Subject: My obervations on Twin Peaks From: emmanuel@well.sf.ca.us (Emmanuel Goldstein) Date: 1990-09-15, 02:04 Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks After watching each episode at least four times now, I'm left with the following observations: The dwarf in the dream can be none other than Laura herself. Look at what he says: "She's my cousin. But doesn't she look almost exactly like Laura Palmer." Laura could have said the exact same words, considering how similar she and Maddie looked. So is the girl in the dream actually Maddie? Maybe. Playing the dream sequence backwards is a worthwhile experience. It sounds really strange to hear the performers speaking "backwards" in a normal voice. The only other part to sound interesting backwards is the part in the beginning where scenes are rapidly flashing along with a strange shutter-clicking kind of sound for each scene. Played backwards that sounds remarkably like a single typewriter key being struck. I won't get into the significance of that because I know of none. The easiest way to play the scene backwards is to hold a cassette deck up to the TV and record the entire scene. Then take a screwdriver, open the cassette and reverse the reels (carefully). The tape will now play backwards. I also noticed the slow motion voice that says "Laura" at the beginning of the dream (a precursor to Waldo) sounds most human at double speed. Another theory I have which is kind of far-fetched is that the mysterious person with Leo in the woods is Josie Packard. Why? Only for the reason that the same strange chord was struck when we saw a mysterious figure silhouetted in an office. That figure turned out to be Josie. So if the strange chord represents a specific person, then that chord represents Josie. But if it simply represents ominous mystery, we're still in the dark. Did anyone else catch what has to be the biggest continuity gap? (Apart from the moon changing an entire phase in a single day--anyone ever come up with a reason for that one?) In the pilot, James and Donna have just emerged from the darkness on a motorcycle. Truman and Cooper give chase. When they first start chasing, we see the flashing lights on the police vehicle. But in the very next cut, they're off. Then they're on again. How could they (producers, etc.) have missed this? I'm curious as to why Cooper was "staking out" the Roadhouse that night with Truman. I never saw a distinct relation to Laura's murder and sitting in front of the Roadhouse. Remember, when they were first there, Donna had not yet snuck out of her home and Cooper knew nothing of the drug-running operation going on. So why would he be wasting his time sitting in a police vehicle in front of a bar for no good reason? I've gotten into quite a few arguments over whether the tattoo on the one-armed man's missing arm said "Mom" or "Bob". I changed my mind on this one a couple of times yet there were always people to argue the other side, so maybe it's deliberately vague? I saw the same footage on the "Laura/Donna videotape" that someone else mentioned. One second we're looking at Laura, then for a split second that you can't possibly see without freeze-framing there's a scenic background of sorts, then Laura again. What's interesting is that in that split second, the camera JUMPS in on Laura's eye; it doesn't move in. Almost as if the camera was turned off for a second, then turned back on. Maybe James pointed the camera somewhere else and hit the pause button, then refocused on Laura. Then again, maybe someone in production screwed up. If Leland were really aware of what his daughter was doing at One Eyed Jack's and was feeling guilty about THAT, then shouldn't he be terribly angry with Ben Horne, since we KNOW he was involved with that operation and it would be impossible to keep that a secret from someone he worked closely with? My guess is that OEJ's is actually a fairly innocent operation and the real evil stuff (Leo, Jacques, violent sex) was completely unrelated. Is the Double R Diner a 24-hour operation? In the pilot, Bobby is giving Shelley a ride home pretty early in the morning and it seems like she's coming off a shift. What was the significance of Nadine's forgetting who James was on the day of the funeral? (Nadine to Big Ed: "That's not your bike." Ed: "It's James." Nadine: "James who? [pause] Oh." I don't recall any other instances of forgetfulness on her part, just insanity. When the Icelandics first arrive, Ben suggests to Jerry a trip to One Eyed Jack's (he signifies this by covering his eye, to which his brother says that it's an honor knowing him). Why then is Ben upset when Jerry tells him in a later episode that he took them there? (Ben: "And whose idea was THAT?" Jerry: [looking guilty] "I take full responsibility.") What is the deal with Little Elvis? What does Ben mean by "time to give Little Elvis a bath" as he displays a doll? Could it be related to the Elvis mannerisms of the dwarf in the dream? Who is on the phone right before Cooper is shot? I hear Andy's voice towards the end but it sounds like it's coming over the radio. Also, why does Cooper not know who it is after the person starts talking? How could you NOT recognize Andy's voice and wouldn't Andy identify himself? Finally, I must refute whoever said the third shot came from Cooper's gun. True, we only see two bullets hit Cooper. But we very clearly see the same gun fire the third shot. Cooper hasn't fired at all. Since I've heard that the dwarf will be back, I imagine there will be some kind of recovery scene where he's hallucinating or something. I didn't notice missing dialogue in the "Lucy on the radio" scene. In fact, I was able to hear everything that was heard in Canada (thanks for the transcript; I couldn't make it out before). What I suspect is that some ABC stations had problems with sound; maybe half the stereo signal accounting for some loss of dialogue. I've heard similar glitches before, usually on a local level. I visited Twin Peaks, California over the summer. Close to Big Bear City, it's a cool, mountainous area not far from the desert. It's also very small, only a couple of thousand people. (Isn't the population of the REAL Twin Peaks [yes, I'm actually referring to the fictitious one as the real one] way too high for the kind of town it appears to be? What was the figure on the sign? Well over 10,000 I believe.) I found myself having to use the phone in the sheriff's office. I was sorely tempted to ask him what kind of magnificent trees were all around. Does anyone know that the country's largest serial killer operated in the very area that Twin Peaks is filmed in? From around 1980 to 1985 about 60 people were found murdered, usually prostitutes, runaways, etc. Specific details as to the clues he left were never revealed to the public. The killer (known, I believe, as the Green River killer) was never found. I heard this from someone who lived in the area and was surprised that the townspeople weren't a bit more upset with the plot of the show. I'm surprised too but find it in keeping with Lynch's way of doing things. I'd be interested in hearing anyone's input or comments regarding any of the above. Sorry for the length but these questions and observations have been building up for quite some time. Emmanuel emmanuel@well.sf.ca.us