"Gone fishin", "A lonesome foghorn blows", "She's dead, wrapped in plastic"....

Nothing to hook you permanently to a TV series pilot than begin with Jack Nance and his special voice saying those lines... Pete Martell, we all love (I guess) good ol' Pete, one of the most kind and pure characters in a town so filled with evil-doers. I can't tell you how moved I was with the scenes with Pete being sad because Catherine "died", when he cries in front of Harry, when he hugs Josie and as I mentioned in my subtexts thread how happy I was for him when he finally realized she was alive, even if she's a b*tch....

But is Pete really that pure? I remember right now the scene where he visits Ben in his cell and laughs or when he's a little drunk and doesn't care too much that Josie is now Catherine's maid... But what the hell, I love Pete, when it's revealed that he's a chess master, when he finds his school book ("Midge... Midge Jones...."), with his huge glass of milk at the Great Northern, trying to save Catherine ("She's still my wife") and a big etc.

So, tell me about Pete, do we really all love him? Is there anyone who doesn't find him that great? What do you think of Pete's "evil" part? How much he loved Catherine? And Josie? How much did Catherine love him? Of course we can talk about Nance's performance and how much of himself was in the character... Even about Smokey the bear....

I felt a very deep affection for him, but sincerely, after the Catherine´s resurrection, the character of Pete seems another person. What you mentioned formerly: the attitude with Josie when she turns into the maidservant; the moment when he gives to Horne the cassette of Catherine... He´s lovelorn, and that makes him do things that we can reproach. But in my opinion, in Twin Peaks there´s no perfect people. They have defects; deep characters with an amazing psycology (that´s a great virtue of the David Lynch creations). Also Dale Cooper, the one who´s not from the town has his own defects (if not, he wouldn´t get possesed), but a priori he seems the perfect hero, like a medieval knight or an american superhero (with his powers).

 About Pete, like you says, he opens the history with the great words that you transcribed, and he´s the protagonist of one of my preffer scenes. I think that´s memorable when, near to the end, he goes with Audrey Horne to the river to fish, only to give her the consolation that she needs.

Pete's not "evil," he's a very human, multi-dimensional character.  Pete was taken aback that his friend, part of his family, who he pitied as the poor, grieving widow, tried to kill his brother in law.  No harm, no foul, since Andrew turned out to be alive- and the happiness to see him probably overrode any serious anger about Josie's betrayal.  I mean, jesus, he took Catherine's shit for how many years?  Pete was cool and playful and I bet that was quite charming to the "boss's daughter in that big house on the hill."   As for helping blackmail Ben, I'll bet it tickled him just a little to rub something in the face of the guy who cuckholded him. 

Two more questions: did Pete die in the bank explosion and did he get frisky with Audrey when he took her fishing?

I don't put it past Pete to get a little frisky here and there, but he's too much of a gentleman to take advantage of a young lady in emotional turbulence, even if she is a babe.

Did he die, though... if I were writing the show, I'd certainly find a way for him not to. In fact, it seems quite like the real writers to create doomsday-scenario cliffhangers purely for the fun of devising absurd-yet-acceptable ways to get the characters out of them again.

Pete is just a class act top to bottom. There are too many great Pete moments to list and Jack was perfect, no one could have played that character better than he did. Too me, I think Lynch created that character just for Jack, created a backstory and personality that Jack could just act the hell of. I am not sure if Pete could have surived the Bank Catastrophe but like JVS said, it would have been cool to see what implausible justification they could have come up with so that Pete survived. And no, I don't think Pete would have made any moves on Audrey. Pete was a generous man and him giving Audrey a little company to ease her heartbreak is another example of his generosity.

Rocky mentioned "I feel like someone taped my lips to the tailpipe of a bus" in the subtext thread. Love that moment as well as the hospital food examination that both of us mentioned.

What better way to really meet Pete (outside of him finding Laura's body) is the fish in the percolator sequence, probably always will be my favorite.

Talking musicals with Tojamura is right up there. "Can I buy you a sake? How about a nice cold milk?"

Pete's dedication to his chess game and trying to prevent future loss of life. I told you he was generous.

Pete's reaction when Catherine kisses him disguised as Tojamura "Now, you just wait a minute, buster!"

I'll stop here before I list too many.

No one could have played Pete as well as Jack Nance. He had it to a perfect T.  The expressions...delivery of lines...everything. Some of my fave Pete quotes..."I didn't want to get mink oil on MY bedspread...". "There was FIIISh...IN the percolator...". "Pret-ty black...", "It feels like someone taped my iips to the tailpipe of a bus...", "The Loog Lady,,,stole my TRUCK!" (and how he circles her, his eyes steely..."Well it sure looked to me like ya did..."), "Pilllleateeed woodpeeckkkerr...", "King Arthur's burrried in England!...Last I heard."

I adore the scene in the hospital when he goes to smell his food...then after pushing it away in disgust, deeply sniffs his oxygen canula.

And the expressions/body language!! Like after he sees the body on the beach--the blonde hair coming out of the plastic...how there is sheer terror on his face, and the jerky way he walks backward...awesome.

That was most definitely Jonathan outside the window watching Harry and Josie---the Walther PPK packin' hosebeast.