From One-Eyed Jacks to Windom Earle’s doctored cards, playing cards have played an important role in Twin Peaks since the very beginning. It was no surprise to find them in the most recent season on Showtime. While researching the film location for the cheap motel in Buckhorn, I identified the card Mr. C shows Darya and soon realized the sister set is found in the One One Nine house.
PAVILION PLAYING CARDS IN TWIN PEAKS
When Mr. C pulls out the Ace of Spades card to show Darya, we catch a glimpse of the card’s back. Luckily, I could read the word “Pavilion” which helped me find the exact match. The brand is Pavilion Premium Quality Poker Club Playing Cards (for ages 6+)
When I turned to eBay to find a replica set, I originally found only a blue-colored set. After I purchased it, I found a two set of decks – one red and one blue – that included five free dice. I’m glad I also purchased it as it came in for writing this article.
Here is the back of the two deck packaging which shows the back of the cards. Insta-match with Mr. C’s card.
Here is the card back from the blue Pavilion deck.
Interestingly, Mr. C must have wanted (not needed) to be a Toys “R” Us kid as the Pavilion Playing Cards are manufactured by Geoffrey, LLC, Inc., a subsidiary of the now defunct-not-defunct Toys “R” Us store.
MR. C’S ACE IN TWIN PEAKS
The camera cuts to the front of Mr. C’s card which is an Ace of Spades.
Here is the front of the Ace of Spades card from the blue Pavilion card deck.
I read a variety of explanations for the symbol on the card. One Reddit user compared the Portal from Part 14 with the card which appears like it could match. There was also a feeling that the card was turned upside down and the scratch marks were made to remove “Made in China.” Life is full of mysteries, Donna.
We get another look at the card back before Mr. C puts it away.
CARDS IN TWIN PEAKS – PART 3
Flash forward to Part 3 when we first see the Drugged-Out Mother yelling “One One Nine.” Notice the pack of cards on her square table? It’s the red Pavilion card deck.
You can see the bar code on the bottom of the deck in the shot.
You can also see the deck of red cards stacked face down between a pill bottle and a bottle of alcohol.
After the mother pours herself a drink, she turns the bottle to reveal the label – Evan Williams Bourbon.
CARDS IN TWIN PEAKS – PART 5
We return to the One One Nine house in Part 5 to find the Drugged-Out Mother passed out.
As the front door opens, we get a better look at the Drugged-Out Mother. It seems she was playing a card game before the drugs and alcohol knocked her out. I love that Hailey Gates even added a bit of drool down her left shoulder.
When the mother wakes up, the camera pans slightly upward to reveal more of the card game. I’m guessing solitaire based on the position of the cards.
BEHIND THE CURTAIN
Thanks to the amazingly awesome Twin Peaks – From Z to A set, we get a behind the curtain look at the filming of Season 3. For the Part 5 segment, we see stand-in Ashley Siloac seated at the Drugged-Out Mother’s table.
Ashley played the uncredited role of “Agnes” a receptionist at Lucky 7 Insurance.
Using this Behind the Curtain footage, I recreated her card game.
Here’s a top-down look at the card game.
The Behind the Curtain footage gives us an alternate angle look at the Drugged-Out Mother.
From this angle, we see the bottle of Evan Williams Bourbon has been replaced with Moraga Cay rum. It’s distilled in the West Indies, and imported and bottled by Frank-Lin Distillers in San Jose, California.
After writing this article, a game of solitaire calls to me.
Wow, Bob, wow! Great article. I love Twin Peaks and I also love to collect different brand of cards, as a fan of close-up magic. I am very curious to see what the “Pavilion” Joker looks like, could you send a photo? Because deck of cards frequently have their own design of the Ace of Spades, but also of the Joker. I would love if the Pavilion Joker included clues about Twin Peaks The Return! If he looks like the Giant or BOB I’ll go crazy.