Not to mention he drinks fruit punch.

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper

Ben:  "We've laid in a gala reception for your fair-haired boys tonight.  All of Twin Peaks' best and brightest."

Jerry: "We're holding it in a phone booth?"

QUOTE: QUOTE: Not to mention he drinks fruit punch.    How did this dork ever become a bookhouse boy , anyway?!

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper

QUOTE: QUOTE: QUOTE: Not to mention he drinks fruit punch.    How did this dork ever become a bookhouse boy , anyway?!  Nepotism

Ben:  "We've laid in a gala reception for your fair-haired boys tonight.  All of Twin Peaks' best and brightest."

Jerry: "We're holding it in a phone booth?"

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper

BOB confused Laura. She felt forced to run to James to protect herself, and those around her. If he was a bad boy, the character would've made even less sense. In any world other than Twin Peaks, things wouldn't have been so ass-backwards. Bobby would've been a dumb jock, Laura would have been a simple cheerleader, James would've been a rebel. But though the looking glass...

Bobby's a drug dealing schemer because of BOB's influence (via Laura,) and Boy Named Bitch is the secret boyfriend. But it's only because he represents hope and solidity-- even if the most solid thing about him is that giant, thick skull.

From the Diary, I'm pretty sure that Laura is only drawn to James because of his incorruptible pure heart-- a side effect of extreme naivete-- and that Bobby would have been "the one" if she didn't make him sell drugs/do horrible things (as he talks about with Jacoby.) She ruined him, and he let her be a bad girl. This was supposed to make her less enticing to BOB, but it didn't protect her.

James is really the only innocent person in the show. Well, maybe Johnny, too. Boring, retarded, but nevertheless a needed symbol:

"It's the secrets people keep that destroy any chance they have of happiness."

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper

Good point, but as far as the James things goes, it takes two to tango. He was naughty there too. Bloody kids, kissing and all that. *tuts*

I reckon Harold would have killed himself anyway. He spent ages making that apple butter, and no-one ever wanted any.

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper

QUOTE: QUOTE:Who eats effing apple butter?!?!?!  The kind of people who shop at Waitrose. (Not sure of the US equivalent, so cue the tumbleweed).

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper

My vote for dumbest line in the series:          

MADDY:  [earnestly] James, you're on fire!

Poor, poor, submissive James. He's like Candide. He just lets things happen to him, because he has faith in humanity. 

I think the worst thing James did was did bone another man's wife.  But he did admit that it wasn't right, in his only moment of passion.  No one else in the show did that while they were, um, getting down with OPP. 

One other thing.  Do you think James was a virgin?  Or did he and Donna "do it" and that's why he had to give her the ring?  I also can't think of any other explanation for him not pegging Laura as the town bicycle. He was the only one in town who wasn't sleeping with her.

"Harry, I'm going to let you in on a little secret. Every day, once a day, give yourself a present. Don't plan it, don't wait for it, just let it happen. Could be a new shirt at the men's store, a catnap in your office chair, or two cups of good, hot, black coffee. Like this."  -Dale Cooper