her killer. So we'll see him again, maybe when Cooper gets his act together.
 
- Donna and James seem committed to ending their junior investigations. Do you believe they're really done?
A: Seeing as this is a soap opera, I doubt it. Donna doesn't seem satisfied that Cooper is taking her lead seriously. James is really done though.
 
- Do you think Maddy is actually leaving town, or will they find a way to keep her around? What do you make of her character and her purpose in Twin Peaks?
A: Well...I figure she'll be in at least one more episode. Dunno how they'd justify her sticking around even longer. However I wonder if they would really let their star actor disappear. I suppose she was a kind of reflection of Laura, showing us how the people around her felt about her. Maddy was also a commentary on how messed up Laura was when contrasted with the relatively innocent and nice Maddy. IMO.
 
- What's up with Mr. Tojamura?
A: Man I don't even know. Asian mafia like Josie and her brother? Oh man I just realized who it is! Speculation:

It's Catherine, right? What's her angle and I wonder if that's a real check for 5 million.


- For that matter, what's up with Mike? Do you believe Mike is really a spirit, as he claims, or that he is one of Phillip Gerard's personalities? What's your take on the whole supernatural aura of Twin Peaks at this point?
A: I can see it either way, but given the rest of the supernatural stuff on the show I think it's an actual spirit. Twin Peaks seems rife with spooky spirits and giants and crazy stuff.
 
- Did you know Gordon Cole was David Lynch when you saw him (or, for that matter, when you heard him over the radio way back in the first season)?
A: Yeah thanks to the podcast I knew. Pretty amusing!
 
- What's going to happen with Shelly, Bobby, and Leo? Do you care?
A: I read the party scene as Bobby faking being nice to Leo to make Shelly feel better. I don't think he was actually scared, which made me wish all the more that Leo would wake up and mess up their little insurance plan. I do wonder if Leo's gonna wake up, and I wonder how things will turn out for Shelly, as it's interesting that she still cares about Leo to some degree.
 
- When Mike suggests Bob is at the Great Northern, what do you take this to mean? Is he staying there? Is he there at that moment? Is he present inside a host or inhabiting the hotel itself as a spirit? Where do you see this clue going?
A: I suspect he means Bob the real guy is hiding out somewhere in or near the hotel. Like in a basement or secret room or something. Doesn't seem like Bob's style to act like a regular guest. Pretty wild to think that he might have been under Cooper's nose the whole time.
 
- What role do you see Bob playing in revealing the killer - will he be a clue to the killer, the killer himself, or is something else going on entirely?
- Do you expect the killer to be revealed soon?
- On that note, who killed Laura Palmer?
A: I'm under the impression that Bob was already revealed to have killed Laura Palmer, or at least to have assisted. Hence my confusion at the marketing promising to reveal the killer again. I guess there must have been someone else there when Bob went all crazy cannibal on Laura?
 
- And where does the show go if/when we find out?
A: I'm not sure where it could go long-term. Find the killer, prosecute them, then wrap up the side stories (the mill, Leo, Hank, Nadine). Half the show is still motivated by Laura in one way or another. I suppose they will really drag out finding Bob (or whoever it is) and then nailing down exactly what happened.

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Sorry I'm a bit late responding. I overall really enjoyed this episode despite its lack of cohesion.

 

Just wanted to say thanks for responding - it's really interesting to see many of these events/incidents through the eyes of a first-time viewer. I always kind of kick myself for not keeping some kind of basic viewing diary of my first run-through as it's now hard for me to remember how I actually responded to much of this initially (even though I'm a later viewer - I didn't see it till the DVD release about 6-7 years ago). Looking forward to your thoughts on the next episode.

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Oh also, since you've asked before, I had no idea that David Lynch was Gordon Cole through my entire first viewing of the show. I only found out while listening to the podcast, I had expected Lynch to look more like the eccentric artist role he takes.

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I actually did keep a notebook while I was watching the show way back in 1990-91. Unfortunately, it's long gone.

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Oh also, since you've asked before, I had no idea that David Lynch was Gordon Cole through my entire first viewing of the show. I only found out while listening to the podcast, I had expected Lynch to look more like the eccentric artist role he takes.

 

"Jimmy Stewart from Mars." - Stuart Cornfeld (executive producer of The Elephant Man) about Lynch

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God I love this episode of the podcast. Remo had me in tears with his aspect ratio talk and how the screen must fit all plastic and all peripheral vision.

 

I get so deeply and irrationally annoyed whenever I am at someone else's home and their TV is just all sorts of wrong. It's often even worse because often cable providers or TV stations can't figure out a standard for their commercials or even how the next show should be displayed so you'll sometimes start having pillar and letter boxing coming after a 4:3 show. Christ.

 

Runner up on my new favorite thing to hate is when someone is showing video from their laptop/tablet to a projector for an audience and does not full screen the video. Extra points if they are playing from Youtube and also leave the ad up along with annotations.

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Oh also, since you've asked before, I had no idea that David Lynch was Gordon Cole through my entire first viewing of the show. I only found out while listening to the podcast, I had expected Lynch to look more like the eccentric artist role he takes.

 

My experience was: "Oh hey, that's the same guy who was in that talk show episode of Louie. I wonder what his name is..."

 

*Goes to IMDB*

 

"OH!"

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Nobody mentioned a bit of (obvious) significance to the "The King and I" joke: it famously featured a caucasian actor in yellow-face (Yul Brynner as the King of Siam).

 

I also really don't understand Donna's game with stealing the secret diary. It seems like if she had a modicum of patience, she would have gotten everything she wanted without resorting to stupid heists. Even from the perspective of stupid teens, it seemed like a weird choice.

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Nobody mentioned a bit of (obvious) significance to the "The King and I" joke: it famously featured a caucasian actor in yellow-face (Yul Brynner as the King of Siam).

 

Interesting, for some reason I had always thought that Yul Brynner was mixed-race so I wiki'd it. He is apparently part-Eurasian (he's Russian but of course a large chunk of Russia is geographically closer to Asia than the rest of Europe) but during his life he also exaggerated the Mongol connection, claiming even to be born a Khan. So, from a public perception standpoint in particular, it wouldn't have quite have been in the Piper Laurie (or Mickey Rooney) category... I don't know if he wore specific skin-tone changing makeup though (in fact, typing this I'm realizing I've never actually sat down and watched the whole movie!).

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I'm gonna choose to believe the irony was intended by the writers though because it adds another layer to one of my favorite gags in the series. I don't think it was mentioned on the podcast how perfect Nance's delivery is.

 

(Perhaps you saw me in Westworld; I acted like a robotic cowboy? It was my best role, I cannot deny—I felt right at home, deep inside that electronic

.)

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An amusing allusion to series 3 

Spoiler

Bobby and Shelly to protect the wall sockets for Leo reminded me of Dougie’s interaction with the wall socket. 

 

I thought Leo’s actor must have been doing a fantastic job with all the kazoos. 

 

Clearly the the signs are pointing to Ben Horne being the killer in this episode (being in the hotel, one eyed jacks link). 

 

Cooper’s hubris is doing him in here. Notably his galavanting and posturing has lead Audrey to try and investigate. Series 3 spoilers 

Spoiler

And of course this somewhat does him in in the future - where he rescues a woman who is minutes away from murder but in a reckless and poor plan.

 

There are two chess references (horne and Josie enter a stalemate and Earle’s chess move). 

 

Good to see cole back in the show, albeit by booting off Albert. He seems to show up for the same reason (coops shooting, informing about Earle) and does the same job (evidence information). Except a bit louder. 

 

Mikes delivery in this episode was chilling!

 

i wonder if the Bob saw in the olden days had a different face but because he was damned (to lose his kid) he saw the Bob behind his old neighbour. 

 

The bookhouse boys feels like a bit of a losers in love club. 

 

Teenager nadine is still great the actor gives the character a vigor and physicality that is really good to see. And when Ed keels over because of her punch. Haha! 

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