Subject: Did Leland Know Laura Was Dead?
From: jespah@milton.u.washington.edu (Kathleen Hunt)
Date: 1990-11-26, 18:56
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks

From: cewallace@lion.uwaterloo.ca (Chris Wallace)

*By the way, on a Leland/BOB note, could someone who has the ORIGINAL 2-hour
*series pilot on tape answer a question for me?  Now I may be completely
*wrong about this, but I seem to recall that when Leland was told about
*Laura, all Harry (Hawk?) said was something like, "Leland, it's about Laura..."
*and immediately Leland breaks down, saying, "My daughter...she's dead!"
*
*It's just that I don't remember anyone telling him that she was dead!  I mean,
*she could have been arrested, or in a car accident, etc...  How did Leland
*know??  It's been a very long time since I saw the original...can
*anybody clarify this for me??

Well, I don't have *access* to my tape right now, but I watched it several
zillion times.  I think you're right that Leland jumped to the conclusion
that Laura was dead.  BUT, it was pretty damn obvious.  Harry walks up to
him really slowly, really grim-faced  (remember that Leland is listening
to Sarah frantically telling him that Laura is missing)  and says 
"Leland...[Harry looks like he's about to cry himself]...I've got some bad news.
It's about Laura."  or words to that effect.  It is totally obvious that
Harry is about to announce that Laura is dead.  Leland obviously doesn't
want to believe it.  In fact, for a long time, I refused to believe that
Leland was the murderer precisely because of this scene; because in this
scene, Leland was obviously Surprised and Shocked, and above all, Totally
Griefstricken that Laura was dead.

I still remember that as one of the saddest scenes I've ever seen on TV.
It was a totally believable depiction of the horror a parent must feel when
he/she finds out their child has died.  Everyone I know who watches TP was
in tears when they first saw that scene.  (I have this one friend who didn't
see TP last spring, so I forced her to watch the reruns this summer.  She
was all excited because she knew how much I liked it.  During the premiere,
I was in another room making cookies, and suddenly I hear my friend wail,
"Kathleen!!  This is AWFUL!!!"  I ran in and she was sitting there sobbing.
It was during this scene...p.s. she is an addict now...)

In retrospect, I think that was Leland-as-Leland that we saw.  I think that
Leland-as-Leland is griefstricken that Laura is dead, and feels vaguely
guilty, and feels vaguely responsible, but can't pin down why.  I think
we haven't seen Leland-as-Leland since his hair turned white, and definitely
not since Maddy died...:-<  

Jespah (Kathleen)