Episode 18

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LostInTheMovies
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Episode 18

Post by LostInTheMovies »

This is an episode I had only ever viewed as part of an overall series rewatch (and sometimes, not even then). But I decided to give it a go in isolation because it contains some of the best moments of the mid-season, even though the episode itself is often considered one of the worst of that already-bad stretch.

First off, even in this lackluster stretch, there's plenty to single out and criticize. Many of the scenes have a plodding, draggy feel to them (that dread-inducing nothing-is-happening motorcycle opening is certainly a signal of what's to come). Duwayne Dunham's directorial style is pretty plain, which can be refreshing at times, especially compared to the overly baroque meanderings of certain other directors who shall remain nameless (la-di-da...). But atmosphere is generally not his strong suit, and his approach works best when paired with scripts that have a lot of enjoyable dialogue and character interactions. Certainly not the case here.

Speaking of scripts, it's hard to believe Barry Pullman - who wrote the god-awful James-Evelyn exchanges in this episode - also penned the very memorable Harold-Donna scenes in ep. 12. It just goes to show you...something, I guess.

That said, as I recalled, the episode does have several high points. The Denise introduction is great. On page, this could seem like just another silly, sappy season 2 storyline/character but David Duchovney really nails the part and makes Denise feel like a real person rather than a cartoon. It's rare to see a comedic part artfully underplayed in this stretch and her first scene with the uncomfortable Hawk, timid Truman, and confused Cooper has a great dynamic to it. This is one of the few parts of the episode (and mid-season) that doesn't need to be graded on a curve.

I also really like Ben's home movie sequence. I said Dunham isn't great with atmosphere, and generally he isn't, but this is a notable exception and it's nice to be reminded of that magical, romantic, nostalgic quality of Twin Peaks which generally gets buried under sitcom/soap tropes at this point in the show. The music and Richard Beymer help immensely, too. Once Hank enters into the room the scene's not on the same level for me, though.

Probably the most notable part of this episode is Hawk's Lodge speech. It's really the only time on the show that its spiritual ethos are laid out so clearly and it's blink-and-you'll-miss-it. Buried in a patch of bad episodes, assigned to a freelance writer, and quickly upstaged by Duchovney's appearance, this seemingly throwaway little exchange is like the hidden key to Twin Peaks. I find that fascinating. Who would think that in the bowels of ep. 18 you'd be getting set up for the finale and Fire Walk With Me? Certainly not Lynch, whom I doubt had any interest in ideas like the Lodges or the dweller in the threshold, and yet he delivers on them perfectly in his own endeavors.

Anyway, these are probably three of my favorite moments in all of mid-season 2 and they elevate the episode for me.

Some additional thoughts:

- Gordon Cole's brief vocal cameo is David Lynch's only credited involvement during an 9-episode stretch (from 15 to 24). He doesn't even try to hide his boredom & it ends up sounding like someone else doing a bad Gordon Cole impression.

- The headline and Ben's side reference are the last times anyone will mention Leland Palmer on the show. Ever! (Of course, better than a mention is his actual re-appearance, or his doppelganger's anyway, improvised by Lynch 12 episodes later, in the finale.) I would love to read the article that goes with that headline since the bizarre ep. 17 wake leaves me scratching my head as to the community's reaction.

- Speaking of the Palmers, Laura gets her only screentime until the finale when Ben holds up her picture in his office. Interestingly, this episode is also the only time until the finale when her portrait does not appear under the end credits (it is replaced by Ben's home movies). I wonder if there were house rules on this. The only other director to put something else under the credits is Lynch himself and of course, he always makes sure to include Laura within his episodes.

- I'm reading Greg Olson's book on Lynch now and he mentions that ex-spouses Catherine Coulson and Jack Nance get their only scene together in the finale. Not true. They sit together at Dougie's wedding and have an appropriately awkward interaction. The Log Lady's line about "I love Dougie Milford's weddings!" is terribly dubbed; not only does it not sound like Coulson, it doesn't sound like something the Log Lady would even say!

- 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.

- Cooper's love/fear speech to Roger is another bit of seeding for later in the season, or so it seems. It makes it all the more a pity that they cut down Cooper's & Briggs' scripted exchange from the previous episode, in which Briggs presents fear as the opposite of love, they discuss loving oneself, and suggest that Leland did not. If left intact, it could've been the best bit of dialogue in this entire run of episodes (as well as one of the few times the show actually dug into Leland's core issues). Oh well. It wouldn't be the mid-season if it didn't flub one of its best moments...

- Nice to see Betty Briggs in action. It's all a bit goofy, but nice nonetheless; her delivery is pretty humorous.

- 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...
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Re: Episode 18

Post by Audrey Horne »

How could you leave out the best moment? Audrey and Cooper dancing at the wedding! I was pretty pissed at this episode back when it aired. The Palmer case is all over and now we can move on to more fun, and no Audrey?! It seemed like such a throw in to satisfy the viewers with the fan favorite duo. But I was thinking, I have to wait another friggin' month!

I believe all the James intro stuff was actually filmed for the pilot. That's pretty neat.

And we get the pairing of Josie and Catherine, and think of it's potential. It's the first time they've been together since we learned of Josie's duplicitous nature, and now know they are worthy adversaries. (Yes, the show tanks this, but at the time of airing and thinking what could be, it was interesting.)

I haven't watched this one in probably ten plus years, so you're making me want to revisit it... All of them, as a matter of fact.

And yes, now in hindsight. Ben's scene is probably the highlight.

Oh, also the script has a great Audrey, Cooper moment where she wants to know if he's in trouble. Perfect in form if they kept to the Audrey as a thorn in Cooper's side in being the mini detective, Girl Friday. She and Pete are also the Maid of Honor and Best Man.
God, I love this music. Isn't it too dreamy?
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Re: Episode 18

Post by LostInTheMovies »

Audrey Horne wrote:How could you leave out the best moment? Audrey and Cooper dancing at the wedding!
Ha, I actually meant to mention that! Pity it's so short and that Audrey seems more invested in it than Cooper.

I think the next episode - with Denise in the hotel room - is their last moment together until the interrogation scene with Windom's letter (at which point Audrey is totally cool on Coop). It's poignant knowing that there isn't more to come, but Audrey kissing Cooper makes for a nice little ambiguous send-off (and her previous comments plant the seed for Audrey-as-an-FBI-agent in the future), much better than the crushing shutdown of ep. 17.

Incidentally, I don't know if anyone caught it but I had a bit of fun with all this in one of my season 2 videos. While narrating that MacLachlan had nixed a romance because of his concern for the character's age, I made sure to splice in a shot from the later episode, in which we pan from Audrey to Cooper...with LFB caught in the middle, giving Cooper "the eye." ;)
She and Pete are also the Maid of Honor and Best Man.
I didn't catch that! Are you talking about Audrey and Pete, or Margaret and Pete?
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Audrey Horne
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Re: Episode 18

Post by Audrey Horne »

Audrey and Pete.

And yeah, I laughed and laughed at your editing for that installment. Genius.
God, I love this music. Isn't it too dreamy?
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Re: Episode 18

Post by hopesfall »

I watched this episode at the weekend, and I'm not ashamed to admit that I began to cry quietly at the Ben's home movie scene; particularly at the part when he strokes his on-screen Mother and kisses her. My Mum died of cancer quite recently, far too young, and I haven't seen this episode since. To be honest I completely forgot that he did that, and it totally got me.

Another thing I'm not ashamed to admit is how much I like the bar scene, despite the rather cringeworthy exchange between James and Evelyn. It filled me with an overwhelming desire to just drive out really far somewhere, find a really quiet bar/pub, sit at the bar, have a beer, and stick some tunes on the jukebox. A little sad I guess but the feeling hasn't left me since. Perhaps I'll do it one day after work soon.

This episode also strengthens my love for Hawk. His shocked nod of acknowledgment to Denise, his face frozen in disbelief, then when she leaves he compliments the colour she's wearing. :lol:

Considering I've always thought this to be a china-bone weak episode, I thoroughly enjoyed it this time around. I like it when that happens.
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Re: Episode 18

Post by BOB1 »

Hey, that's good to hear!

And all the scenes you mention sound good to me. Even though I would always say that there is only one genuinely good scene in the episodes 17-20 and it is the Ben home movie scene. Sorry about your mum, too.
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LostInTheMovies
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Twin Peaks Out of Order #23: Episode 18

Post by LostInTheMovies »

Re-watching Twin Peaks from my least favorite to favorite episode...

Previously: Episode 20 (http://www.dugpa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=42624#p42624)

This episode has frequently been ranked at the bottom of the entire series. It introduces the dreadful Evelyn and Little Nicky storylines, sets aside a good chunk of time for the who-cares Milford wedding, launches the final, tedious stretch of Josie's storyline, and makes it clear that the last episode wasn't an aberration: Twin Peaks is dead-set on becoming a slightly more twisted Andy Griffith knockoff for the 90s, Northern Exposure with a more ridiculous bent as it emphasizes postmodern pratfalls of a lovable, kooky small-town community. Well, sure - and 18 is definitely a part of my least favorite patch of episodes in the series. But I think it's a lot better than most of the others. Yes, Evelyn and Nicky make their debuts but their scenes become much worse in the next couple episodes. The Milford wedding provides a platform for numerous entertaining little character moments. Josie's bedside confession to Truman may be one of the character's best moments, allowing us to see her vulnerable side even as we remain aware of a complex dark side she is unwilling to reveal to her naive lover. And if the show is going to wander into wacky small-town shenanigans for a while, at least it will do so under the guidance of one of the richest, warmest, and most well-played guest appearances in the entirety of Twin Peaks: David Duchovney as Agent Denise Bryson. There are three passages in this episode that ensure its place at the very top of the mid-season, and one of them is Denise's debut. Given the times and the show's general tenor at this juncture, Denise could have easily come off as a one-note gag, dated and cringeworthy today. Instead, thanks particularly to the acting and directing, she is one of the more nuanced, believable characters, gracefully walking the tightrope between cheap humor and preachiness without falling into either trap. Another of the three excellent passages comes right before Denise's entrance, as Hawk lays out the show's core mythology. This might initially seem like a throwaway monologue and ok, it's a bit hamfisted, especially the conceit that this grabbag of European esoterica (primarily culled from Theosophy) has anything to do with Pacific Northwest Native American lore. But listen closely, especially to the bit about the dweller on the threshold, and you have an essential key to understanding what happens in the finale and feature film. And of course this is the first-ever mention of the Black Lodge; all in all, one of the more essential info-dumps of the entire series. Amazing to think this scene is tucked away here, in a mostly forgotten episode, overshadowed by the material surrounding it and entrusted to a secondary character. Finally, the third crucial passage is Ben's nostalgic reverie in his office, watching an old film documenting the groundbreaking ceremony for the Great Northern. The acoustic Twin Peaks theme and the blue-tinted monochromatic home movies add to the scene’s charm, capturing the old, yearning flavor of the series in a way most mid-season episodes do not. But the moment also carries thematic heft. Until now, Ben has simply been a loathsome if occasionally charismatic cad; this gesture offers a glimpse into the more vulnerable side of his character, paving the way for his eventual, bungled attempts to become a do-gooder. Additionally, there are a surprising number of other solid scenes scattered throughout the episode: Cooper's whimsical credo about playing off the board (delivered to a baffled FBI supervisor); our first sneering Windom tape, mocking Cooper's "hobglobins" and promising the audience an intimidating villainous mastermind (if only); and Betty Briggs' visit to the sheriff station offers intriguing glimpses into Major Briggs' mysteries while allowing Charlotte Stewart more lines than all of her other scenes combined. All too rare, but as Ben Horne once said (in happier if more malevolent times), "Always...a pleasure!"

Next: Episode 24 (http://www.dugpa.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=42940#p42940)
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Re: Episode 18

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The first episode of the series that feels like something of a different show (what with the Palmer plotline disposed of and the other goofiness in full flight), 18 isn't all that bad but I wouldn't say it's underrated either. The highlight for sure is Ben and the home movies, such an unexpectedly poignant moment which could have led to further good material. Instead of seeing Ben very realistically fall apart at the seams, we have to have him become totally cuckoo and re-enact the Civil War, though; that initial poignancy of the home-movies scene (or the hook rug dance scene) gets lost in the shuffle of non-sequitur "weirdness." Too bad.
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Re: Episode 18

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I decided to re-watch this episode after seeing some praise for it in the Reddit discussion thread. And you know what, I really appreciated it this time around. Scene for scene, I think it's easily the strongest of the infamous 17-22 stretch. And, crucially, Dunham's direction is excellent throughout, lending a very Peaks vibe to an episode which is so full of plots that should feel completely alien to this show (or at least what this show was up til recently). I dunno, maybe he isn't the most atmospheric director on the show, as Lost says, but I think he's more than capable of delivering a really thoughtful, streamlined product. Episode 1 and 25, both pretty superb, bear this out as well. Here he gets weaker material but still manages to make it work. I'd say he's not far behind Linka Glatter in terms of the multiple-ep non-Lynch directors.

In particular, everything here with Coop is great -- this is one of KM's better turns in late-S2, when he so often seemed just as disinterested as many viewers. Betty Briggs, Coop, Truman and Hawk provide a gripping scene, and Hawk's lauded speech is fascinating. Josie is actually compelling for once in her scene with Harry, which is beautifully shot and acted. And I have little problem with the James stuff as it starts here. It's actually a promising beginning; the idea of a new town/area and new possibilities, plus James getting embroiled in a noir plot, is pretty good in and of itself. (Hell, even when this plot revels itself to be a load of hot air, it's still set in some gorgeous, intriguing locations). Earle is suitably menacing in his first (aural) appearance. Then of course there's Ben's fantastic scenes, and Denise -- particularly her first scene and the reaction of everyone in the room. The Milford wedding is a fine scene, though I kind of hate the decor of it all (which is admittedly probably purposefully tacky, as is the music).

Unfortunately, everything with Nadine and especially Andy/Dick/Little Nicky is unsalvageable -- though I agree with Lost in that these plotlines get far worse and more obtrusive in the next few episodes. I wouldn't place this episode terribly high overall, just high compared to a lot of post-Leland Peaks. It really is a smoothly-crafted and entertaining hour, in stark contrast to the paradoxically dull disaster of the preceding one.
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Re: Episode 18

Post by TwinPeaksFanatic »

As for the episode itself, on a whole I would deem this a light episode without too much mystery afoot. However the introduction of Agent Denise Bryson certainly is a highlight. David Duchovny steals all the scenes he's in and offers a lot of fun.

I wrote a recap for this episode here --> http://twinpeaksfanatic.blogspot.com/20 ... de-18.html :D
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Re: Episode 18

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The Andrew Packard reveal is, I believe, one of the low points of the series. Such an unnecessary, back-from-the-dead soap opera plot, especially coming too soon on the heels of Catherine's much cleverer and much more interesting, but still convoluted, back-from-the-dead reveal. No disrespect for the actor, whom I find to be a really commanding presence, but YAWN.
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Re: Episode 18

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Aerozhul wrote:The Andrew Packard reveal is, I believe, one of the low points of the series. Such an unnecessary, back-from-the-dead soap opera plot, especially coming too soon on the heels of Catherine's much cleverer and much more interesting, but still convoluted, back-from-the-dead reveal. No disrespect for the actor, whom I find to be a really commanding presence, but YAWN.
Well, Twin Peaks was, in part, a spoof of big TV soaps of the period and soaps like Dallas and Dynasty revelled in these kinds of storylines. Perhaps the issue is that a lot of Twin Peaks fans don't like (or, increasingly, have first hand knowledge of watching) the soaps it parodies. I never watched the big soaps and didn't care for them, but I was obviously aware of the craziness of the Dallas dream season from the papers and even non-viewers often had an opinion about the shows.

Another part of the problem with the TV shows of that era is also that they throw so much plot into the mix and rush through it without properly exploring it. Nowadays, the whole season of Twin Peaks would have been dominated by he Hong Kong storyline, for example. You'd go through Josie's history, likely with flashbacks, Andrew's return would be handled more gently, having introduced him in the flashbacks, and Eckhardt would be a presence throughout the season, rather than just getting David Warner in for a couple of episodes' 'spit-and-cough.'

Actually, rather than the three-day jump after Leland's death, I wonder if they could have jumped a couple of years and used the Packard/Hong Kong storyline as the reason for the FBI and Cooper returning to the town. That would have seemed more natural.
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Re: Episode 18

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LostInTheMovies wrote:That said, as I recalled, the episode does have several high points. The Denise introduction is great. On page, this could seem like just another silly, sappy season 2 storyline/character but David Duchovney really nails the part and makes Denise feel like a real person rather than a cartoon. It's rare to see a comedic part artfully underplayed in this stretch and her first scene with the uncomfortable Hawk, timid Truman, and confused Cooper has a great dynamic to it. This is one of the few parts of the episode (and mid-season) that doesn't need to be graded on a curve.
David Duchovny really landed on the global scene in this episode. While Mulder was the role that made his name, I can't be the only Twin Peaks fan who tuned into The X-Files when I heard the bloke who played the transvestite DEA agent in Twin Peaks was the lead actor.
Gordon Cole's brief vocal cameo is David Lynch's only credited involvement during an 9-episode stretch (from 15 to 24). He doesn't even try to hide his boredom & it ends up sounding like someone else doing a bad Gordon Cole impression.
What with old an mono TV speaker and PAL speed up in the UK adding to the 'distortion,' I always thought it actually was someone doing a David Lynch impression until I saw this episode with the correctly pitched audio. I could have sworn back in 1991 that it was someone imitating Lynch rather than Lynch himself! Then again, I didn't, historically, think it was Lynch doing the voice in Gordon's first telephone appearance either. I thought they'd got a voice artist in, then Lynch later had decided to play the role himself on screen and decided to make him comedy deaf. It was only later on watching it on DVD that I realised it was David Lynch.
The headline and Ben's side reference are the last times anyone will mention Leland Palmer on the show. Ever! (Of course, better than a mention is his actual re-appearance, or his doppelganger's anyway, improvised by Lynch 12 episodes later, in the finale.) I would love to read the article that goes with that headline since the bizarre ep. 17 wake leaves me scratching my head as to the community's reaction.
Yes, that Leland Palmer 'Laid To Rest, Community Mourns' headline makes me wonder whether details of the story was somehow suppressed and everybody somehow forgets he killed Laura and at least three other people over the next few episodes. it's fleetingly mentioned here a couple of times – Ben, the newspaper and Lana – then seems to fade away forever.
Nice to see Betty Briggs in action. It's all a bit goofy, but nice nonetheless; her delivery is pretty humorous.
Yes. Can't remember reading whether she's in season three, but I wonder if Garland's work will impact her and Bobby in the new show. Betty seems to know more about his work than she can say...
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! ;)
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Re: Episode 18

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Gabriel wrote: Yes, that Leland Palmer 'Laid To Rest, Community Mourns' headline makes me wonder whether details of the story was somehow suppressed and everybody somehow forgets he killed Laura and at least three other people over the next few episodes. it's fleetingly mentioned here a couple of times – Ben, the newspaper and Lana – then seems to fade away forever.
I was wondering that too. How was it reported? If he died from head injuries sustained while locked in a cell at the police station, the Gazette would be asking some serious questions about police procedures.
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Re: Episode 18

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Audrey Horne wrote:I believe all the James intro stuff was actually filmed for the pilot. That's pretty neat.
Is this really the case? The weather does look like the pilot! That's great if so, really adds an extra dimension to this scene.

-


So, as with Episode 17, I found some stuff to enjoy in the latest rewatch.

The highlights here are:

The opening scene with Betty Briggs.

Lynch returning on the phone as Cole.

Coop's speech about playing off the (chess) board and opening up to new levels of awareness.

Ben watching the home movie.

The introduction of Denise, played wonderfully by David Duchovny.

Cooper and Denise's conversation.

The rest of it (Nadine and Donna back at school and the beginning of the Nadine/Mike romance, the Ernie stuff, the Josie/Harry stuff, the Little Nicky/Andy/Dick stuff, and the James/Evelyn stuff, the Lana/Dougie Milford wedding stuff) ranges from the alright to the meh to the awful. But as someone else pointed out, none of these plots - especially Little Nicky/Evelyn - have gotten really bad yet. They're bearable at this stage.

Oh and I agree that the Andrew Packard reveal here is very weak. And soapy too, but it doesn't even feel like a parody here. It just feels soapy and weak. As LostintheMovies pointed out, no wonder people weren't to keen to tune in a month later. And I think this was the last episode to have ratings in the double digits until the finale. Interesting to think that, even though 17 and 18 weren't great episodes, the ratings weren't hugely dipping (though they did go down after 14) and the series might have been salvaged had the episodes gotten better from this point on. Then again, maybe not - I think ABC were pretty committed to cancelling it anyway. It was too weird and offbeat for them. I think it was Frost who implied they'd wanted to cancel it for a while?

So - a weak episode, weaker even than 17 I think, but a few scenes here and there make it mostly bearable and at times even entertaining.

The next stretch (19-22) I'm not looking forward to at all.
I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.
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