I mean, the idea is kind of that they are all debatable... What about Windom Earle?
I personally think he was one of the worse things to happen to TP. I get the idea and I understand the need once the Laura Palmer mystery was solved. But IMHO, Earle was a clown and at no point in time did I feel that he was any actual threat to anybody or anything.
It would seem I wasn't alone in that either. He was originally after Shelley, Audrey & Donna and even they seemed uninterested. "Hmmm, we all got this weird piece of a letter and are being stalked by some (barely) creepy old guy. Oh well, I'm going home alone, see you tomorrow at school." Even their parents were less than worried. "There is a lunatic stalking my daughter. Let's do a beauty pageant!"
Cooper was pretty blase' about it too. "Psycho killer possibly after the love of my life......I'm an FBI agent who should either shut down this pageant or get some serious security detail.....Nope, let us carry on!"
Then all that ridiculous stuff with Leo (I was actually routing for Leo at that point) and dancing around in his long undies and playing the flute......
None of it made sense. None of it created suspense or concern for characters we had grown attached to or were just learning to love. I just shake my head in shame even thinking about it.
To me, Windom Earle was worse than James's song, and I REALLY hate that song.
I could NOT agree more...
I mean you have BOB, the Man from Another Place, Mr. C, Mother, Judy, assassins and a whole slew of creepy, scary, otherworldly and downright ominous villians...and then Windom Earle and his ridiculous disguises. He was literally as scary as Inspector Clouseau only not even 1/16 as relevant. I was hoping he would kill off Dick Tremaine at least...
Look, I get it, though I don't agree with the assessment at all.
I think "scariest" or most threatening things Windom did were those we didn't actually see him do, like the posing of the bodies, or the leaving of the Caroline mask in Coop's bed. But what I reject is the notion that he was *supposed to be* scarier. I in no way view him as a failed character.
I agree that he made me begin to sympathize with Leo to some extent, and I think that was the plan. Just as there were moments that humanized someone like Hank, we needed moments to humanize Leo.
I agree that his disguises were ridiculous, and his "evil monologues" tended toward the cheesy, but I take that to also be part of the point. He is a mundane villain in this world populated by beings far more powerful and scary. He is thus presented as a kind of stereotype of the maniacal villains we see in other TV shows and such. That laugh of his is a key example. He is overblown, in other words, on purpose, in my view. Only then to meet a humiliating end that serves to drive home the point.
But, as I said in the piece, I think it may all depend on how you take the character, or perhaps I should have said the performance thereof. I think Kenneth Welsh was great.
I know that some would want to blame what happened here on Lynch being less involved with season 2 and so on, and there may be something to that. But I tend to find it to be overblown when people assert things like this. I think - or choose to believe - that this was the arc Windom Earle was fated to all along, and I know find his end to be an interesting parallel to that of Cooper in The Return...
Look, I get it, though I don't agree with the assessment at all.
I think "scariest" or most threatening things Windom did were those we didn't actually see him do, like the posing of the bodies, or the leaving of the Caroline mask in Coop's bed. But what I reject is the notion that he was *supposed to be* scarier. I in no way view him as a failed character.
I agree that he made me begin to sympathize with Leo to some extent, and I think that was the plan. Just as there were moments that humanized someone like Hank, we needed moments to humanize Leo.
I agree that his disguises were ridiculous, and his "evil monologues" tended toward the cheesy, but I take that to also be part of the point. He is a mundane villain in this world populated by beings far more powerful and scary. He is thus presented as a kind of stereotype of the maniacal villains we see in other TV shows and such. That laugh of his is a key example. He is overblown, in other words, on purpose, in my view. Only then to meet a humiliating end that serves to drive home the point.
But, as I said in the piece, I think it may all depend on how you take the character, or perhaps I should have said the performance thereof. I think Kenneth Welsh was great.
I know that some would want to blame what happened here on Lynch being less involved with season 2 and so on, and there may be something to that. But I tend to find it to be overblown when people assert things like this. I think - or choose to believe - that this was the arc Windom Earle was fated to all along, and I know find his end to be an interesting parallel to that of Cooper in The Return...
Wow, I have never heard anyone defend Windom Earle so vehemently, well actually at all...
All yours Cameron, you can be the steward of the Windom Earle historical society.
But it was a well written post!
Jack
Thanks Jack. I did start wondering, as I wrote that, whether more of it should have been in the 25YL thing...
I got pushed up on the schedule because of things that happened, and I had all but the Windom Earle part done... I might have to look into whether I can update it. Or I guess I could just add something in the comments...
Look, I get it, though I don't agree with the assessment at all.
I think "scariest" or most threatening things Windom did were those we didn't actually see him do, like the posing of the bodies, or the leaving of the Caroline mask in Coop's bed. But what I reject is the notion that he was *supposed to be* scarier. I in no way view him as a failed character.
I agree that he made me begin to sympathize with Leo to some extent, and I think that was the plan. Just as there were moments that humanized someone like Hank, we needed moments to humanize Leo.
I agree that his disguises were ridiculous, and his "evil monologues" tended toward the cheesy, but I take that to also be part of the point. He is a mundane villain in this world populated by beings far more powerful and scary. He is thus presented as a kind of stereotype of the maniacal villains we see in other TV shows and such. That laugh of his is a key example. He is overblown, in other words, on purpose, in my view. Only then to meet a humiliating end that serves to drive home the point.
But, as I said in the piece, I think it may all depend on how you take the character, or perhaps I should have said the performance thereof. I think Kenneth Welsh was great.
I know that some would want to blame what happened here on Lynch being less involved with season 2 and so on, and there may be something to that. But I tend to find it to be overblown when people assert things like this. I think - or choose to believe - that this was the arc Windom Earle was fated to all along, and I know find his end to be an interesting parallel to that of Cooper in The Return...
It seems this started out a bit defensively which baffles me since you invited me. ?
It's all just opinion.
As always, well written. I however have to strongly disagree. I don't think he was an intentional caricature. With all the other goofiness that was going on at that time and with the never ending list of guest directors and producers, I think the show was flailing once the big mystery was solved and folks were scrambling to find story lines and ways to keep the show alive. I just don't think Earle was that deliberate. I think he was a quickly thrown together villain that they tried to make quirky and fitting to the who. But he just wasn't.
I also don't think it was intended to humanize Leo. IMO, Leo was supposed to get his just desserts and instead became a pathetic, beaten puppy dog. In fact, my favorite part about this whole bit (Windom/Leo) was Albert's assessment in the most recent book where he commented on the idiocy of using tarantulas. So at least it gave us good Albert comedy fodder.
Other than that, I still find Earle to be a colossal ding-a-ling and an embarrassment.
Sorry, didn't mean to seem defensive. Other than of Windom 🙂
Windom doesn't need to be defended. BOB has him now.........
I really like James' song - is that a controversial character in itself? ?
I really like James' song - is that a controversial character in itself? ?
Most definitely.
I actually thought the Windom aec was going to be really good. It was heading in the right direction. I found him really evil the way he could woo the girls. It was a lost opportunity. I really wanted more of the owl cave/alien storyline
I mean, the idea is kind of that they are all debatable... What about Windom Earle?
I personally think he was one of the worse things to happen to TP. I get the idea and I understand the need once the Laura Palmer mystery was solved. But IMHO, Earle was a clown and at no point in time did I feel that he was any actual threat to anybody or anything.
It would seem I wasn't alone in that either. He was originally after Shelley, Audrey & Donna and even they seemed uninterested. "Hmmm, we all got this weird piece of a letter and are being stalked by some (barely) creepy old guy. Oh well, I'm going home alone, see you tomorrow at school." Even their parents were less than worried. "There is a lunatic stalking my daughter. Let's do a beauty pageant!"
Cooper was pretty blase' about it too. "Psycho killer possibly after the love of my life......I'm an FBI agent who should either shut down this pageant or get some serious security detail.....Nope, let us carry on!"
Then all that ridiculous stuff with Leo (I was actually routing for Leo at that point) and dancing around in his long undies and playing the flute......
None of it made sense. None of it created suspense or concern for characters we had grown attached to or were just learning to love. I just shake my head in shame even thinking about it.
To me, Windom Earle was worse than James's song, and I REALLY hate that song.
Sorry to dig this up - just finished rewatching so there's a lot going on in my mind, most of which I cannot sort out 🙂
First, let me say that to me, personally, James's song is WAY worse than Windom Earle. It's just awful, the voice is disturbing (I really hope that James Marshall doesn't always sound like that when singing, if he sings at all), and it's just.. I don't know. Not my favourite song in the world.
However, Windom Earle is pretty much patterned - for Coop, he's what Lex Luthor is to Superman, what Moriarty is to Sherlock Holmes, what Murdoc is to MacGyver. He's an archetype. It's like: Every hero needs a counterpart, an archenemy to battle so Coop needs one too. But it felt forced. As you say, it didn't make much sense. I think Windom Earle was there just for the sake of it and/or because the network thought it'd be cool for Coop to have an archenemy. I very much doubt that David Lynch wanted this to happen to Coop. It was too... mundane. Too predictable. And if I know anything about David Lynch and his work (which isn't much, granted), it's that he's never, ever, predictable, mundane, trivial.
Ah yes, good ole Windom. One of the very few topics that really gets me heated.
I'm not against Cooper having a Lex Luther. BUT COME ON! Lex Luther at least posed a threat and was Sinister. Earle was just dumb.....dumber than that really dumb song.
Ah yes, good ole Windom. One of the very few topics that really gets me heated.
I'm not against Cooper having a Lex Luther. BUT COME ON! Lex Luther at least posed a threat and was Sinister. Earle was just dumb.....dumber than that really dumb song.
Yep. It's as if they tried to make Windom into Lex Luthor but failed miserably.
Ah yes, good ole Windom. One of the very few topics that really gets me heated.
I'm not against Cooper having a Lex Luther. BUT COME ON! Lex Luther at least posed a threat and was Sinister. Earle was just dumb.....dumber than that really dumb song.
Couldn't agree less.
He was very sinister and single minded. And a great acting job, too IMHO
I mean, the idea is kind of that they are all debatable... What about Windom Earle?
I personally think he was one of the worse things to happen to TP. I get the idea and I understand the need once the Laura Palmer mystery was solved. But IMHO, Earle was a clown and at no point in time did I feel that he was any actual threat to anybody or anything.
It would seem I wasn't alone in that either. He was originally after Shelley, Audrey & Donna and even they seemed uninterested. "Hmmm, we all got this weird piece of a letter and are being stalked by some (barely) creepy old guy. Oh well, I'm going home alone, see you tomorrow at school." Even their parents were less than worried. "There is a lunatic stalking my daughter. Let's do a beauty pageant!"
Cooper was pretty blase' about it too. "Psycho killer possibly after the love of my life......I'm an FBI agent who should either shut down this pageant or get some serious security detail.....Nope, let us carry on!"
Then all that ridiculous stuff with Leo (I was actually routing for Leo at that point) and dancing around in his long undies and playing the flute......
None of it made sense. None of it created suspense or concern for characters we had grown attached to or were just learning to love. I just shake my head in shame even thinking about it.
To me, Windom Earle was worse than James's song, and I REALLY hate that song.
Sorry to dig this up - just finished rewatching so there's a lot going on in my mind, most of which I cannot sort out 🙂
First, let me say that to me, personally, James's song is WAY worse than Windom Earle. It's just awful, the voice is disturbing (I really hope that James Marshall doesn't always sound like that when singing, if he sings at all), and it's just.. I don't know. Not my favourite song in the world.
However, Windom Earle is pretty much patterned - for Coop, he's what Lex Luthor is to Superman, what Moriarty is to Sherlock Holmes, what Murdoc is to MacGyver. He's an archetype. It's like: Every hero needs a counterpart, an archenemy to battle so Coop needs one too. But it felt forced. As you say, it didn't make much sense. I think Windom Earle was there just for the sake of it and/or because the network thought it'd be cool for Coop to have an archenemy. I very much doubt that David Lynch wanted this to happen to Coop. It was too... mundane. Too predictable. And if I know anything about David Lynch and his work (which isn't much, granted), it's that he's never, ever, predictable, mundane, trivial.
Yep, HATED that song and his singing. Really bad.
Fire walk with