Episode 7

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

User avatar
laughingpinecone
Great Northern Member
Posts: 725
Joined: Wed Mar 30, 2016 6:45 am
Location: D'ni
Contact:

Re: Episode 7

Post by laughingpinecone »

Jerry Horne wrote:In the first draft script, Audrey tells Blackie the name she wants to use is Laura.
She was born subtle, that one :lol:
Wow, a script! What does it say about the Josie-Hank scene?
] The gathered are known by their faces of stone.
Snailhead
Great Northern Member
Posts: 547
Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2016 2:45 pm

Re: Episode 7

Post by Snailhead »

I re-watched this one yesterday and was very impressed. It's masterfully directed by Frost, and while it's quick pace, there's still many atmospheric and eerie moments - the closeup of Jacoby's face fading into the overhead view of the spinning casino game, Blackie's sensual grasping of Audrey's hand, Leland in the hospital, Shelly washing her hair in the sink and then being surprised by Leo ...

The only thing I don't really like about this episode is the music that plays when the fire starts at the mill - it's so cheesy!
Aerozhul
RR Diner Member
Posts: 116
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2015 10:07 am

Re: Episode 7

Post by Aerozhul »

Just rewatched this one tonight, along with episodes 5 and 6. These episodes, put together (especially 6 & 7) are so tightly written and at such a breakneck pace (not to mention pretty much straight-forward episodic television), that it's crazy to think that just a few episodes previous was the dream sequence, and one episode later, is the second season premiere in all its abstract glory and weirdness. Conversely, roughly one year later we were dealing with the (relatively) sloppy John Justice Wheeler, Annie, Wisdom Earle, pine weasel, Civi War arcs. Doesn't even seem like the same show! Not saying that all this diversity is bad or good, it's just....different. I suspect that the Twin Peaks represented in Season 1 episodes 3-7 is the one that America fell in love with - and the sharp left turn represented in Episode 8 (which was hinted at in Episode 2) is why the mainstream popularity (and media) fell off so quickly. The Twin Peaks represented in these episodes was really compelling and pretty fast-paced, and very atmospheric. It was great in its own way, but it wasn't the real Twin Peaks. The real Twin Peaks showed up in fits and blips in the first season and then truly surfaced in Season 2.

I kind of wish they would have been better able to reconcile these two differing identities as the show moved forward. Some of it I think was the fact that Season 1 appeared to be fully mapped out, which is why it seemed to move forward so well. In Season 2 it seemed more like it was being made up each week as it went along. Again, that's not a bad thing because I also love Season 2. It's just such a different animal.

Back to the episode....does anyone else wonder exactly how Shelly, Pete and Catherine escaped the mill fire? It's never really explained. Clearly Catherine and Shelly are still trapped inside when Pete rushes in, but I'm curious how Catherine managed to slip away. No one ever really talks specifics afterwards....I guess it doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things.
Snailhead
Great Northern Member
Posts: 547
Joined: Sat Apr 02, 2016 2:45 pm

Re: Episode 7

Post by Snailhead »

I agree with the overall sentiment of the above post, however I am perplexed when you say that episodes 3-7 weren't "the real Twin Peaks". Twin Peaks is many things, and those episodes are foundational to its appeal.
Aerozhul
RR Diner Member
Posts: 116
Joined: Fri Oct 23, 2015 10:07 am

Re: Episode 7

Post by Aerozhul »

Snailhead wrote:I agree with the overall sentiment of the above post, however I am perplexed when you say that episodes 3-7 weren't "the real Twin Peaks". Twin Peaks is many things, and those episodes are foundational to its appeal.
I simply meant that the supernatural aspects that were present in so much of Season 2 and FWWM were largely absent from those episodes, which was somewhat misleading as the supernatural elements and mythology are such a large part of the overall show. At the end of Season 1 the thought that Laura had been killed by a malevolent supernatural force inhabiting the body of a Twin Peaks resident wasn't even a possibility. Episodes 3-7 were some of my favorite of the series, but I think the reason the show was so popular was for the rather straight-forward format of those episodes, and that people were put off by the supernatural piece that came to the forefront in the Season 2 premiere.
User avatar
Mr. Reindeer
Lodge Member
Posts: 3680
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 4:09 pm

Re: Episode 7

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

Can any original viewers shed light on what the general reaction to the big cliffhanger was? I know it was first and foremost a spoof of 'Dallas,' but it's still a pretty big plot point from a narrative standpoint. Based on anything I've read/seen, it doesn't seem anyone (including the writers) particularly cared who shot Coop. It struck me this time around that ending on such a cliffhanger might have been the last straw for the (presumably large) chunk of viewers who were more interested in a traditional mystery/resolution than atmosphere/quirkiness.

Both this go-round and during my last viewing a few years ago, I found that this episode has the first two scenes in the entire series that just flat-out don't work for me: Hank/Josie and Hank/Norma. Both scenes are just so leaden (the first isn't helped by the antler shot, which is cute until Mark lingers on it for an excrutiatingly long time). I get the feeling that Frost & Mulkey were going for a soap opera spoof and succeeded a little too well: the Josie scene in particular feels like something from Days of Our Lives.

On the other hand, the episode has some terrific stuff. The Pete/Catherine scene is pure soap opera on the page, but the subversive acting choices make it simultaneously hysterically funny and oddly genuine and honest. It's one of my favorite things Nance ever did. Piper also has some of her best dramatic and comedic moments in this one (the scene with Shelly is one of the funniest moments on the whole series for me). And of course the "bite the bullet" scene, which I love -- particularly Kyle's beautiful reaction shots. The rage and sadness just pour out of him; some of his most incredible work.
User avatar
Audrey Horne
Lodge Member
Posts: 2030
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2007 9:20 pm
Location: The Great Northern

Re: Episode 7

Post by Audrey Horne »

I for one was so excited that it was a cliffhanger because it meant the series was coming back, and honestly I didn't really care who killed Laura (it's Donna, the father or the sheriff... One of the least likely, in the opening credits, and a "good" guy.). I was just excited about the cliffhangers... How it worked as both a send up of soaps and we were still equally invested. I was also so fully on board with Coooer and Audrey being the two greatest characters on tv at the moment.

But for the general public frustration... Which I get. It was a whodunit... And seven weeks is a long time to sustain interest, many felt ripped off. But I loved the episode, and it gave me more time... an entire summer... of going over all the clues. That was the fun. (One of the reasons episode 16 is the episode I was most let down by is the solution let so lazy.)

Which is funny when I read constantly about ABC ruining the series forcing Lynch and Frost to reveal the killer... People were tuning out long before that out of frustration. I loved the episode. I loved Piper telling dim Shelly to shut up, "I'm thinking." Or the brilliance of her lack of compassion, "I can't understand a thing you're saying- you have a THING in your mouth!" Cheering when Andy took down Jacques. Audrey clocking that Cooper was also at OEJs... Squealing with glee when he picks up her note later. And so excited that he got shot, because obviously he wasn't going to be dead and we were going to get more of the show! It led to the most exciting summer of speculating.
God, I love this music. Isn't it too dreamy?
User avatar
Jonah
Global Moderator
Posts: 2815
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2007 8:39 am

Re: Episode 7

Post by Jonah »

A few thoughts having rewatched Episode 7:

I like the lingering shot on the Hawaii mural that opens this episode.

The scene with Cooper and Jacques is powerful.

I love the moment when Shelly is washing her hair and reaching for the towel.

And I love the scene between Catherine and Pete.

And the brief scene between Shelly and Catherine in the mill.

The two cliffhangers are great.

Not much really to add about this episode - I'd previously written more about it on the first page of this thread the last couple of times I rewatched it. It's a soapy, thrilling fun episode, a fitting end to Season 1. Last time I noted that it felt a bit "Santa Barbara"-esque. In retrospect, that seems a bit harsh. But it is very soapy, though that fits with the soap-parody elements of this first season.
I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.
Cipher
RR Diner Member
Posts: 250
Joined: Thu May 04, 2017 7:20 pm

Re: Episode 7

Post by Cipher »

I just completed this episode on a rewatch, which began the other day with Fire Walk With Me, the first time I've inverted the series and films' release order, and I have to agree with David Locke's comments on page one that this episode feels extraordinarily prosaic even compared to the similarly procedural episode 6. I feel a long way now from the surreal, emotional struggle that was Fire Walk With Me, and in all this stood out as the nadir of my interest in season 1, where I found episodes 4-7 to be a bit of a collective slump (with 6 being the relative standout). One Eyed Jack's has been, draped in its unsettling red curtains and filled with stilted, doll-like actors, an uncanny den of epicurean pleasure in earlier episodes, but here it's reduced to a comfortable stage for police drama -- it is simply a casino, simply a brothel. All hints of other-worldliness have disappeared. The episode is also free of the more off-beat, unpredictable dialogue that makes the series' start such a joy, though I did get a laugh out of Andy and Lucy's short-lived reconciliation. I suppose as a way of summing up my feelings, in previous episodes the elements of soap-opera pastiche seem to exist to be subverted by other bits of unpredictable humor and horror; here they're a little too earnestly embraced, or maybe lacking couterpoint. For all that happens in this episode, this is the first time the world of Twin Peaks feels dull.

I'm actually surprised by how greatly I'm looking forward to season 2, which I'm reminded is where all of the series' mythology truly creeps in, and the greater moments of dream-like terror lie. I'm curious to see how I'll feel about its weaker moments compared to episode 7.
User avatar
David Locke
RR Diner Member
Posts: 306
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 4:24 pm

Re: Episode 7

Post by David Locke »

Cipher wrote:I just completed this episode on a rewatch, which began the other day with Fire Walk With Me, the first time I've inverted the series and films' release order, and I have to agree with David Locke's comments on page one that this episode feels extraordinarily prosaic even compared to the similarly procedural episode 6. I feel a long way now from the surreal, emotional struggle that was Fire Walk With Me, and in all this stood out as the nadir of my interest in season 1, where I found episodes 4-7 to be a bit of a collective slump (with 6 being the relative standout). One Eyed Jack's has been, draped in its unsettling red curtains and filled with stilted, doll-like actors, an uncanny den of epicurean pleasure in earlier episodes, but here it's reduced to a comfortable stage for police drama -- it is simply a casino, simply a brothel. All hints of other-worldliness have disappeared. The episode is also free of the more off-beat, unpredictable dialogue that makes the series' start such a joy, though I did get a laugh out of Andy and Lucy's short-lived reconciliation. I suppose as a way of summing up my feelings, in previous episodes the elements of soap-opera pastiche seem to exist to be subverted by other bits of unpredictable humor and horror; here they're a little too earnestly embraced, or maybe lacking couterpoint. For all that happens in this episode, this is the first time the world of Twin Peaks feels dull.

I'm actually surprised by how greatly I'm looking forward to season 2, which I'm reminded is where all of the series' mythology truly creeps in, and the greater moments of dream-like terror lie. I'm curious to see how I'll feel about its weaker moments compared to episode 7.
Well said - though I actually enjoyed this one a bit more on the latest viewing. I still pretty much feel the same way about its disappointing lack of that Twin Peaks feel in favor of a more conventional crime drama/soap... but I can appreciate what it's doing more, because it is a very tightly constructed piece of work. And I guess that even when the usual locations aren't quite milked for their usual mystique, they still feel like Twin Peaks, even if it's Diet Peaks.

I do agree about OEJ's - I'm not that fond of Cooper's undercover role as I think he's much more interesting when he's his usual offbeat self instead of an FBI agent doing the typical investigative work you see on TV. But I do think OEJ's has some magic still in this episode - that weird scene with a heavily-made up Lesli Linka Glatter playing some kind of fairy-tale hunchback helping Audrey with her wardrobe (which itself recalls Alice in Wonderland). And then LLG slinks off into a little conveniently-placed fairy-tale door. The cliffhanger with Ben and Audrey is nicely done as well, though of course Lynch will get the lion's share of that material in Ep 8.

I know a lot of people like the dissolve from Jacoby's eye to the roulette wheel, but to me it feels very over-determined/"isn't-this-neat?" Kind of on-the-nose, I guess. It's a kind of arbitrary application of stylishness that more resembles Keaton's episode than Lynch.

It's hard to think of a single, big stand-out/classic scene from this episode, honestly. I think the only one that really comes to mind is Leland murdering Jacques, which is very powerfully done on all counts.

But anyway, the single worst and most incongruous part of the episode for me is still that really cheesy, really odd Badalamenti piece during the mill fire scene; it just sounds like some super-generic, disposable 80s thriller score. Hard-driving "ominous" synth paired with a horrid-sounding drum machine. Hard to believe it's by Angelo, and hard to believe it was thought to be of a piece with the rest of the Peaks music. (Now that I think of it, there isn't all that much use of Angelo's score in this episode, is there?)

Even though this episode is relatively weak, though, I think 4-6 are pretty fantastic and I generally agree with LostInTheMovies that they're a great look at how the show might've played out if it stayed as that kind of more streamlined, tightly-written soap-mystery with touches of surrealism. My favorite of those may be Episode 4, which took time for me to come around to completely but which I think just has absolutely fantastic direction by Tim Hunter - moody, intriguing, stylized but not too much so as with his Episode 16. And it has a lot of great scenes (Audrey/Donna, Cooper/Llama) and atmospheric one-off locations (Jacques' place being especially memorable). Ep 5 is also superb, with the cabin/Log Lady stuff standing out of course, and then Ep 6 really does manage to incorporate a lot of the plot-driven, Frostian stuff into an hour that's still beautifully-shot and full of that Twin Peaks feel that Ep 7 is so lacking in.
User avatar
The Gazebo
RR Diner Member
Posts: 281
Joined: Thu Jun 29, 2017 3:34 pm

Re: Episode 7

Post by The Gazebo »

David Locke wrote:But anyway, the single worst and most incongruous part of the episode for me is still that really cheesy, really odd Badalamenti piece during the mill fire scene; it just sounds like some super-generic, disposable 80s thriller score. Hard-driving "ominous" synth paired with a horrid-sounding drum machine. Hard to believe it's by Angelo, and hard to believe it was thought to be of a piece with the rest of the Peaks music. (Now that I think of it, there isn't all that much use of Angelo's score in this episode, is there?)
Oh man, I turn down the volume in almost every rewatch. Like you say, it's as if we're watching a totally different show during that scene.
User avatar
Mr. Reindeer
Lodge Member
Posts: 3680
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 4:09 pm

Re: Episode 7

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

Mark has always said that he intentionally structured the finale to have a LOT going on, but amid all the action and cliffhangers, perhaps most significantly of all, we witness the moment when Andy first learns that Lucy is pregnant with Wally Brando!

He’s playing a role, obviously, but there are shades of Mr. C when Dale says, “I’m the bank.” And really, throughout that entire scene.

Alas, the Packard Sawmill. We hardly knew ye. Like Laura post-Episode 16, the Mill remains a part of the series iconography every episode thanks to the credits sequence, but pretty much disappears from the narrative after this shockingly early point in the series.

Finally, this episode’s installment of Dale’s Daily Diet:
— After offering to buy Jacques a cocktail at One-Eyed Jack’s, an undercover Cooper has a clear drink in a rocks glass, with ice and a red cocktail straw (my bet would be that it’s a gin and tonic, based on Coop’s classical sensibilities, but that’s pure conjecture)
— Heading back to his room, he tells Diane he ordered some hot milk from room service (which he will of course receive in the next episode)

Due to the fact that this is a fast-paced episode, which takes place over a compressed period of time and is relatively light on Cooper scenes, this is the first episode where Cooper never drinks coffee!

For the second time (after Episode 3), we see Cooper with a (presumably) alcoholic beverage. There has been some speculation that we never actually see Cooper drink alcohol onscreen, so I’m tracking that on this rewatch, since I’m focusing on Cooper’s dietary habits. Here, we see Cooper raise the glass to his mouth three times, but the camera always cuts away before he drinks; the third time, when we cut back to him, he is seen bringing the glass back down toward the table. Even though we never actually see him sip onscreen, it seems pretty clear that he is drinking throughout the scene. However, I will continue to keep tabs on this throughout my rewatch, just for fun.

EDIT: In the master shot of the scene on the infamous season 1 bootleg, Cooper drinks four times throughout the scene.
Last edited by Mr. Reindeer on Fri Apr 10, 2020 6:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Mr. Reindeer
Lodge Member
Posts: 3680
Joined: Mon Jan 26, 2015 4:09 pm

Re: Episode 7

Post by Mr. Reindeer »

A few other stray thoughts:

I love love love that One-Eyes Jack’s location in S1. By all accounts it was incredibly impractical to shoot in (just seeing it onscreen, I can’t even fathom how they fit a film crew in there for many of the shots), but it is so beautiful. The set-bound version in S2 is fine, and I’m sure it freed the directors and crew up to shoot far more efficiently, but there’s a rustic decadence to that S1 location that is incredible and so iconic. For those who don’t know, that was someone’s home, and much of the furnishings (antler chandelier, wall tank) were actually part of the location, and remained there as recently as 2015! See https://www.twinpeaksblog.com/2018/07/0 ... yed-jacks/ for some wonderful photos. I’d love to own that place.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around all the Mill shenanigans. So Catherine believes she and Ben are scheming against Josie to burn the Mill and frame Josie for arson (presumably so she could collect the insurance money). But in reality, Ben and Josie are planning to frame Catherine, presumably portraying it as a revenge plot against Josie (with the fakes ledgers to demonstrate that Catherine had it out for Josie)...Josie gets the insurance money, Ben gets the land, Catherine dies. But then they take out the sketchy life insurance policy on Catherine, which seems like such a bad plan. Couldn’t Ben and Josie be happy enough with their respective profits? Taking out the policy the day before the fire just shines an enormous spotlight on them both as suspects. Also, assuming the plan is that Catherine appears to die accidentally while committing a criminal enterprise (arson), I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t even be able to collect on the policy! I get why the life insurance policy is necessary as a storytelling device, but it makes no logical sense.
User avatar
Jasper
Bookhouse Member
Posts: 1138
Joined: Wed May 08, 2013 9:24 am

Re: Episode 7

Post by Jasper »

Mr. Reindeer wrote:For those who don’t know, that was someone’s home, and much of the furnishings (antler chandelier, wall tank) were actually part of the location, and remained there as recently as 2015! See https://www.twinpeaksblog.com/2018/07/0 ... yed-jacks/ for some wonderful photos. I’d love to own that place.
Thanks for posting this. The house is amazing. The painting above the stairway is similar to, but not the same as the one from the show, contrary to the observations of the author. The same poker table is there by the window next to the pool table. The same ornate metal cash register sits at the bar. The same drugstore style "wooden Indian" statue is at the top of the little staircase to the right of the very strange fish tank type thing. It's so fun to look for all of the various little elements. I hope all of those things are still there.
User avatar
AXX°N N.
Great Northern Member
Posts: 601
Joined: Wed Mar 08, 2017 8:47 pm

Re: Episode 7

Post by AXX°N N. »

Mr. Reindeer wrote:I’m still trying to wrap my head around all the Mill shenanigans. So Catherine believes she and Ben are scheming against Josie to burn the Mill and frame Josie for arson (presumably so she could collect the insurance money). But in reality, Ben and Josie are planning to frame Catherine, presumably portraying it as a revenge plot against Josie (with the fakes ledgers to demonstrate that Catherine had it out for Josie)...Josie gets the insurance money, Ben gets the land, Catherine dies. But then they take out the sketchy life insurance policy on Catherine, which seems like such a bad plan. Couldn’t Ben and Josie be happy enough with their respective profits? Taking out the policy the day before the fire just shines an enormous spotlight on them both as suspects. Also, assuming the plan is that Catherine appears to die accidentally while committing a criminal enterprise (arson), I’m pretty sure they wouldn’t even be able to collect on the policy! I get why the life insurance policy is necessary as a storytelling device, but it makes no logical sense.
I remember thinking the same thing. So much of the Mill subplot is a gordian knot without a sword that ever falls. Perhaps the agent approaching her was a ploy to get her in the right place at the right time, which it did, was the only thing I could think of to make sense of it. But that doesn't have the benefit of any on-screen affirmation.
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.
Post Reply