Episode 9 – an appreciation thread

This Lynch-directed episode is less climactic and visually rich than the masterpiece/centerpiece ep 14. Nevertheless, it is an understated key episode that operates mainly on tonal irony and exposition, and sets up many of the plotlines and character motivations that advance the middle chunk of the series.

The opening scene is one of the best in the show; very long cuts on Albert and Cooper meeting over breakfast at the Great Northern as the barbershop quartet practices a slow and wistful melody. In contrast, the discussion is an exhilarating rapid pace, a far cry from episode 8’s opening room service scene, with Albert’s cynical wit punctuating each beat of the discussion. (ie “The usual bumber crop of rural know-nothings and drunken fly fishermen.” Undercutting his concern for Cooper’s recovery, “Don’t get sentimental.”) Miguel is in top form.

The barbershop harmony is in the same key as and has identical phrasing to “Nearer My God to Thee,” and stands out most when Albert relays the autopsy contents of Jacques’ stomach. The punchline to this black comedy: “I like to think of myself as one of the Happy Generations.” It’s a surprisingly warm eulogy from the writers, but we know from an earlier episode that “Death isn’t a faceless event in Twin Peaks, a statistic to be tallied up at the end of the day.” Another suspect down, and focus shifts to Leo.

Meanwhile Cooper voraciously consumes a breakfast consisting of grapefruit, pancakes, a giant muffin, French toast, orange juice, and--duh-- coffee, while talking about Tibet, the mill fire, and Ronnette. Eating, nevermind passionate eating, demands a lot of actors take after take (Kyle, as well as Richard, both complained about this), so he wins a prize for this moment, too.

Aesthetically, the mid-morning light is true to the Salish Lodge dining room from 9-10a.m. as it bounces off the river below, and is broken up by the soggy morning mist of the falls under the windows. Nice touch, DL.

Nearly every segment ends with one of the ominous musical cues that signals a lurking threat or secret bubbling closer to the surface, such as the pan over to the Asian Man (Jonathan.) A lot of the other directors misuse or abuse it, sticking it in over dialog. In soap opera fashion, this kind of ending can be an effective contrast to the lightness of a scene, or to create more intrigue in a spooky scene.

Windom is introduced for the first time here, too, as we get closer to wrapping up the BOB mystery, and the BOB police sketch from Sarah’s vision is the motif that links each segment. The episode also has the distinction of what is arguably one of the show’s most questionable moments, “Just You and I.”

(to be continued…)

This is one of the most interesting episodes, and in it's mood I'd actually say it's closest to Mulholland Dr.

The long, drawn-out sequences always give me Mulholland Dr.  flashbacks.

Procrastinating, but here's an article from 1990 EW Magazine that seems to think Just You and I is a magical Twin Peaks moment:

"The high point of the new television season thus far was the moment during the Oct. 6 episode of Twin Peaks when, ever so briefly, there were no giants mumbling about owls, no tuxedoed boy-magicians making creamed corn disappear. It was the moment when James, Donna, and Madeleine sat on the floor and, with James strumming an acoustic guitar, sang a gently off-key, shiveringly beautiful tune. The music summoned up the spirit of another two-girl-and-one- boy high-school trio, this one real: the Fleetwoods. The Peaks threesome's song sounded like a variation on the Fleetwoods' 1959 classic 'Come Softly to Me' — in fact, they sounded as if they were trying to get the spirit of the famously dead Laura Palmer to come softly to them.

"As a pop-culture event, Twin Peaks is over; the knee-jerk media hoopla surrounding the show's first season has, inevitably, led to a knee-jerk backlash. But now, cocreators David Lynch and Mark Frost seem to understand, the art can begin in earnest. "

http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20196441,00.html

I wouldn't say the song is beautiful tbh, but it is a great, well-acted, well-directed scene, beautifully conveying the innocence of the three and the growing love-triangle.

I don't know what it's saying about season 2 losing popularity from the getgo, I thought it was still wildly popular at that point.

nice, wizard and i mostly agree on something. but i still like the song, i like that it's naive and doesnt fit narratively or even seems plausible(there's hundreds of other incidents in TP that share one or two or both those qualities). and you cant fault angelo on not coming through with the music. ive always had the suspicion that the scene and song are part of the anti-James faction(whether conscious or unconscious) of fans. is that true for anyone? is it just james that gets you, or does even he being there not really improve a situation you already didnt like? i guess im just trying again at understanding the james hate, as i did in a thread a bit ago, but cant remember which one. to paraphrase - the qualities people seem to dislike in james are either because he does immature, seemingly dumb things(laura called him that in her last tape) or because of where his character arc went in the show. i would agrue that the former is his character. he isnt meant for us to be the stong biker sterotype which visually he would seem. he's a scared teenager. and i think marshall played him as such. the shame is that it is plot(i.e. the evelyn please help me kill my husband and i can blame it on you) that killed any investment we had in james.
and by the way, i dont know what version that "reporter"was listening to, but that aint sound like the fleetwood's song in the least. and yeah, wizard is right, the beginning of season 2, fall 1990, was the apex of popularity of the show. so much hype over the summer and lynch becoming a celebrity helped all that. but of course we all know what happened after that. if i remember correctly, basically that popularity persisted until ep14-16.

Yeah I love the Barbershop scene in this episode, it's probably one of my favourite scenes in this episode.  So glad they added that tune to S2 soundtrack. :)

That and BOB running towards Maddy after Just you and I.  I think that just had to be one of Frank Silva's best moments he was TOTALLY playing up to the cameras like "I AM the boogeyman..".  It's weird, I always can watch that scene, even though I do still feel like he's gonna leap out of the camera! 

But when Laura does the same kind of thing in the final episode it's like the first time I saw thnat I was scared shitless and (I remember I was in bed cos I was only 14) I actually screamed and pulled the duvet covers over me!  I was WAAY more scared of her, which interested me considering many people were more scared of BOB.  (Although sorry, technically speaking that wasn't "HER" herself but her dopp).

And sorry, getting back to ep. 9 I always love Cooper's breakfasts.  They give me ideas. (I tried to base my Cafe World on Facebook on The Diner kinda but it went a bit wrong lol.)

Oh no,no, no, no.  The popularity waned at the end of the first season.

Viewers were irate that the murderer wasn't revealed in the last episode.  And yes it was still the pop culture show to talk about during the summer, and there was hype for the second season -Kyle on SNL, Fenn, Amick and Boyle on Rolling Stone, and Lynch on the cover of TIME the week and day before the premiere- the viewers actually didn't stay around as early as the kickoff night. The numbers dipped with Peaks coming in third place on that Sunday night.  (Some attribute Lynch's slow direction -ie. the waiter coming to aid a shot Cooper.)  

But to be fair, this is also the beginning of the Saturday night 10 PM slot.  (it never had a fighting chance).

But with SNL, magazine cache, merchandising, the Peaks phone spots to get new clues, the sound track, Cooper's tapes, the Laura diary coming out a week later -well, it might seem like it was thriving, but all of these things were planned prior to the Nielson results.   The sad truth is the numbers were never like the first eight episode of the previous season.

This sounds like I'm being dismal.  The numbers weren't horrific -just in that time there were only the big three networks (and maverick FOX) and if the Nielsons weren't through the roof, it was deemed as underperforming.  I do think the numbers went further down after the reveal of Laura's killer.

oh, and I love this episode.

highlights for me -

Albert and Cooper's breakfast.

Mini-Lynch and creamed corn.

Audrey's interogation of Battis ("about Red, that's me, and a bad old wolf... she kicked the crap out of that wolf...")

Ben and Jerry

Just You and I is brilliant! (Lynch also sending up Ozzy and Harriet and the variety hour of yesteryear)

And my favorite cliff hanger -with Audrey and Cooper's phone call.  (Bah! yeah, those red drapes that Audrey stands in front of aren't foreshadowing of what was supposed to be!)

Solid A episode.

youre right, audrey, i remembered it wrong. it was still pop culture, but not a tv power house, hence the quicken to solve the murder. although in my house, it was family tv time. my dad hooked up stereo surround sound(the new thing) and it was used throughout the rest of the second season. the only episodes i missed were the shows in the late teens early twenties. what do you want, i was eleven years old!

Audrey's interogation of Battis ("about Red, that's me, and a bad old wolf... she kicked the crap out of that wolf...")And my favorite cliff hanger -with Audrey and Cooper's phone call. 

Solid A episode.

 

Audrey is never as powerful again as she is in the interrogation scene. Then the writers have her punished for being brave and strong with the hostage on heroin situation. After that, she just plays it safe around the hotel. Goodbye, interesting Audrey. Hello, boring Audrey.

this episode always brings up memories.

cut back to 1990 -I was addicted, obsessed with this show unlike anything I had watched before (except maybe my investment in Sam and Diane in Cheers).  I was fifteen and working every Saturday night at my uncle's store until 10:00.  This was in the day of VCRs and timers.  Those Twin Peaks recorded VHSs were my gold.  Especially since the murderer wasn't revealed and you'd keep going back and rewatching every single episode.  Anyway, set the timer and the TV station -put a sticky note on the TV to make sure it's on ABC for 10:00.    Get home around 10:30, will shower and then watch.  But being overly cautious or maybe to catch a tease of what's happening so far, I turn on the TV -to my horror I find Carol Burnett in a sketch.  Now, nothing against Carol Burnett -I love her -but I screamed in horror.  I quickly switch back to ABC while it's recording only to find Ben telling Truman, "Audrey's missing" and Cooper's stunned face.

Half of the episode to never be seen again.  And all the important scenes I've missed.  I got a briefing from a few of my other peakers, and then got the synopsis in Feb from the TP Behind the Scenes book.  But never saw it until I met someone at college who had that tape also - which was gold since none of this would make store bought availability until the end of 1993.

A true horror story.

That is terrible! Being a TV fan took so much more commitment back then. None of this casual bittorrenting and streaming.

It is the most underrated episode. I'd forgotten all about the breeakfast scene!!! haha what a mad idea for the s2 soundtrack, not including a varient of 'falling' or any other more obvious tracks and including Barbershop hehe