Whoa, wait a second! That’s not a regular episode! Correct, dear listeners! Come and get Back to the Double R’s Special #1: The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer! This week, Jennifer leads us through a discussion of the dark and disturbing mini-masterpiece by Jennifer Lynch, which set the whole country talking in furtive whispers way back in 1990. We talk about what the diary meant to Laura Palmer, whether it felt “authentic,” and how it changes our view of Twin Peaks as a show. In a special Twist, we tackle the question of “canon” and whether/where the Diary fits in it! 

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S2, SPECIAL #1 SECRET DIARY NOTES: 

The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer (book, 1990, written by Jennifer Lynch, reissued 2011 with prefaces by David Lynch and Mark Frost)
The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer (2016, audiobook, narrated by Sheryl Lee)
Jennifer Lynch (SDLP writer)
Boxing Helena (1993, film, directed by Jennifer Lynch)
25 Years Later (extensive media fan site)
Blue Velvet (1986, film, written and directed by David Lynch)
Victoria Catlin (b. 1952, Blackie O’Reilly)
Epistolary novels (literary genre)
Anaïs Nin (1903-1977, French-Cuban-American essayist, diarist, and novelist)
Anne Frank (1929-1945, diarist and victim of the Holocaust)
Go Ask Alice (1971, novel (or published diary), written by Beatrice Sparks)
Frank Silva (1950-1995, Bob)
Sheryl Lee (b. 1967, Laura/Maddy)

The wheels of Justice have brought us to the climax of the first major arc of the series, Season 2, Episode 9, “Arbitrary Law.” It’s a Big Time culmination of all the things that make this show beloved and bedeviling. This week, Jennifer invokes the horror trope where young people, mostly women, are punished for their passions; Damon assembles us all in a room to reveal the Whodunnit moves of the episode; Colin posits a color theory of Lynch’s dark Americana; and Jonathan gives a close look at Ray Wise, “The Searchers,” and the redemptive power of compassion. Also this week: A Very Special Twist! Damon and Jonathan debate the longstanding ABC-forces-the-reveal conundrum!!

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S2, E9 NOTES:
Tim Hunter (episode director)
Mark Frost, Harley Peyton, Robert Engels (episode writers)
Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, DBE (née Miller)(1890-1976)  (legendary British mystery writer and all-around badass)
Hercule Poirot (1920-, detective in several of Christie’s novels)
Sherlock Holmes (1887-, legendary fictional detective and smarty-pants)
Deus Ex Machina (classical, plot device wherein a story is solved suddenly and unexpectedly)
Color theory (Broad field of study dealing with the mixing and meanings of colors)
John Ford (1894-1973, legendary American film director, particularly Westerns)
The Searchers (1956, film, dir. John Ford; called one of the greatest Westerns ever)
John Wayne (1907-1979, legendary American actor)

How do you solve a problem like Bob? Leland is whistling show tunes and cutting a rug as Bob spirits away Maddy Ferguson’s body in his golf bag. It’s a nostalgia-filled nightmare in the pivotal Season 2, Episode 8, “Drive with a Dead Girl.” This week, Jonathan pays tribute to the amazing Peggy Lipton; Jennifer asks what those Horne boys are up to; Damon contemplates Bob unleashed; and Colin looks at the deadly allure of the bad old days. Our Twist this week is of an avian nature, featuring some bonus shoutouts to a couple of Pacific Northwest legends. 

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S2, E8 NOTES:
Scott Frost (episode writer)
Caleb Deschanel (episode director)
Peggy Lipton (1946-2019, Norma Jennings)
Clarence Williams III (1939-2021, Agent Roger Hardy)
The MOD Squad (1970-73, ABC TV Series)
Quincy Jones (b. 1933, legendary musician, composer, and producer)
Rashida Jones (b. 1976, actor)
(Young Ben Horne, uncredited)
(Young Jerry Horne, uncredited)
Emily Fincher (Louise Dombrowski)
Johanna Ray (series casting director)
Jane Greer (1924-2001, Vivian Smythe Niles)
Out of the Past (1947, classic noir film, dir. Jacques Tourneur)
Against All Odds (1984, film, dir. Taylor Hackford)
Oklahoma (1955, musical film, dir. Fred Zinneman)
The Surrey with the Fringe on Top (1955, song from Oklahoma)
Rogers & Hammerstein (legendary 20th-century musical writing team)
Stepford Wives (1972, satirical novel by Ira Levin)
Kathleen Wilhoite (b. 1964, Gwen Morton)
Quarterback Princess (1984, TV movie, dir. Noel Black)
Helen Hunt (b. 1963, actor)
Harry Truman (1896-1980, famous curmudgeon who perished in the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens)
D.B. Cooper (1971, legendary unsolved heist perpetrator)

Gang!! We’re busting out the bonus content!! Can you even?? We had so much fun dissecting the epic episode S2, E7: Lonely Souls that we just had to come back for more. In this special lagniappe, Damon and Jonathan takes us through a slate of clues that have been pointing to Laura Palmer’s killer since the Pilot. Jennifer and Colin try to piece together what they knew when, and the whole crew kicks off the conversation with some final thoughts on that final scene.

This episode will spoil all of Twin Peaks through S2, E7: Lonely Souls so make sure you’re all caught up before you go back to where it all began!! 

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S2, E7-BONUS NOTES:
Mark Frost, David Lynch (episode writers)
David Lynch (episode director)

Reflections: An Oral History of Twin Peaks (2014, book, by Brad Dukes)
Frank Silva (1950-1995, Bob)
Ray Wise (b. 1947, Leland Palmer)
Richard Beymer (b. 1938, Benjamin Horne)
Grace Zabriske (b. 1941, Sarah Palmer)
Sheryl Lee (b. 1967, Laura Palmer/Maddy Ferguson)
Kyle MacLachlan (b. 1959, Agent Dale Bartholomew Cooper)
Carel Struycken (b. 1948, The Giant)
Julee Cruise (b. 1956, Singer)
Duwayne Dunham (series director)

This is a BIG episode, folks, so we’re calling an audible! We bust out a live reaction to the big finish—Shock! Horror! Awe!—then we go through the episode blow by blow, from bouncing balls to Missoula, Montana. Highlight include: Damon kicking us off with the ominous sound cue; Colin starting to tease out a color theory of Twin Peaks; Jennifer grappling with the reckoning between Audrey and her father; and Jonathan giving Madeline Ferguson the spotlight for her sendoff. And that’s not the half of it!

Make sure you’ve watched Season 2, Episode 7, “Lonely Souls,” then pull up a double-wide slice of cherry pie to sort this all out with us!

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S2, E7 NOTES:
Mark Frost, David Lynch (episode writers)
David Lynch (episode director)

Piper Laurie (b. 1932, Mr. Tojamura (as Fumio Yamaguchi) and Catherine Martell)
Jack Nance (1946-1996, Pete Martell)
Peggy Lipton (1946-2019, Norma Jennings)
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (b. 1952, actor of international renown)
Yellowface (pervasive practice of casting white actors to play Asian characters)
Game of Thrones (2011-19, HBO series)
Lost (2004-2010, ABC TV series)
The Sopranos (1999-2007, HBO series)
All in the Family (1971-79, CBS TV series)
M*A*S*H (1972-83, CBS TV series)
The Bob Newhart Show (1972-78, CBS TV series)
The Carol Burnett Show (1967-78, CBS TV series)
David Chase (b. 1945, TV writer and showrunner)
Who Shot JR? (1980, catchphrase for famous mystery on “Dallas” (1978-91, CBS))

The weird are going pro in the very otherworldly Season 2, Episode 6, “Demons”! As always, we’ll spoil this episode, so watch before listening! 

This week, Colin updates his gothic checklist and admits to being disturbed, but not in the good way; Jonathan puts Mädchen Amick and Shelley Johnson in our adoring spotlight; Damon illuminates us on multiple characters’ shifting and temporary identities; and Jennifer explores what it means to be a “visitor” in Twin Peaks. For the Twist, we puzzle out what Bob may have been up to for the last 40 years! 

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S2, E6 NOTES:
Harley Peyton, Robert Engels (episode writers)
Lesli Linka Glatter (episode director)
Aristotle, (384-322 B.C., Greek philosopher, author of Poetics)
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (1999-2007, graphic novel series, Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill)
Weekend at Bernies (film, 1989, dir. Ted Kotcheff)
Mädchen Amick (Shelley Johnson)
'Twin Peaks' Star Mädchen Amick on Graduating from the School of David Lynch (2017, Vice.com article on Mädchen Amick)
The King and I (1956, film, dir. Walter Lang)
Marni Nixon (1930-2016, American singer)
Rita Moreno (b. 1931, legendary Puerto Rican-American actress, singer, dancer, and EGOT Queen)
West Side Story (1961, film, dir. Robert Wise, Jerome Robbins)
Jimmy Bryant (b. 1929, American singer and composer)
Johanna Ray (Twin Peaks casting director, mother of Eric da Re)
Tokyo Story (1953, film, dir. Yasujiro Ozu, legendary Japanese filmmaker, 1903-1963)
Akira Kurosawa (1910-1998, legendary Japanese filmmaker)
Nagasaki, Japan (largest city on the island of Kyushu, Japan, and the site of the American nuclear attack of August 1, 1945)
Al Strobel (b. 1939, Philip Gerard/Mike)

This week, we get super dark for Season 2, Episode 5, “The Orchid’s Curse”! Remember, we’ll spoil the heck out of this ep, so watch before listening!

It’s a journey through confounding labyrinths as Damon explores the dream logic of Twin Peaks’ geography; Jonathan maps out Northwest Noir, focussing on Sheriff Truman; Colin finds eerie links between old-school Gothic hits and the show; and Jennifer exposes disturbing acts of seduction, betrayal, voyeurism, and violence. Good times!

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S2, E5 NOTES:
Barry Pullman (episode writer)
Graeme Clifford (episode director)
Talking Heads (1975-91, American rock band)
David Byrne (b. 1952, musician, Talking Heads and solo work)
Chris Frantz (b. 1951, musician, Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club)
Tina Weymouth (b. 1950, musician, Talking Heads and Tom Tom Club)
Jerry Harrison (b. 1950, musician, Talking Heads and Modern Lovers)
Bernie Worrell (1944-2016, musician, Talking Heads and Parliament-Funkadelic)
Remain in Love (2020, memoir, written by Chris Frantz)
Crazy Clown Time (2011, album by David Lynch)
Rocky Horror Picture Show (film, 1975, directed by Jim Sharman)
Frances (film, 1982, directed by Graeme Clifford)
Frances Farmer (1913-1970, American actor)
Jessica Lang (b. 1949, American actor)
“Frances Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle” (1983, song, from “In Utero” by Nirvana)
Royal Dano (1922-1994, American actor, Judge Sternwood)
Michael Ontkean (Sheriff Harry S. Truman)
Red River Valley (folk song, unknown origin)
Fae folk (mythical (?) beings)
Cultivator (garden tool, face ripper)
David Lander (1947-2020, beloved American actor, TV’s Squiggy)
Black Yukon Sucker Punch Reverse-Engineered, from Welcome to Twin Peaks (legendary Twin Peaks fan site)
Kevin Young (Toad)
Great Moments with Mr. Lincoln (Disneyland experi

Did you pack for rain? Things are getting very dark and turbulent in Twin Peaks for Season 2, Episode 4, “Laura’s Secret Diary”! As always, spoilers for this ep, so watch before listening! 

This week, Jennifer sets us up for a discussion of the episode’s epic opening scene; Jonathan gets down and dirty with lies, deceptions, and Hank Jennings; Damon looks to the skies and confronts a very portentous story; and Colin tries to pin down a master genre for Twin Peaks and conjures something called Gothic Absurdism. For the Twist we recommend our favorite Lynchian TV, film, and music! 

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S2, E4 NOTES:
Walter Olkewicz (1948-2021, Jacques Renault)
Jerry Stahl (episode writer)
Permanent Midnight (1998, film, directed by David Veloz)
Todd Holland (episode director)
Chris Mulkey (Hank Jennings)
PalmPilot (1997, early PDA (personal digital assistant))
Emery Battis (1915-2011, American actor known for his Shakespeare roles)
Gothic fiction (literary genre)
Absurdism (philosophical perspective)
A Philosophical Enquiry into the Origin of Our Ideas of the Sublime and Beautiful (1757, treatise on aesthetics by Irish philosopher and statesman Edmund Burke)
The Castle of Otranto (1757, novel, by Horace Walpole)
Dracula (1897, novel, by Bram Stoker)
Waiting for Godot (1953, play, by Samuel Beckett)
Bela Lugosi is Dead (1979, seminal post-punk single by UK band Bauhaus)
Coen Brothers (b. 1954, filmmaking twins)
Todd Haynes (b. 1961, director)
Julianne Moore (b. 1960, actor)
Atom Egoyan (b. 1960, director)
David Byrne (b. 1952, musician)
Cut-Up Technique (literary technique)
Jonathan Demme (1944-2017, director)
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (b. 1952, actor)

Season 2 takes a turn for the weird this week, so Back to the Double R does, too. Spoilers for this ep! Watch before listening! 

In a show known for a sense of humor, we also have to face a cluster of awful men doing horrible things. Jennifer leads a conversation about the derision and abuse that men direct at women in Twin Peaks; Jonathan looks at critical turning points for several characters; Damon cracks open the rivalries and vendettas threatening to boil over; and Colin asks if villains can have unexpected depth. For the Twist, we reveal our  real-life “Lynchian moments.”

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S2, E3 NOTES:
General Hospital (1963-present, ABC TV series)
Ian Buchanan (Richard Tremayne)
Michael Parks (Jean Renault)
“Kill Bill: Vol. 1 and Vol. 2” (2003, 2004, directed by Quentin Tarantino)
Johnny Cash (1932-2003, legendary American musician)
“On Top of Old Smoky” (traditional folk song)
“Jumping the Shark” (1977, idiom for any notable public downturn)
Sousa March (Musical genre in the oeuvre of John Philip Sousa)
Talking Heads (1975-91, American rock band)
Professional Wrestling (Entertainment genre)
Slapback Delay (Audio recording effect)
“Wicked” (1995, novel, written by Gregory Macguire)
“The Wizard of Oz” (1939, film, directed primarily by Victor Fleming)
“Wild at Heart” (1990, film, directed by David Lynch)
Gary Leon Ridgeway (Born 1972, American serial killer known as “The Green River Killer”)
Grauman’s Chinese Theater (1927, historic Hollywood movie palace)
Tupac Shakur (1971-1996, legendary rapper and actor)
Christopher “Biggie” Smalls (1972-1997, legendary rapper and songwriter)
2020 Election (American Presidential Election won by former Vice President, now President, Joe Biden, and former Senator, now Vice-President, Kamala Harris)
“Jingle Bells” (1857, American drinking song, probably,` and first song broadcast from space)

This week, Back to the Double R runs with a dangerous crowd for Season 2, Episode 2, “Coma,” which originally aired on 10/6/90. As ever, we discuss any and all plot points for this ep, so watch before listening!

We kick off with a discussion of spoilers versus speculation in a Twin Peaks rewatch, including a couple accidental bullseyes. Colin asks if the magical silliness is beginning to go to far, but is ultimately persuaded that it isn’t; Jennifer looks at the many tangled messages threading through the city and the narrative; Damon visits with the Tremonds and notices something familiar about the drapes; and Jonathan asks about the rules that govern Killer Bob and characters like him. We wrap up with a Twist on musical moments this week and how the show digs its 50s roots. 

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S2, E2 NOTES: 

Barber Shop Quartet (19-century American vocal musical form)
Lost (2004-2010, ABC TV series)
Reflections: An Oral History of Twin Peaks (2014, book, by Brad Dukes)
Steven Spielberg (b. 1946, legendary film director)
Bear claw (circa 1920s, legendary breakfast pastry)
Owl pellets (undigested bits of an owl’s evening meal)
Little Red Riding Hood (pre-17th century, European fairy tale)
“My Friend Killer Bob” (2021, article at WelcomeToTwinPeaks.com by Henry Lewis)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003, CW TV series)
Fringe (2008-13, FOX TV series)
Dracula (1897, gothic horror novel)
Werewolf (Middle Ages, famous curse in folklore)
Room to Dream (2019, autobiography of David Lynch, with Kristine McKenna)
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018-20, Netflix TV series)
Riverdale (2017-present, CW TV series)