Subject: Who is the heavy breather?
From: sandell@ils.nwu.edu (Greg Sandell)
Date: 1990-05-18, 17:54
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks

In the closing scenes of the 5/17 show, as soon as James Hurley
and what's-her-name drive off to Jacoby's house, leaving
Madeline by the pay phone, we see Bobby watching them, and Bobby
eventually follows James' motorcycyle to Jacoby's house.  But
we also given the viewpoint of another person who is watching
all of THEM, and there's a satanic sound effect sort of like
someone scraping piano strings.  We hear heavy breathing as well.
After we watch James & friend sneak into Jacoby's and Bobby
put a white substance in James' gastank, we return to where
Madeline is, we get the viewpoint of the heavy breather again,
with the satanic sounds again...and this time he is peering
through the curtains of what looks like a hotel.  On first 
watching, I guess I just sort of confused this viewpoint with
that of Bobby, but on re-viewing, it's clearly a different
person.

So who is he?  He could easily be Leo, still breathing heavy
from gun wounds.  It makes sense that he would be following
Bobby around, but then we have to believe that he gave up
following Bobby to stay and watch Madeline.  If he overheard
the call to Jacoby, maybe he wants to wait for him.  We haven't
been given the slightest clue that there's any relationship
between Leo and Jacoby, but we may learn something new next
week.

It can't be Hank (just out of jail), because he's with Josie,
as we saw.

How about Leland Palmer (that's Laura's dad, right?)?  I had
a strong suspicion from the scene where he observes Madeline
sneaking out of the house, that he's not really cracked up
at all; he didn't have that hurt, deranged look on his face,
but more a determined, patient one.  Maybe he's taking a
brilliant strategy of making Benjamine Horne think he's
safely `out of the way' when Leland is in fact doing some
careful snooping.  So it's very possible that Leland somehow
followed Madeline & Co. to the phone booth...after all, he
saw Madeline leave the house...and that he's the heavy breather.

The mysterious Japanese man??? No.  The one-armed man?  No,
he's out of the picture for good.  It can't be Benjamin Horne,
he's eating icecream with Jerry and the Icelanders.  Or lastly,
how about the face that Laura's mother saw in the window?
We've GOT to see him by the last episode.

****************************************************************
* Greg Sandell (sandell@ils.nwu.edu)                           *
* Institute for the Learning Sciences, Northwestern University *
****************************************************************