Episode 29

Moderators: Brad D, Annie, Jonah, BookhouseBoyBob, Ross, Jerry Horne

User avatar
Mr. Reindeer
Lodge Member
Posts: 3680
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 4:09 pm

Re: Episode 29

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

Lots of last-time series character appearances in this one in terms of the linear timeline, even if we see several of them again in prequel form in FWWM/TMP: Donna, Leo, Earle, Briggs (other than his ethereal appearances in TR), and Harry and Annie (although we do technically get a teeny bit more of those two courtesy of TMP). Particularly tragic is the loss of Pete, played by the great Jack Nance. In tribute to the character/actor, I rewatched all his series scenes and put together an obituary for him, inspired by the style of LostInTheMovies’s character series. I mostly stuck to the filmed material, but inserted a little material from the books.

R.I.P. Peter “Pete” Martell
6/28/1934-3/27/1989

A third-generation Twin Peaks native, descendant of a lumber baron grandfather, Pete was born on June 28, 1934, to Ersel Nealith Martell and Bessie Martell (née Spoon). Pete graduated high school in 1959. A hopeless romantic, Pete carried a torch for classmate Midge Jones right up to the end of his days. However, it was another relationship that would come to define his life (and his death). Pete found employment as a lumberjack for the Packard Mill, former rival of his grandfather, gaining a reputation for his feline-like agility when climbing trees. He caught the eye of Mill owner and town patriarch Andrew Packard’s sister Catherine, and after “a summer’s indiscretion,” the two were wed. While the marriage soured, and Catherine’s long-term affair with local mogul Benjamin Horne was common knowledge, Pete remained faithful to his wife (whom he lovingly referred to as “Poodle”), even as they slept in separate rooms and spent most of their time trading barbs. Through his passion for wood and his ability to relate to the blue-collar workers despite his heightened status, Pete rose through the ranks at the Mill to become foreman. Pete and brother-in-law Andrew formed an unlikely bond, sharing a similar juvenile sense of humor. Andrew considered Pete a “prince of a man”; Catherine, exasperated, said that they brought out the worst in each other.

An accomplished fisherman in his spare time, Pete was defending champion at the local Fishing Association. In fact, he was heading out for an early morning of fishing when he came upon the body of murdered homecoming queen Laura Palmer, wrapped in plastic and washed up on the shore in front of Blue Pine Lodge. Pete believed that, “There are many cures for a broken heart, but nothing quite like a trout’s leap in the moonlight.” Pete was also an extremely skilled chess player. An acolyte of José Raúl Capablanca’s strategy, Pete was able to best anyone in town, and was enlisted by FBI Agent Dale Cooper to help counter the deadly game being played by insane former agent Windom Earle.

A homebody by nature, Pete spent most of his spare time at Blue Pine Lodge, the Packard family home. However, as a community leader, he happily attended town events, such as Ben Horne’s reception for Icelandic investors, Leland Palmer’s funeral, and Dougie Milford’s many weddings. He also occasionally ventured out to the Great Northern’s Timber Room bar to socialize and enjoy his beverage of choice, a nice cold glass of milk.

Pete was typically far removed from the drama and turmoil beneath the surface of the town and the surrounding woods. However, he did find himself in the crosshairs of the rivalry between his scheming wife and Jocelyn “Josie” Packard, the widow of his supposedly deceased brother-in-law. Pete was in love with Josie, although he never made any advances, possibly out of respect for his own marital bonds, or because he sensed that Josie did not reciprocate, or in deference to his good friend Sheriff Harry S. Truman, who was secretly seeing Josie (Pete was one of the few privy to the secret, and he would good-naturedly serve the two pan-fried rainbow trout then withdraw while they held their rendezvous). Pete, like most men, was oblivious to Josie’s duplicitous nature but highly receptive to her charms. He became close friends with her after Andrew’s “demise,” and often allied with her against Catherine, even as the three awkwardly all resided in the same dwelling and shared control of the Mill. Over Catherine’s objection, he supported Josie’s humanitarian gesture to close the Mill for a day due to the death of Laura Palmer and the disappearance of Mill employee Janek Pulaski’s daughter. He also stole the key to Catherine’s safe, allowing Josie access to the false ledger Catherine was keeping to bankrupt the Mill as part of her scheming with Ben Horne (it’s not clear how aware Pete was of the contents of the safe or Catherine’s plans). However, when a double-crossed Catherine made a heartfelt plea for Pete’s help, Pete remained loyal to the wife he still loved (despite her being “hell to live with”), helping her to search for the missing ledger that spelled her demise, and ultimately risking his life by heroically rushing into a burning drying shed to try to save his unfaithful wife.

Pete did not find Catherine in the fire, and mourned her passing while suffering smoke inhalation. However, once Catherine revealed that she had faked her death, Pete doubled down on his loyalty to her, and rejoiced in assisting her in wresting control of the Mill and Ghostwood Estates from Catherine’s double-crosser (and Pete’s cuckolder) Ben Horne. Pete even reluctantly went along with Catherine in forcing the traitorous Josie into servitude, even though he initially refused to believe that Josie was capable of murder. The easygoing Pete was remarkably forgiving when he learned that Catherine and Andrew had deceived him about Andrew’s death, and seemed to finally be convinced of Josie’s treacherous nature once Andrew revealed how Josie had tried to kill him. Even then, Pete still remained affectionate toward Josie, and secretly picked up her laundry while Josie was busy doing chores for Catherine. After Josie’s sudden and unexplained death, Pete could sometimes be heard reciting poems to her in the Great Northern lobby, apparently speaking to the woodwork.

Pete’s demise was a direct result of Catherine bringing him to the “house on the hill” and entangling him in the Packards’ web of schemes and rivalries. Andrew’s late archenemy Thomas Eckhardt left the posthumous gift of a puzzle box, and Pete joined Catherine and Andrew in their obsession with solving it, ultimately leading Pete and Andrew to a fatal encounter with a safety deposit box rigged with explosives. Although it is impossible to say for certain, forensic analysis strongly indicates that Pete’s last act was to use his body to shield young Audrey Horne, the daughter of his rival Ben Horne, thereby saving her life. This heroic act would be consistent with Pete’s lifetime of selfless behavior.

A man of simple pleasures, Pete’s culinary preferences included turkey sandwiches with mayo, ginger beer, and hot dogs (all beef, with the skin on). He was also a collector of taxidermied animals, not only fish that he himself had caught (mounted courtesy of Tim & Tom’s Taxi-dermy), but also more exotic pieces, such as a cobra wrestling a mongoose. Pete drove a 1968 powder blue Dodge pickup truck, which was almost always loaded with fishing gear. Pete was also a fan of musical theater, particularly Fiddler on the Roof, which made him weep like a baby. A generous host, Pete always offered Blue Pine guests a fresh cup of coffee, although this was a hazardous proposition as occasionally one of his recently-caught rainbow trout would improbably take a liking to his percolator. Not a frequent drinker, when occasionally indulging in champagne, Pete only knew two toasts: “A Drinking Song” by W. B. Yeats, and a limerick which greatly annoyed Catherine.

In addition to Sheriff Truman, Pete was socially friendly with Dr. Will Hayward and Mayor Dwayne Milford, and the three of them served as the Miss Twin Peaks judging and rules committee. Among his other friends were the Doolittle twins, with whom he once traveled to Guam. Although he got along well with almost everyone, Pete seemed to have a rather antagonistic reaction to Margaret Lanterman, known locally as the Log Lady. Pete’s greatest strengths were his loyalty and his patience (the latter demonstrated by his devotion to fishing, chess, and being married to Catherine).
Last edited by Mr. Reindeer on Thu May 07, 2020 6:56 pm, edited 2 times in total.
User avatar
Mr. Reindeer
Lodge Member
Posts: 3680
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 4:09 pm

Re: Episode 29

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

No matter how many times I see this one—and I’ve watched it a lot, far more than any other episode of television—it just blows me away how perfect it is. It’s hypnotic and absorbing and unbelievably rich in mood.

In my rewatch of E28 and E29, it has been genuinely shocking to me how well I can buy that Cooper, Briggs and Gordon hatched their “two birds, one stone” plot during E28. I was really dreading how impossible it would be to integrate such a drastic retcon into my viewing of the original show, but it fits surprisingly well. Note that Cooper has already made arrangements with the Log Lady to bring the oil, and for Ronette to come down to smell it. He’s further ahead than we think he is. Clearly, one of Cooper’s goals is to stop Earle. Is Earle one of the birds? It seems not, given that the Fireman is still talking about two birds in Part 1, although Earle does seem to be the most pressing priority here, so it’s a little odd that he wouldn’t be one of the “birds.”

There’s a certain poetic irony in the fact that the Miss Twin Peaks contest is themed around how humanity is killing the forest, and this episode is about something ominous in the forest attacking humanity.

No one shoots the woods at night the way Lynch does. I wish we’d gotten more scenes of the woods at night throughout the series. That’s the purest essence of TP to me, even though there was shockingly little of it over the course of the show.

In one of those odd instances of the TP writers reappropriating a truly random obscure bit of cultural arcana for the mythology, Earle’s little poem to hypnotize Annie was apparently written by a 20th century American military lieutenant: http://sites.rootsweb.com/~nyallega/nodeath.html

After a season’s worth of the moronic “teenage Nadine” storyline, Lynch caps it off with a surprisingly poignant and grounded ending. It almost redeems all the stupidity we’ve endured to see the actual human stakes of all these characters finally acknowledged in a realistic way.

What is that establishing shot before the Hayward scene? It appears to be an entirely different house than has been used for the Hayward house in every other episode!

That shot of Dale and Harry in the police cruiser (at 14:19) is reused footage from the Pilot, right?

“Harry, I have to go on alone.” This is seemingly the last moment these two friends will ever see each other. I got a lump in my throat when Cooper said this line. He sounds so uncharacteristically gravelly; the line reading really carries the full weight of the twenty-five years of his life he’s about to sacrifice, even if he doesn’t know it (except perhaps on an intuitive level).

I love the effect of the steady spotlight on Jimmy Scott with the strobes all around. It’s simple but really effective. I forgot to mention it, but Tim Hunter does something similar in E28 with Earle’s remote control lights remaining steadily illuminated in the midst of all the strobes.

I know I’m risking coming across as a stan in praising Lynch too much in comparison to the other series directors, but when Lynch shoots the California woods in the daytime, they look washed-out and overcast as if we’re actually in Washington, whereas almost every other director made them look warm and sunshiney.

I’m not sure it ever registered with me before that Audrey says the editor of the Gazette is DWAYNE Milford Jr. I think I’d somehow always mentally switched it to “Dougie”! So Dwayne had a kid, and he went to work for Dougie’s press empire (which we know notoriously attacked Dwayne Sr. at every opportunity!).

The little hello between Audrey and Pete is really sweet, after their bonding in E27. In fact, I believe Audrey’s name is the second to last thing Pete says in his life (his last line, appropriately enough, is a hushed barely audible “So long” as Dell wanders off).

I also like Audrey telling Dell to call the sheriff and ask for Agent Cooper, one last little nod to their friendship before things go really, really south a couple of days later.

The way the scene is shot doesn’t really make it seem like it’s possible for Pete to heroically shield Audrey from the explosion, but this is a detail from Mark’s book I choose to accept in my personal head canon because I have such affection for the actor and the character, and would like to believe his death had some meaning beyond the climax of a meandering, silly revenge plot.

Andrew’s “Oh sh—!!” might be the closest anyone came to cussing on the original series. (On my rewatch, I’ve also been revisiting the bonus features on the Blu Ray. It cracked me up that Stephen Gyllenhaal’s F-bomb and S-bomb are bleeped, although Dana Ashbrook got away with a “shit” in the exact same feature.)

Continuing with discussion of the Blu Ray/DVD features, I noted that Todd Holland (a nerdy superfan before he landed a job on the show) says he told Mark he believed something was going on with Sarah and her mood swings, and he implies that Mark confirmed this. I definitely don’t buy that L/F had any inkling of Sarah’s arc in TR at this point, but it’s interesting that they may have had something up their sleeves, and I agree with Mark that the retcon feels completely consistent. This episode is the strongest preview of that twist, although as with most things in TP mythology, it’s a little complicated. I’d like to think it’s Judy here talking through Sarah to Garland (or possibly the Jumping Man...I guess I’ll end up speculating more about who exactly is inside Sarah as we progress to TR). But the episode does seem to strongly imply it’s actually MfAP (it’s clearly his voice in the next shot although we don’t see him...as an odd bit of trivia, this may also be the only time a line from MfAP isn’t subtitled). I’ve mentally toyed with the idea that the frogmoth is a sort of placeholder, allowing various Lodge spirits to slip into Sarah at will. So maybe it is MfAP here and Judy elsewhere? I do really like the idea that it’s Judy here though, due to the oncoming battle between her and Garland. MfAP doesn’t hold quite the same weight given what we learn in TR.

It’s sweet that the last time we see Garland in our world, he’s sitting on the same side of a diner booth with Betty, kissing and sharing a cup of coffee. Given how little time he has left, it’s nice to see him enjoying marital bliss. I’ll say it again: this is probably the only healthy union on this show. They’re really cute together.

Who do we think actually killed Leo? Albert in TFD speculates that it was Earle, but that doesn’t check out with the timeline on the series. I feel like I read a good theory on here at some point, but I can’t for the life of me remember what it was.

Man, no one on Earth can scream like Sheryl Lee can.

I believe this is the only time we see the Giant/Fireman in the Red Room. It’s especially odd after TR to see him consorting with presumed Black Lodge spirits (although the Arm and Mike both appear to be Cooper’s allies in TR, so perhaps there’s more overlap or ambiguity than we assume). Notably, Lynch shot scenes with the Fireman in the Red Room for TR but cut them (the only “deleted scenes” we’ve seen from TR, I think).

I have to say, there is something to the way the Red Room is shot in this episode that is lacking in TR. The semi-transparency of the curtains, the almost claustrophobic nature of the sets. TR’s version feels a little sterile and too expansive. I love the feel of Cooper constantly running back and forth up that hallway between two constantly-changing versions of the same room. It’s so perfectly dreamlike and terrifying.

I’ve probably said it before, but I love that the ring table/pedestal from FWWM and TR makes a cameo in this episode! I’d love to hear the story behind this prop. It really strengthens the sense of mythology/continuity to see it here in the background.

I love that Cooper, without hesitation, volunteers his soul so Annie can live. He may be flawed, as we all are, but goddamn, he is such a good guy.

I’ve always loved Kyle’s performance as the doppelganger here, but it’s even more fun knowing that it’s the entity we come to know and love as Mr. C in TR! I’d somehow forgotten that Mr. C’s trademark monotone drone has its genesis in this episode, when he’s “impersonating” Dale. It’s strange how he’s so flat in those moments (the personality that Kyle and Lynch would embrace for the character in TR), but anytime he’s on his own he’s so deranged and giddy! The latter is my primary association whenever I think of this episode.

This also is probably the only instance in all of TP where a character breaks the fourth wall. At 45:48 (this episode runs a little longer than the average!), the doppelganger looks directly into camera and gives us a conspiratorial grin, possibly the creepiest Kyle has ever been.

Dale’s Diet:
— The Waiter serves Cooper coffee in the Red Room; it is liquid when he first picks it up, but becomes solid when he tries to drink, then liquid again, then viscous
User avatar
AXX°N N.
Great Northern Member
Posts: 601
Joined: Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:47 pm

Re: Episode 29

Post by AXX°N N. »

Mr. Reindeer wrote:In my rewatch of E28 and E29, it has been genuinely shocking to me how well I can buy that Cooper, Briggs and Gordon hatched their “two birds, one stone” plot during E28. I was really dreading how impossible it would be to integrate such a drastic retcon into my viewing of the original show, but it fits surprisingly well. Note that Cooper has already made arrangements with the Log Lady to bring the oil, and for Ronette to come down to smell it.
It's funny, because for decades I felt that the opening was so strange with its sudden injection of off-screen shenanigans--I never realized you could extend it even further and use it as space to let further retcons have some room to believably breathe! I always felt like that cold opening was so understandably dismissive, as if it was picking up from a replacement season all of Lynch's own that we never get to see. Really, the back half of S2 is full to burst with these small surgical canonical openings, what with Frost's books, windows through which to finagle in altered story content. But from the beginning of E28 these final 2 especially are so fast and loose with events, and now we have Frost's books telling us that E29 is, after all, multiple different days being shown at once. It's almost like Coop's encroaching induction into the Lodge entrance, and then his full inhabitance, is a catalyst for the chronology outside in TP to go out of whack, an effect we see in FWWM and S3, when the idea of 'one day at a time' is thrown out the window as certainly as Steven's coffee mug.
Mr. Reindeer wrote:That shot of Dale and Harry in the police cruiser (at 14:19) is reused footage from the Pilot, right?

“Harry, I have to go on alone.” This is seemingly the last moment these two friends will ever see each other. I got a lump in my throat when Cooper said this line. He sounds so uncharacteristically gravelly; the line reading really carries the full weight of the twenty-five years of his life he’s about to sacrifice, even if he doesn’t know it (except perhaps on an intuitive level).
I don't have an answer, but you also pointed out reuse of footage by Dunham in a few different episodes, and I never realized there had been repurposed footage at all before. So interesting!

The fact that Harry's slow processing of the goodbye later on is also one of the last times we see Harry on-screen, adds so much more sorrow to what was already such a heavy scene. It's almost as if the weight of it lands the same as a fatal diagnosis.
Mr. Reindeer wrote:Who do we think actually killed Leo? Albert in TFD speculates that it was Earle, but that doesn’t check out with the timeline on the series. I feel like I read a good theory on here at some point, but I can’t for the life of me remember what it was.
I recall thinking it was Evil Coop. I'm loose on what my rationale was, but I think it was basically this: It would make sense to be Cooper (as an aspect of the doppelganger), because if Coop is Earl's protege, confusing one for the other seems plausible, and also for it to be BOB (inhabiting the doppelganger, with access to what Earle knew after consuming his soul), otherwise who else would know about it? It could be read as the beginning of Evil Coop's "cleanup" streak whereby he closes loose threads with a decisively murderous flair to keep his trail secure, ranging from cellphones to Mr. Todd. Who knows what of what Leo was observer to would be bad for Evil Coop's secrecy.
Mr. Reindeer wrote:I’ve mentally toyed with the idea that the frogmoth is a sort of placeholder, allowing various Lodge spirits to slip into Sarah at will. So maybe it is MfAP here and Judy elsewhere? I do really like the idea that it’s Judy here though, due to the oncoming battle between her and Garland. MfAP doesn’t hold quite the same weight given what we learn in TR.
This is one of the biggest, most direct effects on the old material S3 has had on me. It doesn't matter what I consider otherwise, she's Judy in that scene to me.
Mr. Reindeer wrote:This also is probably the only instance in all of TP where a character breaks the fourth wall. At 45:48 (this episode runs a little longer than the average!), the doppelganger looks directly into camera and gives us a conspiratorial grin, possibly the creepiest Kyle has ever been.
In P8, when the Fireman looks out the window after his entrance, I always get the impression he's looking at me.


These were so illuminating to read, as someone interested in viewing the TP canon as a consolidated whole. Funnily enough the thing that will be lodged in my head most permanently from your OS recaps is you pointing out how consistent the rules are for when Coop does or does not drink from his FBI mug. I had never, ever noticed anything about that wonderful detail. :)
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.
User avatar
Mr. Reindeer
Lodge Member
Posts: 3680
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 4:09 pm

Re: Episode 29

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

AXX°N N. wrote: In P8, when the Fireman looks out the window after his entrance, I always get the impression he's looking at me.
Oh yeah, you’re right! I forgot about that! I read that moment as an indictment of humanity, like he’s holding each audience member responsible for the birth of the atomic age and all the other crimes our race has committed against the planet.

These were so illuminating to read, as someone interested in viewing the TP canon as a consolidated whole. Funnily enough the thing that will be lodged in my head most permanently from your OS recaps is you pointing out how consistent the rules are for when Coop does or does not drink from his FBI mug. I had never, ever noticed anything about that wonderful detail. :)
Haha, I hadn’t either before this viewing! One of many pleasant surprises on this revisit. It’s clearly one of his talismans, like his mother’s ring, and the FBI pin (which takes on significance in TR). Glad you appreciated it. I plan to move on to FWWM whenever I get a chance over the next few days, then roll into TR.
User avatar
Saturn's child
RR Diner Member
Posts: 403
Joined: Fri Mar 04, 2016 4:38 pm
Location: Blue Mountains

Re: Episode 29

Post by Saturn's child »

I've absolutely loved the commentary through your most recent rewatch Reindeer, many many thanks for sharing your thoughts. Without having another recent rewatch under my belt personally, it's made me feel like I've experienced the journey one more time. I also adored your send-off to Nance/Pete, had me grinning, nostalgic, & sad all at once. What a character (both Pete & Nance).

I've had a few too many wines to reply that fruitfully at present, but I'll at least say:
Mr. Reindeer wrote:No one shoots the woods at night the way Lynch does.
A-fucking-men.
User avatar
Mr. Reindeer
Lodge Member
Posts: 3680
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 4:09 pm

Re: Episode 29

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

Saturn's child wrote:I've absolutely loved the commentary through your most recent rewatch Reindeer, many many thanks for sharing your thoughts. Without having another recent rewatch under my belt personally, it's made me feel like I've experienced the journey one more time
Glad you enjoyed it! It’s fun to revisit the journey in different ways, even vicariously or without actually watching. I’d love to follow along if someone else undertakes a rewatch. Years ago, I took printed copies of all the original series scripts with me on a camping trip, and read them on the plane and nights by the campfire while drinking copious amounts of coffee. A “rewatch” experience I would highly recommend.

I’m seriously considering doing TR in one straight shot as some have recommended, to give this rewatch an experience I haven’t had before. But my gut is strongly telling me that each Part needs time to breathe, like a fine wine or scotch. I also can’t imagine my commentary here will be as interesting (or my own internal contemplations as focused) if I don’t give myself some room to think/dream on the series in smaller pieces.

(I’ve often contemplated how a new season of TP would be titled/numbered, with “episodes” and “parts” used up. “Pieces” would be fun, especially in light of TMP! “Piece 1,” “Piece 2”...)
Post Reply