Seduction, Betrayal and Violence
Flowers in San Francisco in May, 2021. Photo: J. Waits
This week’s episode has some of THE most disturbing seduction segments, both of which involve betrayal and end in violence.
If you’ve watched Season 2, Episode 5 (“The Orchid’s Curse”) of Twin Peaks, read on. If not, be forewarned. There will be spoilers!
As we take a closer look at these creepy seductions, voyeurism is also a prominent part of the scenes, with some unsurprising nods to Hitchcock. The action at the abode of orchid-growing shut-in Harold Smith has many similarities with Rear Window. We see Donna signaling Maddy with her flashlight to search the apartment and we get dramatic, tilted camera angles again ala Psycho. As with both films, there’s a great deal of watching. At One Eyed Jack’s, the Sheriff looks through a window as Jean kills Blackie. Similarly, Donna and Maddy witness the horrible moment when Harold slashes his face.
In a very interesting way, this 5th episode of Season 2 has many similarities with the 5th episode of Season 1, “The One-Armed Man” (listen to our take) - with bits of Hitchcock as well as doses of noir and the double cross (as well as the search for the one-armed man and the knowledge that he’s holed up at a motel- this time the Robin’s Nest).
But back to this week…The action cuts back and forth between One-Eyed Jack’s and Harold’s apartment, perhaps emphasizing the violent seductive parallels even more. At Jack’s, Jean Renault sweet talks Blackie, saying, “when you leave me, with the kiss,” then knives her, kissing her as she collapses. The camera focuses on the blood dripping out of the side of her mouth. Jean then licks the blood on his lips as the Sheriff watches.
Donna has a few different segments at Harold’s, which both end with Harold in distress. In the first, she offers a proposition to tell her story in exchange for getting to read Laura’s diary. Focusing on the second visitation, she seduces Harold with sexy talk (but disturbing, as it’s an anecdote from when she was 13 or 14 and was skinny dipping with men in their 20s) as he stares at her, transfixed. It’s all a ruse to distract him so she and Maddy can steal Laura’s diary.
Later in the scene, Maddy is watching in the woods, waiting for Donna’s signal. We see a shot of an orchid that resembles a vagina with blood drops on it. Harold brushes Donna’s chest with orchid petals. They stand very close to each other and Harold touches an orchid, describing the bottom petal as like a lower lip. He pushes his finger on it suggestively and Donna touches it, as Harold says: “It’s the landing platform for the pollinating insects.” Donna replies: “Romantic, isn’t it?” and Harold brings Donna’s hand to his mouth to kiss it (like in the story she told). He kisses her mouth, but when Donna leans to kiss him, he steps back and asks for a minute, before leaving the room.
Seizing the opportunity to find Laura’s secret diary, Donna signals Maddy with a flashlight in the window. Maddy comes in, searches for the diary, but makes a disturbance that draws Harold’s attention to her. Shattered, he picks up a clawed garden tool. Donna screams, “MADDY!,” and then we have all sorts of angled camera shots, as we see Donna and Harold run out of separate doors of the indoor hothouse. Harold grabs Donna, but Maddy pulls her away. Harold sneers, “Are you looking for secrets? Is that what all this is about? Well maybe I can help you. Do you know what the ultimate secret is?...Laura did. The secret of knowing who killed you.” And then he cuts his cheek with the claw-like cultivator. Blood drips from Harold face. Maddy screams. And Donna watches. Although her seduction of Harold was manipulative; he’s no saint either, as he lures young women into his lair for his voyeuristic pleasure. There’s betrayal all around.