Windom Earle
Encyclopedia
Windom Earle is a fictional character in the American TV series Twin Peaks
, played by Kenneth Welsh
.
He is a former FBI agent, and the former partner and best friend of Agent Dale Cooper
. He features in the second half of the second season. He is an evil genius
and a master of disguise, well-versed in esoterica from all parts of the world. He has extensive knowledge of the "dugpas
", ancient Tibet
an sorcerer
s dedicated to pure evil
.
Cooper says of Windom Earle "his mind is like a diamond
: cold, hard and brilliant." Tibetan Buddhism
is sometimes referred to as the vajrayana
, which can be translated either as the "lightning way", or the "diamond way". Agent Cooper is also interested in Tibetan mysticism, but of the good variety, so in this sense, Windom Earle is his evil opposite.
Earle claims to have killed his wife Caroline, the love of Cooper’s life. He also has a fascination with the Black Lodge
, whose secrets he is trying to unlock, as well as black magic
. Major Garland Briggs states that Earle was involved in Project Blue Book
, as was Briggs; however, their investigation in which Earle was involved was directly related to Twin Peaks and not the usual UFO investigations.
He is obsessed with chess
and this also plays a role in some of the episodes, when he decides to use real people as the pieces. When he had worked with Cooper, they played a game every day. Cooper enlists the help of Pete Martell
, a genius chess player, to stalemate
the game with as few pieces lost as possible.
At one point, Earle leaves a plaster mask of Caroline on Cooper’s bed, with a tape recorder underneath. At another, he shuts down the town’s power station causing chaos. He also hides a bug
within a bonsai
in Twin Peaks’ Sheriff’s Department, which Sheriff Truman thinks is from Josie Packard
.
Towards the end of the second season, Leo Johnson
is forced into enslavement by Windom Earle using an electric shock collar to control him. They capture Major Garland Briggs who Earle interrogates, fairly unsuccessfully, using Haloperidol
. Major Briggs does, however, end up revealing that fear opens the gate to the Black Lodge
.
Earle chooses “three Queens” (Audrey
, Donna
and Shelly
) for a “gathering of the Angels,” by giving them each a third of a poem ('"Love's Philosophy" by Percy Shelley
) and arranging for them to meet in the Roadhouse. However, in the end he uses Annie Blackburn for “queen” after she wins Miss Twin Peaks, and takes her into the Black Lodge.
Earle appears to be killed by BOB in the Black Lodge, when he attempts to take Cooper’s soul. BOB says that Earle cannot ask for souls, but he will take Earle’s.
Twin Peaks
Twin Peaks is an American television serial drama created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. The series follows the investigation headed by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper , of the murder of a popular teenager and homecoming queen, Laura Palmer...
, played by Kenneth Welsh
Kenneth Welsh
Kenneth Welsh, CM is a Canadian film and television actor . He is known to Twin Peaks fans as the multi-faceted villain Windom Earle, and has more recently played the father of Katharine Hepburn in Martin Scorsese's The Aviator.In 1984 he was nominated for a Genie Award as Best Actor for his...
.
He is a former FBI agent, and the former partner and best friend of Agent Dale Cooper
Dale Cooper
FBI Special agent Dale Bartholomew Cooper is a fictional character from the television series Twin Peaks, portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan. He is the lead protagonist of the series, and briefly appears in the prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me....
. He features in the second half of the second season. He is an evil genius
Evil genius
The evil demon, sometimes referred to as the evil genius, is a concept in Cartesian philosophy. In his 1641 Meditations on First Philosophy, René Descartes hypothesises the existence of an evil demon, a personification who is "as clever and deceitful as he is powerful, who has directed his entire...
and a master of disguise, well-versed in esoterica from all parts of the world. He has extensive knowledge of the "dugpas
Dugpas
Dugpas are a group of mainly Eastern Tibetan monks, or sorcerers, focusing principally on the left-hand path traditions and various Tantric practices of Buddhism...
", ancient Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an sorcerer
Magician (fantasy)
A magician, mage, sorcerer, sorceress, wizard, enchanter, enchantress, thaumaturge or a person known under one of many other possible terms is someone who uses or practices magic that derives from supernatural or occult sources...
s dedicated to pure evil
Evil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
.
Cooper says of Windom Earle "his mind is like a diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
: cold, hard and brilliant." Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
is sometimes referred to as the vajrayana
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
, which can be translated either as the "lightning way", or the "diamond way". Agent Cooper is also interested in Tibetan mysticism, but of the good variety, so in this sense, Windom Earle is his evil opposite.
Earle claims to have killed his wife Caroline, the love of Cooper’s life. He also has a fascination with the Black Lodge
Black Lodge
The Black Lodge is a fictional setting featured in the television series Twin Peaks. It is an extradimensional place which seems to include, primarily, the "Red Room" first seen by Agent Cooper in a dream early in the series...
, whose secrets he is trying to unlock, as well as black magic
Black magic
Black magic is the type of magic that draws on assumed malevolent powers or is used with the intention to kill, steal, injure, cause misfortune or destruction, or for personal gain without regard to harmful consequences. As a term, "black magic" is normally used by those that do not approve of its...
. Major Garland Briggs states that Earle was involved in Project Blue Book
Project Blue Book
Project Blue Book was one of a series of systematic studies of unidentified flying objects conducted by the United States Air Force. Started in 1952, it was the second revival of such a study...
, as was Briggs; however, their investigation in which Earle was involved was directly related to Twin Peaks and not the usual UFO investigations.
He is obsessed with chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
and this also plays a role in some of the episodes, when he decides to use real people as the pieces. When he had worked with Cooper, they played a game every day. Cooper enlists the help of Pete Martell
Pete Martell
Peter Martell is a character from the television series Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost.Pete , born on June 28, 1943, is a lumberjack who married his boss' sister Catherine. What started as a "summer's indiscretion", developed into a marriage on the rocks, a marriage that from...
, a genius chess player, to stalemate
Stalemate
Stalemate is a situation in chess where the player whose turn it is to move is not in check but has no legal moves. A stalemate ends the game in a draw. Stalemate is covered in the rules of chess....
the game with as few pieces lost as possible.
At one point, Earle leaves a plaster mask of Caroline on Cooper’s bed, with a tape recorder underneath. At another, he shuts down the town’s power station causing chaos. He also hides a bug
Covert listening device
A covert listening device, more commonly known as a bug or a wire, is usually a combination of a miniature radio transmitter with a microphone. The use of bugs, called bugging, is a common technique in surveillance, espionage and in police investigations.A bug does not have to be a device...
within a bonsai
Bonsai
is a Japanese art form using miniature trees grown in containers. Similar practices exist in other cultures, including the Chinese tradition of penjing from which the art originated, and the miniature living landscapes of Vietnamese hòn non bộ...
in Twin Peaks’ Sheriff’s Department, which Sheriff Truman thinks is from Josie Packard
Josie Packard
Jocelyn "Josie" Packard is a character from the television series Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. Played by Joan Chen, she is a classic "femme fatale" character.-Background:She is from Hong Kong, and is ethnic Chinese...
.
Towards the end of the second season, Leo Johnson
Leo Johnson
Leo Johnson is a character from the television series Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. He is portrayed by Eric Da Re.Leo is a trucker who also moonlights as Twin Peaks' primary source of narcotics, which he obtains from the Renault Brothers, and traffics it over the Canadian/US...
is forced into enslavement by Windom Earle using an electric shock collar to control him. They capture Major Garland Briggs who Earle interrogates, fairly unsuccessfully, using Haloperidol
Haloperidol
Haloperidol is a typical antipsychotic. It is in the butyrophenone class of antipsychotic medications and has pharmacological effects similar to the phenothiazines....
. Major Briggs does, however, end up revealing that fear opens the gate to the Black Lodge
Black Lodge
The Black Lodge is a fictional setting featured in the television series Twin Peaks. It is an extradimensional place which seems to include, primarily, the "Red Room" first seen by Agent Cooper in a dream early in the series...
.
Earle chooses “three Queens” (Audrey
Audrey Horne
Audrey Horne is a fictional character from the television series Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost. She was played by Sherilyn Fenn.Audrey is 18 years old during the action of the series...
, Donna
Donna Hayward
Donna Hayward is a fictional character from the television series Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost.Donna is the best friend of Laura Palmer, and after her death she is obsessed with finding out who killed her and why, with the help of James Hurley,...
and Shelly
Shelly Johnson
Shelly Johnson is a fictional character from the television series Twin Peaks, created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, and created in mid-casting specifically for actress Mädchen Amick, after they liked her audition, but didn't have any parts left....
) for a “gathering of the Angels,” by giving them each a third of a poem ('"Love's Philosophy" by Percy Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley
Percy Bysshe Shelley was one of the major English Romantic poets and is critically regarded as among the finest lyric poets in the English language. Shelley was famous for his association with John Keats and Lord Byron...
) and arranging for them to meet in the Roadhouse. However, in the end he uses Annie Blackburn for “queen” after she wins Miss Twin Peaks, and takes her into the Black Lodge.
Earle appears to be killed by BOB in the Black Lodge, when he attempts to take Cooper’s soul. BOB says that Earle cannot ask for souls, but he will take Earle’s.
Related Studies
- Martha P. Nochimson, 1997. The Passion of David Lynch: Wild at Heart in Hollywood. Austin, TX: University of Texas Press: Open Access Copy