Episode 18

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Henrys Hair
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Re: Episode 18

Post by Henrys Hair »

The Andrew Packard ending has got to be the worst cliffhanger ending so far, especially considering it came before a long holiday hiatus when viewers were already bound to fall away. It's not very interesting even in theory, but how it's handled makes it even worse. Andrew just strolls out, spouts some cliches, and then (practically shrugging himself) looks offscreen and we cut to black. Gee, I wonder why people weren't itching to tune in a month later...
Especially telegraphing it in the same scene. 'Oh look! Piper Laurie's talking about her dead brother Andrew, we're seeing a photo of him for the first time ever and it's a photo of that well known character actors Dan O'Herlihy, whose face you'll recognise even if you don't know his name! I doubt he'll ever show up!' Ahem! ;)[/quote]

Don't we see a photo of Andrew Packard much earlier in the show - the fish-in-the-percolator scene? On edit - no we didn't. For some reason I always thought there was a photo of Andrew shown much earlier in the series.
Last edited by Henrys Hair on Sat Jul 20, 2019 3:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Henrys Hair
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Re: Episode 18

Post by Henrys Hair »

LostInTheMovies wrote:Usually the James-Evelyn scenes are terribly written, but at least attempt visual interest. The garage scene in this episode is so uninteresting to look at. A nothing composition, all in one take with a slight push - I think Dunham is trying to echo his technique in ep. 1 when he shoots Audrey & Ben this same way, but for reasons that don't need enumerating it does not have the same effect here.
I re-watched this episode today and I thought the James-Evelyn garage scene might in fact be the dullest scene in the show's dullest plot. None of it helped by James' choice of jumper, which heaps an extra layer of grey over an already-colourless scene.

Like you, I also wish we'd been shown more about the town's reaction to Leland's death. The wake last episode and headline in Roger Hardy's paper suggest he's still viewed as a pillar of the community while Ben Horne at least acknowledges his murderous activities. It always seems strange that the mystery that gripped the whole town is never really mentioned by the townsfolk after it's solved. Surely Bobby, for instance, would at least note in passing his shock at finding out his former girlfriend (still only dead about a fortnight) was killed by her father.
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Audrey Horne
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Re: Episode 18

Post by Audrey Horne »

I’m thinking a lot of that also has to do with when things were filmed, and actors performing scenes in later episodes before the Killer reveal episode even aired. Ie. Dana Ashbrook filming a Bobby scene in episode eighteen when episode fourteen might be airing in a few weeks and he (the actor) still wouldn’t know who the killer is. I still think a lot of the actors in the wake scene didn’t know who the wake was for.
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mtwentz
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Re: Episode 18

Post by mtwentz »

Audrey Horne wrote:I’m thinking a lot of that also has to do with when things were filmed, and actors performing scenes in later episodes before the Killer reveal episode even aired. Ie. Dana Ashbrook filming a Bobby scene in episode eighteen when episode fourteen might be airing in a few weeks and he (the actor) still wouldn’t know who the killer is. I still think a lot of the actors in the wake scene didn’t know who the wake was for.
Excellent point. And by the time Ep. 14 had aired, the show as being filmed had long since moved on to other plot lines.
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Mr. Reindeer
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Re: Episode 18

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

It never crossed my mind before, but in light of TR, I’m starting to wonder if Garland’s previous disappearances which Betty refers to weren’t also trips to another realm. I’d always assumed this was the first time he crossed over, but perhaps he’s already been back and forth gaining knowledge of the Lodges, etc.? (BTW, this is the first episode where Garland’s first name is ever spoken onscreen.)

I really love what an understanding, loving and equal relationship Garland and Betty have, and that comes through once again with Betty’s appearance in TR. That might be the only healthy marriage on the show!

Given TR’s absurd revelation that Denise is actually an FBI agent acting undercover for Gordon infiltrating the DEA (or something?), it makes sense that Gordon might have pulled some strings to have his woman on the inside be the one to handle Dale’s case. We can assume he’s playing coy on the call when he talks about the DEA going through sock drawers, when he actually knows full well Coop will be handled with kid gloves. I think Gordon’s “umbrella” comment is Gordon letting Dale know he doesn’t have to worry, leading to Dale’s subsequent calm demeanor. Lynch is really funny throughout that call. I love the way he yells, “storming a whorehouse?!”

Dale’s speech to Roger about what lies beyond the darkness etc. sounds like a Blue Rose mission statement.

It’s really a shame that the Nadine crap in this stretch is the first time we’ve been at the high school since maybe the Donna-Audrey bathroom scene in Episode 4? I love the feel of the school scenes in the Pilot and the first few episodes of season 1. It’s crazy that on a show where four main characters are in high school, we almost never spent any time there (Bobby and James’s attendance has become completely nonexistent at this point; Audrey and Donna don’t seem to be doing a whole lot better, what with their respective adventuring at One-Eyed Jack’s and with Meals on Wheels/Harold).

Hideout Wallie’s is a pretty tacky set, but I do love that Angelo Badalamenti’s “I’m Hurt Bad” (last heard in the Pilot) is the #1 jukebox hit for angsty teenagers everywhere. There is something so surreal and otherworldly about what qualifies as “popular” music in 1989-era Peaks. Maybe TR did lose something by bringing in more traditionally mainstream acts, as much as I like most of the Roadhouse performances. The original series almost seems to take place in a world where rock never took off and pop developed in a more jazz-oriented direction.

For those who don’t know, Coach Wingate is played by the late Ron Taylor, also the voice of Bleeding Gums Murphy on The Simpsons.

The Little Nicky stuff is really dumb, but that diner scene does have one auspicious moment: Andy’s line about White Tail Mountain is the first time one of the titular Peaks has been named in onscreen dialogue! (Harry referred to Blue Pine Lodge in Episode 8, but not the mountain itself).

I was really bothered this time by Evelyn leaning on that Jag while it’s up on a jack! That is SO dangerous. It would have been hilarious if it came crashing down mid-scene, right after she talks about Jeffrey’s “perfect toys,” destroying the car and sending them both into panic mode. Oh, what could have been...

Beymer is so good in this one, whispering the speech from Richard III (Ben loves his Shakespeare...is he comparing himself to King Edward?!), flicking his tongue like a lizard, caressing his mother on the screen. By all rights we should despise this character after all he’s done, yet Beymer makes him both sympathetic and hilariously funny all at once. His wardrobe just kills me. Does that tie have school-buses on it?! And has there ever been a relationship between actor and prop as perfect and as intimate as Beymer and that cigar?

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I can’t figure out where (I thought it was on this thread, but I don’t appear to ever posted on this thread before). Ben’s mom seems to be wearing either a veil or a breathing tube in the old footage of the groundbreaking. I had convinced myself with certainty that it’s a breathing tube going into her nose (making Ben’s dad seem like a complete asshole for smoking cigars around her)...but now I’m thinking maybe it’s a veil? I can’t decide. Any other opinions? (Also note right before the footage cuts off, young Ben appears to again have a cigar.)

Note that, while the Access Guide says Ben’s father was Benjamin Joseph Horne (making our Ben a Junior), the sign in the home movie says “JJ Horne Developments.” The Access Guide and TSHoTP also contradict the series by saying the Great Northern opened in the 1920s, long before Ben was born.

Dale is positively LA-chic at the wedding reception, with no tie and the top button of his short undone! He looks great, as always, but it just feels wrong.

Similarly, Margaret is embarrassingly out of character, but I still love the awkward little interactions between Nance and Coulson on a real-world level.

There appears to be champagne in front of recovering alcoholic Nance, but given that this is a wedding reception, there is probably champagne at every place setting for the toast. Generally, Pete is always drinking milk at functions where most people have alcohol. Josie mentions buying him ginger beer in a note in Episode 8, but most ginger beer is nonalcoholic (like root beer). I’ve always imagined Pete is also a recovering alcoholic like Nance, but he may just be a teetotaler.

And in one of the soapier and stranger endings in the series history, beloved town patriarch and all-American local boy, former boy scout, Andrew Packard, literally wanders out of the woodwork, speaking with a flawless Oxford accent. :lol: I have to say, I really do love Angelo’s Packard theme.

This episode in Dale’s Diet:
— Coffee in his FBI mug in Harry’s office
— Cooper on the food at the Great Northern: “Denise, you’re in for a real surprise”
— Coffee at the Great Northern bar while talking to Denise at Dougie’s wedding reception
Last edited by Mr. Reindeer on Thu Apr 23, 2020 11:07 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Re: Episode 18

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

BTW, Dougie can be seen wearing the jade ring throughout all his appearances, not just in the deathbed scene. It’s generally obscured or tough to make out, but check out his right pinky at 42:16 of this episode when he’s dancing with Lana.
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Henrys Hair
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Re: Episode 18

Post by Henrys Hair »

I think we also see Pete with champagne in the scene where he raises a toast with Catherine in Blue Pine Lodge shortly after Josie becomes their maid. For some reason it's the Josie-as-a-maid story that's seemed the most ridiculous on recent watches, although it didn't seem so out of place at the time.
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Re: Episode 18

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

Henrys Hair wrote:I think we also see Pete with champagne in the scene where he raises a toast with Catherine in Blue Pine Lodge shortly after Josie becomes their maid. For some reason it's the Josie-as-a-maid story that's seemed the most ridiculous on recent watches, although it didn't seem so out of place at the time.
It makes sense to me that Catherine takes revenge on her in that way, and that Josie acquiesces to bide her time / regroup. It’s definitely not a compelling storyline, though. I do recall Pete’s treatment of Josie seeming very out of character in that scene. He’s supposed to be in love with her!
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Re: Episode 18

Post by AXX°N N. »

Mr. Reindeer wrote:Given TR’s absurd revelation that Denise is actually an FBI agent acting undercover for Gordon infiltrating the DEA (or something?)
Oh wow, I never even realized that was a retcon.

This means that when Dennis is first discovering his new fashion preferences and identity, at that very moment he's an FBI man undercover as a DEA agent, undercover as a woman, realizing the real guise has all along been when she's supposedly not undercover, in the false skin of a man. Denise is a character of many layers! :o
Recipe not my own. In a coffee cup. 3 TBS flour, 2 TBS sugar, 1.5 TBS cocoa powder, .25 TSP baking powder, pinch of salt. 3 TBS milk, 1.5 TBS vegetable oil, 1 TBS peanut butter. Add and mix each set. Microwave 1 minute 10 seconds. The cup will be hot.
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Mr. Reindeer
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Re: Episode 18

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

AXX°N N. wrote:
Mr. Reindeer wrote:Given TR’s absurd revelation that Denise is actually an FBI agent acting undercover for Gordon infiltrating the DEA (or something?)
Oh wow, I never even realized that was a retcon.

This means that when Dennis is first discovering his new fashion preferences and identity, at that very moment he's an FBI man undercover as a DEA agent, undercover as a woman, realizing the real guise has all along been when she's supposedly not undercover, in the false skin of a man. Denise is a character of many layers! :o
I know people have proposed a Blue Rose prequel with the adventures of young Gordon Cole and Phillip Jeffries. I hope such a prequel would include ample appearances by Dennis Bryson when he was a “confused and wild thing.”
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Henrys Hair
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Re: Episode 18

Post by Henrys Hair »

Well, this felt like a big improvement on the previous episode - despite featuring arguably weaker lows (Little Nicky & Evelyn Marsh both make their first appearances here) the highs are higher and just, well, Peaksier.

The opening shots of James on his bike were apparently filmed for the pilot. Not sure the music enhances them though.

It's been a while since we've seen Betty Briggs. I wish we'd seen more of her throughout the show and Charlotte Stewart is, as always, fantastic.

It's been even longer since we saw any of 'the kids' at school and yet here are Mike and Donna looking not-terribly-convincing as teenagers. Meanwhile, the painted slogans in the gym look more like the work of primary school children.

The missing apostrophe in Wallies suggests it's not a bar owned or run by Wallie but hang-out for idiots. (Btw, I'm aware there should be an apostrophe in my username - the board didn't seem to accept the apostrophe when I first signed up & it always bothers me when I see it. No idea why I didn't think of some other username instead). Anyway, much more serious is James & Evelyn's intention to drink and drive. The later scene in the garage is maybe the most boring of the whole show, a state of affairs not at all helped by James' grey jumper. There's nothing *wrong* with the scene - it's just so functional in the writing, acting, directing, framing...

It is, however, followed by maybe the best scene of the episode - Ben in his office watching the old home movie. Hank and Ben play off each other surprisingly well, and Beymer is great with the shadow puppets at the end.

First mention of the Black Lodge, and also the first appearance of Denise Bryson. The best of the later characters added to the show? Hawk and Truman's reactions are disappointing. So they can accept a man who raped and murdered his own daughter was possessed by a demonic spirit and is therefore essentially one of the good guys, but are clearly uneasy with a man in a dress...
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