OK so after finishing through episode 14(killer revealed) the wife and I had a discussion about our feelings towards the identity of the killer. There was a sense of astonishment, just a plain old "wow" that came over us. I had suspected Leland more than she did but was still ultimately surprised. So then:

1. Does the fact that her father committed these acts make it more disturbing or upsetting than if it had been Audreys father or another character?
2. Do any male fans of the show have daughters(like me)? If so, does this make it worse for you?
3. If it had been a character more despicable or "easier to accept", would it have somehow been less disturbing or more bearable?
   

I ask because to me it does cast a very dark tone over the whole show. I mean, how much worse could it have been for the Palmer family & Laura? Just curious as to everyones reaction and if the identity of the killer changed your feelings for better or worse.

I don't have kids, but Ray Wise himself has been pretty clear about the fact that it was terrible to him on a personal level - as a father - to play a father who rapes and kills his own daughter. My answers to 1 and 3 are a big yes and another yes. It opens up a can of psychological worms in a major way. Have you seen Fire Walk with Me? I shouldn't be spoiling anything for you - it's a prequel about Laura, after all - when I say that this aspect is central to the movie.

I don't have kids, but Ray Wise himself has been pretty clear about the fact that it was terrible to him on a personal level - as a father - to play a father who rapes and kills his own daughter. My answers to 1 and 3 are a big yes and another yes. It opens up a can of psychological worms in a major way. Have you seen Fire Walk with Me? I
shouldn't be spoiling anything for you - it's a prequel about Laura, after all - when I say that this aspect is central to the movie.

 Interesting, but not surprising that Ray Wise did point this out. It just left me shocked in a way.... I cant get the feeling of dread out my mind about the whole thing.  Its almost like I want to personally try to save Laura or somehow "help" her.  Its just plain old upsetting.  Part of me wishes it had ended differently so the psychological "blow" would have been less devastating.

And its just a freegin TV show.... imagine if this had been based on a true story?  YIKES! 

It disgusted me, but I saw FWWM first. Leland telling Sarah 'how do you know what she likes?' was my first clue that this guy was really f*cked up.

I could see how the build up in the series would be more upsetting; Leland was so obviously fragile, even when he 'recovers,' you even forgive him for killing Jacques.  I really felt for Ray Wise in that interview.

I suppose that I am alone in not feeling anything about it all.
It's more like something you have to think about afterwards: "Oh, he abused his daughter and killed her, that's terrible". But I do not get the "that's terrible" feeling from the show at all.

Just like The Shining: "Oh he's trying to kill his wife and kid, that's terrible", but the movie doesn't give me that vibe at all.

Sometimes, when I watch FWWM, I wish it would end differently, and Laura would somehow escape, go and live with Maddy in Missoula, and marry James and have kids. I just wish everything would be all right for her. You really get to like her as a character, and you are rooting for her all the way through. It is upsetting when she gets killed.

It upset me in the sense that I liked Leland as a character and Ray Wise as an actor -- I didn't want him to be the villain. In retrospect, however, in terms of the show's themes, I think it makes perfect sense that Leland did it. If the killer had been a more conventional bad guy, like Ben or Leo, it wouldn't have had the same impact -- the revelation would have been anti-climactic. The show's themes of secrets, corruption and hidden sides to the personality demanded that there be a shocker behind Laura's murder -- something more than drug dealing or prostitution. And incest is about as shocking as you can get.

Sometimes, when I watch FWWM, I wish it would end differently, and Laura would somehow escape, go and live with Maddy in Missoula, and marry James and have kids. I just wish everything would be all right for her. You really get to like her as a character, and you are rooting for her all the way through. It is upsetting when she gets killed.

Yeah, no kidding.  I want to "help" Laura get back on her feet and beat the crap out of BOB. 

Oh well....

I think it was disturbing because back when it came on, TV wasn't as graphic or controversial or risque and it was very, very dark with the whole incest thing.

It is only visceral in FWWM, in the series it is kept at a distance. I think it's perfect, though. I would not like the series as much if it had been anyone else.

I do not have any children. With that in mind I must admit that I was not at all disturbed when I found out her father had raped and murdered her, nor was I disturbed at the idea of him sexually abusing her all through her life. I think TV, books and movies, alongside video games really desensitized me to feeling bad for ficticious characters. If I found out this same story happened to by neighbor of course I would be disgusted, but not so much by the show or movie.

Disturbed? Yes, but as much for Leland as for Laura. They were BOTH victims, Leland was merely a pawn, unwitting, unwilling, a pathetic figure if ever there was one..., when BOB entered Leland, a child, he could have been no older than Laura was when BOB's abuse of her began. If you hit me with a branch, I don't blame the branch. To paraphrase, when asked if BOB really existed, Cooper replies, "Do you find it any more comforting to believe that a father would rape and murder his own daughter?" Well, in a way, yes. At least then there is only one victim. For myself, I consider them both equally tragic figures. When the horrible realization of what he has been used to do hits home, I felt more sorrow for Leland than I ever did for Laura. A babe in the woods...

Did you watch FWWM Falls? It seems pretty clear from that film that Leland was not a victim by any means.

I always thought that Leland was a victim in a sense that he had been abused as a child too - didn't the show hint that it was his grandfather who abused him? But this off course does not justify his actions.