Diane… #5: Twin Peaks Episode 3 – Rest in Pain
June 26th, 2016
Welcome to Diane… number 5.
Pathos and bathos gather to swallow the worm-choked mud and put the FUN in funeral as Rosie, Mark and Bob discuss the poignant and peculiar third episode of David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks, Rest in Pain.
Expect: the fight against the dark, the fact of death, and a journey into the secret systems of the town. Oh, and the interment of Laura Palmer.
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Rivers turn to wood, ice melting to flood
Earth lies in death bed, clouds cry water dead
Tearing life away, here’s the burning pay
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Next episode: Mars, Venus, and amputation.
20 Responses to “Diane… #5: Twin Peaks Episode 3 – Rest in Pain”
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June 27th, 2016 at 6:42 am
Thank you again for another lovely episode! Revisiting the show with you all has been quite a treat so far.
I hadn’t thought more about the scene where Cooper is introduced to the Bookhouse Boys much before you referenced it, but you did mention the brief oddity of how Cooper just takes in this information and immediately falls in with the Bookhouse Boys’ extra-legal shenanigans. In a way, the FBI could be seen as a spiritual successor to something like the Bookhouse Boys,, and it made me wonder if Cooper didn’t just see the functions of the Bookhouse Boys as just the most natural thing in the world.
I don’t know how it’s perceived from the perspective of another place, but very few people in the U.S. would be hard pressed to regard the FBI as some level of secret society. J. Edgar Hoover encouraged that mystique during his tenure, and the history of the FBI is full of lively debate about the legality of their methods of law enforcement, as well as the breadth of powers included in their charter. Cooper has particularly different powers and duties from those of a police officer, and he may be quite familiar with the ins and outs of unlawful interrogation. Oftentimes during the FBI’s history the full extent of powers implied by their charter or by individual Presidents the director has answered to has been highly ambiguous.
So I wonder if Cooper doesn’t simply see the Bookhouse Boys as a sort of mirror image of some of the kinds of work that he does?
June 27th, 2016 at 2:27 pm
Aaaaaah this makes sense! Really don’t know much about the FBI as we don’t really have an equivalent over here but yes I can see what you mean entirely. Your read here also fits with the character of the FBI as portrayed in the show and FWWM, where the personnel we’re introduced to all seem to have strangely spiritual concerns and odd methods. In many ways the FBI of Twin Peaks seems to be as much of an initiatory cult as the Bookhouse Boys, as you say.
This actually really helps to join up my thinking about the FBI of Twin Peaks, which always had this air of something of the woods about it.
June 27th, 2016 at 2:42 pm
Jesus Christ, Alan, that bloody killed it!
I’m thinking maybe our Bobsy has been holding fire on the FBI as sekrit society thing. Bobsy?
June 28th, 2016 at 12:37 pm
Something we’ve not discussed yet is that pretty much everyone who is a US government employee, or otherwise on the side of The Man in TP, is of perfect moral virtue.
I suspect this presentation is at least somewhat ironic, much as it plays into the notion of the town being a place where beliefs and high ideals (and low ideals too) have more purchase than material reality.
Woth regard tot he convo above, the most important FBI guys we’ve seen so far are the silent MIBs who accompany Albert on his first visit to the Sherriff’s office. The MIB/faceless Fed (certainly around the time the show was produced) is basically both a stereotype of the uptight, blandly/threateningly anonymous actual federal employees of the day and the stony face they present to the people; AND a variety or fortean/highweird fauna in its own right.
While I like (a lot) the idea of the FBI being a scouting group that got out of hand (something the Dale Cooper tapes imply and has a lot of fun with), with all the funny handshakes and petty- and not so petty-corruptions that would go with it, I think a more valuable seam might be in understanding the (fuckin’) Federales not as a bizarre initiatory cult, but rather *the thing the cult worships*.
June 28th, 2016 at 12:40 pm
Alan – by the way I think you have pretty much exactly hit on the reason for Cooper’s apparent ease with the extra-legal nature of Bernard’s detention (ditto taking Ed on a cross-border spying mission).
It’s pure comedy that the only time we see Bernard he is being menaced by the good guys, whose burden of care for his life or value as a material witness is immediately forgotten and sacrificed unto Leo’s murderous whims.
June 28th, 2016 at 5:56 pm
Hi all,
I started listening to your show on June 10th (which in the states is the 25th anniversary of the broadcast of the “I’ll see you in 25 years” finale, a nice bit of coincidence) and I’ve really enjoyed your show. Part of it is the distinctly British take on things (taking on the concept of the homecoming dance for example, or just how to take on analysis of a text).
It doesn’t look like you’re open to email feedback so I’ll to drop all my comments here whether it’s for past episodes or not…
1)the book Welcome to Twin Peaks: An Access Guide puts it into official canon that the actual population of the town is 5,120. They credit the 51,201 on the town sign to a clerical error with the census reporting.
2) The morning after Cooper’s Red Room Dream when he’s explaining it to Harry and Lucy in the Great Northern by summarizing the European Pilot version of events ( where Mike shoots Bob in the hospital basement among other discrepancies) instead of the actual version from the previous episode is explained as follows: Due to Wild At Heart filing schedules, Lynch was unable to film his episode until after all the others were filmed. So when Cooper was explaining the events, the only thing the script could go on is what existed for the pilot since no one can predict what Lynch would actually do with it.
3)Claire Laffar, creator of your tarot deck, was a regular contributor of feedback for The Twin Peaks Podcast (from 2011). That show’s a good listen if you’re willing to listen to other takes on the material, but the most enlightening of the bunch well worth a listen is Sparkwood & 21. Once they get feedback to interact with it turns top-notch wonderful.
And honestly, the way you’re digging into the material makes me think your show is heading for similar greatness.
Thanks for all your hard work on your show, and all my best for keeping up that pace.
-John
June 28th, 2016 at 8:46 pm
Thanks, John, and thanks for recommending SW&21. I’ve been hearing good things about that one.
Enjoyed those excerpts from the Access Guide too, especially the one about the census – cheeky little addendum. Must’ve been fun to write.
People aren’t always complimentary about the Access Guide, but you’ve piqued my interest. Don’t imagine a copy would be easily or cheap to get hold of…
June 28th, 2016 at 9:30 pm
Adam, The Access Guide is generally a tongue-in-cheek fluff piece but it’s pretty entertaining, especially if you don’t go in expecting the same heft as Laura’s Diary. I think Engels, Peyton and Tricia Brock had a ball writing the book. Personally, I love it and celebrate it where I can. It’s as low as 26 bucks plus shipping on amazon right now, and I’d say it’s worth that.
If you want to get a taste of SW&21 once it gets proper footing and enough feedbackers to play off of, try one of the episodes after they reveal the killer. I’ve been reading up on Twin Peaks on and off for the past 26 years and I learned new things every week from the podcast. Got so infectious I couldn’t help but jump in with feedback myself towards the end.
June 29th, 2016 at 10:17 pm
OoOOOOh, so about 20 quid. Might get that then.
June 30th, 2016 at 10:44 am
Wonderful recommendation for Sparkwood and 21 John thank you, I’m really enjoying it! Is that you I see in one of the “A Twin Peaks discussion with…” episodes? Will make sure to give it a listen.
The Access Guide! I recall reading around TP on the early internet as a teenager and hearing about this marvellous book that seemed very difficult to get hold of. It totally skipped my mind that it would probably be super easy to get these days. Thanks for the reminder :)
June 30th, 2016 at 10:45 am
You’ve sold me on SW&21.
June 30th, 2016 at 8:19 pm
Fantastic news about the SW&21 enthusiasm here. One thing I like about Twin Peaks podcasts is they’ve consistently worked together like a family, rather than as competition. So, if you haven’t heard it from anyone officially yet, welcome to the family :) I’ve been spreading the word where I can about Diane and it sounds like you’re making quite the splash stateside.
And Rosie, it’s a surreal thing to be recognized. Yes that’s me on one of those SW&21 episodes. Was nervous as hell but had a blast.
I’ll be listening to the new Diane next, getting excited.
July 1st, 2016 at 8:37 am
That’s super kind of you John, thank you :) I know what you mean about nerves, I think with things like TP that really get under your skin it can feel like your ideas about it are quite personal. I get nervous before we record every single time, but then it’s so lovely when you hear back from others with their own perspectives on the show and tidbits of info and the like.
This has been a real treat so far, delighted to be in the woods with such thoughtful, friendly folk!
July 1st, 2016 at 9:55 am
Yes, it’s always nerve wracking before we record.
So that’s you on the Jan 31st 2016 podcast then, John?
July 1st, 2016 at 10:42 am
Okay, listening now. You have twin boys that you called Cooper and Harry. That’s just awesome. Mark and I are twins, admittedly not named after Twin Peaks characters, but still!
July 1st, 2016 at 11:37 am
Hah, that was just Steve being goofy. We tried our best just to pick names we like, but we assuredly didn’t name them Cooper and Harry. But they’re twins all the same (you guys are a LOT of work!) Best part about our twins? Completely individual attitudes, they’re their own little men. No mixing them up.
Back to this thread. Alan I forgot to mention the observation at the top about the bookhouse boys being a mirror image to the FBI….never made that connection before but I’ll bet Frost was 100% intentional on that.
And I read the comments for the other episodes too…I am definitely going to paying attention to what you come up with.
July 1st, 2016 at 11:52 am
That last comment was me though I think it came off fairly obvious.
July 1st, 2016 at 7:42 pm
A dear friend of the Mindless named his son Cooper last year! There is a precedent. Hopefully I’m not too much work now that I’m forty. Actually, I probably am.
July 1st, 2016 at 9:21 pm
Adam, as long as your parents don’t have to figure out how to shave your face and neck for you (or give you a wipe) I suspect you’re not too much work anymore. That’s my two cents.
July 3rd, 2016 at 8:20 pm
Do parents ever stop wanting to wipe their children’s faces? I think not.
Mine’s ten. I am not allowed to wipe his face. I wipe his face.