I do understand Kyle MacLachlan's reason for vetoeing the possibility - but I actually think it could've made for some quite interesting and emotional drama.

I think it could've led to Cooper being seen in kind of a different light - as he'd obviously have a lot of emotional turmoil and doubt about what he was doing. Audrey on the other hand would have her head completely in the clouds cause she's snared her dream man.

 Could've also led to to conflict between Cooper and Ben Horne (who'd obviously not approve) and it could've led to some nice tense moments between them.

 How would the rest of the town react? I think Truman and the boys down the sherrif station would support Cooper, as would Albert Rosenfeld and Gordon Cole.

 What do you guys think?

I know I'm in the minority, but I wouldn't have liked it... Audrey was too young, too inexperienced, even if she didn't seem that way. Coop had suffered a lot, Caroline was the love of his life and I don't see him falling in love with someone like Audrey, so naive and needy under the surface... He was obviously attracted to her and cared for her, but Audrey healing his wounds? Making him forget Caroline? Fulfilling him? Nah, he needed a real woman, as fascinating and intriguing than him, but with her own baggage... And certainly Annie wasn't that woman either...even if the writers thought that way...

The perfect woman for Cooper: Audrey. Yes, Audrey, but at least 10 years and 2 or 3 relationships older...

Coop/Audrey had their Cheers Sam/Diane day in the sun. Perfect woman for Coop: Dennis/Denise a real man/woman. Oh, come on, you WANT to believe! Okay, then---IRENE!!!  Lana: Coop seems the only man immune to her charms...

I think it worked well the way it was and as often, making them consume the relationship would only spoil it (at least from an artistic point of view )

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Oops, you don't say "consume" in refer to, for example, marriage or relationship (in a sexual way)? Somehow I was sure it was a common phrase in English... but thanks for mocking anyway, I must learn all my life

I've just watched Ep.17 and the last erotic scene (no consumption included though!) between Audrey and Cooper. I like that goodbye, and for the last time the tension is there again, and it's almost like I could feel that he so much wants to forget about his policy and at least take her in his arms, if nothing more (we believe in his righteousness, do we not?). They're making a great couple - but back to the topic, they're a great couple as long as it is a platonic relationship. Yeah, I guess an actual romance would be rather bad for the show.

But it's a pity it's over for now... there will yet be a scene in front of the fireplace in Great Northern... I like it very much. But Audrey is there only between the lines... no more of her contentful smile

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I am happy there was no romance. It would have been strange that a person like Coop would break rules to have an indiscretion with a minor (even though she is very beautiful). I don't think it would fit his character.

But that is just my opinion

It's always so weird reading these type of comments.

To me, back in the day, everyone I knew who watched the show loved these two together.  And when meeting someone new who watched the show and asked them who their favorite characters were, it was usually always Cooper and Audrey.  And then when are they going to get together.  I never remember talk about how inappropriate the age difference would be -and that was even with adults who loved the show.

I guess because the way it's stylized and more neo-noir, fairytale, old Hollywood, it never seemed off putting to me.

Now, I also don't think they should have gotten together -but only because it would kill the fun tension.  But I feel their storylines should have always remained linked.  Audrey should never compromise even if she knows Cooper was unattainable because the Audrey character was set up to be always right, and knew in the end she'd get the "tall dark, mysterious stranger [who] falls madly in love with me and takes me away to a life of international intrigue."  It doesn't have to happen during the series, but leave the implication.  And themematically it always made more sense to keep Cooper tied to her (as Laura's flip side) and try to prevent her death from Windom Earle- whereas Laura's was saveable.

Yes, but in the TV show, it was clear since the episode 6 (with Audrey in his bed), that there would have never been a serious relationship between them, their relationship couldn't stay in the same level in all the episodes, with always Audrey who have been captured and Cooper who try to save her..., we can't always have the same situation for the tv show.

 It's for that I don't understand how this relationship was supposed to be more serious after the murder of Laura Palmer (according some rumors from the crew), because already in the episode 6 of the first season, it was very clear that Dale Cooper wouldn't be in a relationship with Audrey who was for him, just a school girl...and it was way before the death of Leland, so I can't understand how the Kyle choice to end this romance could have a negative influence in the futur of the tv show (according some fans), because I suppose it was during this moment that he have make this choice and influenced the directors of the show...so very early during the first season, it's not like the things could have been more serious between these two characters.

blair, that's strange to me because episode six is when it seemed to take root in the story.

Prior to that, Audrey was just one of the fun characters, slinking around, being duplicitious and a suspect.  And the Cooper scenes were just well written fun.  The Cooper/Audrey bed scene is right after she cries when seeing Leland dance, and Cooper's interaction with her deepens the relationship in the story.  He leaves her to get the milkshakes, and she's even more taken with him.  but now it's not so much out of boredom. 

They didn't know if they were going to get picked up when they filmed the first seven episodes in 1989, or what would stick with viewers.  But they did continue with Audrey then persuing One-Eyed Jacks, and Cooper ending the season with finding her note before getting shot.  Thematically, these are elements that are just as paired as James and Donna, and Bobby and Shelly. 

then over the summer of 1990, when prepping scripts for the second season, it's written into the script notes how Cooper reacts to Audrey.  It's shown in the episodes that the two are paired together in the narrative (Cooper's face when finding out she's missing, Cooper dictating to Diane about missing Audrey coupled with concern about Windom, Ben warning Cooper to stay away, Audrey praying. 

We know the writers were planning this, it's been confirmed numerous times.  So I don't know why episode six would be an indication that they weren't.  Especially since at that time of filming, it was believed that they would (Tina Rathbourn says this in her commentary during episode three's dvd commentary).

*More interesting -Fenn said originally Cooper was to be involved with Joan Chen's character.  Which makes sense from the pilot (Cooper/Truman/Josie triangle).  Most likely, Fenn's portrayal -unformed in the pilot- was found interesting, and in the interim between pilot and first season they thought it would be fun to see quirky Cooper and quirky Audrey interact.  And it worked.  However, they were stuck a little bit in that they already made the 24 year old a high school student, and the 30 year old an FBI agent.  But it's not like it was grounded in realism.

It's my problem, the writers (who seem to contradict themselves time to time) was supposed to make their romance more serious in the season 2...but in the same time, Cooper clearly say to Audrey that a relation between would be bad, because he is an agent and she is just a high school girl...it was very early in the tv show (episode 5 and 6, 1st season)...so how it would have possible to make a romance between them after these kind of moralist speech from Dale Cooper ? I don't know how you can see that like a root for their romance when Cooper say clearly that there will be no romantic relationship between them.

you have talked about the comment of Tina Rathbourn for the 3rd episode (I suppose for the 1st season), the Kyle reaction about this relationship was maybe for and just after this episode, so early in the tv show and who has no direct influence about the second season...remember that the Laura Palmer murder identity  was not supposed to be know after lot of seasons...how the writers should have already worked about the main plot of the second season who was supposed to be this romance ? Of course, except if this romance was just a background story planned for a potential second season (during the first season) with the Laura Palmer killer...but again, I think the Kyle decision was probably done very early in the first season, and probably not something that he have decided just after the death of Leland Palmer (sorry for my english)...it's for that I find weird the fans who say the "so-called" problem of the second season was because of this choice.

 For your comparaison with Shelley and Bobby, like Donna and James, well, it's not the same thing, these two couples were in love since the pilote....well, Audrey and Cooper was cool together, but they were never been a couple....your examples of comments from Cooper are just pure and platonic feeling, there are of course some sexual tension between them (it's all the Lolita aspect)...but nothing seem to indicate that there would have been more between them...specially with his past comments about a possible relationship between them...except if the main hero of the show have contradicted himself

For her age, well, she was in the same class that Laura Palmer, she have clearly said that she have 18 years old (in the famous bed episode)...so it's not like she can have 24 years old, she was far too young for him...it's for that I find the reaction of Kyle M. very judicious about his character.

Oh, Suave -you got me.  Guess I'm one of those people.

blair, I think I just meant that just because episode six had Cooper's confession to Audrey, it didn't mean that it was over in the narrative from the writers point of view.  That's a pretty standard plot device to keep it going and place plenty of obsticles in the way.

the facts were just in terms of plotting and mapping out the story, the writers and Frost were crafting the Cooper/Audrey storyline to continue post LP.  I don't know in what capacity- and most likely not something like going steady, and skipping in a meadow.  They didn't have to neccessarily be involved, just their storyline continues with scenes together and plots interwined -most likely, culminating with Windom Earle.

MacLachlan didn't object until some time in late 1990.

Ah, but you see that is the point. Everyone would love these two together - as a possibility, kind of teasing it was and of course it worked perfectly this way! Personally, I am rather about this "killing the tension" thing than about how inappropriate it would have been for a character like Cooper to get involved with a school girl. So count me in among the ones who "loved these two togehter". Of course, it would be inapropriate, but you know... screw it ;-) It would be beautiful, too!

Still let me repeat, from an artistic point of view, it was much better to keep it as a possibility, to maintain the tension but maintain the distance as well.

Concerning Ep.6, I tend to agree that it did not make the future romance between the two out of question. Audrey Horne here is right: after this unusual bed scene their relationship took a root and well, ok - it was clear that there would be no romance in the nearest future. But there was even more to hope for

Blair, you wrote that it became clear that Audrey was for Cooper "just a school girl". Now that's something I cannot agree with. I think he was treating her very seriously. He didn't fall in love only thanks to very strict self-control over his emotions and that was only because of his painful experience from the past (as Coop eventually explains to Audrey in Ep.17). Perhaps because she was a schoolgirl it was easier for him to apply this self-control because one does not get involved with a schoolgirl so it was not just his own control but also kind of social norm.

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Audrey, have you a source about the date for the Kyle decision ? For what I have read, there have no indication about that.

 @Bob1, I don't have said that Cooper don't have any feeling for her, he have of course a strong feeling for her and it wouldn't be a problem I think for Kyle if they simply continue their platonic romance...but according the writers, it was very clear that they want them to be together and have sexual relationships (according Robert Angels for example), and to quote him "specified that she have 19 to avoid illegal affair" but in the first season, she have clearly 18 and is in the same class that Laura in the pilote (that contradict his comments, but he have apparently some problem to remember some details)...so I suppose that the Kyle decision was probably during this moment...

I don't know, but for me, there are a clear difference between before and after the episode 6, first Cooper like to play the seduction game with Audrey, but after the bed moment, when he clearly say that he is an agent and she is a school girl, and she need before everything a friend...imo it was clearly the end of their romance and that there will be no futur for a romantic relationship...you can see his reaction about Benjamin Hornes comments...Cooper is clearly "pure" about his feeling for her.

But then she wouldn't be a virgin anymore

That's classified.
 

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Guys, something else, and apologies for diverting a bit:

I don't know what mental mechanism it is, exactly, but I don't even bother checking out that Playboy issue with Sheryl (?) someone mentioned or if I knew that Audrey played in a porn flick, I wouldn't watch it, for it most probably wouldn't turn me on. I find that in the age of mobile phone child porn in the school yard between classes and Japanese burning-sushi-up-the-pussy-porn, i.e. when ANYthing is readily available, I am still to a far higher degree turned on by simply seeing Audrey's legs in that one scene when she's just sitting on the chair and being introduced to that Jerk who fucks her in the plane (you see her "opening" her legs briefly, before standing up). Nothing obscene at all, but just the form of her soft legs, the nylons she's wearing, the whole fucking CLASS she's radiating with her very presence... priceless. I would honestly find a kiss of Audrey more erotic than banging one of those cheap sluts walking around in discos nowadays (although the latter has its own value).

Seriously, this is another flaw in the plot - there's no way BOB wouldn't go after Audrey. :) At least, if I was BOB, I'd show that hymen who's the boss. Dammit, can you believe Cooper uttered all that gay crap when Audrey was lying naked in his bed? If he was Middle Eastern, Armenian or Greek (or Latino, badass black gangsta), she'd be pregnant in under two minutes.

To return to the topic, I really hated that prick who screwed Audrey instead of Cooper. It's the kind of smartass guy I would like to kick in real life. It was wrong, she should've been Cooper's! Fuck that blonde retard in the end, he should've let her rot in the black lodge and go for Audrey instead, and that other freak's plane should have crashed. Instead, they all pretty much died (or will die, in the case of the blonde). Oh well.

Post scriptum: to my embarassment, I have to admit that I actually masturbated during two or three episodes. Maybe that explains why the series dindn't really scare me. (I am not joking)

I don't know why I even bother replying to this. (Just so you know and before you ask, I'm not American and I don't give a damn about "political correctness"... But there are some limits.)

I agree with that. It's such a shame Audrey and Coop didn't have any more cool scenes after episode 17.

I love how Coop doesn't get involved with anyone at all until the very end (let's say the 4 last episodes). That's really unconventional for a TV show main character... I've never been a romance fan in movies/books/TV etc., and it's very refreshing to watch a whole series withOUT the hero being in love. That's one of the (many) reasons why I love Coop's character so much.

Hey but what about when she gives him the Dead Dog Farm pictures and meets Denise in Coops room? I liked that a lot!
 

That is a good point.

Some people are gonna hate me for feeding the troll or something but as much as it is insolent I found that bit really funny, too!
And it's not that I don't like John Justice Wheeler - of course I like him as I have a weakness for some of these more lame plots from the other half of Season 2...

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