Next Stop, Rocket Science!

Not to toot my own horn, but I was fortunate enough to be chosen as a finalist in Grambo's Classic Characters of Twin Peaks contest. I chose Jerry Horne. How can you not?

There are, of course, many “classic” Twin Peaks characters. How does one go about picking just one? Should it be an obvious choice, like Coop or Audrey? Or a more marginal character, like Albert or Major Briggs? Ultimately, I made my choice because this characters’ antics still make me chuckle.

It’s Jerry Horne, the obnoxious brother of Ben Horne. While he was only in nine episodes, he did basically all he would have to do in Episode 2, Season 1, where he makes one of the most memorable entrances in the series. The Hornes are having a quiet dinner. Jerry enters, berating the bellhops who are helping him with his luggage. Sylvia Horne, exasperated, cries out “Benjamin!” But Jerry can’t wait to get sandwiches out of his bags. He’s just back from Paris, you see, and he has to share with ‘brother Ben’ the greatest thing he’s ever eaten: butter and brie on a baguette. He ate four of the damn things every day he was there.

To this day, that is still my favorite sandwich.

Later in the episode, when he and Ben make an excursion to the brothel One Eyed Jack’s, Jerry is wisecracking at the bar. When a girl takes his order, he tells her, “Next stop, rocket science!” You’d be surprised how often that line comes in handy.

Classic Entrance + Classic Line = Classic Character.

The actor who played Jerry Horne, David Patrick Kelley, in an earlier role: