First off, sorry for the late post everybody hope you have enough time to get your comments in. After getting over the bad acting that so many early 90's tv shows seem to have I noticed a few things to consider about the episode. The first is Agent Cooper's similarity to Dupin and the "Rue Morgue" story. He is an outsider coming in to a "shaken up" community; his quarky personality seperates him from the culture but also allows him to interact somewhat normally. Truman is obviously the sidekick/narrator and is always just a little behind Cooper. He also picks up on the most minor details (fingernail) which the crime depends on. What is so significant about Cooper's role in the crime/town? Do you think that his outside perspective will truly help them to solve the murder, or do you think the fact that Truman knows the characters of the town so well he will be able to unmask the killer by examining their personalities and actions.
Another big theme that I found was the anti-feminist nature of the show. This might not have relevance to solving the crime, and it might just be the time in which it was made, but Twin Peaks is absurdly overcharged with masculinity. It is almost comical how Bobby and Mike treat women. Mike screams at Donna to get down to the police station to support Bobby when her friend was just murdered. Also the physical abuse in the bar is somewhat distrubing considering a teenage girl had just been murdered and another raped and abused. The men that show emotion in the film are also portrayed in a weak or in an insecure way. The photographer who cries after seeing Laura's body is scolded, and told not to do it again. Also the gas station attendant, who seems to be the only nice guy (besides Cooper) in the episode is both verbally abused (by his pirate wife) and physically abused (by bobby when he tries to save Donna). James is barked at not sure why) in the jail cell and seems to be near a head cracking simply for caring about Bobby's girlfriend more than he ever did. Do you think that this is a major theme of the show, seeing as three girls were raped and murdered by a mysterious (most likely male) killer. Do you think the writers are purposely addressing this theme or is it all relative to the time in which the show was made? Lastly, what do you make of the moral values of almost every character in the shows? It seems every other person is cheating, going behind their significant other's back, or having a secret affair of some sort. Is this just to add another more sexual dimension to the show and turn it into a soap opera, or do you think it will have some significance in the end?
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Often times when a movie or show deals with a small society of an insular nature, they mean the location to be a dramatized representation of the outside world. Shows like these are extremely popular (as this was, when it was first televised) because, due to its exaggerated nature, the audience feels relieved about their own shortcomings, but can still relate in some way to the characters, as their trials closely resemble those of real life people. Perhaps the blatantly polarized characterizations of the sexes is meant to represent a real life cultural trend. By making the issue more obvious than it appears in real life, film makers are able to call attention to problems without making them so blatant that their exposed truths make the audience uncomfortable.
Cooper's role is important because he brings a perspective intent on healing these rifts, or, at the very least, aware of the town's dynamics, and thus able to manipulate and predict the people's actions to his best advantage. He's living proof that people can rise above these instincts. He's always a gentleman, though a bit abstract. Cooper's the elevated outside world, intruding on the inner workings of society as we know it.
Erin, Claire, Tara P., and I had many comments on the soap opera like qualities evident in Twin Peaks, such as the extremely dramatic acting, starting the episode off with an intense moment of action and mystery, and the myriad of complicated and interwoven affairs that the characters participate in. I agree with Sean that FBI Agent Cooper is similar to Dupin in that he fits the detective criteria. Cooper is able to pick up on minor body language or a small part of a sentence by a witness. He uses these to quickly determine if someone is guilty or not of the crime. I find it difficult to decide if Cooper or Truman will have the winning clue to solve the case. Truman knows everyone in the small town, and is able to determine whether or not they could have participated in such a crime, while Cooper has an outsider’s unbiased view. Cooper is also extremely perceptive and detail orientated. I think that the solving of the case determines on the collaboration of Cooper and Truman.
I definitely agree that agent Cooper is comparable to Cooper in "Rue Morgue." They both seem to have a penchant for noticing obscure details and also the ability to seemingly read peoples' minds by just paying close attention to what they say and how the act. For example, after only a few minutes interview with Laura's boyfriend Cooper was convinced he did not do it.
I agree with Claire that Cooper is a sort of representation of the outside world intruding on this small, close-knit community. I think that his position as an outsider does give him an advantage. He has a clear, unbiased view with no emotional attachment at all, although, like Dupin, he does not seem like the type of person to have any emotional attachments.
I think the soap-opera like qualities of the show, such as all the affairs the characters seem to be having, will ultimately factor in to the crime. I think a major aspect of the show will be the unveiling of these small town secrets.
As everyone mentioned, there is no denying that Cooper is similar to Dupin in “Rue Morgue”. Truman possesses the qualities of the sidekick of the detective as well. I am not sure that Truman's more detailed knowledge of the inhabitants of the town will really give him the upper hand in the case. It seems like Cooper has acquired just as well of an understanding of them already. As Tara mentioned within five minutes of interviewing Bobby he is able to tell that he is not guilty. He has the ability to read the minds of characters even though he has just met them. When he noticed the bike reflection in Laura ‘s eye it became clear that he was the epitome of the detective character who notices things that others would easily miss.
I agree that there is an extreme anti-feminist nature in the show. I am not sure the relevance of it; however, I find it hard to believe that it reflected the way men actually treated women during this time. The "soap opera" aspects of the show are seen in the many affairs, lies, and secrets which exist in this small town. It seems that the solving of this murder will also unravel many of the other secrets existing between the characters.
I feel as if it will be a combination of both Cooper’s attention to detail and Truman’s familiarity to the location which will help to solve the murder. I also noticed the continual theme of an anti -feminist atmosphere. There was a strong sense of masculine power through obvious examples such as the murder/rape, when Mike attempts to harm Donna, and the woman who gets yelled at by her husband for not cleaning the house and using the wrong type of cigarettes. There is also a sense of switched gender roles. For example the male photographer who cries each time he sees the dead bodies and the woman who owns the wood factory thing conveys a sense of power in the way that a man would. Everyone does appear to be very sneaky as well. Thus the characters are confusing to follow. Like when Donna sneaks out of the house and meets up with her father at the end he doesn’t really reprimand her for sneaking out, he just makes a joke by asking where her sisters bike was located.
I agree with everyone else who think that a combination of Truman’s knowledge of the town and Cooper’s attention to detail will solve the crime. As Claire alluded to, when a small town is portrayed in the media, it is often exaggerated like Twin Peaks, consisting of many stereotyped characters all having a strange aspect about them. Also, it is also noted that everyone in the town knows of each other, showing that they are all connected in some way.
The problem with Twin Peaks, however, is that although everyone knows each other, everyone has a secret. (Such include all of the affairs and soap opera-esque dramas, which I believe will play a role in the solving of the murder). Thus, Cooper’s role is to bring an outside opinion to the case and a sort of objective view, seeing as he does not know any of the suspects or victims. Evidently, Laura was hiding something, whether it was from Bobby, her parents, or Jason, which Truman may be reluctant to believe. Cooper can look past the established idea of who Laura was in order to find more clues as to who killed her.
First off, I totally agree with Sean and Twin Peak's very poor '90s acting, although the secretary at the police station is funny. Cooper is very similar to Dupin, the outsider who comes in to try and find the killer/solve the mystery. He literally was an outsider and not just metaphorically like Dupin. His quirky, yet ingenious behavior was counterbalanced by Truman's level headedness. Cooper's quirky personality was likely written into the script to add some colorful, humorous moments to the overall heavy (esp. the beginning) and sad mood overall. He'd make a chuckle when he was infactuated by the douglass firs and then the snowshoe rabbit.
The anti-feminist nature of the show was so obvious that it was almost amusing. I agree with all the examples Sean gave, but you also had the housewife mom (Laura's mom), the beautiful Chinese widow that inherited the saw mill, and the disty secretary in the police station. It was almost absurd how much they demeaned women in this show. I don't think the early '90s were so much anti-feminist as maybe the writers of this show just had an grudge against women, perhaps. I'm not sure.
All the affairs did add to the script and since this was a pilot episode, they were probably trying to add many subplots so that this show wouldn't be cancelled after 4 espisodes. If it made it past 4 episodes, then I don't know what the network was thinking.
It seems as though I'm too late and that everyone got the idea out first: Cooper's meticulous attention to detail sets up the parallel between he and Dupin from "Rue Morgue". I speculate though, that unlike Dupin, this trait of Cooper could lead him down a dangerous path. With Dupin, his whole character was gloomy and strange, whereas Cooper may only be considered an outside because he's not from the town: with time that can change. I think Cooper himself may become subject to some of bias of knowing the suspects that others have noted Truman to have.
When I read Sean's question on sexism in the TV Show, it ironically made me think of our more current form of Twin Peaks-esque television: Desperate Housewives. Both involve small town setting with outlandish drama taking place. However, in that social circle it seems to be the women in power. So I am reluctant to say where the director actively chose to highlight sexism in Twin Peaks with the hope of some moral message because in the exact same situation, Desperate Housewives, the main characters and protagonists are females. I would have to say that in both cases, the shows highlight the general culture and not some devastating message hidden beneath that.
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