Blue Velvet (1986)

Prepare to enter a labyrinth of mystery and intrigue as we journey into the heart of David Lynch's iconic film, Blue Velvet. This episode promises to reveal the unsettling power dynamics and complex relationships that exist beneath the movie's seemingly idyllic small-town facade. Hear how the masterful performances of Laura Dern and Dennis Hopper contribute to the chilling narrative that makes this film a true Lynchian masterpiece.

We continue our exploration, tracing the protagonist Jeffrey's descent into a world of deceit and danger. Our analysis uncovers shocking revelations and unnerving incidents that will leave you on the edge of your seat. We also draw fascinating parallels between the fictional tale and Lynch's own childhood, providing a unique perspective on the narrative.

Finally, we dissect and discuss the film's chilling yet satisfying ending. Join us as we explore Jeffrey's resourcefulness, the cathartic reunion of Dorothy and her son Donny, and the surreal nature of the happy ending. As we conclude, we'll leave you with an urge to explore more of Lynch's compelling filmography. This episode guarantees an unforgettable exploration of one of cinema's most haunting and profound narratives, and we can't wait to share it with you. Tune in for an episode that's as darkly captivating as the film it dissects.

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Chapters

• 0:00 Exploring David Lynch's Blue Velvet
• 15:35 Power Dynamics and Control in Blue Velvet
• 20:48 Disturbing Events and Complex Relationships
• 39:39 Jeffrey's Unraveling Journey in Blue Velvet
• 52:09 Analyzing the Ending of Blue Velvet

Transcript

Travis: 0:00

Hello and welcome to another episode of Movies, colon. They're pretty good. I'm your host, Travis, Dudding. Back again I don't know five months later, fresh off of a mental breakdown and ready to go. So let's just get right into it. No use wasting your time with details that are none of your business, but so let's get into it.

Travis: 0:31

This week we got Blue Velvet 1986 by David Lynch, one of my new favorite directors. Not new because he hasn't done anything since 2006,. But well, movie-wise he hasn't done anything since 2006. But I'm kind of a newcomer when it comes to David Lynch. I just had heard of him, heard of his movies, and just was kind of a big blind spot for me for a long time. Then finally got around to watching a few of his movies and ended up basically binging all of them. So, yeah, one of my new favorites and Blue Velvet is. It's really hard to pick a favorite out of all of his movies, but it's one of them, all right. So yeah, let's get right into it.

Travis: 1:35

We're opening on this very picturesque Norman Rockwell kind of facade of a small town in America it's supposed to be Lumberton, North Carolina, and you'll get this a lot like. This is kind of like the main theme of the movie is how, like under these beautiful facades, there is a darkness like beneath the surface. And so we see this quaint little town, we see a guy watering his lawn and he has a heart attack, and then, as we're seeing him laying on the ground, the camera kind of pans down through the layers of the earth basically and we see like all these like bugs and worms and everything like that, and then the music kind of gets very like this ambient, ominous music and everything. And it's interesting. I was watching a interview with the composer and there's talking about how David came to him and said like hey, like I just want this like really slow, like dreamy music. And so he like he went and composed something and he's like, okay, now play it at half speed. And so he did that as like okay, now at a quarter speed. So basically he composed this like already slow piece of music and then just made it even slower and slower and slower until it just sounded like otherworldly basically. And so you're gonna get a lot of that contrast throughout the film and that's kind of like the running theme. Like I said, throughout, it is that like beneath these like beautiful, like American dream towns, there is a darkness within.

Travis: 3:49

So we get to our main character, Jeffrey Beaumont, played by Kyle MacLachlan, a regular for David Lynch. He's walking to the hospital. It's his dad that had the heart attack, so he's going to visit him at the hospital. We get this. I like the scene where he is a scene visiting his dad, because there's not a lot of dialogue but like everything is done, like within their expressions and stuff, you know. And then, as he's walking back home, he is walking through this field and finds a human ear, just like covered in ants in the field. So he picks it up and takes it down to the police station and asked for Detective Williams and takes it up there, shows it to him and then he's like, oh, like yeah, let's go take this down to the corner. And corner's looking at it and says, determines that basically all he can determine at that point with that before the test, is that it was looked like it had been cut off with scissors. But they're going to run tests, you know, try to get like DNA, gender, all that stuff off of the ear. And so then Jeffrey goes home and then later that knee goes down to the hospital and then Jeffrey goes home and then later that evening he goes, decides to go out for a walk, walks over to Detective Williams house and goes in talks to him in his home office and everything, and just wants to ask questions. But the detective's like, well, a, like this is police work, but I'll cue in on the details, like once the case is closed and everything like that and those things can be made public. Very nice about it and everything.

Travis: 5:59

And then, as he's leaving, this is where we get Sandy's entrance, sandy Williams, the daughter of Detective Williams, played by Laura Dern. And so all we hear is a voice out of the darkness as he's leaving the house and she asks are you the one that found the ear? And then she like emerges from the dark with this like big swelling music and everything. And then it's really cool. It's a really cool scene and I like this entrance with her. She's a great performance from Laura Dern. It's one of her earlier ones.

Travis: 6:43

In the interview said she was only 18 when she did this one. So she's oh, yeah, so she's. I forget they, yeah. So they go for a walk and they're talking about the ear and everything in that case, and she says, and he's like, oh, like, how'd you know about it? And she says that her bedroom is right above her dad's office. So she overhears a lot of stuff and then she's kind of always listening in on it and everything just to like learn information about the town, and all that stuff is just very intriguing to her, you know, as as it would be to most people. And so I asked her like okay, like what, what kind of things do you overhear? And she says like well, like I can't put all the pieces together, but I do know that they owe it.

Travis: 7:39

That same name always keeps coming up and it's this woman singer. And he's like, oh, like, can you like take me to? Like, oh, can you show me where she lives and everything. And so she walks him to the apartment complex where she lives. And she lives on Lincoln Street, which earlier, when Jeffrey was going, before he went on his walk, his mom and aunt said like hey, like, just be careful, don't go, like make sure you're not near Lincoln Street, you know, kind of giving them a warning. So basically, lincoln Street's like the other side of the tracks for this town.

Travis: 8:25

So the next day well, I assume it's the next day, on a day, not night he picks her up from school and takes her out to lunch. She, when he does pick her up, then she kind of talks to her, her friends, like hey, like it's not what it looks like, don't like read into this or just go on a lunch or whatever. But they're all like giggly about it and stuff, because she has a boyfriend named Mike. Not much about Mike in the actual movie. There's a lot more of him in like a plot that was cut out because I watched all the deleted scenes and stuff too, and there's way more Mike in the deleted scenes but he's not that interesting of a character so we weren't missing much. So it was the right call to cut that story out.

Travis: 9:23

So, while they're at lunch, while they're, yeah, while they're at lunch, jeffrey is telling her his plan is to. Well, he's like, ok, this is like going to sound kind of weird, but I feel like a lot of knowledge can be gained from like observe, like sneaking into this woman's apartment and observing her and like major red flag right off the bat. And she's like, ok, that's like that's really creepy, like why do you want to do that? But then he's just talking to her. It's like, hey, like if there's like Dangerous stuff going on, like this would be a great way to figure it out. But like, while she is like freaked out about it, she's also very intrigued about it too, because she also has this like voyeuristic tendency, because she's always listening in on her dad's conversations in the office and everything like that.

Travis: 10:28

So he says he's going to, he tries himself as a pest control person because he works at a hardware store and so he has access to this pest control equipment. He's going to put on the cover, all is going to take the stuff up there, say that he's going to, you know, doing the routine maintenance and spray the apartment and then, while he's in her apartment, sandy will come and knock on the door, which would distract her, and that way he can open a window or something like that, so that way he can come back later and since she's a singer, he'll just come while she's working at the club. So he gets there. He doesn't even know, like, the name at first, like he doesn't even bother to ask the name until he gets there and asked Sandy. She says it's Dorothy Valens, room 710, seventh floor, 710. And gets up there, knocks on the door, she lets him in and, as he's spraying and stuff, he hears a knock.

Travis: 11:45

Or there's a knock at the door and Jeffery's thinking it's going to be Sandy. But when Dorothy goes and answers the door, it's this guy in like a yellow blazer and immediately like stares at Jeffery like okay, what's this guy doing here? And there's like this very suspicious aura about him and he's like who's that? And she says it's just the bug guy, that's all. And so they talk for a sec, but you can't really hear it. And during this time Jeffery notices a spare key hanging from the counter and pockets that, while Dorothy's not looking. And so then, after the job is done, he's going down the stairs and runs into Sandy and he's like what happened? Like well, I was about to come knock on the door and then I saw that guy, but I don't think you saw me.

Travis: 12:51

And then they're just doing like a little rundown of what all happened. So during their conversation he says that he wants to try going in that night and she's like no, like I can't do tonight. I have a date tonight with Mike. And he's like, okay, that's fine, we can do it in like another night. And then he's just like still talking about the plan though, and like, basically, she kind of gets on board and is like by the end of the conversation she's like you know what I'm just going to tell Mike, I'm sick and we could just do this tonight.

Travis: 13:34

So she picks them up at eight and they go to the club where Dorothy Fallon's as a singer and it's called the slow club, by the way Dorothy Valens played by Isabella Rossellini. So they're there, order some beers, they ordered some Heineken's, she's singing the titular song, Blue Velvet, and they listen for one, I think maybe two songs, and then get up and go. They get to her apartment. He's got the spare key, he heads up there, gets inside, she's Sandy, waits in the car and she's supposed to honk like four slow honks if anyone shows up, especially Dorothy. And so while Jeffrey's up in the apartment he has to pee because he drank a couple Heineken's. And of course, while he is flushing the toilet and can't hear honking outside, that's when Dorothy shows up. And so Jeffrey doesn't hear the four honks, doesn't hear the signal. So he's still looking around the apartment when he hears the key going in the latch and everything and so. But he luckily has time to hide in the closet and then the closet is like one of those slatted ones I forget the type, I forget the technical term for it, but he's able to see out of the closet basically, and so he's hiding in there and just kind of watching her unwind and everything.

Travis: 15:35

Then there's a phone call and she runs, rushes to the phone and picks it up and it's this guy, frank, frank Booth, played by Dennis Hopper. We'll see him in person in a little bit, but right now she's just talking on the phone with them and it's very that you could tell there's obviously like this negative power dynamic, like where she is under the kind of like under control from this Frank character who has control over her that's a better way to word that and she's asking to speak to Donnie and then just saying like it's like it's okay, like Donnie, what's wrong? No, like mommy loves you, and stuff like that. So like we can kind of gather that Donnie is her son and this Frank character has him. So after the phone calls over, she's crying on the floor.

Travis: 16:54

Then she goes, starts getting undressed and everything to to change for the evening. She goes to the bathroom, she puts on this blue velvet robe and comes out and while she's walking around the apartment, jeffrey of course dislodges something in the closet and makes a noise. She of course hears the noise and goes to the kitchen and grabs a knife and then throws the closet door open and just like immediately like who are you like? What are you doing here? Like all this stuff? Like what's her name? Like he's like Jeffrey. Like Jeffrey, who that she like takes his wallet, looks at his driver's license. Like what are you doing here?

Travis: 17:56

Jeffrey Beaumont, like to spy on people. You like to watch people ladies get undressed. You like to sneak into their apartments and stuff like that. Yeah, just like interrogating him and like then like tells him to get undressed, like fine, like if you're gonna like basically the then you know it's unspoken, but the idea is like, hey, if you're gonna sneak in and watch me get undressed, now you gotta, now I get to watch you get undressed. You know, kind of like throwing it back on him to make, make him uncomfortable and everything. So she makes him strip, gets, then starts like kissing him. Like after he gets all his clothes off, starts kissing him, but she's like holding the knife to his head still and makes him get on the couch and then just kissing him there.

Travis: 18:47

But that's when there's a knock at the door, and so she makes him grab all his clothes and go hide back in the closet, gets up and answers the door and it's Frank Booth wait by Dennis Hopper, of course. He comes in, starts yelling at her like immediately, like says like go get me a bourbon and stuff. And she calls him by name, frank, and he's like it's daddy, like so she has. He's like making her call him daddy and everything. And like also like is yelling at her, like don't look at me. Like anytime, like so he she can't look at him, can't call him by his name, ask him daddy, like all this stuff. Just like just complete control, freak, insane, unhinged person and like that.

Travis: 19:50

There's no way I could like accurately describe Dennis Hopper's performance. It's amazing, it's incredible, it's scary, it's terrifying, it's yeah, he's just so good in this. And then so it's basically like makes her like sit on a chair and he's like open your legs and stuff and just like making her do like all this, all these different things. Then he has this gas mask like it, so it looks like an oxygen mask. It's got like the tank, like on his belt, I guess, or he's got a tank somewhere and he's puts, has the mask on the hose and he's starts like breathing in and heavy it's. I guess it's amel nitrate, am YL, and I don't know what the actual purpose of it is.

Travis: 20:48

But Dennis Hopper was saying like that's, you know, basically causes you to like hallucinate, and stuff like that. So I think that I could I sorry if I got that wrong, but that's just what I remember from it. But yeah, so he's like doing that all the time. And then when he does do it, he's like starts acting even crazier. So he's doing that. And then he's like crawling on the floor up to her, like when she's in the chair, and and he's like mommy, mommy, oh, like daddy wants to fuck and stuff like that, and it's just super crazy. And then he starts like screaming and it's like throws her on the ground and unfortunately ends up raping her and and Jeffrey's like in the closet the whole time, like watching this, but like what? Like you can't really it. He's in like the worst position because if he tries to stop it, he doesn't know how dangerous this friend guy is. And it's very obvious that he is dangerous, but also like who? He's in danger no matter what he does. So, yeah, I think. But eventually he yeah, so after he's like screaming, says get ready to fuck you fuckers, ends up punching her and then, like you know, when he's done and she's just laying on the floor and he gets up and leaves and says stay alive, baby. And then leaves.

Travis: 22:39

So then Jeffrey comes out of the closet to you know, see if she's okay and everything, and just kind of consoling her and everything, and so that their dynamic has completely changed at this point and she just like wants, wants him to hold her and everything. So she's scared and then like she starts kissing him again and tells him to hit her and he doesn't want to do that. And then just he kind of, just like gets her, gets her over the bed and everything, or, you know, make sure she's like, you know, good to go, well, as good to go as you could be in that situation, and you know, as he's leaving, you can hear her whispering, help me. So then we just see that Jeffrey, you know I don't know if it's the next day or later he's just like haunted by everything that happened and he's like replaying it in his head and just like super freaked out about everything. He finally gets the chance to tell Sandy what happened and he's in the car.

Travis: 23:56

Then they're in the car together, parked somewhere, and then he's starts breaking down, crying a little bit and he's like why are there people like Frank and this just kind of goes to show the naivete of these just like suburban, like I don't want to use the overused word privileged, but it is what it is, because that's they led these like privileged lives of, like everything was nice and beautiful, but they've never been exposed to these horrible things that people in another class are constantly like dealing with. You know what I mean. So it's like he gets this first taste of this type of life, this like dark underground that is in his town, and it's just like too much for him to handle. So is you know? He just can't believe that there would be this type of person, even though for some people that's all they've ever known, you know. So he goes back to Dorothy's apartment and to see her and she says like, oh, like, I looked for you in my closet tonight, you know I was kind of hope, hoping that you would be here is like is that weird? And just says like hey, like I like you, do you like me? Then yeah there and just we get a couple of these scenes where he goes back and visits her and stuff like that. We see him back at the nightclub watching her sing again, but this time he clocks that Frank is in the audience and we see that when she's singing to Frank, we see that Frank is crying like and he's like kind of mouthing the words along with her and yeah, just he's like overwhelmed with emotion and he's just like you just see the tears running down his face and this in the interviews I was watching about this, they're talking about the character Frank, that he is a person who has, like he loves very deeply, but he is this very sick person and he doesn't know how to express that and it's coming out like in violence and anger and all this stuff.

Travis: 26:52

And you see that he has like he's a very emotional person obviously and you know it's it. Then no one's like condoning anything that he does, obviously, but it is just like showing like how complex of a character he is. He's not just like a simple evil for evil sake character. You know there's layers to him and doesn't just because you're an emotional person who has love in their heart doesn't make you a good person, because you still have to show it the right way.

Travis: 27:31

So Jeffrey follows Frank home from the club that night and so he goes. He's like staking out his apartment and everything to see like where he lives and what happens and everything like that. And we get the rundown when he's talking to Sandy telling them like everything he saw. He's like I was at Frank's house and this is what I saw. So he saw the yellow man. The guy at the yellow blazer that was at Dorothy's apartment says that like that, that Frank left with the yellow man and then came back. But then the yellow man came back with the guy with like a mustache and a fro and just that that there's probably some kind of drug deal going on or something like that. So then basically they he kind of like confesses his love for her and vice versa and they end up kissing, which is complicated because she's dating Mike and also he's having like a weird relationship with Dorothy as well. So it's kind of not perfect, it's complicated. It's like the dumb Facebook relationship status, it's complicated.

Travis: 29:08

So back at Dorothy's apartment, we see that Jeffrey and Dorothy are having sex in the bed. Then she is continuing to provoke him to hit her and like yelling at him and stuff, and he snaps momentarily and does hit her and then like immediately feels bad and everything, but she's like smiling about it and it's you know, it's not for me to say like obviously there are people that do like that type of thing, but it's hard to say and what the movie is trying to say about her, like is she a person that likes that or is this just what she knows now and is, like you know, like confused about it? You know what I mean. Anyways, as he's leaving the apartment, frank shows up and is in the hallway, like, as he's like exiting, and so obviously he's like walking up to him, like who are you? And she's out there too. She's like, oh, this is just Jeffrey from the neighborhood.

Travis: 30:35

And so now Frank's like, oh, hey, neighbor, like what, what, what are you doing? Like why don't we go for a ride? And Jeffrey's like, no, I don't want to go for a ride. And but Frank's like basically very foreboding, not foreboding, forebearing, I don't know, you know what I mean. He's like very pushy and is like no, like you're going for a ride, like you don't really have a choice, basically, and they all pile into the um, into his car. And this is very reminiscent of, uh, the scene in Clockwork Orange where they're all piled into the car. Um, I don't know if that's on purpose or but I I it's very aesthetically pleasing, but also very, like, scary too. Like, if it, if you like, I think the how uncomfortable it looks also makes you feel uncomfortable as the viewer.

Travis: 31:33

Um, so they're out driving around and I think they go to a bar or that might be in the deleted scene. But anyways, like, while they're out and about, uh, someone says like, hey, let's go see Ben, like we got to go see Ben. Um, they get to this guy, ben's house, or outside of his apartment, and like, oh, like we need to get some beers too. Uh, like, what kind of beer do you like? Frank says to Jeffrey, and Jeffrey says he likes Heineken. And then this is one of my favorite lines is the the Frank yells Heineken? fuck that shit. Pabst Blue Ribbon. Uh, then they head up to Ben's apartment and it, this whole scene's like just super chaotic. And this also reminds me of the scene in Boogie Nights where, uh, they have like the drug deal at Alfred Molina's house and it's just super, uh, nerve wracking and tense, a lot of tension, uh, but yeah, they're at Ben's apartment.

Travis: 32:47

We see, like all these like middle-aged ladies, um, just like with the very fifties glasses, like the um, is it the cat eye lens, but like the flared lenses and stuff like that, that looks like a bunch of librarians like hanging out. There's like also a dummy on the couch with a doll's head and like. We see Ben and he has like a, uh, not an Ascot cause, that's like a, a separate thing, but like a very frilly shirt, like a cravat or something like that. Uh, and he's got like the long cigarette holder, like Cruella Deville and all this stuff, so like, and is clearly got like makeup on, like almost like he's made to look a little paler than he is with eyeshadow and stuff like that. He's a very fancy man, uh, and so, yeah, they're there. We see, um, oh yeah, so they get there.

Travis: 34:05

Um, we see Dorothy is looking like towards a door, but you know, so she's like obviously knows like something, like she knows something's behind the door that she wants or whatever, um, and she just keeps like looking over there. And then finally, frank's like a like let Tits see her kid. So that's where they're keeping her son, Donnie, and we don't get to see Donnie at that at this point, uh, but we hear her in there like like, no, like Donnie, what are you talking about? Mommy loves you, like, uh, so I mean, he's a kid and he doesn't understand what's going on and um, but then, like, everyone's just like being super weird to to Jeffrey and making him uncomfortable and making him nervous, and they're like, uh, then they're like toasting to Ben and everything, and uh, so at one point, ben and Frank go off into another room. Uh, Frank gives Ben a bunch of money, or is it the other way around? Anyways, there's a very large wad of cash exchange and, uh, ben gives Frank a pill no, we don't know what it is and he takes it.

Travis: 35:27

And then, uh, there's also a hushed conversation about how, uh, what's his name? Oh yeah, how, like Gordon just went up to these guys, cause he's the shit and everything, and just shot all, shot them all. So, uh, we'll later find out that Gordon is the yellow man. And so this was this deal, um, or whatever that uh, jeffrey had kind of seen when he was on a stakeout and apparently, like, a bunch of people got killed in this, uh, drug, drug deal, and, um, basically, frank and his guys are just like taking out all these drug dealers and taking their money and their drugs. Uh, so, uh, at the end of this conversation, uh, just uh, frank says the line like the that's why they call me the candy colored clown, they call the Sandman and or that's why I am that. So this is the, the opening line from the Roy Orbison song.

Travis: 36:44

In dreams, which Ben will go over to the stereo and start playing the song right away. And then he grabs a, uh like an industrial, uh light, um kind of with like the, the metal cage around it and stuff, and, uh, he's using that as like a microphone which has this like really cool glow on his face and everything and it's just making them just look like super evil and sinister and everything, while he's lip syncing this Roy Orbison song, while everyone's just like standing there watching like it's a very normal thing and oh yeah, so everyone's there watching Ben do this. And then, uh, frank's there and he's like kind of singing along to mouthing the words, but then he's like starting to like whatever drugs are kicking in and he's starting to get like real, like fidgety, and like his expressions are getting like real, like anger and stuff like that, and he's like starting to get like real emotional, like a mix between like crying and anger and everything like that, and he finally just like snaps and uh ejects the tape from the stereo and it's like no, like we got to get out of here, and stuff like that. Um, and then it's like trying to like recruit people like anyone else want to go for a ride, and like one of the girls that was sitting on the couch next to the dummy is like uh is making out with one of Frank's guys. Um, I forget which one it is. It might be the one played by Brad Dourif.

Travis: 38:35

Brad Dourif is uh, uh, the voice of Chucky from Trials Play. Um, he's one of Frank's guys in the gang. And then also Jack Nance from Eraserhead is also one of the guys, and there's another one too, but I don't I forget what actor that is. Um, but yeah, he's like recruiting people to go and everything. And then just uh, oh, yeah, yeah, he decides to say that like let's go fuckers, like I'll fuck anything that moves. No, he says let's fuck, I'll fuck anything that moves. Haha, he like starts laughing and then it's a interesting shot because it uh, all the characters disappear, but the camera remains in the room. You know what I mean. Like it's like they disappear into thin air, but the and then the scene changes. Um, interesting, I don't really know why he did it like that, but I love it.

Travis: 39:39

Um, and then they're back in the car. They pull over into some like industrial park, like junkyard type place, uh, pull everyone out. Uh, then you know they're doing some more, threatening to Jeffrey, they, and Jeffrey ends up oh, that's what it is. They're still in the car and Frank's starting to be gross to Dorothy, and then Jeffrey snaps and punches Frank in the car and then so they all, they drag him out and start beating him up and everything and threatening him. And Frank pulls, takes Dorothy's lipstick, rubs it like all over his own face, like, like cartoonishly big, like, not just on his lips, and then like kisses Jeffrey. And then he's like is like threatening him, and he says, like I'll send you a love letter, like straight from my heart. Do you know what a love letter is? It's a bullet from a gun, fucker. You know he says fucker, a lot, like To, like a hilarious degree. And you know I can't, I don't have the delivery of Dennis Hopper, so, but that's good. So, yeah, they beat the shit out of them, they leave them in that field or whatever, that empty lot, and take off.

Travis: 41:31

Then we see him wake up in the morning. He's all beat up, he heads back home. We see him crying in his bed, just more, flashing about not only what happened to him but the fact that he did hit Dorothy, and so that's haunting him too. Then he's going to the police station. He's going to tell Detective Gordon everything, or not? Detective Gordon, detective Williams, everything that happened. And he's like, finally, like you know what, like I just have to say it now, like I have to. And he tells Sandy to like, gives her the heads up, like hey, like I have to just say what's going on, like it's getting out of hand. And he's like I'll leave your name out of it. And Sandy's like you know what, like if you have to tell him that I'm involved, that's fine. Like I just this is important.

Travis: 42:30

And so he goes to the police station and he's heading to the office and then he sees the yellow man, gordon, in the office. Well, gordon is Detective Williams partner, so he is obviously a dirty cop. And so he likes they make eye contact and he kind of moves away from the door and everything and it's like, oh shit, like and like notice is the name played on the desk and everything, and but it's, you know, it's too late, they've seen each other. And so then he goes to Sandy's house. They're going to go to some party together and he's going to pick her up and while he's there he sees Gordon is at the house because, like the hit, he's there for Sandy's dad obviously, and he also Jeffrey, has told Detective Williams I forget when, but he likes sometime between when he notices, hey, like this yellow man is a dirty cop and is also the partner of my girlfriend's dad. So he did give him the heads up like, hey, this guy's dirty. I just forget what. When that scene is exactly.

Travis: 44:02

So Gordon's at the house, jeffrey's all obviously like a little freaked and the Detective Williams like, hey, like just play it cool, all right. And so they go to a party and they're dancing and stuff they exchange. I love use there at the party when they're slow dancing and you know it's a sweet scene and everything. But as they're leaving the party in the car, some other cars like pulls out fast, like behind them and everything, and they think it's Frank and they're like, oh, like shit, like we got to go like to like go to my dad's house, like you know, we'll be safe there or whatever. But then the car pulls up next to them and they realize like, oh, it's Mike, like you know, he's just all being the crazy dickhead because he got broken up with.

Travis: 44:59

And so Mike follows them to Jeffrey's house. They pull over, he, like Mike, pulls around the front and pulls the car up onto the curb and everything, and he's like staggering because he's obviously drunk and everything. And he's like it's like you stole her from me, like you stole my girl, I'm going to kick your ass and stuff. And Jeffrey's trying to play it cool and everything and just be like, hey, like, settle down, like let's just talk this out and everything. But then what like? Then Mike's like, hey, who's that? Is that your mother? And then we see that Dorothy Valens has emerged from the shadows and is completely naked and all bloodied, like she's been like beaten up and like her clothes are gone and she's just there at like Jeffrey's yard and they're like, oh, like. So like runs to like get her and everything and put her in the car. And like Mike had that like you know, snarky remark like who's that? Your mom? But then, like, realizes the gravity of the situation and everything, and he's like, hey, man, like I'm sorry. And Jeffrey's like it's okay, like don't worry about it, like it's fine, you know. And so Jeffrey and Sandy get Dorothy into the car, kind of put a blanket on her and everything, and then Sandy says like hey, let's take her to take her to my house. My dad can get an ambulance faster than anyone. So they do that.

Travis: 46:38

So this scene right here is actually something taken from David Lynch's childhood, like something that actually happened to him. So he grew up in a couple small towns up in the Pacific Northwest. He was in Sandpoint, idaho, and Spokane, washington, for a bit. I think it was mostly Spokane and I think this story might have happened in Spokane, but I'm not 100% sure. He talks about it in the documentary the Art Life and so basically, when he was a kid, him and his brother were out playing outside and this like naked woman showed up and I think was also hurt, like in this situation, and he's like you know, like, and when he was talking about it, being that age that he was, that you know that seeing a nude woman would have been like a very titillating thing at that age, but he just knew, like you know, through empathy or whatever context clues, that this was a bad situation and like him and his brother like cried, like that's what he remembers is that they, they were crying, and I think that's also a lot of where this movie came from. For him was that he was in this like small town that's supposed to be like safe and everything like that, and for something like that to have happened like shows that it's like not everything's what it seems on the on the surface, you know, but yeah, it's the, it's a very I'm not, I don't know the right word for it, but it's a very heavy scene for sure.

Travis: 48:48

So they get. They get her over to Sandy's house. Of course, her dad's not there, her mom is, though. They get her in the house. Her mom like goes to get like a robe or something for her blanket. They get the ambulance there, but while they're waiting for the ambulance, dorothy's like hugging on Jeffrey and just like oh, jeffrey, my secret love, like my, my special boy, like all this stuff. And so Sandy is seeing firsthand like, oh, like they have something going on, you know. So she's obviously upset by that, especially since she just told them that she loves them, and they get her into the ambulance and everything, no-transcript.

Travis: 49:43

Then as oh yeah, then it cuts to Jeffery's at the hospital and he's talking on the phone with Sandy giving her an update, but she's crying, like you know, like how could you do this to me? And stuff. But then, like I think, she kind of like realizes, like okay, like it's not, you know, given the situation, like I understand and everything you know, I think there's probably some more conversation that we don't see. You know, obviously, like either was cut from the movie or just, you know, wasn't necessary, you know. So then Jeffery tells Sandy like okay, like send some police to her apartment because I'm going to go there and put an end to this once and for all. So he hangs up, he heads to the apartment, gets up to, gets, you know, has the key, opens the door and everything and immediately, like, he sees the yellow man is there standing in the middle of the room, but he has blood draining from the side of his head and a big hole with, like brain matter sticking out, and so he's been shot in the head. But for whatever reason, like the way it hit, he's just kind of there, like frozen in the standing position. And then we see a man in a chair, tied up and gagged, also dead, also been shot in the head, but we see that his ear is missing. So we gather that this is Dorothy's husband. So he's dead, yellow man's dead, and we don't know like who who did what, like if they shot each other, if Frank was there, killed them and then left, we just don't know. So it's also like the TV's been shot and everything too.

Travis: 52:09

And then Jeffrey is about to leave and then he takes the radio from the yellow man, the police radio, so that way he can, you know, get in contact with Detective Williams and decides he's just going to leave. But then, as he's leaving, he sees the mustache Afro man that he saw with the yellow man before coming. And then he puts it together that oh, that's just Frank in a disguise. And it's pretty obvious because it just looks like, just looks like Dennis Hopper doing Martin Scorsese cosplay. And so then he is starts to radio, yeah, starts to radio Detective Williams. But then, as he's doing that, he realizes like, oh shit, frank has a police radio. But then he's like, okay, like I, can, you know, use that to my advantage? And he's like Detective Williams, I'm in the back bedroom, you know.

Travis: 53:23

And then leaves the radio under the bed and goes and hides in the closet. And then Frank comes in and he's like you, fucking idiot, like I have a police radio, like you know, like oh, I got you now, basically. But before Jeffrey went in the closet, he also grabbed the gun from. Is it the gun from the yellow man? Or is it his dad's gun? Because he did mention at some point that his dad had a gun. So I don't know. Either way, he has a gun while he's in the closet. And so Frank's looking through and you know, telling him how dumb he is. He's taking his disguise off.

Travis: 54:06

I think he does end up. I don't know if he just shoots the yellow man again or whatever, but he does like push him down at least, like gets him from his standing zombie position to all the way dead. And so then, like right when he realizes, like okay, he's not in the back bedroom, he's not in the bathroom, he's not in the kitchen, and as he's walking up to the closet, jeffrey fires and shoots him right in the head is back of his head explodes and everything, he falls with the ground in slow motion. So Frank Frank's dead. He got him and, like, of course, perfect timing, here comes Detective Williams and Sandy for some reason both come in and then like hugs are exchanged and then the ambient, uh, happy, music starts playing and it's like Sandy's there with the family, with the Jeffrey's family, and they're, you know, having cooking food and looking out the window and the dad's out of the hospital and everything just seems happy. And then the old timey fire truck going down the road with the firefighters standing outside waving, and it's all picturesque and beautiful, like it was in the beginning of the movie.

Travis: 55:33

But it's just, and I don't, and I can't really pinpoint what it is that it just, it doesn't feel like it is a happy ending, like it feels false. But there's nothing that they're doing that makes it feel like that. You know, like there's nothing that the movie is doing. Even that I can think of, because the music is nice, the scenery is nice, the acting is nice and the emotions are nice. But I think it is just because David Lynch showed you all of this like horrible stuff happening in this like picturesque town, that it's almost like your brain's like oh, I'm not falling for it. Even though it is technically a happy ending and nothing bad happens in the end or nothing, there's nothing to make you think that it's anything but happy, but still, for some reason you're just like no, like it, just it doesn't feel right and just feels false. And I think that's maybe the point of everything and it's like, and it might be a happy ending for them, but for someone else in that town, like they're still, they're still more bad to come, I guess. And we also do see that Dorothy is reunited with her son Donny and we see them playing in a park and everything. So but yeah, it's, it's just a crazy movie. It's so like it's not as surreal as his other stuff, like, but it's a great movie and I just love it so much. If you haven't like hopefully you didn't listen to this episode without watching it but great movie. And if this is the only David Lynch movie you've seen, check out his other stuff Mulholland Drive's great Lost Highway's great. Eraserhead is weird, but great Elephant Man, all of it. Just check it out. I think the only one I didn't like was the 1984 Dune, but I'll give that one another shot just because I like all his other stuff so much. But yeah, that's Blue Velvet.

Travis: 58:01

Thank you guys for listening. Thank you for anyone who stuck around during that hiatus and didn't delete this from your subscribed podcast. I'll be back on track with weekly episodes for the foreseeable future. Hopefully I won't. I'll try not to take any more hiatuses without at least posting something or a timeframe or anything like that. But yeah, thanks for sticking around and hopefully you guys keep on listening. Subscribe. Find me at Instagram at MoviesThey'rePrettyGood, with no punctuation in that. That's where I'm most active and hopefully you guys keep listening next week. Thanks,