Episode 14

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AXX°N N.
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Re: Episode 14

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Mr. Reindeer wrote:Do people think Margaret sees the Giant? My impression has always been that she does.
I've always thought so too, ever since my first viewing. I just feel that it looks like she does.
Mr. Reindeer wrote:Even before TR, I questioned the Giant’s motivations in bringing Cooper to the Roadhouse instead of helping him prevent Maddy’s murder. Axxon N. pointed out in the Episode 13 thread how the spirit realm may involve a “greater good” analysis (the Fireman sent Laura to Earth to suffer Jesus-style so the world can ultimately be a better place). Did Maddy have to die for some greater purpose, even if the Giant/Fireman could have easily sent Cooper to stop it? Is there simply some code among the Lodge spirits where the Giant wasn’t allowed to interfere directly with Bob’s garmonbozia-gathering? I have no answers, but the Giant does look genuinely sad in the moment when he fades away. Perhaps his position boils down to what Judge Sternwood said: “We have hard jobs.”
It seems consistent in all the Giant's appearances that he can't overtly lead Cooper anywhere. He even tries and fails to communicate what he means, what with his almost uncharacteristic 'No, bro, no,' at Annie joining Miss Twin Peaks; as easy as it is to chalk that up to Lynch not being on-script or on-set, it's interesting to consider.

Disregarding the Giant, Maddy's death might have more to do with BOB's mechanations, if we're to ascribe to it a deeper intent or a tying-in with the overall plot as of S3. Perhaps it's necesarry for BOB to get what grief he can out of Leland, Maddy, Cooper and everyone the death effects on his path to disposing Leland and angling to get into Cooper. It's borne out by Cooper's autobio that Coop's long been on a course to TP, being drawn in some way all along to a terminus we now understand as BOB posession.

Laura-as-martyr is something I definitely don't think comes into play until FWWM. So Maddy's death I think is more accurately read on its own terms, and it's always seemed rather meta to me. Maddy as a character has struggled to break free of the shadow Laura casts on her, while she finds her identity come into question as she don Laura's image and gets sucked into the mystery of her. And of course, ultimately, tragically and fittingly, dies in the same way as her. But it's almost as if, Laura being reduced in her death to being the plot device that offers the mystery, the real tragedy of Maddy is she dies and is reduced to being the plot device that reveals the answer.

It's interesting, though, to consider what purpose Cooper's Roadhouse experience has when considered against later events. I always got the feeling it was important, for some reason, that Cooper experience the odd environment of sadness in the Roadhouse. It has something to do with the building of his intuition, which he later demonstrates by intuiting the killer. But it feels like something more broad; he's touching into the deep vein of sadness that exists in the universe in a cosmic sense.

Edit: typos
Last edited by AXX°N N. on Mon Apr 20, 2020 7:37 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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Mr. Reindeer
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Re: Episode 14

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AXX°N N. wrote: Disregarding the Giant, Maddy's death might have more to do with BOB's mechanations, if we're to ascribe to it a deeper intent or a tying-in with the overall plot as of S3. Perhaps it's necesarry for BOB to get what grief he can out of Leland, Maddy, Cooper and everyone the death effects on his path to disposing Leland and angling to get into Cooper. It's borne out by Cooper's autobio that Coop's long been on a course to TP, being drawn in some way all along to a terminus we now understand as BOB posession.
Yeah, the moment in E16 when Leland references Pittsburgh really resonated for me this time. I think Kyle actually takes a step back, like Cooper is terrified that this being knows about his darkest memory. You really get a sense that in his sick way, Bob is almost doing a seduction dance with Cooper.
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Henrys Hair
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Re: Episode 14

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Well, that's about as good as a tv episode can get. I dread to think how many times I've watched this one over the years and it's lost none of its uneasy magic. That sense of the whole town experiencing the wrongness of the night but being too late to stop it is overwhelming. A few stray thoughts & observations:

Tojamura is among the guests being ID'd at the Great Northern. Speaking of which... knowing what we now know about Bob, there isn't really any reason for Philip Gerard to collapse, is there?

What A Wonderful World playing harks back to Scotty's 'Oh, what a wonderful world' line in the pilot. We also see that the painting Maddy will later have her head slammed into is of Missoula, Montana, where she was supposedly going back to.

When Bobby opens the heel of the first shoe he says 'Oh my God', although we don't see what's in there. Another tape perhaps? This one a recording of Just You? This is also the first we've seen of Mike Nelson for a while.

The photo of Audrey on Ben's desk looks like it's a still from the Norwegians-are-leaving scene in the pilot. Cooper's courteous nod to Tojamura as he leaves the office is a nice character touch.

Near the end of Maddy's death scene, there's an extra shot of Maddy lying on the carpet that I'm sure wasn't in the original UK broadcast or VHS cassette. It's only a second or so but when the season 2 dvd first came out it felt like the last 'unseen' Twin Peaks I'd ever see (at this point, it seemed like the last chance for FWWM deleted scenes to be released had been and gone, while a continuation of the series - even as much as Between Two Worlds - seemed unthinkable. To me, at least).
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Mr. Reindeer
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Re: Episode 14

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Henrys Hair wrote:Speaking of which... knowing what we now know about Bob, there isn't really any reason for Philip Gerard to collapse, is there?
Yeah, this one of those cheats that bugs me on rewatches, even though Lynch gives the moment a terrific atmosphere (I love Ben purposefully chugging down the hall like a freight train, puffing on his cigar). I’ve read explanations like “Ben worked with Leland and they are close” and they always feel pretty hollow and forced.
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Henrys Hair
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Re: Episode 14

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Mr. Reindeer wrote:
Henrys Hair wrote:Speaking of which... knowing what we now know about Bob, there isn't really any reason for Philip Gerard to collapse, is there?
Yeah, this one of those cheats that bugs me on rewatches, even though Lynch gives the moment a terrific atmosphere (I love Ben purposefully chugging down the hall like a freight train, puffing on his cigar). I’ve read explanations like “Ben worked with Leland and they are close” and they always feel pretty hollow and forced.
It's such a terrific scene it's probably best not to think about it really. When Cooper asks 'Where is Bob now?' at the end of the previous episode, the description Mike gives of the Great Northern makes sense since we've seen Leland there that evening. When he repeats the description the next day at the station it makes a bit less sense, since Leland now appears to be home with Sarah and Maddy.
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Mr. Reindeer
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Re: Episode 14

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

Henrys Hair wrote:
Mr. Reindeer wrote:
Henrys Hair wrote:Speaking of which... knowing what we now know about Bob, there isn't really any reason for Philip Gerard to collapse, is there?
Yeah, this one of those cheats that bugs me on rewatches, even though Lynch gives the moment a terrific atmosphere (I love Ben purposefully chugging down the hall like a freight train, puffing on his cigar). I’ve read explanations like “Ben worked with Leland and they are close” and they always feel pretty hollow and forced.
It's such a terrific scene it's probably best not to think about it really. When Cooper asks 'Where is Bob now?' at the end of the previous episode, the description Mike gives of the Great Northern makes sense since we've seen Leland there that evening. When he repeats the description the next day at the station it makes a bit less sense, since Leland now appears to be home with Sarah and Maddy.
I love that moment too, though. It has such power when he says it in Episode 13. Then he repeats it again here as they’re eating donuts and everyone reacts so casually, like he’s been saying it over and over all night and they’re kind of over it. :lol: It’s such a funny, weird little touch.
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