Subject: Re: Various points gleaned from reviewing the TP extant TP episodes
From: douglas@gandalf.nosc.mil (Douglas Dickerson)
Date: 1990-05-07, 14:35
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks
Reply-to: douglas@gandalf.nosc.mil.UUCP (Douglas Dickerson)

In article <20956@megaron.cs.arizona.edu> curtis@cs.arizona.edu (Curtis E. Dyreson) writes:
> >But thus far, Twin Peaks seems to be nothing more than your typical 
> >soap opera done to excess in spots?  Take for instance the sandwich 
> >scene in the 3rd episode.  Was it anything more than deliberate, 
> >juvenile, heavy-handed oddness?  Did it advance the
> >plot or develop the characters or was it simply Lynch saying "Watch me take
> >a normal scene like a reunion and twist it."?  Quite frankly, it was just 
> >silly.  Perhaps it was parody?  Humor?  If the purpose is unclear, the
> >effect is random.  The only purpose that I can fathom it 
> >served was that it set the mood. 

OK, you're abusing my favorite scene, so I'll explain why I believe this 
particular segment is central to at least Ben Horne's character, if not TP.

Ben Horne seems to be the analogue to Frank (Dennis Hopper) from 'Blue 
Velvet'.  In 'Blue Velvet', Jeffrey's voyeurism leads him to an involvement 
with the singer Dorthy Valens in which be is forced to confront his own 
capacity for abusive behavior.  During lovemaking, she says 'Hit me! Hit me!',
and he does.  On the joyride, Frank turns to Jeffrey and says, "You're just 
like me".  Frank has totally surrendered to his violent impulses, which seems 
to be the source of his power over other people.  This sounds to me like a 
good working definition of Ben Horne.  The almost painful consumption of the 
baguettes provides a chilling and quite convincing demonstration of the depth 
of Ben and Jerry's depravity.  Jerry has eaten *four* of these sandwiches a 
day while in Paris.  Even after having dined with his family, Ben is 
interested in the object of his brother's obsession, in fact dives into 
consuming it with a frightening gusto.  He then points out to brother Jer that 
the reason they are so fascinated by this brie and butter combination is that 
it reminds them of 'Jeannie and Joanie down by the river', which Jerry 
acknowledges.  Then they immediately adjourn to the jewel of a scene in front 
of the wall mural in which Jerry is informed of the Norwegians' departure and 
the murder of Leland's daughter.  This double dose of bad news leads quite 
naturally to a boat ride for an evening of diversion at One-Eyed Jacks.  (The 
dissolve from the zooming pan into the wall mural to the droning boat speeding 
across the lake at night to the Hayward's living room still sends chills.  
What genius!)  IMHO, this is a brilliant sketch of a man who indulges his
appetites at every opportunity in a completely amoral fashion.  As we
subsequently discover, Ben, in partnership with Hank Jennings and Leo Johnson,
is most likely behind almost all of the badness coming down in TP.  

Favorite character: Jerry Horne (When will we see him again?)
Favorite quote: 'All work and no play make Ben and Jerry dull boys'

Doug Dickerson douglas@gandalf.nosc.mil