Review Tonight! "Twin Peaks" S01E06 "Cooper's Dreams"

[Mad-Pac]

Aired Thursday 9:00 PM May 10, 1990 on ABC

Cooper and Truman discover evidence in the woods related to the death of Laura Palmer.


CAST

Kyle MacLachlan ... Special Agent Dale Cooper
Michael Ontkean ... Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Mädchen Amick ... Shelly Johnson
Dana Ashbrook ... Bobby Briggs
Richard Beymer ... Benjamin Horne
Lara Flynn Boyle ... Donna Hayward
Sherilyn Fenn ... Audrey Horne
Warren Frost ... Dr. Will Hayward
Peggy Lipton ... Norma Jennings
James Marshall ... James Hurley
Everett McGill ... Big Ed Hurley
Jack Nance ... Pete Martell
Ray Wise ... Leland Palmer
Joan Chen ... Jocelyn Packard
Piper Laurie ... Catherine Martell
Eric DaRe ... Leo Johnson
Harry Goaz ... Deputy Andy Brennan
Michael Horse ... Deputy Tommy 'Hawk' Hill
Sheryl Lee ... Maddy Ferguson
Russ Tamblyn ... Dr. Lawrence Jacoby
Sean Maher ... Dr. Simon Tam
Chris Mulkey ... Hank Jennings
David Patrick Kelly ... Jerry Horne
Don S. Davis ... Major General George Hammond
Charlotte Stewart ... Betty Briggs
Don Amendolia ... Emory Battis
Catherine E. Coulson ... The Log Lady
Jill Engels ... Trudy
Brian Straub ... Einar Thorson
Mary Stavin ... Heba
Lance Davis ... Chet (segment 'Invitation To Love')
Rick Giolito ... Montana (segment 'Invitation To Love')
Peter Michael Goetz ... Jared (segment 'Invitation To Love')


WRITING CREDITS

Robert Frost ... (created by) &
David Lynch ... (created by)

Robert Frost ... (written by)


DIRECTED BY

Lesli Linka Glatter

 

[Bob Peters 61]

Still moving right along. Open question about the Canadian guy. The blood on Leo's shirt was his blood type, but was it his? Or was he the guy who just pounded on and threatened Leo for "opening up his own franchise" when he was supposed to be "minding the store?" I'm guessing the latter. As there are only so many blood types around and that was all the match they had at that point. So it was a different guy Leo was putting into a shallow grave last week when contacted for the arson job.

At least I have a strong suspect in Laura's murder. And he hales from the Great White North and has a French name.

Glad to see Leo having such a bad day. First he gets beaten up buy has bad guys boss and then Shelly shoots his abusive unspecified body part. Good for her. Hopefully, she also sees that Bobby isn't all he's making himself out to be for her benefit, either. But surely she'll go to another "bad boy" who'll mistreat her as well. Just seems the type to only take up with those guys, and who wouldn't have a guy who would treat her right. I've known a few women like that and never could get where they were coming from.

Eavesdropping must be a thrilling show for Laura. She laughed. She cried. She broke into the g-man's room and waited naked in his bed for him without his knowledge.

And one annoying little detail I forgot to mention initially: In the bad guys' cabin, who rewinds 35mm film back into the cassette but then leaves it in the camera and the camera on a tripod?

That Cooper. Still trusting his dream with such details as to identify a face-covered call girl ad based on the curtains he dreamed up.

Can't wait to hear Laura's hidden tape. 7 wild animal paw house slippers for this one.

 

[Mad-Pac]

Ok, I'm glad we're coming to the end of the season, because that means they have to have something decisive from now on, with only two more episodes to go. On the other hand, I worry about whether the next season is going to have an even slower pace because of the longer number of season episodes. Or have the writers learned the lesson?

There's no coherent central point around which I could summarize the episode's story, so I guess the best way to approach it is by commenting on its main scenes one by one.

The episode starts with Cooper visibly annoyed the chantings of some Icelandic guests wake him up at 4:28 a.m. He complains to o Diane (actually his tape recorder), and asks her to send him his earplugs. Still, the whole situation sounds like a trivial issue, because it's not like he's staying in a flea bag motel in a crime-ridden neighborhood surrounded by nightclubs and houses of prostitution in a street with drive-by shootings and police cars rushing left and right with their sirens at full volume, all of which can be very noisy. My biggest question is this: What does Cooper do with his tapes? Does he go to the post office and mail them to Diane every morning? It almost looks like he expects Diane to be listening to his ramblings. In a way, Cooper uses his tape recorder as a cell phone.

That is followed by an easting scene, and later we have yet another eating scene. Oh, boy, this show really gives me terrible cravings for doughnuts and other sugary items. When Cooper goes have his breakfast, we also have another Audrey/Dale interaction. We know that this cannot go anywhere (she's officially too young for him and he's such a straight guy, in this case straight meaning rule follower). But I still find it hard to see in them that naive teen infatuated with an older man situation. In fact they seem perfect for each other.

And, by the way, I might just skip to the end and talk about the ending in which Cooper finds Audrey in his bed. Again, we know this is not going anywhere, but still one can wonder what will happen after that. I just can't help wondering how their relationship could play out in the sequel currently being aired. Audrey was an interesting character mainly because she was stunning and seducing. What significance could she have now that time has taken its toll on her?

More Ben and Jerry dynamics. Now involving possible icelandic clients, and let's hope Audrey doesn't ruin this deal like she did last time. And Leland, poor leland, he's each day more pathetic. Well, at least somebody danced with him. His scene in which he unwillingly starts to dance by himself just because someone (I'm guessing Audrey) played that song during a semi-formal meeting with the Icelanders. I have always imagined that scene, actually, but rather than with Kevin Bacon and the Footloose theme. Wherever Kevin Bacon went, someone would start playing Footloose, he would say "dammit" and start to dance like in the movie, even against his will.

Cooper and Truman make some progress in the Jacques Renault case. So, it turns out it's Jacques's blood in Leo's shirt, not Laura's. And we learn about more shady layers in laura Palmer's sordid life.

Meanwhile, Bobby and Shelley make plans, and he poses as tough as if he could do the same if Leo were present. This was an episode about scumbags and their lovely women, with Norma also being in a pickle because of her husband Hank's parole. He is instantly shown as a despicable person who doesn't deserve her.

Audrey proceeds with her plan to work at Horne's perfume counter. So she manipulates her boss to put her in that department. She basically blackmails him saying she'll scream and tell her father he made a pass at her. Well, this is 1990. Today that would mean she's crying rape.

Some random scenes with James and Donna, and honestly i don't really care what those two do. Lets skip to the scene of Bobby's family therapy hour. Bobby's stepfather, whom I'll refer to as General Hammond, always makes a strong presence, although he's a caricature of a military man wearing that uniform wherever he goes; I guess he does even in bed. It's funny and jarring, but he's still an one-dimensional character.

Dr. Jacoby proves why he makes the big bucks (well, I don't know if he does, ut he's a respected psychiatrist). In the beginning when he starts interrogating Bobby, I think he wants to intimidate Bobby or find out something about laura because he was in love with her. It seemed to me he didn't care about his patient at all. But in the end Bobby has a breakthrough and we learn that it was Laura that manipulated him to sell drugs and do terrible things. And Dr. Jacoby was actually trying to help Bobby.

Cooper's investigation takes him and his police team to the cabin where the log lady lives. This character gives David Lynch a perfect opportunity to use much of his inclination towards surrealism. Here are some of her idiosyncratic sentences:
- My log does not judge.
- The owls won't see us in here. (basically anything relating to owls.)
- Shut your eyes and you'll burst into flames.
- The fish aren't running.
- My log saw something.
- My husband met the devil. Fire is the devil, hiding like a fire in the smoke.

Anyway, because of what "the log" saw, Cooper finds the cabin he saw in his dream, and that's the place where Laura had been imprisoned..

Audrey spies on her father and Catherine through a hole in the wall she accesses by means of a secret passage. The scene looked staged, with them standing right in the center of the room and acting out meaningful scene that showed what kind of dynamics they have. Typical soap opera thing. In reality, they would never stand in the right angle to be seen clearly and she would have to go through lots of idle chat before getting to anything juicy.

Something that called my attention, however, is that the secret passage was spotlessly clean, even if internal decoration was shabby. I wonder who leans the secret passages in this house. Does somebody tell the maid that today is the day to clean the secret passages, or something? Does she vacuum the place, clean the cobwebs? I think only one show,as far as I can recall, has handled the whole cleaning problems very well, and even made it part of the story: Breaking Bad. But in general, cleaning is a demeaning inconvenience, and the writers just swipe it under the rug, so to speak.

At the end of the episode, we see Ben plotting with or against Jocelyn (probably against, but I think also against Catherine). And because of Leland's dance breakdown, she gets so upset she seeks comfort in Cooper's bed. Well, it's not like Dale is going to get any sleep anyway, with all that chanting until wee hours of the morning.

And the two scumbags have a face-off, with hank getting the upper hand. These two are up to no good. Because of that, the whole Leo vs. Shelly situation has an explosive end, with her shooting him, when, once again, he tries to beat her, but we don't see how badly hurt he got.

The fact I had to go through each scene shows how loose the writing is, and to me that's not very good. I just hope the next episodes are better. I give this one 5 Flesh World magazines with sticky pages.

 

[Bob Peters 61]

And the two scumbags have a face-off, with hank getting the upper hand.

Thanks for setting me straight on that point. On re-watch it was Hank who beat Leo up for "opening a new franchise" when he was supposed to be "minding the store." Interesting the bit about taking apart his chippy. Could be the threat was with what was done to Laura Palmer. Jaques is still a suspect in my mind, as is Leo. But perhaps Jaques was the guy Leo was putting in the shallow grave either way.

Should be interesting to see where Leo got it from Shelly. I think she lost all illusions of Bobby not being a punk when he put the gun back into her hand when he heard Leo was coming home.

Dr. Jacoby proves why he makes the big bucks (well, I don't know if he does, ut he's a respected psychiatrist). In the beginning when he starts interrogating Bobby, I think he wants to intimidate Bobby or find out something about laura because he was in love with her.

Still, his story was the only time I felt a bit of empathy for Bobby. A girl can make a guy do all sorts of things he normally wouldn't at that age, and even get himself committed to being in over his head.

 

[TheSowIsMine]

Lets skip to the scene of Bobby's family therapy hour. Bobby's stepfather, whom I'll refer to as General Hammond, always makes a strong presence, although he's a caricature of a military man wearing that uniform wherever he goes; I guess he does even in bed. It's funny and jarring, but he's still an one-dimensional character.

What makes you think he is Bobby's stepfather?

 

[Mad-Pac]

What makes you think he is Bobby's stepfather?

Excellent question. I guess I got that impression in the beginning and just ran with it. The interesting thing is that they are so emotionally distant from one another that their relationship feels more like that of a stepfather + stepson.

 

[Brimfin]

I couldn’t really get very enthused about this week’s episode. I’ll just focus on some of the more memorable events.

Audrey became a truly disturbing character this week. She wasn’t exactly a paragon of virtue to begin with, of course. I’m not referring to when she threatened her new boss with tearing her dress and screaming that he was making a pass at her – somehow that fits with her bad girl, gets what she wants, image. No, it was when she told Cooper “I can’t believe you were ever my age.” It’s been obvious that she was crushing on him from day one. But at least I had the feeling that she felt she was more mature than her years; she was even doing this detective work to show him how clever and mature she is so that he will fall for her. It’s a fantasy, but at least it had a bit of wholesome innocence attached to it. But her line makes me feel that she’s well aware of the age difference between them and just doesn’t care. That makes it more of a creepy “Cooper as a substitute father” vibe, so when he finds her in his bed at the episode that’s really troubling. Cooper, do not get in bed with her! My opinion of you will go way down if you do.

On the other hand, my opinion of Dr. Jacoby went up. He meets with Bobby and his parents and skillfully manipulates them into giving him some alone time with Bobby. Then he gets right at the heart of what’s troubling Bobby and seems to be making a breakthrough. He strikes me as an intelligent psychiatrist who really knows his job. Now if he’d just ditch those silly two colored glasses that make him look like a 70’s throwback…

Laura continues to look less and less like the prom queen photo of her we see at the end of every episode. Bobby admits the unvarnished truth that Laura made him sell drugs in order to furnish her own drug habit. Dr. Jacoby reveals she wanted to corrupt people. Somehow in this strange town that’s not as big a surprise as one might have expected.

Cooper’s detective skills lean back toward the mystic again this week. When he sees a photograph of a mystery girl, he’s sure it’s Laura – not because of some identifying mark or even recognizing the shape of her body. No, it’s because there are red drapes in the photograph, and there were red drapes in his dream. So he goes to check them out only to have it make them cross paths with the log lady. Her log tells them that there were two men and two women with flashlights that fateful night. (Don’t know what will happen when they put that log on the witness stand. A good defense lawyer will carve him right up.) They go to Jacques’ cabin in the woods and find Waldo, some blood and a poker chip from One-eyed Jack’s.

There a really nice scene between Norma and Ed. You can see they have feelings for each other, but now she’s trying to help her husband keep his parole while he can’t make any further commitment to her either. The dilemma of those having an affair – you can’t progress to the next level unless both parties are willing to ditch their spouses, and here clearly both of them still have a sense of duty to their mates. It’s touching and poignant and very real. Meanwhile, later on Hank seems sincere about wanting to win Norma back, but he’s still carrying dice with the two threes on them, making you wonder what he’s really up to. Later, we find out just what…

At a party, peeping Audrey finds out about her dad’s affair with Catherine and their plan to burn down the mill. But later we see him meeting with Jocelyn, and she has the hidden ledger from before. Is he just trying to play Jocelyn against Catherine? If so, what’s his end game?

My favorite scene was when Leland showed up with his dancing routine and Ben sent Catherine out to dance with him while he arranged to have him thrown out. When Leland starts to cry, Catherine cleverly mimics his movements around the eyes making it look like part of the dance. Soon, everyone in the room is doing the same move. Oh, if only the rest of the episode had been as clever.

But we have some cliffhanger-worthy revelations close to the end. Maddy found a tape that Laura had hidden in her bedpost, Ben plans to make some move with the crooked ledger, Hank is revealed to have been in charge of the secret drug ring, Audrey is in Cooper’s room and bed. And last but not least, Shelly just shot Leo. Did she hit him? Gosh, I hope so.

Episode did seem a little more interesting going back for a second look at things. I’ll give it 6 slaps in Ben’s face, which is twice as many as he got for keeping that poker chip hidden from Catherine.

Best line of the night: “Come on, then. My log does not judge.” (It was a slow night.)

 

[Bob Peters 61]

And last but not least, Shelly just shot Leo. Did she hit him? Gosh, I hope so.

I thought the noise we heard him make at the end of that scene was evidence that she did hit him, but where? For all we know he could be falling on the floor to expire in short order, or wincing in pain of a flesh wound that'll only make him madder to inflict a worse beating on her. Let's hope it was at least substantial enough to save her from assault that time and put him in a hospital bed.

 

[Brimfin]

Still moving right along. Open question about the Canadian guy. The blood on Leo's shirt was his blood type, but was it his? Or was he the guy who just pounded on and threatened Leo for "opening up his own franchise" when he was supposed to be "minding the store?" I'm guessing the latter. As there are only so many blood types around and that was all the match they had at that point. So it was a different guy Leo was putting into a shallow grave last week when contacted for the arson job.

In fact, strangely Cooper immediately said it must be Jacques Renault's blood and then the doc got a phone call confirming that AB neg was indeed Jacques' type. AB negative is supposed to be the rarest blood type, but Leo or someone else could still have it.

The guy Leo put in the shallow grave last week was Jacques' brother Bernie, by Leo's own admission. And it just happened last week, while the bloody shirt was revealed weeks ago.

 

[Mad-Pac]

(Don’t know what will happen when they put that log on the witness stand. A good defense lawyer will carve him right up.) They go to Jacques’ cabin in the woods and find Waldo, some blood and a poker chip from One-eyed Jack’s.

Ha! Carve him up... OK. Oh, I had completely forgot about the bird. That gives a different meaning to the question "Where's Waldo?"

 

[Brimfin]

Sean Davis ... Joe 90
Sean Maher ... Dr. Simon Tam
Robert Frost ... (created by) &
David Lynch ... (created by)

Robert Frost ... (written by)

Forgot to ID the bogus credit last week. That was Sean Davis as Joe 90, who was in a few episodes of THE MIDDLEMAN, though for the life of me I can't remember what his character did.

This week's prior series nod is Sean Maher as Dr. Simon Tam from FIREFLY, which was before my entry into the Sages.

And instead of Mark Frost, creator and writer, you used Robert Frost. That choice was quite...I won't say it, it's too easy.....poetic.
Robert Frost might have ended up the creator of this show, but he took the road less travelled. (Also, he died in 1963.)

 

[Mad-Pac]

Forgot to ID the bogus credit last week. That was Sean Davis as Joe 90, who was in a few episodes of THE MIDDLEMAN, though for the life of me I can't remember what his character did.

He was just a gimmick character. That show had too many gimmicks. The joke was that he wore thick glasses I guess.

This week's prior series nod is Sean Maher as Dr. Simon Tam from FIREFLY, which was before my entry into the Sages.

You missed a great show there.

And instead of Mark Frost, creator and writer, you used Robert Frost. That choice was quite...I won't say it, it's too easy.....poetic.
Robert Frost might have ended up the creator of this show, but he took the road less travelled. (Also, he died in 1963.)

Well, sometimes we choose the road with Douglas Firs, sometimes the ones with Birches... Oh, by the way, I remember that year. I was quite busy... being born.

 

[Bob Peters 61]

He was just a gimmick character. That show had too many gimmicks. The joke was that he wore thick glasses I guess.

I figured the joke was that he had dropped out (Or did he flunk out?) of law school and his artistic genre was that he made phallic sculptures.

 

[Mad-Pac]

I figured the joke was that he had dropped out (Or did he flunk out?) of law school and his artistic genre was that he made phallic sculptures.

I don't remember that, but the gag was that his character's name was a throwback to 1960s British TV Show Joe 90. And if in 1967 the "90" part sounded futuristic, in 2012 it felt ridiculously outdated.

 

[Bob Peters 61]

Interesting. I didn't know about Joe 90 the TV show, but I would say that the reference was definitely being made. I wouldn't expect any one person would get all of the pop culture references made in The Middleman. But it would definitely explain why it was said as if intended as a joke when everyone looked shocked at the mirror version of Wendy in the Palendrome episode and said "You killed Joe 90!" Despite his expanded role in that universe, he still wasn't that major a character.

Still not buying that you didn't remember the partial law school back story or the mentions of his making phallic statues.

 

[Mad-Pac]

Still not buying that you didn't remember the partial law school back story or the mentions of his making phallic statues.

I've mentally deleted most of what I saw in that terrible show. However, I do remember Joe 90 very well because I used to watch it as a kid, along with Thunderbirds. I just didn't know these shows were from England.

 

[Cloister56]

So we open with the Swedes, wait no this time they are from Iceland, wonder what happened to those Norwegians.

Audrey has switched from sultry to smitten. (How can she make just standing up look sexy?) It was good to see Cooper is human. He's not his usual charming self without a good night sleep. He's quite short with her for the most part, I assume him asking her age was a reality check for both himself and her.
Audrey shows her full manipulative side later on, maneuvering herself to the perfume counter. I think it made sense that she was not initially assigned to this area and it seemed the manager was very reluctant to put her their. Was it for the reasons he says or because that area has a reputation?

Oh, boy, this show really gives me terrible cravings for doughnuts and other sugary items

Yes me too and coffee and I don't even like coffee. I fear for Coopers waistline the longer he stays in Twin Peaks.

Leo Johnson's shirt doesn't have Laura's blood it appears to be Jacque Renault who was getting letters via a magazine from Ronette Pulaski.
I'm trying to follow this so:
Girls work at the perfume counter
Girls get selected to go work at One Eyed Jacks.

Is the magazine completely separate from this. I assume Leo's truck appearing implies the magazine is also used for messaging in the drug business.
As Ronette appeared in it and now Laura did this lead to a meeting with someone outside the confines of One Eye Jacks and thus to the murder?

Shelley and Bobby's interactions continue (Shelley does look good after a shower). They aren't very subtle about there relationship, spending so much time together. I still think Shelley is setting up Bobby to take down Leo and thus free herself of all men. Though the way she looked at the gun while on the phone to Leo makes me doubt that.
Shelley spins Andy the tale of Jacque to further incriminate Leo.

What is Madeline still doing in Twin Peak? She said she came there as she felt close to her but why is she staying. Also if you order a drink, drink the drink!!
Norma and Shelley have both been to the beauty salon and got the same hairdo, it doesn't really suit Shelley I think.

The family counselling session with Dr Jacoby reveals some interesting info from Bobby. It seems Laura was not only acting out but also deeply troubled. I wonder how much of what Jacoby suggests Laura did to Bobby was also done to him.

We get a first I think in the series. So far Cooper has acted strange and the others have just accepted it. This time the roles are reversed. The others clearly have dealt with The Log Lady before and encourage Cooper to go along with it. I also found Hawk's enthusiasm at the prospect of biscuits quite endearing.

In the cabin with the red windows we get a lot of clues pulled together. The bird, the poker chip, the music. The blood on the floor I assume is Laura's.

Audrey uses the secret passages to spy on Catherine and Ben. It seems Catherine has a tear in her eyes so I think she is genuinely upset about Ben going to younger "girls" at one eyed Jacks.
Audrey learns about their plan to burn the mill and the "professional". It was revealed a little improbably but she seems pleased about it.
Poor Leyland just has to dance.

I have always imagined that scene, actually, but rather than with Kevin Bacon and the Footloose theme. Wherever Kevin Bacon went, someone would start playing Footloose, he would say "dammit" and start to dance like in the movie, even against his will.

Heh that made me chuckle, the same thing happens to me whenever I hear Footloose so it must happen to Bacon.

When Leland starts to cry, Catherine cleverly mimics his movements around the eyes making it look like part of the dance. Soon, everyone in the room is doing the same move.

I didn't really pick up on that first time but it is very clever of her.
Is Audrey crying because she can see how much pain Leland is still going through? She has been on a rollercoaster this episode.

We get a few shots of Josie in the dark. She is now smoking with a cigarette holder and I swear she has become more seductive, if she starts doing the evil voice we have our culprit.

So her and Ben are in cahoots. I wonder how many people she has been playing. Has she been using the sheriff too?

Hank is the person running the drugs trade, leaving Leo to run things when he was gone. As we know he has a connection to Josie, is she involved in that? It was interesting that by beating up Leo he has probably delayed plan "burn the saw mill".
Back at his home and Shelley pops a cap in his unspecified body part, I don't think this will be the end of Leo.

Cooper finds Audrey in his bed at the end of the episode.
I don't think this is the big seduction it probably would have been several episodes ago.
Last we saw her she was in tears as she watched Leland dance and cry. I suspect she has gone to Cooper in more of a way of protection and security to the one person who seems to connect with.
I get the feeling Audrey has little experience of actual love or being with someone.
I think Cooper will see her for the vulnerable girl she is.

So not a stand out episode and apart from log lady little in the way of strangeness.

I'm still not sure who the killer is but Leo is seeming more unlikely. I guess the Renault brothers are high on the list but I would be a bit disapointed if a least one established character wasn't involved.
Benjamin Horne seems most likely but he is also very careful. Jerry perhaps is the more likely to have done it impulsively and perhaps involve Ben to clear it up.
Perhaps it is someone left field like Ed but there would have to be good reasons behind it.
Only 2 episodes to go and I am intrigued so I guess the show is working.

7 times the only evidence to convict was that you used the evil voice and you were more sexy, out of 10

 

[Cloister56]

I made myself a cup of coffee while I wrote this. I still don't like coffee. I now need to go clean my cup of cold coffee.

 

[TheSowIsMine]

I made myself a cup of coffee while I wrote this. I still don't like coffee. I now need to go clean my cup of cold coffee.

Maybe there was a fish in the percolator.

 

[Mad-Pac]

Audrey shows her full manipulative side later on, maneuvering herself to the perfume counter. I think it made sense that she was not initially assigned to this area and it seemed the manager was very reluctant to put her their. Was it for the reasons he says or because that area has a reputation?

Definitely the gift-wrapping area is "safer" and she's the boss's daughter. The perfume counter is where Laura and Ann worked before, and there seems to be something special about it. Perhaps being a "perfume counter girl" is a code for rich men who are looking for a new piece of meat. Anyway, the manager says it's a sensitive area because it's all about "pleasing the clients" or something. If that's in aprofessional way, or in a "professional way", it's still a challenging job.