TV Episode Questions:
FAQ -> TV
Episodes
TV Episode Questions:
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WARNING: If you have not seen all of the "Twin Peaks"
television episodes and the movie "Fire Walk With Me", be
warned that there are MAJOR SPOILERS contained herein. If
you have not seen the series and do not want any plot
information revealed, do not read any further!
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E1. How many episodes are there?
E2. How are the episodes numbered?
E3. Are there episode titles?
E4. Is there an episode guide available on the net?
E5. What year is the show set in?
E6. Where is TP supposed to be?
E7. Where was it filmed?
E8. What is the population of TP?
E9. I rented the pilot--why is it different than the TV
pilot?
E10. What is the "European" version of the pilot?
E11. Is the second season available on videotape/laserdisc?
E12. Is there a cast list?
E13. What else has <actor/actress> been in?
E14. Which episodes did David Lynch direct?
E15. Why are the 2nd season episodes so bad?
E16. What are the references to movies/famous people?
E17. Who killed Laura Palmer?
E18. What did the letters under the fingernails mean?
E19. Who/What is BOB?
E20. Is BOB the same as J.R. "Bob" Dobbs?
E21. Who/what is Diane?
E22. Does Kyle MacLachlan really like cherry pie?
E23. Weren't Kyle MacLachlan and Lara Flynn Boyle dating?
E24. How did they do the funny voices in the Red Room
scenes?
E25. What are the words to Mike (the one-armed man)'s poem?
E26. Who was in the woods with Leo (episode 2)?
E27. What happened to "Invitation to Love"?
E28. Who is the dwarf?
E29. Wasn't the Giant on "Star Trek"? Didn't the Giant play
Lurch?
E30. Who was standing outside the window while Josie seduced
Harry (episode 11)?
E31. What did Maddy see in the carpet (episode 8)?
E32. What did the "creamed corn kid" say (episode 9)?
E33. Who played the "creamed corn kid"?
E34. What is the significance of the burning smell?
E35. What is the significance of the white horse?
E36. What is the significance of "The owls are not what they
seem"?
E37. What happened to Josie (episode 23)?
E38. Were Cooper and Windom Earle playing a legitimate chess
game?
E39. What are the fictional/mythological meanings of the
dugpas and the lodges?
E40. What is the connection between the Red Room, Black
Lodge, and White Lodge?
E41. Did Major Briggs go to the White Lodge?
E42. Who spoke through Sarah Palmer to Major Briggs (episode
29)?
E43. What is a doppelganger?
E44. What happened to Cooper in the Black Lodge?
E45. Is <character> dead?
E46. Will the story ever be continued?
E47. Who attacked Dr. Jacoby (episode 7)?
E48. Is it really possible for someone's hair to turn
completely white overnight, like Leland's (episode 8)?
E49. What is the significance of the traffic lights?
E50. What is the significance of the various townspeople's
shaking hands (episode 27)?
E51. What awards did the show win?
E52. Who is the author of/what at the words to Windom
Earle's poem?
E53. Which TP actors have appeared on "X-Files"?
E54. In which TP episodes did David Duchovny appear?
E55. Will there ever be an "X-Files" "crossover" episode
about TP?
E56. What is the significance of the numbers on Hank's
dominos?
E57. What is the shadow floating on the curtains in the
Red Room during Cooper's dream (episode 2)?
E58. What does Ben see behind him that startles him (episode
27)?
E59. Did the idea for TP come from the "Dallas" nighttime
soap opera?
E60. What are the "stitches with the red thread"?
E61. What happened to Cooper in Pittsburgh?
E62. What does the Giant mean by "one and the same"?
E63. Did the Black Lodge lure Cooper to Twin Peaks?
Answers:
E1. How many episodes are there?
There are:
- the 2-hour pilot movie
- seven 1-hour episodes in the first season
- 22 episodes in the 2nd season--the first one being 2 hours
long, all others being one hour long (in the US, the last
two episodes were broadcast together as a 2-hour special
"movie" on ABC)--for a total of 23 hours
- 32 hours total
Note: without commercials, the "1-hour" episodes are
actually 48 minutes long, and the "2-hour" pilot and episode
are each 96 minutes long, respectively. (The "European"
version of the pilot is 113 minutes long, due to the
alternate ending. See question E10 for details.)
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E2. How are the episodes numbered?
Lynch/Frost Productions referred to the 2-hour pilot as the
"pilot" and numbered all episodes sequentially:
- starting with #1 for the first 1-hour episode of the first
season
- #7 as the last 1-hour episode of the first season
- #8 as the first 2-hour episode of the 2nd season
- #9 as the first 1-hour episode of the 2nd season
- #28 and #29 as the last two 1-hour episodes of the 2nd
season (shown together as a special 2-hour "movie" in the US
on ABC)
This numbering is used on the videotape/laserdisc releases
(see question G4), on the Bravo rebroadcasts (see question
G5) and in the short-form episode guide (see question E4).
The alt.tv.twin-peaks newsgroup readers adopted a different
numbering scheme to indicate in which season (of American
broadcasting) an episode appeared:
- episode 1000 is the 2-hour pilot
- episode 1001 is the first 1-hour episode of the first
season
- episode 1007 is the last 1-hour episode of the first
season
- episode 2001 is the first 2-hour episode of the 2nd season
- episode 2002 is the first 1-hour episode of the 2nd season
- episode 2021 is the 2-hour "movie" consisting of the last
two 1-hour episodes of the 2nd season (corresponding to #28
and #29 in Lynch/Frost numbering)
This numbering is often used in alt.tv.twin-peaks postings
and is used in the long-form "timeline" episode guide (see
questions E4 and E5).
See the table in question E3 for a translation of these
numbering schemes.
To add to the confusion, commercially available episode
scripts (see question P2) are numbered 001 to 007 for the
first season, and 2.001 to 2.022 for the second season.
And for yet more confusion, the US laserdisc boxed sets (see
question G4) are numbered 001 to 007 for Volume 1 (first
season) and 2008 to 2014 for Volume 2 (first seven episodes
of the second season), and so on.
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E3. Are there episode titles?
Lynch/Frost Productions assigned no titles to the episodes,
only the episode numbers (see questions E2).
When broadcast in Germany, the episodes were titled, as
follows (courtesy of Robert Michl [rmichl@iiic.ethz.ch]):
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Item, here in Europe, (at least the German speaking part),
we had the pleasure to get entitled episodes. They were as
follows:
0. (1000) Pilotfilm
1. (1001) Spuren ins Nichts (Traces to nowhere)
2. (1002) ZEN - oder die Kunst, (Zen and the art of
einen Moerder zu fassen killer-catching)
3. (1003) Ruhe in Unfrieden (Rest in pain)
4. (1004) Der Einarmige (The one-armed man)
5. (1005) Cooper's Traeume (Cooper's dreams)
6. (1006) Zeit des Erkennens (Realization time)
7. (1007) Der letzte Abend (The last evening)
8. (2001) Der Riese sei mit Dir (May the giant be
with you)
9. (2002) Koma (Coma)
10. (2003) Der Mann hinter Glas (The man behind glass)
11. (2004) Laura's geheimes (Laura's secret diary)
Tagebuch
12. (2005) Der Fluch der Orchideen (The orchid's curse)
13. (2006) Daemonen (Demons)
14. (2007) Einsame Seelen (Lonely souls)
15. (2008) Spazierfahrt mit einer (Drive with a dead
Toten girl)
16. (2009) Selbstjustiz (Arbitrary law)
17. (2010) Bruderzwist (Dispute between
brothers)
18. (2011) Maskenball (Masked ball)
19. (2012) Die schwarze Witwe (The black widow)
20. (2013) Schachmatt (Checkmate)
21. (2014) Doppelspiel (Doubleplay)
22. (2015) Sklaven und Meister (Slaves and masters)
23. (2016) Die Verdammte (The condemned woman)
24. (2017) Wunden und Narben (Wounds & scars)
25. (2018) Auf den Schwingen der (On the wings of love)
Liebe
26. (2019) Beziehungsvariationen (Variations on
relations)
27. (2020) Der Weg zur schwarzen (The path to the Black
Huette Lodge)
28. (2021-Part 1) "Die Nacht der (The Night of Decision)
Entscheidung
29. (2021-Part 2) Jenseits von Leben (Beyond life and death)
und Tod
Pretty nice, isn't it? How do you like that?
BTW, there are some allusions to familiar German quotations
(like "Ruhe in Frieden", "das letzte Abendmahl",
"Lynch-Justiz" :-), "Der Friede sei mit Dir" etc.), but I
can associate the matching episode fairly well. E.g.
"Wounds and scars" reminds me of Harry S. Truman finding
solace in a bottle of Jack Daniels, suffering over the loss
of the "Verdammte" Josie. Or "Demons", one of my favourite
episodes, where MIKE speaks through Gerard in his demonic
voice and sentences. "Einsame Seelen" of course, shows the
words left behind on Harold's hung body: "J'ai une ame
solitaire"...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
These titles are used in the short-form episode guide (see
question E4).
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E4. Is there an episode guide available on the net?
There are in fact two:
- a short-form episode guide, listing a brief synopsis of
the episodes, written by Jim Pellmann
- a long-form "timeline" episode guide, listing all action
in each episode, with detailed transcriptions of important
scenes, chess board configurations, maps and diagrams of the
red room, and the date and time of most actions (see
question E5), last edited by Ed Nomura (enomura@ucsd.edu)
There are also several episode guides in print, including:
- Film Threat magazine, October '92 issue
- Epi-Log magazine, issue #20
- the book "Twin Peaks Behind the Scenes"
See questions P1 and P2 for more details on the magazines
and book.
For those who need only brief episode info, here is a list
of "TV Guide" style synopses with virtually no spoilers:
"Twin Peaks" Ultra-Brief Episode Guide
--------------------------------------
Pilot. An FBI agent and a sheriff investigate the murder of
a homecoming queen in a Pacific Northwest town.
1. Agent Cooper and Sheriff Truman learn more about Laura's
life; Catherine plots to take over the sawmill.
2. Cooper demonstrates deductive prowess; Bobby and Mike are
released from jail; Donna and James proclaim their love.
3. The town gathers for Laura's funeral; Cooper ponders his
dream; Truman tells him about the Bookhouse boys.
4. Cooper and Truman track down the one-armed man; Audrey
begins her own investigation.
5. Truman and Cooper discover a macabre scene in the woods;
Hank gets out of prison; Audrey goes to work for her father.
6. Cooper and the Bookhouse boys visit One-Eyed Jack's;
Jacoby receives a phone call from Laura Palmer.
7. Dr. Jacoby heads for his rendezvous; Cooper and Truman
make an arrest; Catherine and Shelly are trapped.
8. Cooper has visions; Audrey is taken prisoner; Donna
receives a strange message; Ronette relives Laura's murder.
9. Cooper gets help and unwanted news; Audrey gets in
deeper; Donna arranges to meet a stranger; Leland makes a
horrifying discovery.
10. Donna visits a friend of Laura's; Blackie sees
opportunity; Jacoby reveals important info under hypnosis.
11. Ben's request to save Audrey's life stymies Cooper;
Donna goes to another picnic; Josie's cousin arrives from
Hong Kong.
12. Cooper and Truman raid One-Eyed Jack's; Leland attends
his hearing; Donna and Maddy plot to steal Laura's diary;
Ben gets a mysterious visitor.
13. Shelly and Bobby prepare for Leo's homecoming; Gordon
Cole visits Cooper; Josie strikes a deal; the one-armed man
talks about "Bob".
14. Laura's killer is revealed; money woes strain Bobby and
Shelly's relationship; Audrey confronts her father about
One-Eyed Jack's.
15. The one-armed man helps Cooper and Truman search for
Bob; Norma's mother and her new husband visit; Bobby decides
to blackmail Ben; Lucy comes home.
16. A piece of Laura's secret diary leads Cooper to her
killer; Catherine tricks Ben; Lucy, Andy, and Tremayne
confront each other over her pregnancy.
17. Cooper is investigated by the FBI; Nadine enrolls in
high school; Major Briggs and Cooper have a strange
encounter in the woods.
18. Nadine's feelings for Mike deepen; James helps a
beautiful blonde; Catherine forces Josie to become her maid;
Windom Earle makes a move.
19. Cooper finds a clue; Andy and Tremayne are concerned
over Nicky's past; Bobby makes quick money; sports beckons
Nadine; Major Briggs returns.
20. Cooper and Truman set a trap for Renault; Andy and
Tremayne look into Nicky's past; an old love visits Ben;
Nadine rescues Ed.
21. Cooper confides Earle's tragic history to Truman; Audrey
makes a deal with Bobby; Leo comes out of it; Josie's old
lover Thomas Eckhardt appears.
22. Cooper learns who shot him; Donna tries to save James;
Nadine interrupts Ed and Norma; Catherine uses Josie to lure
Eckhardt.
23. Cooper pleads with Josie for truth; Ben changes his
mind; Ed proposes to Norma; James and Donna part; Audrey
meets a mate.
24. Cooper eyes a reclusive beauty; Truman agonizes over
Josie; Donna gets a macabre visitor; Audrey falls in love;
Ben hosts an environmental benefit.
25. Cooper and the sheriff's department go spelunking;
Truman awakens in a naked woman's arms; Windom Earle checks
out potential victims.
26. Cooper and Truman tackle the hieroglyph; the Miss Twin
Peaks contest attracts competitors; Tremayne holds a wine
tasting; Gordon falls for Shelley.
27. Truman and Cooper pursue the Owl Cave mystery; Earle
takes another prisoner; Donna makes a discovery; Wheeler
leaves suddenly.
28. Major Briggs escapes from Earle; Catherine battles with
the black box; Lucy chooses the father of her baby; Earle
interrupts the contest.
29. Truman and Cooper try to head off Windom Earle; Donna
wants the truth; Audrey, Andrew and Pete all head to the
bank; Cooper enters the Black Lodge.
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E5. What year is the show set in?
The dates and days of the week quoted in the pilot and the
first season's episodes correspond to 1989 (the year the
pilot film was shot). However, "The Secret Diary of Laura
Palmer" (see question P1) places the action in 1990. In the
second season, there is no consistency in the dates used.
In the "prequel" film "Fire Walk With Me", the events of the
week of Laura's murder are stated as happening in 1989.
In trying to keep the "one day per episode" general
timeframe of the episodes, sources on the Lynch/Frost
production team (Scott Frost) indicated that it was
difficult for the writers, cast, and crew to keep track of
which "day" it was in TP time, and hence sometimes slipped
up (e.g., high school students are shown in school on a
Saturday).
The consensus of opinion in the TP fan community is that all
action occurs in 1989, and that the diary dates and other
discrepancies in the episodes are in error.
A sort of origin point for the timeline is Laura's death in
the early morning ("somewhere between midnight and 4 AM"
according to Doc Hayward) on Friday, February 24. Her body
is discovered "just after dawn" on that day, which is the
date of the action in the pilot. The last day of action in
"Fire Walk With Me" (Laura's last day alive) is Thursday,
February 23.
Although each episode generally covers one day of action in
TP, there are some exceptions: after Leland's death, it is
noted that the next episode is "three days later"; sometimes
an episode will begin in the middle of the night of the
preceding episode's "day", but most of the action will take
place on the following day.
See the long-form "timeline" episode guide (see question E4)
for a list of what episodes correspond to which dates, as
well as times shown on clocks or quoted by characters.
See also the TP magazine "Wrapped in Plastic", issue #1,
which has a calendar for February and March, 1989, showing
the major events that happened on each day.
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E6. Where is TP supposed to be?
It's in the State of Washington, but where exactly is not
clear. In Cooper's initial monologue to Diane as he's
driving into town, he states that it's "five miles south of
the Canadian border and twelve miles west of the state
line". That would seem to place it in the northeast corner
of the state. However the surrounding geography is like
that of the Cascade Mountains in western Washington.
References to cities such as Seattle and Tacoma, but not
Spokane, also seem to place it in western Washington. The
show's creators seem to have smooshed the state so that it
all fits west of the Cascades.
The pilot draft, entitled "Northwest Passage", is clearly
set in eastern Washington and features Ponderosa Pines
instead of Douglas firs. The setting change was almost
undoubtedly caused by the decision to film the pilot in the
Seattle area, rather than in eastern Washington, where they
would be far from local production resources and local
actors.
Approximate ASCII map of Washington State (courtesy of Pete
Zakel [phz@cadence.com]):
North British Columbia (Canada)
/|\
| ---------------------------------.-----
| \ Twin*|
| Peaks | I
\ | D
_ | | A
|\__ | | H
/ -_ | | O
| -_ | WASHINGTON |
\ \ / |
| | | Spokane * |
| | |* Seattle |
| | | |
\ | / |
| \_/* Tacoma |
| |
\ |
| |
| * Yakima |
| |
| |
| * Tri-cities|
|_-_ \
| ____-----
\ ____ ----____-------
`----___---
OREGON
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E7. Where was it filmed?
Many of the outdoor shots were filmed in Snoqualmie,
Washington (and the surrounding area), which is in the
Cascades, not too far from Seattle. The waterfall is there;
the Great Northern Hotel is really the Salish Lodge
(although it doesn't look like the GNH on the inside--the
interiors of both the GNH and the Packard/Martell home were
filmed in the Kiana Lodge); and the RR Diner is really the
Mar-T Cafe.
Other than the pilot and "Fire Walk With Me" (which was also
filmed on location), the episodes were filmed on sound
stages or locations in the Los Angeles area.
See question P5 for references of places to visit or see in
the Snoqualmie area.
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E8. What is the population of TP?
This is subject to debate. The population sign that's shown
on TV indicates 51,201. According to "Twin Peaks Behind the
Scenes: An Unofficial Guide to Twin Peaks", by Mark Altman
(see question P1), Lynch/Frost originally conceived of it as
5,201, but ABC insisted on increasing it.
This has resulted in mixed cues within the show. For
instance, Twin Peaks doesn't have a resident circuit court
judge, which any town of 51,000 in the US would; it has a
Sheriff's department but no police department (Sheriff is
usually a county rather than a city office). On the other
hand, it does have its own hospital, a fancy department
store, and a large hotel.
The book, "Welcome to Twin Peaks: Access Guide to the Town"
(see question P1) tries to resolve the issue by saying the
population sign is a misprint, and it should be 5,120.1
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E9. I rented the pilot--why is it different than the TV
pilot?
The version of the pilot available on video/laserdisc (see
question G4) is known as the "European" version, because it
was created for the European video market and first showed
up there. See the next question for more details.
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E10. What is the "European" version of the pilot?
Before TP was sold to ABC as a series, Lynch/Frost raised
money to finance the production of the pilot episode by
signing a contract with Warner Home Video. The contract
gave Warner Home Video the rights to sell the pilot episode
as a movie on video in Europe (not knowing whether the pilot
would result in a series, Warner wanted to ensure they could
make their money back.) In order to sell it as a movie, the
contract stipulated that the pilot must stand on its own and
have a "closed ending" where the murder of Laura Palmer was
resolved.
Lynch/Frost had planned for and expected the pilot to be
picked up and turned into a series, and thus had not written
such a resolution for the pilot. When, during the filming
of the pilot, they were reminded of their contractual
obligation, they filmed the ending described below and gave
Warner Home Video their "standalone" European movie, even
though the ending did not make much sense and does not jibe
with events in the TV series.
Parts of the European movie ending were used later in edited
form for the dream sequence at the end of episode 2. (In
fact, you will notice that the summary of his dream that
Cooper gives Lucy and Harry at the beginning of episode 3
includes events that are portrayed in the European pilot
ending, but not in Cooper's dream as shown in episode 2!)
Lynch thinks the famous scene in the Red Room is one of his
best pieces of work, and that is probably one reason why he
chose to include it as the final scene of episode 2. The
original script for episode 2 is almost a verbatim copy of
the European movie ending, including even more of it than is
in the broadcast version. The copied parts were edited to
make it clear that Cooper is having a dream/vision, rather
than actually experiencing the events. So the reaction cuts
of Truman, etc. in the European movie ending, are replaced
in episode 2 by shots of Coop tossing and turning in his
sleep.
When ABC bought the series, the video rights to the
broadcast episodes went to Worldvision (a division of
Spelling Entertainment, which had been closely affiliated
with ABC), but the video rights to the pilot remained with
Warner Home Video. This is why only the European movie
version of the pilot is available commercially. Making
'lemonade out of a lemon', Warner Home Video marketed their
version of the pilot as providing an "alternate resolution"
to Laura's murder than that provided in the TV series.
Although a great deal of the footage from the European movie
ending was incorporated into the TV series, most in the TP
fan community feel the ending, while interesting as an
historical artifact, is not germane to the "real" TP story
as developed in the TV series.
The European movie ending should probably be avoided if you
are watching the TV series for the first time. There is a
"catch 22", though: you should see the pilot before watching
the first TV episode for important background information
and context, but the broadcast version of the pilot is not
available commercially (see question G4). If you cannot
borrow a copy of the broadcast pilot version from someone,
you can easily "edit" the video version, while watching it,
as follows:
- About 90 minutes into the movie, after Sheriff Truman
introduces Cooper to Lucy's nightly donut spread, and the
jail scene with James, Bobby, and Mike, there is a scene
where the Sheriff visits Josie.
"It must have happened right around this time yesterday,"
Truman says to Josie.
"I'm afraid," Josie says.
Next there is a shot of the traffic light, blowing in the
breeze.
- Stop the movie at the next scene where we see Laura's
mother sitting by herself on the sofa, smoking. Up until
this point, the movie and broadcast pilot are identical.
- There is only one additional scene in the broadcast pilot
not shown in the movie: Laura's mother has a vision of a
gloved hand digging the heart necklace from the ground where
Donna and James buried it (you'll know the necklace I mean
when you've seen the rest).
Now, for those who have seen the series, but not the
"European" version of the pilot, here is a short description
of the added scenes:
- Sarah remembers seeing BOB crouching at the foot of
Laura's bed that morning. She screams and tells Leland what
she remembered.
- There is a scene of Lucy and Andy getting ready for bed
(!). Leland calls Lucy, tells her about Sarah's sudden
memory, and asks her where the Sheriff is. Lucy calls the
Sheriff in his cruiser. He tells her to have Hawk meet him
at the Palmer's house to make a sketch of the man Sarah
remembered.
- Agent Cooper, asleep in his hotel room, is awakened by the
phone. Mike, the one-armed man, is on the other end, and
tells Cooper that the man who killed Laura is at the
hospital. Then Lucy calls Cooper and tells him what is
happening at the Palmer house. Cooper asks Lucy to tell the
Sheriff to bring the sketch and meet him at the hospital.
- Cooper and the Sheriff find Mike at the hospital. Mike
recites the poem and his confession (from Cooper's dream in
episode #2). Cooper asks Mike to identify the killer from
the sketch. He does and tells them BOB is in the basement
of the hospital.
- They find BOB kneeling next to a circle of 12 burning
candles. He invites them in, asks if Mike is with them,
repeats some of the dialogue from Cooper's dream in episode
2, including "Catch you with my death bag".
- The Sheriff asks BOB what the letters were going to spell,
and BOB replies:
BOB: Robert. That's my proper name. Theresa's was with a
T.
Cooper: That's right.
BOB: You may think I've gone insane, but I promise you: I
will kill again!
Mike runs into room and yells: Like hell!
- Mike shoots BOB twice. BOB crumples to the floor. Mike
falls to the floor in agony.
- Cooper says "Make a wish" and the candles are blown out.
- Cut to the Red Room. Caption says: Twenty-five year later
- Rest of scene is identical to Red Room scene of Cooper's
dream in episode 2. As the Little Man dances, the end
credits run.
As mentioned above, this ending does NOT relate to the
action in the other episodes of the series (as far as we can
tell), except for the parts that appear in Cooper's dream in
episode 2.
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E11. Is the second season available on videotape/laserdisc?
Yes and no. See question G4 for details.
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E12. Is there a cast list?
Yes, it is here.
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E13. What else has <actor/actress> been in?
Refer to the cast list and timeline for links for the
actors, actresses, writers, and directors, and their other
works in the Internet Movie Database (IMDB).
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E14. Which episodes did David Lynch direct?
- the pilot (1000)
- episode 2 (1002)
- episode 8 (2001, the 2-hour, season 2 opener)
- episode 9 (2002)
- episode 14 (2007)
- episode 29 (2021-Part 2, the series finale)
Refer to either of the two episode guides (see question E4)
for writing and directing credits of each episode.
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E15. Why are the 2nd season episodes so bad?
They're not. :^)
Seriously: Since TP was a continuing serial, viewers were
required to see every episode to know what was going on.
Unlike traditional prime-time soap operas, TP did not
recycle the same melodramatic themes over and over. Casual
viewing was not supported.
In response to this, several shorter story arcs were
introduced in the 2nd season--many feel that these detracted
from the series.
For a good discussion of this issue, refer to issue #1 of
the TP magazine "Wrapped in Plastic", in which one of the
editors argues why the second season was better than the
first, and lists four particular scenes as examples.
Some complained that Lynch was not directly involved in
production of all the 2nd season episodes. Although there
were a number of different directors (see the episode guides
for a complete list), most do not consider this a serious
detraction from the series.
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E16. What are the references to movies/famous people?
TP is full of hidden (and not-so-hidden) references to other
movies and TV shows ("Laura", "Vertigo", "One Eyed Jacks",
"Double Indemnity", "The Manchurian Candidate", "Sunset
Boulevard", "The Fugitive", "Dallas", etc.) and famous
people or characters (D.B. Cooper, Harry S Truman, James
Dean, Hester Prynn, etc.)
Refer to the "allusions" list for the sources of some
character and place names, plot devices, and themes used in
TP. This list was compiled by Dave Platt
(umplatt2@ccu.umanitoba.ca).
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E17. Who killed Laura Palmer?
As revealed in episode 16, Laura was killed by her father,
Leland Palmer, under the influence of BOB.
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E18. What did the letters under the fingernails mean?
Leland/BOB was spelling out 'Robert'. Cooper described it
as "a signature on a demon self-portrait".
As many have pointed out, if he was spelling the name
backwards in order (it was never stated that he was doing
that, though), the 'E' was missing. There's no explanation
given for this, but some have speculated that the 'E' may
have been intended for Ronette in the train car, or that the
'E' victim has not been found (yet).
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E19. Who/What is BOB?
This is perhaps the greatest mystery/question of Twin Peaks,
a source of endless debate, and an issue to which each
viewer must attach their own interpretation and
significance.
[Note: BOB is spelled in all capital letters here, following
the convention used in "The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer"
(see question P1). This also helps distinguish between
Killer BOB (as he is also referred) and Bobby Briggs.]
This much is given to us: BOB is a disembodied spirit
capable of taking over a human being. After he takes over,
he manipulates his human host to commit acts of sex and
violence and 'feeds' upon the emotions this produces. He is
connected in some manner with other spirits which appear in
either or both of the Black Lodge and White Lodge. An
entrance to the Black Lodge (shown as the red room) is in
Glastonbury Grove in the woods outside of Twin Peaks. See
questions E39 and E40 for more on the Lodges.
Some who reject supernatural explanations believe BOB may
be/have been a figment of Laura's or Leland's imagination (a
means of psychologically dealing with the trauma of incest
and adultery), or an alternate personality of Leland. The
caustic FBI agent Albert Rosenfield suggests that BOB is
simply "the evil that men do". The fact that so many TP
characters experience these spirits make such
rationalizations hard to logically support. Events in the
series following Leland's death (the Windom Earle arc) and
in FWWM also continue the supernatural themes.
In a question and answer session, Mark Frost indicated that
the idea for BOB originated in American Indian mythology and
that he was a local evil spirit whose presence in the Twin
Peaks area dates back to ancient times. See also "The List
of 7", Mark Frost's novel (see question M5), which deals
with evil beings (both real and supernatural), the "dweller
on the threshold", and the teachings of Helena Blavatsky,
the founder of Theosophy and originator of the idea of the
"white lodge".
It further appears that BOB is a 'servant' or agent
(familiar) of other Lodge spirits. The events in FWWM imply
that at times he is out of control and acting on his own
rather than for the Lodge.
Mike [episode 13]: "Do you understand the parasite? It
attaches itself to a life form and feeds. Eh. BOB requires
a human host. He feeds on fear ... and the pleasures.
They are his children. I am similar to BOB. We once were
partners."
Mike also says BOB was his 'familiar' (not vice/versa as has
been erroneously reported):
Cooper: You spoke to me in my dream ... about BOB.
Mike: Mmm. He ... was ... my familiar.
In witchcraft, a familiar is a slave spirit that the
sorcerer uses to help him/her. In some traditions the
familiar is a demon that may appear in the form of an
animal. In Malaya, owls and badgers are popular familiars
while the cat is commonly associated with witches in popular
US culture.
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E20. Is BOB the same as J.R. "Bob" Dobbs?
No. Frank Silva, who plays BOB, says the name is Lynch's
tribute to Bob's Big Boy, the place where he had the same
lunch every day for years (from an interview in Film Threat
magazine, October '92 issue--see question P2).
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E21. Who/what is Diane?
The shooting script of FWWM (see question F5) contains a
scene in FBI headquarters with Cooper standing in an office
doorway conversing with Diane, implying she is some sort of
office administrator or secretary. (The scene is written
such that the audience never sees nor hears Diane.)
During the first season, gossip columnist Liz Smith reported
that Carol Lynley ("The Poseidon Adventure") had been signed
to play Diane in the second season, but this never happened.
From the scene in FWWM, we can assume that Lynch wanted to
maintain the air of mystery about her.
Before this was revealed, however, many viewers speculated
that Diane was: an "alter ego" of Cooper's, his wife, or his
name for the tape recorder.
With the commercial release of the audio tape "Diane ... The
Twin Peaks Tapes of Agent Cooper" (for which Kyle MacLachlan
won a Grammy, incidentally) and the book "The Autobiography
of FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper: My Life, My Tapes", we
were given further background into Cooper's special form of
note taking (see questions P1 and P2 for more info on these
products):
"Autobiography" entry for January 10, 1978:
"Diane, I hope that you will not mind that I address
these tapes to you even when it is clear that I am
talking to myself. The knowledge that someone of your
insight is standing behind me is comforting."
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E22. Does Kyle MacLachlan really like cherry pie?
No. He told the British press he "HATES cherry pie--always
has, always will."
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E23. Weren't Kyle MacLachlan and Lara Flynn Boyle dating?
Yes, although it did not last. According to one supermarket
tabloid:
"They'd sneak off into the woods for long kisses and
watch the moon and the stars at night after a long
day's shoot," says a "Twin Peaks" insider.
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E24. How did they do the funny voices in the Red Room
scenes?
1. The actors memorized their lines backwards (the question
remains how the actors achieved this: whether they listened
to recordings of the lines played backwards to get a
"phonetic" version, or simply read the lines as printed
backwards as best they could for a "literal" version--there
are different scenes/actors where it sounds like different
methods were used).
2. The scenes were acted out backwards with the actors
saying the backwards lines with the film cameras running
backwards.
3. The resulting footage was shown forward, reversing
everything and giving both the strange quality of movement
and the distorted speech.
If the imitation of the backward speech had been good
enough, then we would have heard the original lines. As it
was, subtitles were added because of intelligibility
problems.
Michael Anderson, the MFAP, already had the ability to do
this before TP, and helped coach the others on the process:
Actually, I did say the lines backwards and believe it
or not, unbeknownst to David Lynch, speaking backwards
was a skill that I had learned in junior high, you know
like tag names and secret codes, speaking words in an
exact phonetic reversal was something we did. When
David asked me to learn the lines backwards, he had
made elaborate preparations to teach me the lines in a
sound studio. When he found out how easy it was for me
to speak backwards he started adding lines and having
me teach lines to other actors, etc. By the way, the
effect is something I can reproduce on my home studio
if you're interested.
(From private e-mail with Peter Moore,
pt@chaff.demon.co.uk)
Indeed, Michael offers personalized answering machine tapes
(see question P2).
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E25. What are the words to Mike (the one-armed man)'s poem?
According to the shooting script of episode 2, it is:
Through the darkness of future past
the magician longs to see
one chance out between two worlds
'Fire walk with me.'
However, the closed caption subtitles for the episode use
the word "chants" instead of "chance", igniting a
long-standing, never-resolved debate:
- "chance" implies there is only one way or method to escape
from "between two worlds".
- 'chants' is supported by both the Convenience Store scene
and Laura's dream/vision in FWWM, where recital of the
phrase is followed by passage to the Red Room.
Brad Smith (a07850@giant.rsoft.bc.ca) attended the '93 Fan
Festival (see question P8 for the address for Fan Festival
info) and had the opportunity to ask Al Strobel (actor who
played Mike) about this:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
When I was at the TPFF 93, I asked Al Strobel about
chants/chance. He said that he got the poem from David
Lynch's handwritten notes and it was chants. This would
seem to indicate that DL's intention was chants.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
This is further supported by an appearance of the poem,
using "chants", in David Lynch's photography book, "Images"
(see question P1).
However, because of the conflicting written versions, and
because both words help support peoples' different
interpretations of Lodge events, it is unlikely this will
ever be resolved to everyone's satisfaction.
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E26. Who was in the woods with Leo (episode 2)?
This is another detail that will probably never be resolved
conclusively, but given his drug running connection with
Leo, a good bet is that it was Jacques.
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E27. What happened to "Invitation to Love"?
The ITL soap opera spoof that appeared in most first season
episodes disappeared in the second season.
One of TP's writers, Harley Peyton, revealed: "It's just so
hard to try and get these stories straight and it finally
became too much. At one point, we were toying with the lead
actors [from ITL] coming to town but we were really never
able to go through with that. We shot a lot of that stuff
but whenever we were looking to edit our shows down to
running time, those ITL segments were always the first to
go."
Some viewers thought that hidden clues were embedded in the
ITL snippets or that the actions of the ITL actors were
mimicking the actions of the TP characters. These are only
speculation, however.
For a comprehensive discussion and episode guide to ITL, see
issue #6 of the "Wrapped in Plastic" magazine.
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E28. Who is the dwarf?
It would appear he is the 'embodiment' of Mike/Gerard's left
arm and as such, is a link to the old Mike that hunted with
BOB.
In the credits he is listed as "The Man From Another Place"
(perhaps a reference to the remarks he makes in the dream
sequence: "Where we're from, the birds sing a pretty song,
and there's always music in the air.")
[from episode 3] Cooper: "I got a phone call from a
one-armed man named Mike. The killer's name was BOB. ...
They lived above a convenience store. They had a tattoo:
Fire Walk With Me. Mike couldn't stand the killing anymore,
so he cut off his arm."
[from episode 6] Mike: "We once were partners. ... Oh, but
then ... I saw the face of God ... and was purified. I took
off the arm, but remained, close to this vessel, inhabiting
from time to time, for ONE SINGLE PURPOSE: TO STOP HIM!
[BOB]".
In FWWM he says: "I am the arm", and at the end he gets up
and stands beside Mike where the arm would have been and
touches him on the shoulder. In unison they say: "BOB, I
want all my garmonbozia (pain and suffering)".
Speculation and debate on his actions, function, and what he
"represents" continue, as with all of the supernatural
aspects of TP.
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E29. Wasn't the Giant on "Star Trek"? Didn't the Giant play
Lurch?
Yes, he is Carel Struycken, who played Mr. Homm, Deanna
Troi's mother's personal assistant. He did not play Lurch
on the Addams Family TV series, but he did play Lurch in the
Addams Family movies.
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E30. Who was standing outside the window while Josie seduced
Harry (episode 11)?
No definitive answer, but it probably was Jonathan, the
Oriental man who comes to take Josie back to Hong Kong.
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E31. What did Maddy see in the carpet (episode 8)?
The bloodstain her murder would later leave.
When the episode aired in Europe, the scene of Maddy looking
down at the rug and seeing the bloodstain was slightly
different than in the original US broadcast. It was said
that she saw an image of BOB in the stain. This is
confirmed in the Japanese laserdisc release where the
superimposed image of BOB comes rippling into view over the
stain. However, both the Bravo rebroadcast of this episode
and the videotape release of this episode do NOT show an
image of BOB in the stain. This is apparently only in the
foreign-released versions.
It has been stated that the original intent was to show an
image of BOB "sculpted" into the carpet. When this effect
could not be completed in time for the original broadcast,
it was abandoned, prompting the switch to blood. Apparently
with the foreign release, they returned to the idea of
showing BOB's image.
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E32. What did the "creamed corn kid" say (episode 9)?
"J'ai une a^me solitaire", which is French for "I have a
lonely soul". This was also the text of Harold Smith's
suicide note. As such, it is another instance of
foretelling, much like the Giant's words to Cooper.
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E33. Who played the "creamed corn kid"?
In the series, he is played by David Lynch's son, Austin
Jack Lynch. In FWWM, he is played by Jonathan L. Leppell.
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E34. What is the significance of the burning smell?
This is subject to debate, but the best guess is that it is
a sign that BOB has emerged and is nearby.
Dr. Jacoby said he smelled it the night Jacques was
murdered, as well as the night he was attacked in the park
(see question E47), and Maddy smelled it before she was
murdered.
In the final episode (#29), we learn that it is the same
smell as the stuff in the little pool in Glastonbury Grove
where there is a entrance to the Red Room.
In FWWM, when Philip Gerard/Mike (the one-armed man)
confronts Leland and Laura while in their car, Leland
purposely races the car engine to cover up the burning smell
that the confrontation is probably eliciting.
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E35. What is the significance of the white horse?
Another one subject to debate:
Some people speculated that it is a vision of Laura's pony,
described in her published "Secret Diary". However, the
diary states that her pony is "cinnamon red and deep brown"
not white.
Some people call it Sarah's drug-induced hallucination,
because it appears when Leland drugs Sarah before molesting
Laura and before murdering Maddy. (Some further say it
represents the drug, heroin, for which "horse" is a slang
name.)
Some instead say it is an omen of death, taken from the Book
of Revelations 6:8 (King James Version):
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name
that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him.
Due to this passage, Death is frequently depicted as riding
a pale horse. The horse appears before both Laura's and
Maddy's murder.
The white horse is also a symbol of death in Teutonic
(Germanic) mythology.
This is further supported by the Log Lady introduction of
episode 14 (Maddy's death), written by Lynch (see question
G5):
"A poem as lovely as a tree:
As the night wind blows, the boughs move to and fro.
The rustling, the magic rustling that brings on the
dark dream.
The dream of suffering and pain.
Pain for the victim, pain for the inflicter of pain.
A circle of pain, a circle of suffering.
Woe to the ones who behold the pale horse."
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E36. What is the significance of "The owls are not what they
seem"?
This is one of the most difficult questions to answer. At
the simplest level, it is one of the things that the Giant
tells Cooper. The confirmation reveals that Major Briggs is
more important than we thought.
But owls appear throughout the series and seem to have a
greater significance.
The first appearance of owls is at the end of episode 4 when
James and Donna go to retrieve the necklace from the woods
where they buried it. An owl watches as they discover the
necklace is gone.
The next reference is by the Log Lady in episode 5 when
Cooper et al. visit her on the way to Jacques' cabin, and
she says "The owls won't see us in here."
The Giant's message that "the owls are not what they seem"
comes in episode 8 and is confirmed by Major Briggs' message
from the deep space monitors in episode 9 (in episode 19,
the messages are revealed to be from the woods, not deep
space).
Episode 9 also has Cooper's dream where an owl face is
superimposed over BOB's face.
An owl appears at the beginning of episode 12, preceding the
scene where Cooper rescues Audrey from One Eyed Jacks, and
again in episode 13 when he carries the rescued Audrey into
the Bookhouse.
In episode 14 (when Maddy gets murdered) the Log Lady says
"We don't know what will happen or when, but there are owls
in [sic] the Roadhouse", but we don't see any birds. Sr.
Droolcup, the Giant, and the Singer appear there, though,
which has led some to conclude that the owls are not
restricted to taking the shape of birds.
At the end of episode 16, after Leland's death, when Truman
wonders where BOB is now, we switch to the scene where the
camera is moving through the woods, close to the ground,
apparently at night, and the scene freezes and the episode
ends with the sudden appearance of an owl.
In episode 17 an owl appears in the woods while Cooper is
urinating and the Major disappears. In episode 19, Air
Force Colonel Riley specifically asks Cooper if he saw any
owls on the night Briggs disappeared. When the Major
reappears in episode 20, he mentions a memory of a giant owl
as the only thing he remembers clearly.
An owl is also watching when Leo wakes up and goes after
Shelly with an axe in episode 21.
In episode 24, the Log Lady says she heard an owl when her
husband died in the fire.
In episode 25, an owl flies around while Cooper, Truman,
Hawk, and Andy are inside Owl Cave. Andy's swinging his
axe at the owl causes his to strike the wall and find the
hidden pole.
In episode 26, we see an owl flying around the night sky
within the silhouette of the hooded figure.
In episode 29, Cooper sees an owl in the trees before he
enters the circle of sycamore trees.
From the article "Owlwise By Firelight" in the book "Welcome
to Twin Peaks: Access Guide to the Town", pp. 46-47 (see
question P1) [with a big picture of an owl swooping in,
taken from the series]:
"...Not dread but a connection with our past is what we
feel, a thread running back to the artless creatures we
once were when we first heard the oboe-like notes from
the Great Horned Owl. In Paleolithic times, we
suspected omens in its voice, heard in it questions we
were unable to articulate, but which have stayed within
us, incomplete and taunting. We are certain that
ancient, taloned bird sees what we do not, knows what
we never will. And some night, silent as a gliding
feather, its immensity will engulf us at fireside to
tell us things we want to know as well as those we
don't. In the shadowed forest we're pulled by that
lurking and alluring ghost and we are enthralled."
Owls also have a place in Native American mythology:
"In many tribes, the owl has a sinister meaning. In the
Northwest, the owl calls out names of men and women who
will die soon. Among the Sioux and the Hin-Han, the owl
guards the entrance to the Milky Way over which the
souls of the dead must pass to reach the Spirit Land.
Those who fail the owl's inspection because they do not
have the proper tattoo on their wrists or elsewhere are
thrown into a bottomless abyss."
From "American Indian Myths and Legends", edited by
Ortiz and Erdoes, pp 399-400.
Trevor Blake (house127@teleport.com) argues that the owl
symbolism is similar to that found in the "Communion" books:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
References to owls in Twin Peaks are readily understood
after reading "Communion" by Whitley Strieber.
"Communion" is a record of Strieber's 'elaborate personal
encounters with intelligent nonhuman beings.' These nonhuman
beings, referred to as the visitors, take Strieber away in
the night through the woods to a 'filthy' room and subject
him to sinister psychological/medical experiences. Strieber
later encounters the visitors in other environments and
learns they have been an invisibly influencing his entire
life, as well as the lives of many others. "Communion"
inspired a film of the same name and a sequel titled
"Transformation"; a third book in the series has been
announced, and elements of his encounters are found in his
novel "Majestic".
After the encounter that opens "Communion", Strieber writes:
"I awoke the morning of the twenty-seventh very much as
usual, but grappling with a distinct sense of unease
and a very improbable but intense memory of seeing a
barn owl staring at me through the window sometime
during the night."
As compelling as the memory is, he later understands it as a
'screen memory' to mask the trauma of his encounter with the
visitors.
These owls, therefore, are 'not what they seem' (TP episode
8); they are a mask worn by a sinister nonhuman being (TP 9,
14) when that visitor from another place takes someone away
(TP 17). Strieber encounters them in the woods (TP 4, 16,
19) although they are not of this planet (TP 9). Owls are
the only memory he has of the encounter (TP 20): later,
through hypnosis, Strieber is able to recall the entire
incident as well as other times the 'owls' have been
watching him (TP 4, 5, 21).
The unwholesome quality of Strieber's encounters in the
'filthy' room are similar in mood to many of the
otherworldly environments in TP and FWWM. He discovers
small wounds of unknown origin on his body, as do certain
characters in TP. After accepting his memories and
experiences as 'true' instead of imagined or the result of
madness, Strieber does not attribute them to either a purely
mundane source (UFO pilots took him away) or a purely
spiritual source (the visitors as modern-day fairies) but to
something incorporating both: TP likewise refused to be a
'science fiction' series or an 'occult' series,
incorporating elements from both.
"Communion" was published in 1987, three years before TP was
first broadcast. It was (and remains) tremendously popular.
The use of owls in TP reminded me of the owls in "Communion"
right away: by the time these owls were linked to messages
from outer space (TP 19) I knew "Communion" was an influence
on where the series was heading. I recommend "Communion" as
a good read in itself, but especially for those interested
in the source for ideas in Twin Peaks.
[I am the author of the article 'Barton Fink or Eraserhead?'
which appears on page 14 in issue six of Film Threat
magazine (October 1992) along with a TP episode guide and
preview of FWWM (see question P4).]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
If you accept second-hand information from outside the
actual episodes, one poster claimed that Bob Engels said the
owls are not inhabiting spirits like the Giant, but rather
witnesses (spies?) of important events for the inhabitants
of the Lodge.
This is another topic subject to discussion and debate for
years to come.
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E37. What happened to Josie (episode 23)?
It appears her soul was imprisoned in or escaped to the
wooden knob of the drawer in the nightstand next to the bed
in which she died at the Great Northern. How and why, no
one knows.
In Cooper's recap at the beginning of episode 24, he says
Josie possibly died "from fear". Later in that episode, Doc
Hayward says he can't find the cause of Josie's death, and
that her body weight was only 65 pounds.
Some think that the soul of the Log Lady's husband resides
in her log, and Josie is likewise somehow imprisoned in
wood. In episode 27, Pete is seen staring at the woodwork
in the Great Northern, saying he sees Josie's face.
Immediately preceding that scene, Ben hears something in his
office, turns around and is startled by something, but we
don't see what (see question E58). Some believe he may have
also seen Josie's face. This is speculation, however.
The last mention of her is in episode 28, when Cooper talks
to Truman about the night Josie died:
C: She was trembling with fear. I would go as far as to
say quaking like an animal. And I venture a guess to
say that it was the fear that killed her. At the
moment of her death, I saw BOB ... as if he had
slipped in through some crevice in time. Upon
reflection, I believe there's a connection between
his appearance and Josie's fear, as if he was
attracted to it ... feeding off it somehow.
T: You see a connection between BOB and the black lodge?
C: Harry, I think it's where he comes from. I think
that the Black Lodge is what you have referred to in
the past as "the evil in these woods." If Windom
Earle is seeking access to that, it is imperative
that we find our way in before he does. There's a
source of great power there, Harry. Far beyond our
ability to comprehend.
Taking the leap from Josie and BOB to BOB and the Black
Lodge, the story moves off to the Black Lodge and we are
left to contemplate if BOB has imprisoned Josie in the
wooden knob or ???
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E38. Were Cooper and Windom Earle playing a legitimate chess
game?
No. The writers messed up. According to TP writer and
producer Harley Peyton, Frost quickly lost interest in the
game and the rest of the writers plotted the moves with
sporadic advice from the "self-ordained chess experts" on
the set: "We weren't as exact as we should have been," he
said. "It became a pain in the ass."
The long-form episode guide/timeline (see question E4)
details each of the chess board configurations show in the
series.
For a detailed analysis of the chess game, see the cover
article in issue #4 of the TP magazine "Wrapped in Plastic".
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E39. What are the fictional/mythological meanings of the
dugpas and the lodges?
Fiction: In 1926, Talbot Mundy published an adventure
fantasy called "The Devil's Guard" (also published as
"Ramsden") which featured dugpas and Black and White lodges
very similar to those described by Windom Earle in the
series. See issue #3 of the TP magazine "Wrapped in
Plastic" (see question P4) for an extended discussion of
this book.
Fact: there was a sect of Tibetan Buddhists called dugpas.
From Christmas Humphrey's "Buddhism", the chapter on Tibetan
Buddhism, "History of Lamaism" section, p. 190 in the
Pelican (British company) paperback edition:
"Before the seventh century, the sole religion of Tibet
was the Bon [umlaut omitted by me] ... These Bonpas,
however, must not be confused with Dugpas, who are
members of the Dugpa sect [of Tibetan Buddhism],
founded in upper Tibet in the twelfth century by a
spiritual descendant of Milarepa. The sect being
'Red-hats', as distinct from the 'Yellow-hats' of the
later Reformation, and, having degenerated into Bon
practices, have come to be synonymous with Bonpas, and
black magicians."
It is interesting to note that the Dalai Lama is spiritual
head of the Yellow-hats, and that Red is the color of the
Waiting Room and the MFAP's clothing.
Helen Petrovich Blavatsky, one of the the founders of
Theosophy, is probably the source of the idea of the White
Lodge. She wrote of the Great White Lodge, a group of
spiritual masters or adepts who guided mankind's spiritual
evolution (in positive directions). There is further
evidence for this origin in Mark Frost's recent novel "The
List of 7", in which Madame Blavatsky plays a role (see
question M5).
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E40. What is the connection between the Red Room, Black
Lodge, and White Lodge?
For some time, there was great controversy on whether the
Red Room represented either of the Lodges, was the "waiting
room" for a Lodge, or something else entirely. Even the two
authors of this FAQ disagree on this one!
Here are 3 comments (Jim's, Rich's, and David Lynch's):
--------------------
Jim thinks there are two things that SUGGEST that the Red
Room is the Black Lodge:
1) In episode 29, Windom Earle tells Col. Briggs (through
Sarah Palmer) that "I'm in the Black Lodge with Dale Cooper.
I'm waiting for you."
2) In the shooting script for FWWM, the final Red Room scene
is set, according to Lynch, in the "Red Room/Black Lodge".
--------------------
Rich rejects that, here is his opinion:
The Black and White Lodges are one and the same and it is
the person's frame of mind that determines whether he is in
one or the other. As Milton wrote in Paradise Lost:
"The mind is its own place, and in itself
Can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven."
According to Hawk (in episode 18):
Hawk: Cooper, you may be fearless in this world, but there
are other worlds.
Cooper: Tell me more.
Hawk: My people believe that the White Lodge is a place
where the spirits that rule man and nature here
reside.
Truman: Local legend. Goes way back.
Hawk: There is also a legend of a place called the Black
Lodge ... the shadow-self of the White Lodge. The
legend says that every spirit must pass through
there on the way to perfection. There, you will
meet your own shadow-self. My people call it "The
Dweller on the Threshold."
Cooper: "The Dweller on the Threshold..."
Hawk: But it is said, if you confront the Black Lodge with
imperfect courage, it will utterly annihilate your
soul." (see question E43 for more about the
"Dweller".)
According to Windom Earle (in episode 26):
"Once upon a time, there was a place of great goodness,
called the White Lodge. Gentle fawns gamboled there
amidst happy, laughing spirits. The sounds of
innocence and joy filled the air. And when it rained,
it rained sweet nectar that infused one's heart with a
desire to live life in truth and beauty.
"Generally speaking, a ghastly place, reeking of
virtue's sour smell. Engorged with the whispered
prayers of kneeling mothers, mewling newborns, and
fools, young and old, compelled to do good without
reason. Heh-heh!
"But, I am happy to point out that our story does not
end in this wretched place of saccharine excess. For
there's another place, its opposite: a place of almost
unimaginable power, chock full of dark forces and
vicious secrets. No prayers dare enter this frightful
maw. Spirits there care not for good deeds or priestly
invocations; they are as like to rip the flesh from
your bone as greet you with a happy "Good day!"
"And if harnessed, these spirits in this hidden land of
unmuffled screams and broken hearts would offer up a
power so vast that its bearer might reorder the earth
itself--to his liking! Now! This place I speak of--is
known as the Black Lodge. And I intend to find it."
Also, see Major Briggs comments below in question E44.
--------------------
Lynch has said HE doesn't know what the Red Room is (from a
German movie magazine):
Everyone wants to know, what the "red room" in "Twin
Peaks" stands for, which also appears in the movie
again. I don't know that exactly myself. I can
remember well, when I had this idea, but I don't know
why. Looking at it from a rational point of view, I
know I have used a similar pattern like that on the
floor in "Eraserhead" before. Everything else,
however, was a pure matter of inspiration: the red
curtains, the stylized design, the dancing dwarf.
Even if I wanted to, I couldn't describe what they
mean, for intuition is irrational. The difference
between reality and fantasy has never been clear to me
anyway. I'll probably be very surprised, when I find
out, what it really is, some day.
--------------------
For further ideas and discussions, see the annotated episode
29 timeline, which incorporates comments from
alt.tv.twin-peaks posted at the time the series finale was
first broadcast. This was compiled by Jim Pellmann.
(There will be an analogous annotated timeline for FWWM
someday, with further discussion on the Red Room and Lodges,
from postings made at the time FWWM was released
theatrically. Stay tuned. --Jim)
------------------------------------------------------------
E41. Did Major Briggs go to the White Lodge?
Most likely. Evidence includes the dream he recounts to
Bobby and the shot of him on a throne in a jungle that we
see at the beginning of episode 20, as well as the
reluctance of Air Force Colonel Riley to talk about the
White Lodge in episode 19.
TOP of section
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E42. Who spoke through Sarah Palmer to Major Briggs (episode
29)?
According to those with closed caption TV sets, the
strangely garbled speech was the "Voice of Windom Earle".
TOP of section
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E43. What is a doppelganger?
Literally, a 'double walker' (German).
One definition of doppelganger (and the earliest on record)
is "one who has seen himself". Such an experience was taken
as an ill omen, namely one of impending death. One
doppelganger tradition has it that when the doppelganger
meets the person, they mutually annihilate each other. In
TP, it would appear that the doppelgangers are the
embodiment of the 'dark side' of one's personality, the
accumulation of all his/her bad karma. Such a thing, called
the Dweller on the Threshold, was supposed to confront the
initiate on the 'astral plane' as a force to be overcome
(c.f., Hawk's speech in episode 18). The expression
'Dweller on the Threshold' first appears in Bulwer-Lytton's
novel "Zanoni".
For further ideas and discussions, see the annotated episode
29 timeline, which incorporates comments from
alt.tv.twin-peaks posted at the time the series finale was
first broadcast. This was compiled by Jim Pellmann.
TOP of section
------------------------------------------------------------
E44. What happened to Cooper in the Black Lodge?
There are probably as many interpretations as there are
viewers of the finale! We couldn't possibly summarize them
all here.
For further ideas and discussions, see the annotated episode
29 timeline, which incorporates comments from
alt.tv.twin-peaks posted at the time the series finale was
first broadcast. This was compiled by Jim Pellmann.
Here is Rich's interpretation:
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
He split into a good Cooper and bad Cooper (doppelganger)
because he confronted the Black Lodge with "imperfect
courage". Good Cooper is trapped in the Lodge while bad
Cooper took his place in the outside world. However, this
is not all bad since apparently it is the presence of Good
Cooper in the Lodge that enables Laura to make the
transition from 'purgatory' (the waiting room) to 'heaven'
(the White Lodge) at the end of FWWM.
Major Briggs (episode 17): "There are powerful forces of
evil in the world. It is some men's fate to face great
darkness. We each choose how to react. If the choice is
fear, then we become vulnerable to darkness. There are ways
to resist. You, sir, were blessed with certain gifts. In
this respect, you are not alone. Have you ever heard of the
White Lodge?"
Hawk (episode 18): "But it is said, if you confront the
Black Lodge with imperfect courage, it will utterly
annihilate your soul."
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
While it is a commonly held interpreation that Cooper
somehow failed in his Black Lodge encounter, there are those
who disagree. Here is another take from Jeffery Stuart
(jeffers@sfu.ca):
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The reason why Coop is possessed by BOB is because while in
the Black Lodge, he allowed Windom Earle to stab him in the
heart (symbolism) and take his soul to allow Annie to live.
Coop gave his soul to Earle to save Annie Blackburn.
BOB appears, and claims that Earle is wrong--only BOB can
take a soul because only BOB has that type of evil power, he
is not mortal. BOB then consumes the soul of Windom Earle,
and the soul of Cooper. When Cooper offered up his soul,
Earle took it, but BOB is Earle's true master--and took both
souls from Earle. It is because Cooper gave his soul to
Earle, and thus to BOB, that he is possessed.
Cooper cannot "face" his doppleganger in the Black Lodge in
the same sense as he could in the White Lodge. What about
the chase scene? It has been interpreted in many ways, but
chief among all is that the Black Lodge, like the White
Lodge, are not places that exist in the physical world.
Rather, they are places where human souls and consiousnesses
meet and resolve their fates. In this sense, the chase does
not occupy a physical space or a retreat from his
doppleganger.
Remember, Cooper has already made his "pact with the devil"
to save Annie--his soul is already forfeited. He has
sacrificed his soul to save her, which takes a tremendous
amount of courage. The chase represents the last vestiges
of Cooper's soul and mind trying to resist his doppleganger.
This chase occurs within the mental theater of Cooper's
mind--the last vestiges of his decency flees from the
overpowering truth: that his soul has been forfeited to
evil.
Where others in the newsgroup like to use this chase and
supposed surrender to his evil doppleganger as illustrative
of Cooper's inner weakness or imperfection, I discard this
theory because it is completely inconsistent with Cooper's
character development. There is no reason, logical or
irrational, why Lynch and Frost would contradict Cooper's
development over 29 episodes.
We already know that Cooper is flawed, for his various
mistakes and the tragedy of what happened with Caroline. We
also know that he, better than anyone else knew what kind of
adversities he would face in the Black Lodge. This insight
was given to him through visions, otherworldly
communication, empirical observation, and intuition. In
short, he knew he would face tremendous evil, but he showed
his perfect courage by entering the lodge to save Annie. I
beleive that if he had imperfect courage, he would not have
entered in the first place.
Rather, I believe that Cooper showed ULTIMATE and PERFECT
courage in facing the enemy--he surrendered his soul for the
one he loved. This act of sacrifice is nothing short of
heroic. We all also know that any hero character must have
flaws, and made mistakes in the past. What makes a
character heroic is how they deal with adversity, and the
sacifices they are willing to make. Just as Major Garland
Briggs is the strong reflective center of reason in TP,
Cooper is the strong moral center of action.
If we take the flight of Cooper in the last episode as
representative of Cooper's lack of moral strength, then we
must discard the moral development of every episode--there
would be no more good or evil struggles if the hero of the
story was weak and unable to face his fears. Besides,
Cooper has proven he can well face down his fears throughout
almost every episode, why would he suddenly lose his moral
strength in the last episode?
The answer is, he didn't. I don't want to sound
egotistical, but I'm certain that had TP been allowed to
continue for another season, Lynch and Frost would have
resolved Cooper's dilemma through some involvement with the
White Lodge. Because in any dramatic universe (even that of
Lynch and Frost), when the hero makes a selfless act of
sacrifice in the name of love, a good end always results.
Tragedy may occur on the way, but Cooper is no ordinary man.
He is in a sense, the best humanity has to offer.
While Laura's strength allowed her to escape BOB's
possession by allowing herself to be killed (she talks about
it in her secret diary), Cooper has even greater strenth.
If TP had gone for just one more season, I belive that the
last vestiges of Cooper's mind would have been able to tap
into the power of the White Lodge, and free himself from
BOB--probably resulting in BOB's defeat and possible
destruction.
Remember, Cooper was given help from the Giant several
times, and like BOB, the Giant had a human host who appeared
at times in the Roadhouse and the Great Northern. Nor can
we discount the One-Armed Man who has sworn to stop BOB. To
put it plainly, there is just too much good in the world of
TP for Cooper's fate to be sealed. The White Lodge remains
untapped, and I beleve it would have appeared in future
episodes of TP. So all you optimists out there (there must
be some) take heart, because I'm almost sure that things
would have turned out right in the end. In a sense it has
to, or you might as well scrap the entire moral and dramatic
development of the series.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TOP of section
------------------------------------------------------------
E45. Is <character> dead?
Andrew: most likely, though remember, he was "dead" once
before :-)
Audrey: unlikely unless they needed to write her out. She
was one of the most popular characters. In the original
cliffhangers, characters escaped much worse predicaments
than hers.
Pete: Ditto and even less likely. A close friend of David
Lynch.
Ben: Not likely at all. The bloody forehead is a typical TP
'double' of Coop at the end. More likely he will wake up as
his bad old self like Nadine did.
Annie: Probably comatose rather than dead. She needs her
Prince to wake her up.
TOP of section
------------------------------------------------------------
E46. Will the story ever be continued?
It depends on who you talk to:
This is what David Lynch wrote in a guest article in a
German film magazine after FWWM was attacked by the critics
at Cannes: "But to prevent all errors: There won't be no
more [sic] "Twin Peaks" episodes, this is the end"
(translated from the German, hence the awkward English).
And in February '97, during a television interview with
David Lynch on CBC's TV5 L'Eurotele, he was asked whether he
would ever return to Twin Peaks, and he replied: "Anything
is possible but some very very strange things would have to
happen. I don't think so."
On the other hand, Bob Engels, writer (TP series and FWWM)
and executive story editor (TP series) has been quoted as
saying there would be a sequel if FWWM made enough money,
but not for a couple of years due to other projects. How
much is 'enough'? FWWM was not a box office smash, but it
apparently did make money, especially overseas.
In a question and answer session, Mark Frost said:
Q: Would it be possible to continue the story now? How
about a wrap-up movie?
A: It's extremely unlikely. The sets have been dismantled
and there's just no source of financing for it. "We could
have definitely resolved many of the loose ends in a few
more hours." It would also be hard to get the actors
together again. "Maybe we can do 'Twin Peaks 50 Years
Later' and have all these really old high school students."
[Laughter]
Q: How about continuing the story in a book?
A: At one point, I planned to do a "James Michener-style
book on the history of Twin Peaks back to the time of the
geological forming of the peaks" but it never came about.
Best bet? The longer time goes by, the more likely it is
that Lynch might change his mind, but the harder it will be
to put together the original cast. What we might see is a
mini-series version of FWWM restoring the 90 or so minutes
of footage that was cut and maybe adding some. Then, if
that flies, perhaps some sort of sequel. Cross your fingers
and toes and tell all your friends to buy the TP tapes and
laserdiscs!
TOP of section
------------------------------------------------------------
E47. Who attacked Dr. Jacoby (episode 7)?
One of the points not explicitly resolved in the series is
who attacked Dr. Jacoby from behind while he was spying on
Maddy (dressed as Laura) in the park.
In the book "Twin Peaks: Behind the Scenes" by Mark Altman
(see question P1), Altman states in a footnote to his
episode 7 synopsis:
"The assailant who attacks Dr. Jacoby was never
revealed on the show, but it was indeed Leland
possessed by BOB, according to Mark Frost. He sees
Maddy leaving the house and follows her. Fearing that
Jacoby is going to attack her, he strikes the doctor
and is forced to leave when James and Donna arrive."
This is also confirmed in episode 10, when Jacoby is
hypnotized by Cooper in order to find out the identity of
the killer of Jacques Renault. Cooper mentions the smell or
scorched oil, which Jacoby had smelled at the hospital. At
the mention of the smell, Jacoby says that he smelled the
oil at the gazebo just before he was attacked. Since we
later learn that the burning smell is associated with
Leland/BOB (see question E34), this is another clue that
Leland/BOB attacked Jacoby.
TOP of section
------------------------------------------------------------
E48. Is it really possible for someone's hair to turn
completely white overnight, like Leland's (episode 8)?
This has been discussed repeatedly in the alt.tv.twin-peaks
newsgroup, and while there are many stories of "friends of
friends" and "relatives of mine" to whom this has happened,
these are apparently "urban legends".
There is no medical or scientific proof of this being
possible: while it is possible for all of one's hair to
rapidly fall out (due to various factors) or for all of
one's hair to rapidly change color, it would take a normal
hair growth cycle, i.e., several weeks, for new hair,
whether the same or a different color, to grow back and/or
grow out.
So this would appear to be another case of Twin Peaks
writers' appropriating legends from other sources (see
question E16). There may have been, however, a
cinematographic reason behind this:
From: David.Vinson@launchpad.unc.edu (david eugene
vinson)
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks
Subject: UNCONNECTED THOUGHTS
Date: 17 Feb 1994 22:29:45 GMT
...
2) I have a cousin in Tacoma who says that Ray Wise did
an interview with some area newspaper in which he
claimed that Leland's hair was turned white
specifically for the contrast that would be created by
all of the blood letting during both Maddy's and his
own murder scene. Anybody else heard this? Red on white
IS striking.
TOP of section
------------------------------------------------------------
E49. What is the significance of the traffic lights?
A recurring image shown between scenes (like the shot of the
wind blowing through the trees) is of a stoplight cycling
through its colors. When the series was first broadcast,
many speculated that the placement of these scenes was
somehow related to the story and foreshadowed or replicated
the plot of the preceding or following scenes.
No one has yet come up with a scheme which fits all the
occurrences, so we can only assume they were added for
atmosphere:
From: jxs@dcs.ed.ac.uk (Joseph Saponaro)
Subject: Re: Comments on the series.
Organization: Department of Computer Science,
University of Edinburgh
Date: Thu, 20 Oct 1994 16:26:29 GMT
The stop lights... hmm.. That seemed to be a very
profound (and much misunderstood/commercialized)
recurring image. I seem to see it as, besides a very
nice, powerful, clear reference point/visual image,
a symbol of lonliness.... A lot of the series is about
very cosmic-style conflict and here is this image
which generates this idea of an individual out there,
where a street light changes all by itself in the
middle of the night.
I noticed that at least a few of the times that this
image appeared is immediately after some scene in which
a character is perceived as lonely, lost, helpless,
struggling.... Also, I believe that the light itself
is located on Sparkwood and 21, where a critical event
of the story takes place (Laura runs from James into
the woods on the night of her death).
It truly is a marvellous image.
One fan called the stoplights and wind in the trees "visual
haiku" - a neat image that for some reason sticks in your
head but doesn't really further the plot, story, etc. just a
cool/spooky/fascinating image.
TOP of section
------------------------------------------------------------
E50. What is the significance of the various townspeople's
shaking hands (episode 27)?
There are three theories, possibly related:
1) The hand shakes are a precursor to the appearance of BOB
at the end of the episode (spotlight in Glastonberry Grove,
appearance of a hand, followed by BOB himself, saying "I'm
out!"). BOB's hand also shakes when the one-armed man and
the LMFAP demand their garmonbozia from him near the end of
FWWM.
2) Some relation to Teresa Banks' and Laura's left arms
going numb in FWWM, although the episode 27 hand shakes are
*right* hands. It would also appear that FWWM arm numbness
is related to the "owl" ring, which is not shown in the
series.
3) Cafeine withdrawal:
From: Atreyu <atreyu@gladstone.uoregon.edu>
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks
Subject: Re: Hand Seizures
Date: Sun, 21 May 1995 21:50:03 -0700
Were any of you paying attention? I'll set it to you
direct from the show.
1. The show equates engine oil with coffee.
2. There was something odd about the river - don't
recall who says it.
3. All people who get the hand shakes were drinking
coffee during or prior to the experience.
In other words - coffee is our own personal engine oil.
We need it to keep from rattling. And when we get
"low quality coffee" we get the jitters, shakes and
rattles.
No idea what it means, but ...
TOP of section
------------------------------------------------------------
E51. What awards did the show win?
From the Oct. 13, 1990 TV Guide "Cheers 'n' Jeers" section:
Jeers to the Twin Peaks Emmy shutout. After receiving
14 nominations--the most for any series--ABC's quirky
Gothic soap opera won only two non-televised awards,
for editing and costume design. Okay, maybe the Peaks
hype was getting a little out of hand: the media have
dutifully transcribed every utterance of co-creator
David Lynch (pictured) as if he were some modern-day
oracle, and the recent wave of merchandising tie-ins
smacks of a sellout. But the show itself has set new
standards of writing and directing and those are
certainly deserving of Emmy recognition.
And the show won three Golden Globe Awards in January '91:
- best dramatic series
- best dramatic actor (Kyle MacLachlan)
- best supporting actress (Piper Laurie)
TOP of section
------------------------------------------------------------
E52. Who is the author of/what at the words to Windom
Earle's poem?
Date: Wed, 17 May 1995 10:36:54 +0800 (WST)
From: Sandra Bowdler <sbowdler@uniwa.uwa.edu.au>
Subject: Windom Earle's poem
Windom Earle's poem to the three queens is by Percy Bysshe
Shelley, written in 1820. He does not quote it quite
accurately. Here is the full version:
"Love's Philosophy"
The fountains mingle with the river,
And the rivers with the ocean,
The winds of heaven mix for ever
With a sweet emotion;
Nothing in the world is single;
All things by a law divine
In one another's being mingle -
Why not I with thine?
See the mountains kiss high heaven,
And the waves kiss one another;
No sister flower would be forgiven
If it disdained its brother:
And the sunlight clasps the earth,
And the moonbeams kiss the sea;-
What are all the kissings worth,
If thou kiss not me?
TOP of section
------------------------------------------------------------
E53. Which TP actors have appeared on "X-Files"?
This info courtesy of Annisa (annisa@aol.com):
The major reasons why TP actors keep showing up on X-Files
are proximity and geography. X-Files shoots in Vancouver; TP
was shot in Washington state, a mere stone's throw away from
Vancouver. They used the same pool of actors who live in
that part of the world.
Here's the list of TP actors who have appeared on X-Files:
Actor/X-F Character (Ep)/TP Character
1. David Duchovny/Fox Mulder/Denise and Dennis Bryson
2. Claire Stansfield/Beastwoman (Jersey Devil)/Sid, the law
clerk
3. Jan D’arcy/Judge (Squeeze)/Sylvia Horne
4. Michael Horse/Officer Tskany (Shapes)/Deputy Hawk
5. Michael Anderson/Mr. Nutt (Humbug)/LMFAP
6. Don Davis/Capt. William Scully (One Breath, Beyond The
Sea)/Major Garland Briggs
7. Frances Bay/Dorothy (Excelsius Dei)/Mrs. Tremond
8. Kenneth Welsh/Millenium Man AKA Simon Gates(Revelations)/
Windom Earle
9. Richard Beymer/<character TBS>(Sanguinarium)/Ben Horne
TOP of section
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E54. In which TP episodes did David Duchovny appear?
Transvestite DEA Agent Dennis/Denise Bryson appears in
episodes 18-20.
TOP of section
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E55. Will there ever be an "X-Files" "crossover" episode
about TP?
There have been rumors floating about this for years, but
Chris Carter (creator of X-Files) confirmed that there is no
truth to the rumors (although he is a fan of TP).
There is some X-Files/TP "crossover" fan fiction available
in the archives.
------------------------------------------------------------
E56. What is the significance of the numbers on Hank's
dominos?
For most of the episodes, Hank's symbol is a double three
domino. However, in episode 15, when Hank is at a
restaurant with Norma, Norma's mother and Ernie, Hank's bolo
tie has a double four domino.
Some people speculated that this change had something to do
with the number of people he has killed.
But the explanation is simply that the double three domino
prop was lost, and another was used.
TOP of section
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E57. What is the shadow floating on the curtains in the
Red Room during Cooper's dream (episode 2)?
According to the shooting script for episode 2, it is the
shadow of a bird.
TOP of section
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E58. What does Ben see behind him that startles him (episode
27)?
During episode 27, Ben is talking to Audrey in his office,
asking her to enter the Miss Twin Peaks contest so she can
speak about his cause. He mentions that Jack had to leave
suddenly to fly to South America, so she takes off, getting
Pete, who is babbling about seeing Josie's face, to drive
her to the airport. Back in Ben's office, he hears
something behind him and looks backwark, but we do not get
to see what he has seen.
Some have speculated that he has seen or felt the presence
of Josie, based on Pete's comment, made just prior to the
scene (see question E37). However, this is another of the
questions that will never be answered. And so far, a
shooting script of this episode has not been checked for
possible answers.
------------------------------------------------------------
E59. Did the idea for TP come from the "Dallas" nighttime
soap opera?
On an episode of the nighttime soap opera "Dallas", Bobby
meets a man who starts taking about an idea he's had for a
TV show. He mentions a lady with a log and an one-armed
dwarf. After this the man disappears never to be seen
again.
Some people have wondered if this was the real inspiration
for "Twin Peaks", since "Dallas" was on the air long before
"Twin Peaks" was. While it's true "Dallas" started before
"Twin Peaks" did, its initial run lasted well into the time
when "Twin Peaks" started airing. This reference was just a
sly homage to the "other" nighttime soap opera on the air.
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E60. What are the "stitches with the red thread"?
In the "European" version of the pilot episode (see question
E10), during Cooper's call from the One-Armed Man, he
mentions that he knows about Teresa Banks, knows the man who
did her, and knows about "the stitches with the red thread."
This is never mentioned again in the series or in "Fire Walk
With Me". Some have suggested a connection to the threads
of Lil's dress in the airport "coded message" scene of "Fire
Walk With Me" (see question F12), but this seems unlikely
since the treads in the dress are not red.
Since this scene was written way before "Fire Walk With Me",
it is likely that it was only meant to be some detail of the
Teresa Banks murder that would "prove" to Cooper that the
caller was familiar with it, and thus his "tip" was
credible.
When the sequence of scenes in the "European" pilot were
incorporated into Cooper's dream sequence in episode 2, the
call with the One-Armed Man was left out, so it was probably
deemed unnecessary to include anything about stitches into
"Fire Walk With Me".
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E61. What happened to Cooper in Pittsburgh?
During the scene where BOB "confesses" to Cooper through
Leland, BOB taunts Cooper:
"I have this thing for knives ... just like what
happened to you in Pittsburgh that time, huh, Cooper?"
This takes Cooper back, since no one in Twin Peaks should
have had knowledge of Cooper's traumatic incident in
Pittsburgh.
BOB is referring to Cooper's prior experiences with Windom
Earle and his wife, Caroline. Both Cooper and Caroline were
stabbed by Earle (a scene which Cooper encounters in the red
room in the series' final episode). Cooper tells part of
the story to Sheriff Truman in later episodes, but for the
complete story, see Cooper's "My Life, My Tapes"
autobiography (see question P1 for details on the book).
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E62. What does the Giant mean by "one and the same"?
In the final episode (#29), Cooper encounters the Little Man
From Another Place, the old waiter ("Sen~or Droolcup"), and
the Giant, all in the red room. At one point, after the old
waiter has given him his cup of coffe, he is suddenly
replaced by the Giant, who says "one and the same" as he
returns to his seat next to the LMFAP.
Not surprisingly, fans disagree on what this means:
- the Giant and the old waiter are "one and the same"?
- the LMFAP and the old waiter are "one and the same"?
- the LMFAP and the Giant are "one and the same"?
Theories to support all 3 theories have been argued
passionately in the alt.tv.twin-peaks newsgroup, and this
is yet another subject that will probably never be resolved
to everyone's satisfaction.
As Alan Walworth (awalwort@ux7.cso.uiuc.edu) posted:
"It continues to surprise me that people would want to
insist on a single, *right* interpretation--especially
in the case of Twin Peaks, of all shows. The 'one and
the same' moment is fraught with tantalizing (and, yes,
for those who think it important, I would also maintain
*intentional*) ambiguity. The very amount of time and
energy which has been devoted to debate about this line
attests to its open-endedness. On this point, as on so
many others regarding this show, our views will not and
need not ever be "one and the same."
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E63. Did the Black Lodge lure Cooper to Twin Peaks?
A long-running discussion on the alt.tv.twin-peaks newsgroup
centers around the idea that the Black Lodge inhabitants
used the murder of Laura Palmer to lure Agent Cooper to Twin
Peaks so they could capture and use him, and whether in the
third season, BOB-inhabited Cooper would become the "true
villain" of the show. Some have even speculated that Annie
was sent as an agent of either the Black Lodge or White
Lodge to make Cooper more vulnerable, supported by the fact
that Annie seems to have escaped from the Red Room
unscathed.
Did the show's writers have this mind? From some e-mail
correspondence between a newsgroup reader and Harley
Peyton, one of the show's writers, here are Peyton's
replies to this theory, and some comments on how far in
advance the show's plots were planned:
Annie's disposition was an issue that we would have
addressed in the eventuality of a third season. This
is how we tended to handle a lot of plot cliffhangers
-- set them up, figure them out later. It's not
necessarily the best way to shape a narrative, but
given the chaotic state of the creative process --
David's sudden entrances and exits, Mark Frost's desire
to direct a movie at that point in time -- it was the
best we could do.
As for [Bob being after Cooper from the start of
the show] ...
First, Cooper was never to be the 'true villain' of the
show. Nor was Bob trying to get to him from the very
start. And at any rate, the way we wrote -- we made it
up as we went along -- made it impossible to ever
project that far into the narrative future. Cooper
looks in the mirror and sees Bob -- it's a dramatic
moment, and one that was decided on in the last weeks
of production. [This] theory is therefore hindsight,
and as I said before, incorrect.
The notion that evil follows Cooper is not completely
erroneous. And by falling for Annie he did in fact
place her in jeopardy. However, Cooper's love for
Annie did not give him purity he did not already
have. It did, however, give him a second chance.
The speculation about Annie is interesting, but again,
incorrect. Sad to say, Annie was -- at least when the
character was initially conceived -- a damsel in
distress. And not a great deal more than that.
However, had the show continued, we might have deepened
her connections/past/significance, etc. And she might
well have become an Agent from the White Lodge -- it's
a very good idea. But as it stood, and given that we
never had that third season to continue, she was out of
neither the Black nor the White Lodge.
The [notion that fans' speculations on the characters'
history and motives are equally as interesting as the
writers' intent] is absolutely spot on. Once we made
or wrote something, it was out of our hands. And the
incredible amount of speculation that followed was --
and is -- in my opinion, every bit as valid as what
appeared on the screen. And let me reiterate one
point, the writers were often speculating right along
with the audience, and in this way, many of the
characters evolved into more complex creations. And
sometimes, it just seemed to blossom out of nothing.
We would take character names from movies we liked,
join them together, and others would take those names
as some kind of sign. And would then speculate and
ruminate on the various implied meanings. Sometimes a
cigar is just a cigar. But most of the time...
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