The line “That bad, huh” – said in the bathroom by a guy at the urinal, after watching a weeping Tom Sizemore pour the coffee into the trough and then throw the cup out – has had me laughing out loud all morning.
Plus James … singing the song he sang with Maddie and Donna … I feel like I didn’t breathe the entire time.
The conga line through the insurance office. I went back and watched it again just to watch Dougie’s face. I highly recommend doing that.
Boxing is a theme. I don’t know what it means, but boxing is everywhere.
Big Ed! His haircut! I was hoping he would show up.
That credits sequence. My God.
This episode was superb.
Poor Ed. My heart broke for him. Still pining after an unavailable Norma.
Audrey seemed . . . Unwell? Confused? I kind of got the impression that Charlie may be some kind of caregiver and there’s possibly some residual impairment from the explosion. I keep thinking of the case of Phineas Gage and the reports of how his personality changed after his accident.
James singing made me miss Donna all over again.
I know. Donna! There hasn’t been any mention of her, right? Unlike the references to Harry Truman?
I came across a thread on Twitter about the use of reflections in the episode and how there’s something “off” about them. The reflections don’t move? Or they lag behind the real person being reflected. One with Ed and one with Audrey – and now I need to go back and watch.
//There hasn’t been any mention of her, right?//
There hasn’t! I saw an interview with David Lynch asking why Lara Flynn Boyle wasn’t returning, and he said Donna just wasn’t necessary for the story he wanted to tell. Which is fine, but is one line of dialogue about where she is too much to ask for?! Even if it’s bad, I want to know!
It’s funny you mention the reflections, because I re-watched the first episode over the weekend, and noticed that in the scene where Sarah is watching the nature show. The reflections in the mirrors behind her are somewhat off. I didn’t notice it the first (or second) watch.
Ooh I’ll have to check that out when I re-watch.
I finally saw Big Ed’s weird disjointed reflection in the window – with the weird time-skip in it. Fascinating. I have no idea what it means – but I love it.
Here’s Keith’s re-cap! https://mubi.com/notebook/posts/twin-peaks-episode-13-recap-what-is-this-kindergarten
Loving the link under the words “over the top.”
It had to be done.
This -> //But try to break a man down into only his best or worst self and something critical is lost.//
I love this point. I think it’s at the core of what is being explored here – this sort of false duality of our natures – in tandem with the exploration of doubles and dopplegangers. It came up when Beverly told Ben he’s a good man. Which is not entirely true, but also, in the context of that moment, not false. And even at his most conniving and cold, Ben was never purely evil. None of us are all good or all bad, and we can’t be funneled down to either essence because we are greater than the sum of those parts.
Last week, I had James’s song stuck in my head. When the song started in this episode, I wondered if I was dreaming it. Such a strange feeling!
I LOVED the conga line, but even more, Candie’s glee when telling what was in the boxes. It’s too much, it’s unreal, but it’s so real for the actress that it’s just right. I love that ANYthing can happen and be believable in that universe.
Richard Horne’s reaction to Bad Coop is fascinating. Of course now there’s one theory I can’t get out of my mind and that makes so much sense.
//I went back and watched it again just to watch Dougie’s face. I highly recommend doing that.//
Ha ha, will do!
//Richard Horne’s reaction to Bad Coop is fascinating//
Was it just me or was there something almost vulnerable about his expression?
I definitely felt that.
Absolutely.
// Candie’s glee when telling what was in the boxes. //
That was so adorable!!
Her backstory is probably horrible but what if … what if … she feels protected in this weirdo environment? That it’s better than what she had before and she really likes it?
She doesn’t seem to be mis-treated – (outside of having to wear that get-up). Maybe there’s something about the situation that she loves.
am I insane? (don’t answer that …)
Whatever the case may be, her excitement about those boxes was so touching. She was so excited!
//She doesn’t seem to be mis-treated – (outside of having to wear that get-up). Maybe there’s something about the situation that she loves.//
She might even love the costume. I don’t know, I think maybe if I looked like her I’d love to wear that, ha ha! But yeah, I’m with you, it looks like the brothers are shielding her from the outside world.
This is super nerdy and fun. I just don’t have a brain that picks up on stuff like this. But it’s fun to hear the speculations:
https://whitecitycinema.com/2017/08/09/the-possibility-of-parallel-realities-in-twin-peaks-the-return/
Interesting. I love reading stuff like this. I’ve heard directors say that they will choose performance over continuity if necessary, but based on what I know of Lynch, it seems unlikely that he would be one of those directors. I do think the screwy continuity is probably a deliberate choice, and I did notice that something was off about the timeline when Bobby was talking to Norma and Ed. I just assumed it was non-linear storytelling, but this definitely a possibility, too.
When I was little, I cried at the end of Annie because, as I wailed to my parents at the time, “I don’t want it to be over!” That’s totally how I’m feeling now. I wish this could go on forever!
// I do think the screwy continuity is probably a deliberate choice, //
Me too.
and ohhhh that’s so adorable about your child self. I so relate to that.
So I just need to share with people who would understand: my air conditioner is not working, and in an effort to survive the ungodly Ohio River valley heat and humidity until I can get someone to fix the a/c, I have a couple fans blowing on my bed. One of them is a bladeless tower fan, and it has started making scritchy, creaky electrical Black Lodge noises occasionally. It’s kind of freaking me out.
By the way, can we talk about Sarah?
Your Black Lodge fan makes me worried for you, Natalie.
//By the way, can we talk about Sarah?//
How about we don’t because she might hear us and I’M TERRIFIED (and slightly in awe).
OK, let’s. Has someone else apart Laura done that taking-off-my-face thing? Striking difference, though. WHAT did we see? I can’t go back and re-watch, because, really, she scares me so much.
Last week, I finally had my first Twin Peaks dream. The ‘plot’ was: Tammy walking. It seemed like it lasted foreeeeeever, just that: Tammy walking. How awesome is that?
//Your Black Lodge fan makes me worried for you, Natalie.//
I’m worried for myself, honestly, but more about heat stroke at this point. The cats don’t seem bothered by the Black Lodge fan, and that’s basically my reference point for supernatural danger assessment. I’d love to report that I was able to fix my a/c with the help of youtube videos, but unfortunately I discovered that the problem was not the $5 fix I thought it would be, and I need my coolant recharged, so I’m looking at a professional repair that I can’t afford right now. The heat will probably get to me before BOB does.
Re: Sarah – I don’t know what we saw! A hand and a disembodied mouth, I think? My bigger question is, what IS she? Is she possessed by a Black Lodge spirit? Is she a doppleganger? Was she the teenage girl who swallowed the bug/frog thing? Has she just been taken over by her own sensitivity to the supernatural combined with her grief and darkness? And what does this mean about the sound we heard in the kitchen when Hawk stopped by? Did she kill that poor store employee who said he would deliver her vodka and cigarettes to her?
And also: I was rooting for her at the beginning of that scene with the whole “It wasn’t meant to be polite” thing. THAT’S THE KIND OF THING THAT WE NEED TO BE TEACHING GIRLS THAT IT’S OKAY TO SAY!!! And honestly, even by the end of the scene, I’m still kind of rooting for her. Don’t get me wrong, she’s scary as hell, but it’s not like the “Truck you” dude is a huge loss, and she kind of did women everywhere a solid with that one.
//The ‘plot’ was: Tammy walking. It seemed like it lasted foreeeeeever, just that: Tammy walking. How awesome is that?//
That is completely awesome! Was it Tammy walking like when Gordon sent her into the restaurant after they questioned Evil Cooper and then Gordon and Albert stood there watching her swinging her hips as she walked away?
I just discovered that this exists. It aired about a year before I started watching SNL, and I wouldn’t have gotten the Twin Peaks jokes anyway. (Also? I still miss Phil Hartman. He was so comically gifted, and he’s perfect here.) Enjoy!
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7o2ca
Apparently, today is Sarah Palmer’s 75th birthday. Somehow, I doubt she’s celebrating. Poor Sarah.
Oh wow. Yes. Poor Sarah.