Subject: Re: Ben From: ekushnir@math.lsa.umich.edu (Eugene Kushnirsky) Date: 1991-01-15, 15:36 Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks In article <1991Jan15.210522.12695@cadence.com> phz@cadence.com (Pete Zakel) writes: > >Excuse me? Lots more has happened to Ben then a few nights in jail! > > > >1) His daughter was abducted, injected with heroin, and held for > > ransom. This didn't really bother Ben too much. > >2) His big cash cow and place of recreation (One Eyed Jack's) has > > been taken from him and he has no way of getting it back. He could be trying to get it back, if the writers wanted him to. > >3) Catherine, whom he though was dead by his order, has shown up > > as being alive she not only completely humiliated him, but she > > got him to sign over Ghostwood as well as the Packard Mill. > > > >4) As far has Ben knows, he still owes a Japanese conglomerate > > five million dollars. > > > >5) He has signed an agreement with the Icelanders, which he now > > has no way of following through on. > > > >6) He knows that his (former) ownership of One Eyed Jack's (and > > his practice of visiting there) and his relationship with Laura > > Palmer is probably not a secret anymore. All valid points. > >7) We haven't even been shown what has happened to his marriage now. Again, somehow I don't think this matters all that much to Ben. > >This is more than enough to drive any strong man insane! I think this is where we differ. If you were with the show from the start, you know that originally, Ben was one of the most interesting characters on the show. He was always calm and rational, even through all of the weird things that were happening in the town. And being in the line of work he is in, surely he has had awful things happen to him before! He had dealt with thugs like Hank and the Renaults; he had them wrapped around his finger. Fine. Suppose a man as calculating as Ben Horne could snap after a series of financial losses and public humiliation. Would the resulting insanity manifest itself in an obsession with toy soldiers? Do you really think Ben's character isn't being milked for comic relief? -- ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ | "I don't believe it! You actually found a practical use for geometry!" | | --Bart Simpson | | | ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~