Josie Packard

“They want to hurt me. I know they do. Something horrible is going to happen.”

Screenshot of Joan Chen as Josie Packard, from David Lynch’s Twin Peaks.
© Lynch/Frost & Twin Peaks Productions.

Josie Packard, legal owner of Twin Peaks’ Packard saw mill

After she met Andrew Packard, owner of the Packard saw mill, in Hong Kong, the young Josie Packard accompanied him to Twin Peaks as his wife.

When Andrew Packard dies some years later in a boating accident, the widow Josie Packard inherits the mill, which is run by Andrew’s sister Catherine Martell.

Josie on Pinterest

Josie Packard’s Story

Her sister-in-law resents Josie for taking over her family’s business. Catherine’s husband, Pete Martell only sees Josie’s fragile side. In trying to protect Josie he’s working against his wife Catherine’s business plans.

By the end of 1988 – a few months before Laura’s death – Sheriff Harry S. Truman starts dating the widow Josie Packard. Secretly at first – Later not so secrete.

How well did Josie Packard know Laura Palmer?

Laura Palmer was tutoring Josie Packard (who is Chinese) in English. Laura writes in her secret diary that Josie was showing little progress and seemed not very interested in making progress.

The strange thing is, when speaking to Sheriff Truman or Pete Martell, Josie Packard has a thick accent but she’s heard talking with Ben Horne in perfect English.

Laura Palmer started tutoring Johnny Horne and Josie Packard to compensate for the bad things she had done but Josie repeatedly tried to seduce her making allusions to Laura’s sex life.

In one of her secret diary’s last entrees Laura wonders “why each time she tries to do good she ends up – pun intended – being fucked.”

Josie Packard, an easy mark for her cunning sister in law Catherine Martell?

Josie seems innocent and an easy mark for her more savvy and cunning sister in law, Catherine Martell, and Catherine’s lover, Benjamin Horne.

Catherine secretely keeps in her safe the real account ledger for the mill, one that doesn’t hide the fact that the mill is slowly sinking into bankruptcy. Josie Packard only sees a fake account ledger showing a business in perfect financial health.

Catherine Martell hopes to keep Josie from intervening and get her to sell the Packard lands cheaply to Benjamin Horne’s Ghostwood Development Project in which she’s promised to get an important function.

Ben Horne conspires with Josie and double-crosses Catherine

With the help of Pete Martell, Josie Packard finds out about the second – and real – account ledger, which gives her the chance of being one step ahead of Catherine. She approaches Horne with an offer he finds more lucrative.

Josie proposes to sell the Packard lands cheaply to the Ghostwood Development Project after the mill is devastated in a fire. A phone call must place Catherine at the mill when the fire starts so she can’t be of any future danger to Ben Horne’s development plans or to Josie’s financial future.

Benjamin Horne calls for the services of Leo Johnson, an experienced arsonist. Hank Jennings takes care of the phone call to Catherine and, to get rid of witnesses, he shoots Leo when he returns from the mill.

After Josie Packard signs the deal with Benjamin Horne, she packs her bags and departs to Hong Kong with her Chinese assistant Jonathan, leaving Sheriff Truman devastated.

Josie Packard – Quotes

“On top of the morning to you, Pete”

“Pete, I want to thank you for yesterday, for standing up to me with Catherine.”

“They want to hurt me. I know they do. Something horrible is going to happen, Harry.”

I won’t leave this office without my money!