Twin Peaks Rewatch 10: Coma

[Jake]

Twin Peaks Rewatch 10:

Coma

The investigation slows as season two's new storylines take center stage this week, in our re-examination of Twin Peaks. Things get weird. There is creamed corn. Do you see it?

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• Episode 11 Pre-Discussion Thread

Catching up? Listen to the Rewatch archive.

[LostInTheMovies]

Glad to hear you're back! This is a great episode, and kind of underrated. It's probably the least immediately noteworthy of any Lynch episode - with a more subtle opening than most (I remember the first time I watched it, I was surprised when his name came up as director). It's also the only Lynch episode not to contain a huge narrative or series event (pilot - establishing the murder mystery and kicking off the show, ep. 2, I mean 3! - dream sequence, 2nd season premiere - introducing the giant, flashing back to Laura's murder to show Bob as killer, and of course kicking of the 2nd season, and then I won't get into his upcoming episodes but let's just say they are pretty damn far from being filler).

 

That said, I may like this episode more than the previous one. It has many superb moments, both comic and terrifying - in fact, on a list of favorite moments from season 2 this and the previous episode would probably consume about half the list. Jerry's absurd smoked cheese pig (and line delivery of "Marshmallows! Ben, where are those hickory sticks?"), Lucy watching the fly, the Log Lady's conversation with Maj. Briggs, the blurred Bob in Cooper's dream, the stools in Ronette's hospital room, the whole bizarre sequence with Leland and the Hornes ("Is this real, Ben, or some strange and twisted nightmare?" - Jerry definitely has the best lines and deliveries right now), and though I know it gets hated on big-time, the brilliant "Just You" number. Yes, of course, it's quite silly and implausible (where'd that reverb come from?) but it's also sincerely charged with pathos and eroticism (well, maybe not in James' cooing vocal). What's more, it is superbly directed - the expressions of Maddy and Donna especially telling us everything we need to know about this little love triangle. And of course, it's followed by one of the best moments on the show so far.

 

The first time I saw Bob crawl over the couch, it scared me shitless and of course I loved it. I also made the mistake of looking the clip up on YouTube and had a major plot point spoiled for me (not

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who the killer was, but that Maddy would be murdered - fortunately the title of a clip linked at the end was just "Bob murders Maddy" although that started to clarify some things for me

). So, warning to newcomers, not that you should be exploring Twin Peaks on Google and wikipedia searches under any circumstances but yeah, be especially careful here. Anyway, back to Bob - it's worth noting that up to this point Bob has only appeared in episodes either written or directed by Lynch. And the most overtly surreal and/or supernatural moments have also been limited to Lynch episodes: Sarah's visions (of the necklace and, in an episode Lynch wrote only, Bob - although the incident was based off of something that happened in the European alternate ending of the pilot, which Lynch directed); the dream sequence; the giant and Maddy's first vision; and now, the bizarre creamed corn "magic trick" of the Tremonds and Maj. Briggs' cosmic communication. I used to think this meant that Lynch was the partner primarily interested in pushing these elements but turns out Frost was just as enthusiastic, if not more, about taking the show in a paranormal direction. So I think it's more a matter of the content of that direction being left up to Lynch (he came up with Bob, Mike, the Red Room, the giant, and the creamed corn - the latter of which was not in the script). Although from what I've read, the extraterrestrial bent was more Frost's idea.

 

I'd also like to offer a nod, since I'm usually discussing Lynch and Frost, to Harley Peyton whose teleplay is great (he has a particular way with Albert's bon mots and pens some of the best dialogue on the show). There's a wonderful scene which unfortunately wasn't shot - I'll put it in spoilers since mentioning its exclusion has bearing on an upcoming episode:

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it's between Leland and Maddy, in which he asks her to stay and live with them in Twin Peaks. We learn that her father died recently, and I think it adds a new dimension to her character and makes her death even more poignant. Who knows why Lynch cut it (and maybe didn't even shoot it, since I can't spot Leland or Maddy in the background of the diner onscreen) - my only guess is that he didn't want Maddy to develop too much as a character on her own, but wanted her to remain an audience surrogate for Laura so that her death would essentially be a restaging of Laura's. Just a hunch.

 

It's two scenes in the script, #16 and #18 which can be found here (about halfway down the page): http://www.glastonberrygrove.net/texts/script9.html

 

Much more to discuss about this episode, but I've said enough. Interested, as always, to hear newcomers' takes. In particular:

 

*Why do you think Bob appeared to Maddy in Donna's living room?

 

*What do you make of Maj. Brigg's message? Are you ok with the show possibly moving in a UFO direction?

 

*How do you think Leland knows Bob?

 

*Do you think Ben was being serious when he asked Jerry to kill Ben?

 

*Any thoughts on Harold's neighbors and the creamed corn?

 

*Do you understand the ledger shenanigans any better than Ben and Jerry? Do you care?

 

*"Just You" - love, hate...?

 

*Anyone shipping Maj. Briggs & the Log Lady?

 

*How do you feel about the second season so far?

 

Oh one more thing, on that first question:

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I realized while watching the Missing Pieces, that Laura is sitting on that very couch, in the Hayward house, when her father calls up and asks her to come back home: she isn't safe anywhere, even her friend's house. This is just after she's realized that he is probably Bob, and just before he verbally abuses her at the dinnertable with the "wash your hands" diatribe. I like to think this event precipitates and informs Maddy's psychic flashback - especially given how ominous Lynch can make a ringing phone (see Mulholland Drive).

[StealThisCorn]

The Barbershop Quartette in the background provides more fun little bizarre “Lynchian” window dressing to the scene. All the directors seem to enjoy staging quirky little events or conventions going on in the background, but I feel Lynch always takes the cake.

 

Note: Albert mentions that he personally questioned the “world’s most decrepit room service waiter”, so we can safely say he is a real person employed at the hotel and not some ghostly hallucination brought on by Cooper’s blood loss after being shot.

 

The mysterious man spying on Cooper in a less than inconspicuous manner provides another possible suspect for Cooper’s shooting. Note, however, that he is *not* the same Asian gentleman seen by Audrey checking in to the room across the hall from Dale’s in ‘Realization Time’ just before leaving for OEJ.

 

The surreal scene where Donna delivers food to Mrs. Tremond and her grandson is one of my favorites in the whole series. Donna seems like she is either hiding her unease very well or doesn’t find it particularly strange when the grandson clearly makes the creamed corn physically teleport from the plate to his hands and then completely disappear without a trace, while Mrs. Tremond brushes it aside as a mere magic trick. Like in the episode preceding it, we find that Lynch once again pushes the envelope with the supernatural goings on being more explicit. Most probably already know this, but little boy in the tuxedo was played by David Lynch’s son Austin, which is why he looks like such a perfect miniature clone of Lynch.

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These two characters are revealed to be the same kind of spiritual entities as Mike and Bob in the film, where we see them convening together with the rest in the room “above the convenience store”, the same film where we also learn the creamed corn is a physical representation of the “pain and suffering” such entities feed on. In light of this, I interpret her fearful rejection of Donna’s corn to be because she is not allowed to consume more than her share (a tiny bowl is resting at her Grandson’s feet in the store scene). This further makes sense in light of the fact that, in the film, Mike vehemently hunts Bob down and, when confronting him, shouts about how he “stole the corn” that he had “canned above the store” and promises punishment, implying this was a dire breach of their laws. This begs the question, however, why is it that Donna stumbles in upon these two at all? Why can she see them? Is she one of the gifted as well?

 

Cooper and Harry having to figure out how to work the stool before they can question Ronnette is one of those nice little natural but awkward moments that Lynch excels at leaving in.

 

I love how Major Briggs keeps looking over at Andy struggling to tape up the wanted poster for Bob and he almost seems to want to get up and go help him. The energy created by the Log Lady and the Major being being together is really something.

 

Hank was once a Bookhouse Boy. One of the best, in fact, ‘before he turned to evil’ (sound familiar?).

 

When Jerry asks if this is “real or some strange and twisted dream”, I cannot help but hear David Patrick Kelly, portraying T-Bird in ‘The Crow’ (1994), saying “this is the really real world man!”

 

I see a few different possibilities for the identity of the person on the phone with Lucy trying to get in touch with Sheriff Truman but who won’t give their name. 1) The man who has been watching Cooper, trying to call Truman about something related to Josie. 2) Leland Palmer, calling to tell the Sheriff about recognizing Bob in the wanted poster from his childhood summer home. 3) Philip Gerard, the one-armed man, just because we saw him skulking around before trying to get in to see the Sheriff and sell him some shoes without an appointment.

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If it is Leland, whose scene directly precedes it when he “had to tell the Sheriff about this right away”, then it is very interesting that he doesn’t want to give his name and wants to share his information on Bob as an anonymous tip, considering he is, in fact, Bob, and there is a question as to whose influence Leland is acting under right now. By sharing the story of ‘Mr. Robertson’, Bob throws off Cooper and Truman by keeping them focused on finding a real man in the material world, a place they could never find him.

 

Audrey is such a badass here, though I’m not sure why she doesn’t just try to escape immediately after she gets the info she wanted out of Battis. Surely she doesn’t think he won’t report this after she takes that cord from around his neck.

 

Clearly neither the Sheriff’s Department nor even Albert made a very thorough sweep of Cooper’s room for evidence after he was shot because Audrey’s damn note is still (!) barely an inch under his bed.

 

Whether its General Hammond on ‘Stargate SG-1’, William Scully in ‘The X-Files’ or Major Briggs here, Don S. Davis always seems to play the same character. Here Major Briggs functions as a mouthpiece for the Giant’s second clue, “The owls are not what they seem”, but it is frustrating that, though this is referenced, what it might mean is not any more explained. It is noteworthy that the Major simply says they maintain the monitors, implying that the monitors are actually located on Earth and merely pointed towards space.

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The Air Force later reveals that these messages came not from outer space, as had been supposed, but were traced to be emanating from the woods around Twin Peaks.

 

The “Just You And I” demo being cut on Hayward’s living room floor is one of the most excruciating but yet comically hilarious moments in the show, because it really drives home that nothing like this would ever happen on literally any other tv show. And it also serves as such a great set up almost lulling you to relax and be amused before surprising the hell out of you by what happens next as poor Maddy sees Bob simply stroll into the house, climb over the freaking couch and assault her mind in one of the most disturbing visuals.

 

Once again the Giant seems to appear in Cooper’s room at the end, waving his hand over his sleeping form to transmit some kind of knowledge to him through his dreams. With the image of the owl superimposed over Bob’s face, it would seem there is some kind of sinister connection between the owls and Bob.

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Interestingly, I noticed we distinctly hear the ominous whoosh of the ceiling fan in the background of this dream, along with such familiar images as Sarah Palmer descending the staircase and Bob crouching at the foot of Laura’s bed. This same sound is played in the background of the film ‘Fire Walk With Me’ while Leland is confronting Laura with the truth about her life’s tormentor.

.

[Elen]

"Your former partner flew the coop, Coop"

 

This episode has a lot of delightful and unexpected emotional connections being shared over meals. I love the Major and Log Lady's connection and the gravity with which he treats her log's pronouncements. (Magaret and the Major would be a good spinoff title; I'm picturing a very courtly supernatural sitcom.) I also love Albert and Cooper's breakfast which shows some thawing of their relationship. Albert makes a joke! He asks how Cooper's feeling! Maybe there's a heart under there after all. Thankfully he's as snarky as ever; "Senor Droolcup" makes me laugh and I think it's the only name that guy gets.

 

Because I watched this show for the first time very recently, I had heard a lot about Bob climbing over the couch as it really freaked a lot of people out and stuck in their memories. When I finally saw it, it wasn't that scary to me. (Though Bob behind the bedpost freaked me right out and still does.) I did, however, get a shiver at the Major's printouts. The repeating, mindless-or-possibly-not COOPER COOPER COOPER.....brrr.

[80's Bad Guy]

Is this real Ben, or some strange and twisted dream?

[SuperBiasedMan]

The scene with Ben and Jerry was my favourite this episode because it both seemed to say that the mill plot is a convoluted mess that no-one can follow and at the same time seemed to indicate that the two of them are children who can't make a real scheme work.

When trying to determine what their next move should be, they go in circles for a bit before thinking "Why not just roast some marshmallows instead of dealing with this?"

[Jmaa]

Can I just mention how much I love the stool scene? The absurdity is just the right amount of believable.

 

Anyone know what mini-lynch says after the first mention of smith?

[StealThisCorn]

  On 12/20/2014 at 2:27 PM, Jmaa said:

Anyone know what mini-lynch says after the first mention of smith?

 

"J'ai une âme solitaire"

 

Which, translated from French means "I am a lonely (solitary) soul". Given that Mrs. Tremond says that "Mr. Smith does not leave his house" (hypocrisy much?), it seems like the grandson's non sequitur is a reference to his implied agoraphobia.

[mikemariano]

Argh!!!!!

 

 

Much better:

 

 

Another good thing about that stool scene was that it showed the limitations of Agent Cooper's movement.  His slow walk to his hotel room door to greet the major was another moment where we can see this is a recuperating gunshot victim.

 

As far as I can tell, Cooper never makes a movement for the rest of the season that would put stress on his stomach or ribcage.  Good work, Coop!

[mikemariano]

And now, after a search to see if other people had screencapped what I already screencapped, I'm watching this at 1am:

 

[Korax]

I don't know what was going on, but for some reason I had a fraction-of-a-second delay in the audio for this episode that was just enough to bother me when people's lips were clearly visible. I've been watching them all on Blu-Ray, and it hasn't been a problem before.

 

 

  On 12/21/2014 at 2:48 AM, mikemariano said:

Argh!!!!!

 

justyou.jpg

 

That guitar scene was fucking awful.

[LostInTheMovies]

  On 12/21/2014 at 7:50 AM, Korax said:

I don't know what was going on, but for some reason I had a fraction-of-a-second delay in the audio for this episode that was just enough to bother me when people's lips were clearly visible. I've been watching them all on Blu-Ray, and it hasn't been a problem before.

 

Yeah, this was a big issue with the blus. There's are whole threads devoted to this on several sites (machine fixes, etc); apparently a few of the Missing Pieces are a bit out of sync too. Personally, I don't recall an issue with ep. 9 but did notice a little during one of the Pieces; it was distracting when I saw it but slight and not worth returning the blu-ray for, I thought. Apparently CBS never addressed the issue.

[Dewar]

The perspective tricks when Bob was crawling over the couch to get to Maddy were awesome, making him appear as big as a giant as he pushes away chairs the size of his hand.

[Mike Danger]

My memories of season 1 are super-clear, but I don't remember a lot from season 2, so it was a real treat rediscovering the creamed corn scene. What a weird, creepy thing that is. Never knew the kid was related to Lynch.

[Argobot]

I didn't realize he was Lynch's kid at first either and I spent a fair amount of episodes assuming that Lynch had gone out of his way to mold some poor child actor into his miniature.

[SuperBiasedMan]

  On 12/22/2014 at 3:11 PM, Argobot said:

I didn't realize he was Lynch's kid at first either and I spent a fair amount of episodes assuming that Lynch had gone out of his way to mold some poor child actor into his miniature.

I'm pretty sure he still did that, it was just a lot easier/less creepy to mold his own son.

[LostInTheMovies]

  On 12/22/2014 at 6:20 AM, Dewar said:

The perspective tricks when Bob was crawling over the couch to get to Maddy were awesome, making him appear as big as a giant as he pushes away chairs the size of his hand.

 

Lynch loves those wide lenses! Especially as the series progresses, every time he sits in the director's chair you can tell right away by how wide and slightly distorted our perspective is (among other Lynch clues).

[Elen]

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That guitar scene was fucking awful.

I'm pretty sure I've never actually watched the whole thing- that was the one and only scene I fast-forwarded even in my first watch.

 

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And now, after a search to see if other people had screencapped what I already screencapped, I'm watching this at 1am:

How handy! Although it'd probably take me an hour to get my eyeliner looking that perfect...

 

This was when I got onboard with Audrey's character. She's so much more interesting and genuinely take-charge than any of the other teenage characters, and a fair number of the adults. I like that she's got Ben's savvy and craftiness without his overweening selfishness.

[Nappi]

  On 12/21/2014 at 7:50 AM, Korax said:

I don't know what was going on, but for some reason I had a fraction-of-a-second delay in the audio for this episode that was just enough to bother me when people's lips were clearly visible. I've been watching them all on Blu-Ray, and it hasn't been a problem before.

 

 

  On 12/21/2014 at 6:10 PM, LostInTheMovies said:

Yeah, this was a big issue with the blus. There's are whole threads devoted to this on several sites (machine fixes, etc); apparently a few of the Missing Pieces are a bit out of sync too. Personally, I don't recall an issue with ep. 9 but did notice a little during one of the Pieces; it was distracting when I saw it but slight and not worth returning the blu-ray for, I thought. Apparently CBS never addressed the issue.

 

There was a scene with Ben (and probably Jerry) in this or the next episode with huge delay in audio. There is also a scene where the traffic light is blue/cyan instead of green and it is driving me crazy because I don't know if its intentional or some issue with the bluray version.

 

 

Also, yeah that guitar scene is so fucking bad.

[Jake]

Hey folks, the episode's out. Enjoy!

Also I put up an episode 11 pre-discussion thread.

[ihavefivehat]

Man, I loved the guitar scene. The absurdity of James' falsetto and the double-tracked vocals were very funny to me but it makes so much sense that he would sing that way. It kind of reminds me of that James and Donna scene in the first episode where they're just spouting romantic sounding nonsense at each other. It's exactly the awkward kind of music that teenagers would make, and they're still trying to model their lives after a soap opera.

[LostInTheMovies]

Just listening to the episode now and paused it to say I LOVE the discussion you guys have about Lynch's aesthetic. I've been reading a lot about him and his films this year, but I don't think I've come across anything (yet) specifically addressing what you're talking about. I agree completely about the almost stubbornly cheesy compositing - Lost Highway has shots like that too. The individual elements are interesting to Lynch but he does not care if they blend seamlessly; in fact, as you say, he'd rather they didn't. I think maybe that strikes him as more false than allowing the post-production work to be blatant.

 

I also think this ties in deeply to his paintings, which are often purposefully crude yet heavily textured. Here's a good article with lots of representative works: http://redroompodcast.com/tag/art-of-david-lynch/

 

Personally I like this a lot because I feel CGI often has an annoyingly unreal feel to it when it's trying too hard to be "realistic" (it never quite convinces me). I prefer when it's used in an artificial but eye-catching way. Not that most of Lynch's effects are/were CGI, but I think it's the same principle in play.

[LostInTheMovies]

Great discussion, guys - I think this was my favorite Rewatch episode yet. You touched on a lot of interesting topics. A few thoughts:

 

- On the letter-writer's topic, it seems that since the show aired (and, earlier, with Blue Velvet) there have been some in-depth and sometimes intense discussions of Lynch's treatment of/attitude toward women. In particular, there was a Ms. article early in season two that was very critical of the lack of agency (among other things). Later the author wrote an extended essay that was even harsher on the show. There's a tendency to treat Lynch's work as a single entity but personally, I think there's a pretty clear division in Lynch's career, after which female characters become increasingly complex protagonists and subjects. And the turning point is definitely Twin Peaks although Wild at Heart (made at the same time) has some indications of this direction too.

 

- On a similar note, the letter-writer mentioned the question of what is "Lynchian" and where Twin Peaks fits in ouevre. Don't know if he or she reads these forums but I attempted to tackle that question in an essay this spring after watching all of Lynch's work: http://thedancingimage.blogspot.com/2014/06/its-strange-world-david-lynch.html.

 

- Re: David Foster Wallace, I also recommend that piece. Very, very long but a really absorbing read (the anecdote about Balthazar Getty is alone worth the price of admission). I actually disagree with many of Wallace's opinions of Lynch but he's right-on about Fire Walk With Me, Laura Palmer, their importance to Lynch, and why critics reacted so negatively to the show and the film.

 

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The aliens - I've never been able to figure out exactly where this thread comes from, but in Martha Nochimson's Lynch book she suggests the UFOs were Frost's idea and something Lynch convinced him to turn away from. She based this on a conversation with Catherine Coulson, the Log Lady, who is also a close personal friend of Lynch. Either way, I think the reason they didn't seed it as "the woods" at this point is because it wasn't originally supposed to be. Love the anecdote about (Chris'?) parents. That really sums up the general response to season two at the time, I think.

 

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Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but Catherine/Tojamura's big reveal actually happens right before the killer is revealed, in Lynch's last episode before the finale. Which means, sadly, your redeeming part of the mid-season isn't even part of the mid-season, which remains sucky. Sorry.

 

- The mentions of Windom Earle and the strange Asian gentlemen are interesting because Lynch handles them really well (of course) - there is an ominous air to both references. Yet something does feel a little "off" because we're starting to get a sense of Twin Peaks being a show beyond "Who Killed Laura Palmer?" (even stuff like the mill burning felt interconnected).

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And both characters connect the town to the outside world in a way that disrupts the idea of Twin Peaks as a microcosm. For those reasons the feeling of dread in this scene may not be entirely intentional!

 

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On the question of how Twin Peaks could have/should have played out its second season. I'm of the opinion that it was a lost cause. At heart, the show was a miniseries about this strange environment against the backdrop of a tantalizing murder mystery. The first season was basically scripted as such, since Lynch-Frost doubted they would get a second season (they were surprised they even made it past the pilot) and in that sense attempting to convert Twin Peaks into a weekly, years-on-end television series was a mistake. However, I'm glad they made the mistake since - along with a lot of crap - it yielded some of the best material in the Twin Peaks saga as the creators scrambled to come up with stuff on the fly.

 

I also think solving the mystery was a death blow but a necessary one. Yes, it's almost impossible for the show to carry on afterwards, but the reveal of Leland (and murder of Maddy) is so devastating that the show would lose a tremendous amount of power without it. And while that could have theoretically occurred at the end of seven seasons or something, there never would have been the series finale or Fire Walk With Me if Lynch had been able to carry on the mystery as he hoped. So even if the reveal was done for the wrong reasons, I think it was a good thing. The one way they could have moved on afterwards would have been to keep any further mysteries/conflicts rooted in Laura and Bob (I think Windom Earle, however you cut it or seed it, was bound to feel like a strange detour). The reveal potentially opens up a bunch of new interesting questions so it's too bad the writers didn't take advantage of them until much later.

 

But that's a question of quality - in terms of popularity, Twin Peaks was destined to be a novelty fad no matter what. Especially in 1990 the patience just wasn't there for a saga this sprawling and peculiar. Season two could have been a masterpiece start to finish and the show still would have been cancelled. That's why I was happy to hear that 2016 will be just nine episodes - it's what feels right for Twin Peaks - but boy, am I glad they bit off more than they could chew in 1990. The high points are worth the lows.

 

Speaking of which, I'm really eager to see the newcomers' responses to season two. Around episode 16-17 or so I will probably email into the show, encouraging viewers to stick with it for the good stuff. If they find themselves ready to quit, the should at least skip ahead to the finale and the film. I think it's a pity some viewers get lost in the swamp of later Twin Peaks and never make it there.

 

Happy holidays - I look forward to the next episode either next week or in the new year.

[Dewar]

I think I finally figured out who sent the note that started Donna along this investigation path. During the phone call between Donna and the mysterious Meals on Wheels patron, she says "I recieved yours" which I assume is a reply to his (unhearable) statement of "I got your note."

[Turgid]

New viewer here. I was hard on the last episode, but this one won me back. A lot of great, great scenes. Even James' singing couldn't dampen it...much. Long-ass post ahoy!

 

First a quick note on the podcast: I loved that you guys decided to go through by character instead of by chronology or plot thread! However it seems you fell back into doing it chronologically. Don't be afraid to jump through to the end scenes early on, it keeps the discussion coherent. I like hearing those trains of thought so don't apologize Jake!

 

About the creamed corn scene, I don't agree with you guys on the reason it didn't work. You said the pacing was good, but in my view the pacing was terrible. I think some other Lynch scenes have this problem too, e.g. the red room, but there was enough going on that it worked anyway. This scene spends just a bit too long on each beat IMO, and Donna's non-reaction exacerbates it since she doesn't even seem unsettled, so there was very little suspense for me. This might be a personal reaction since I'm not into horror and suspense anyway, so maybe someone else would feel the pacing adds to the dread. I was just wondering why Donna didn't say something. It read more as awkward than scary, despite the music.

 

Anyway, it was still pretty weird, and I freakin loved almost every other scene. The hospital room stool scene was comedy gold. And freakin' Andy and Lucy, when she slowly leans in...then rips the tape off his forehead and shuts the glass divider. No idea what he was expecting closing his eyes like that... a slap or a kiss?

 

Questions time!

*Why do you think Bob appeared to Maddy in Donna's living room?

I don't know? Didn't seem significant to me, it's just where she happened to be.

 

*What do you make of Maj. Brigg's message? Are you ok with the show possibly moving in a UFO direction?

I'm ok with it, although like the Giant physically taking Cooper's ring, I don't really like that clear real-world connection. Like I would prefer if it was plausibly random radio noise or whatever, that's ruled out by Cooper's name, as well as the seemingly deliberate space characters between the words. It's not even every four letters or whatever, it's between the words. By the way why does the government care about other galaxies, and what exactly are they monitoring, radio band or light or what, and what code are they using to translate that to english letters wouldn't it be like binary signals at best, and why is this a secret I mean SETI does this all the time OH IT'S TV NEVERMIND

 

*How do you think Leland knows Bob?

Er...he says he was an old neighbor? I guess he probably talked to him a few times. Also, weird he didn't see this sketch when his wife was describing this guy in their house like a week ago.

 

*Do you think Ben was being serious when he asked Jerry to kill Ben?

See my interpretation of that line was that Ben was saying it as a joke, and Jerry was agreeing that Leland was being weird as hell. The dream thing wasn't about the killing, it was about how Leland himself was a twisted incompetent nightmare since he returned.

 

*Any thoughts on Harold's neighbors and the creamed corn?

None that aren't sarcastic. They seem like unpleasant and boring company. If the scene was a dream it would be much more interesting.

 

*Do you understand the ledger shenanigans any better than Ben and Jerry? Do you care?

Here's what I think I get:

The mill is actually going under. The fake ledger shows the mill is profitable still, though.

• Original plan: Catherine mismanages the mill so it goes under and Josie will sell to Ben. She makes the ledger at this point to cover up her mismanagement. She blames Josie at every opportunity and makes her out to be the cause of the financial problems.
• Improved plan: Josie won't sell and/or we need to speed this up, Catherine decides to burn the place down for the insurance, which will also force or encourage Josie to sell (I guess?). The fake ledger will even make the insurance payout larger.
• Backstab: Ben decides to get rid of Catherine, hey why not also get some insurance from that. Also Josie is on board for the insurance money since she thinks the mill is going under anyway.
• Aftermath: With Catherine presumed dead, and Josie apparently gone, Ben and Jerry don't particularly care about the plan anymore. They'll get the mill when Josie gets the insurance and sells the place. If Josie were there she would tell them to keep the fake ledger so the payout is bigger, but she's not so screw her. (Ben says they'd get a better price on the land if the mill was profitable, but that seems backwards to me. They should keep the real ledger to lower the price and hold up under scrutiny too. Catherine's coverup doesn't matter anymore.)
• Do I care? Not really. It sure was a dramatic ride though.

 

*"Just You" - love, hate...?

Aside from the weird vocals, pretty well done! As a musician, I always appreciate convincing instrument playing, and it looks like James' actor learned to play that for real (or close enough). The song itself is exactly what I'd expect from that character, actually. Also awkward as hell scene, perfect for him. Having your dead girlfriend's doppelganger hanging out with your new girlfriend has got to be emotionally confusing and/or painful for everyone involved.

 

*Anyone shipping Maj. Briggs & the Log Lady?

Haha I don't know about shipping, but I would love to see them interact more! Then again, it wouldn't be as special.

 

*How do you feel about the second season so far?

Not as solid as season 1, so we'll see. I'm lukewarm. Maybe I can get used to the new approach to the supernatural.