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Twin Peaks
Episode 23:
"The Condemned Woman"
TV episode
Written by Tricia Brock
Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter
Original air date: February 16, 1991 |
Josie is shocked at Andrew’s
liveliness and has her final confrontation with Eckhart while
Hank implicates her in Andrew’s attempted murder and Albert
implicates her in Cooper’s; Nadine breaks up with Ed; Ben
strives to save the endangered pine weasel.
Read the episode
transcript at Glastonberry.net
Didja Know?
For the titles of the Twin Peaks TV episodes, I have taken
the unique approach of using both the episode numbers, which were
the only titles given the scripts by series creators David Lynch and
Mark Frost, and the translated German titles of the episodes that
were assigned when the series aired in that country. Frequent
readers of PopApostle know I like the aesthetic of actual episode
titles, but I also wanted to honor the simple numbering used by
Lynch and Frost, hence the expanded titles presented in these
studies.
Characters appearing or mentioned in this episode
Windom Earle
Dale Cooper
Sheriff Truman
Caroline Earle
Lucy Moran
Pete Martell
Catherine Martell
Andrew Packard
Josie Packard
Jonathan Kumagai (deceased, mentioned only)
Hank Jennings
Deputy Hawk
Leo Johnson
Albert Rosenfield
Audrey Horne
Randy
John Justice Wheeler (Jack)
Ed Hurley
Nadine Hurley (née Butler)
Thomas Eckhardt
Ben Horne
Bobby Briggs
Jerry Horne
Shelly Johnson
Norma Jennings
Annie Blackburn (Norma's sister, mentioned only)
Donna Hayward
James Hurley
Evelyn Marsh (mentioned only)
Laura Palmer (mentioned only)
Maddy Ferguson (mentioned only)
Notes from the Log Lady intros
When cable channel
Bravo
obtained the rights to air reruns of Twin Peaks
in 1993, David Lynch directed all-new introductions to each
episode featuring the Log Lady, portrayed by original
actress Catherine E. Coulson. These intros also appear as
options on the DVD and Blu-ray collections of the series.
The Log Lady's introduction for this episode refers to the
closing shot of the episode, with Josie's face seemingly
trapped in a wooden drawer pull in Eckhardt's room at the
Great Northern while Truman clutches her mysteriously dead
body. There are some hints in later episodes that Josie's
spirit may be trapped in the hotel, that she has become part
of the wood of the building, just as the Log Lady's dead
husband seems to speak to her through her log.
"A hotel. A nightstand. A drawer pull on the drawer. A
drawer
pull of a nightstand in the room of a hotel. What could
possibly
be happening on or in this drawer pull? How many drawer
pulls
exist in this world? Thousands, maybe millions.
"What is a drawer pull? This drawer pull--why is it featured
so
prominently in a life or in a death of one woman who was
caught
in a web of power? Can a victim of power end in any way
connected
to a drawer pull? How can this be?"
Didja Notice?
This episode opens on Monday, March 20, 1989.
As the episode opens, we see a small owl figurine under
glass on Sheriff Truman's desk.
At 2:01 on the Blu-ray, Cooper's microcassette recorder is
seen to be a Panasonic RN-105. In
"Diane..."
The
Twin Peaks Tapes of
Agent
Cooper, his recorder is said to
be the fictitious brand, "Micromac pocket tape recorder".
At 2:36 on the Blu-ray, the 1972 novel To Serve Them All
My Days by R. F. Delderfield is seen on Truman's desk.
At 3:27 on the Blu-ray, Pete has prepared Andrew's breakfast
plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in the shape of a dog's
face. Andrew seems quite tickled by it, while Catherine is
all but disgusted by the two men's childlike antics. I like
that good-guy Pete and somewhat-bad-guy Andrew have such a
good friendship with each other. And, of course, Catherine's
comment, "You two bring out the worst in each other."
Catherine disapprovingly remarks on Pete and Andrew acting
"like the Hardy Boys." She is referring to the characters
Frank and Joe Hardy in the Hardy Boys series of
juvenile detective novels published since 1927.
Andrew remarks that he leaves for Paris tomorrow regarding
investors in the Ghostwood project. Presumably, he is
referring to
Paris, France.
At 5:16 on the Blu-ray, Truman is reading an article about
Jonathan in a
newspaper. The articles seen on this page
actually have nothing to do with their headlines. In fact, a
couple of the paragraphs are repeated!

At 6:10 on the Blu-ray, a book on the shelves behind Truman
appears to be Microprocessor Applications Manual.
At 8:00 on the Blu-ray, notice that there is a sign in the
Great Northern for the 1989 Tri-County Rodeo Association
annual convention. This explains all the women seen in
country-style dresses at the Great Northern throughout this
episode, as well as the men in cowboy hats.
Jack tells Audrey he just flew into town on his own jet. He
must have landed at the airstrip indicated on the map of the
town in Twin Peaks: An Access
Guide to the Town called Old Unguin's Field.
Audrey calls Jack, "Mr. Rockefeller". This is a reference to
the Rockefeller family, made rich by John D. Rockefeller,
Sr. (1839–1937), founder of the Standard Oil Company. Her
reference is to Jack's obvious wealth, if he is able to
afford his own jet.
Jack tells Audrey he has an "unbelievably cute" picture of
her wearing a dirndl dress when she was little. He goes on
to call it "little Audrey Horne as Heidi". A dirndl is a
traditional dress worn by Alpine peasants in Germany,
Austria, and Italy. Heidi is a character who has appeared in
Swiss children's books and international movies since 1881.
Recall that Audrey used the alias "Hester Prynne" from
The Scarlet Letter when she went undercover at One-Eyed
Jacks and "Scarlett" (probably borrowed from the novel
Gone With the Wind) in earlier episodes, so it may be
that Audrey has a literary bent that is not obvious about
her at first glance.
At 11:05 on the Blu-ray, Ed is replacing the figurines on
Nadine's knick-knack shelf, which was knocked down during
her pummeling of Hank in
Episode 20:
"Checkmate".
Notice that the same cat figurine is seen on two different
shelves!
At 13:00 on the Blu-ray, Catherine flips open the Venetian
blinds between two rooms in Blue Pine Lodge in order to hear
Cooper and Josie's conversation. But, of course, she needn't
have done so to still hear them clearly! It is done for the
benefit of the television viewer! In fact, realistically, she
would be much better off leaving them closed to ensure her
eavesdropping isn't noticed by them!
At 15:09 on the Blu-ray, a copy of War and Peace is
seen on the bookshelf behind Catherine. War and Peace
is an 1869 novel by Russian writer Leo Tolstoy. It is
considered one of the best novels ever written.
As Josie grabs the gun hidden in the bookshelf at 15:32 on
the Blu-ray, the books Mary Queen of Scots, The First Deadly
Sin, a volume of Reader's Digest Condensed Books, and
Public
Administration are seen. Seconds later, a textbook
called Microbiology and one about psychology are
visible, as well as The Hurricane Years. Mary Queen of Scots
is a 1969 biography of the 16th Century Queen Mary of
Scotland by Antonia Fraser. The First Deadly
Sin is a 1973 novel by Lawrence Sanders.
Reader's Digest
is a general interest magazine published in the U.S.
and a few other nations; it's Reader's Digest Condensed Books
volumes were published from 1950-1997, when new volumes were
retitled Reader's Digest Select Editions. Public
Administration may be a collection of the
quarterly journal by that name. The Hurricane Years
is 1968 novel by Cameron Hawley.
The gun hidden and revealed by Catherine behind the books on the
bookshelf, and which Josie takes, is a
Walther PPK. This is
the same model gun used to shoot Cooper in
Episode 7:
"The Last Evening"
and which killed Jonathan Kumagai later, both
revealed to have been perpetrated by Josie. Was this then Josie's own
gun? How did Catherine get a hold of it?
Notice that from this episode onward, Ben seems to carry
celery stalks or carrot sticks on his person instead of
cigars! I guess part of his new attempt to be good is to
give up smoking! (Though Ben does begin to light, and then
put out, a cigar during his dinner with Audrey and Jack
later in the episode.)
The athletic jacket Ben is wearing at 15:56 on the Blu-ray
is made by
Fila.
At 17:29 on the Blu-ray, notice that the top left pane of
the French doors leading outside in Ben's office is blacked
out! It was a normal pane of glass when glimpsed in previous
episodes. What happened? Was it an accident on set?
At 17:47 on the Blu-ray, notice that Jerry has a small
bandage between his eyes!
Ben refers to his overall business as Horne Industries
Incorporated.
At 18:02 on the Blu-ray, notice that Audrey scratches her
pretty knee and adjusts her skirt over it, possibly trying
to distract Jack, sitting next to her. He definitely
notices!
At 18:13 on the Blu-ray, the 1965 book Three Coins in
the Birdbath is seen on Ben's desk. This is a
collection of the humorous remembrances and musings of
Los Angeles Times columnist Jack Clifford Smith
(1916-1996).
At 18:39 on the Blu-ray, notice that the pine weasel image
hidden under the white sheet is actually visible through the
sheet before Ben unveils it.
The endangered pine weasel introduced in this episode has
the scientific name Mustela pinus according to the
label on the unveiled image in Ben's office. This is
actually a fictitious creature, though Mustela is
the genus to which weasels of various species are assigned.
Ben states that the pine weasel is found only in their
tri-county area and is nearly extinct. Apparently, the pine
weasel is also known as a food source, for Jerry remarks,
"They're incredible roasted."
Ben remarks that after he saves the pine weasel, he's
considering a run for senate.
At 20:28 on the Blu-ray, notice that Shelly has a gauze
bandage wrapped around her right elbow instead of the sling
she wore in the previous episode
Episode 22:
"Slaves and Masters".
At 20:32 on the Blu-ray, the day's Stockpot Soup at the RR
is rabbit bisque.
Norma remarks to Shelly that when she was little, she always
used to think that Annie was from "another place and time".
Is this phrasing about Annie something we should pay
attention to? Recall that the Dwarf is referred to as the
Man From Another Place in series credits and that travel
back-and-forth and possible alterations in time occur the TV
series and Fire Walk
With Me.
At 23:29 on the Blu-ray, notice that Earle is wearing a cap
with a "CD-M Courtwright Diesel and Machine" logo on it.
Courtwright Diesel and Machine is an equipment manufacturer
in Tacoma, WA.

Notice that Earle's commandeered cabin has fresh, green
branches sitting on top of the roof. Presumably, he (or Leo)
has placed them there to cover up holes in the roof of the
dilapidated abode.
As Earle emerges from the cabin to check on Leo's work, he's
singing "The Foggy Dew", an old English folk song from the late
18th-to-early-19th Century.
After approving of Leo's work, Earle quotes, "Fly to my
breast, pierce me in colors autumnal, speak to me only of
love." It seems as if he's quoting a poem, but I've been
unable to identify it.
Notice that the sticks Leo is whittling will become the
shafts of the arrows Earle will use to kill the itinerant in
Episode 26:_"Variations on Relations".
Notice that Leo is amused when Earle accidentally pricks his
finger on the point of the arrowhead at 24:02 on the
Blu-ray.
At 24:17 on the Blu-ray, the floor of Hank's cell is
littered with white feathers. Since this was Ben's cell in
Episode 15:_"Drive With a Dead Girl",
where he tore apart a feather pillow in rage, it seems as if
the sheriff's department has not done a very good job of
cleaning cells between prisoners!
Norma's line to Hank, regarding her relationship with Ed,
"I'd rather be his whore than your wife," is also stated
word-for-word by Kate Winslet's character in the 1997 film
Titanic. In fact, she says it to a character played
by Billy Zane, who also appears in the episode!
Contemplating the next chess move against Earle, Pete begins
to remark on a strategy used by Capablanca against Lasker in
St. Petersburg, 1914, before Cooper interrupts him. Pete
claimed to owe his chess skill to José Raúl Capablanca in
Episode 22:
"Slaves and Masters".
Capablanca played against German chess champion Emanuel
Lasker in St. Petersburg that year, losing to him, his only
route of that tournament.
St. Petersburg
is a city in Russia.
Cooper has been publishing his chess moves to Earle in the
classifieds of the Twin Peaks Gazette.
Cooper asks Pete to construct a stalemate strategy in the
current game against Earle, losing as few pieces as
possible. Thus, Pete decides Cooper's next move, P to QN3
(Pawn to Queen's Knight 3). This would normally be
considered a bad move, as Cooper is accepting the loss of
his Pawn previously (in
Episode 20:
"Checkmate")
without taking Earle's Pawn in return at little risk.
After Pete makes his move on the chessboard, he promises
Cooper and Truman that Earle can't remove another piece from
the board for at least 5 or 6 more moves. But, Earle does
remove a Pawn legitimately just 3 days (moves) later in
Episode 26:_"Variations on Relations".
Wrapped in Plastic #4 points out that the second
issue of the series official fanzine the Twin Peaks
Gazette, printed Pete's move as B to QB4 (Bishop to
Queen's Bishop 4), a much stronger move. It may be that this
was the move originally written, but it was changed to the
lesser move during shooting for unknown reasons.
(See "Patterns and Conflicts: An Analysis of the
Windom Earle/Dale Cooper Chess Game", Wrapped in Plastic
#4, April 1993, which includes input from chess expert John
Jacobs, former chess columnist of the Dallas Times
Herald.)
|
 |
 |
 |
Cooper's/Pete's (black) P to QN3 move
(diagram from Wrapped in Plastic #4) |
The only move a real chess expert should
have made in this case, Knight takes Pawn, suggested by John
Jacobs
(diagram from Wrapped in Plastic #4) |
Pete's move as published in the second
issue of the Twin Peaks Gazette official fanzine
(diagram from Wrapped in Plastic #4) |
The scene with Josie applying make-up at 28:55 on the
Blu-ray is almost a mirror of the opening scene of
Episode 0A:
"Wrapped in Plastic".
This episode is the final appearance of James in the series,
though Donna does receive a post card from him in
Episode 25:
"On the Wings of Love". James tells Donna he'll be a witness
at Evelyn's trial. This implies that, despite his taking off
for Mexico or other climes unknown, he will be back in the
area in the relatively near future.
At 33:46 on the Blu-ray, Catherine is reading Great
Expectations, an 1861 novel by Charles Dickens. Cooper
was reading this same novel in
Episode 1:
"Traces to
Nowhere" and
Episode 5:
"Cooper's Dreams". In fact, her copy
looks like the same edition; maybe Cooper loaned it to her
when he finished it!
At 33:51 on the Blu-ray, Pete appears to be tying a fly
lure.
During dinner in the Timber Room with her father and Jack,
notice that Audrey begins choking and coughing when her
father tells Jack to think of him as "an open book...upon
whose virgin pages you shall scribe." Presumably, she is 1)
shocked that he should describe himself in even a
metaphorical way as a "virgin", and 2) her own thoughts
about Jack himself in regards to her virginity.
When Donna sees Shelly at the Roadhouse, she walks up to her
and says "hi" and Shelly lets her have a drag off her
cigarette. Later, in
Episode 28:
"Miss Twin Peaks",
the two also are seen to share a cigarette (and they sit
together at the Miss Twin Peaks meeting in
Episode 26:_"Variations on Relations").
This all seems to imply a friendship between the two that is
not openly mentioned in the series. It's quite possible they
were friends in school before Shelly chose to drop out and
marry Leo.
Cooper's book on Tibet is seen on the nightstand in his room
at 42:23 on the Blu-ray as he practices casting a fly lure.
Notice also that his Bookhouse Boys patch is sitting there,
too.
Notice that the footboard of Cooper's bed at the Great
Northern has a fish design elevated on the center portion.
Truman carries a
Colt
Python .357 Magnum instead of the usual Smith & Wesson Model
10 when he enters Eckhardt's room. He also carried the Colt
in
Episode 12:
"The Orchid's Curse".
As the Dwarf dances on the bed near the end of the episode,
notice that actor Michael J. Anderson wears an elevated sole
on the shoe of his left foot. His left leg must be shorter
than the right.
Unanswered Questions
To quote Killer BOB, "What happened to Josie?" Did she die
of fear, dread, or humiliation? Does the appearance of BOB
to Cooper indicate that he was feeding on her fear and
sorrow (garmonbozia)? Is her soul trapped in the Great
Northern? The following
episode,
Episode 24:_"Wounds and Scars", reveals
that Josie's body weighed only 65 pounds when weighed by the
coroner, much less than that it should have.
Memorable Dialog
it's your move.wav
you two bring out the worst in each other.wav
Pete's a prince.wav
that tempest raging inside you.wav
I just checked into room 215.wav
we're breaking up.wav
I don't know what place he occupies in your heart.wav
the little pine weasel.wav
about to become a household word.wav
it's our turn.wav
I'd rather be his whore than your wife.wav
you deserve haunting.wav
the local sheriff.wav
rarer than the pine weasel.wav
Love's Philosophy.wav
what happened to Josie?.wav
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