Subject: clues have not been much help
From: nolty@kastor (Bob Nolty)
Date: 1990-11-14, 14:32
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks

Agent Cooper gets a lot of clues, but most of them haven't really been any
help in solving the crime -- usually we don't understand the clue until
after the investigation turns up a fact anyway, it makes the show more fun
but doesn't speed the investigation.  Here is my inventory of supernaturally-
obtained clues -- this is off the top of my head, you guys can add to it.

HITTING BOTTLE WHEN DR. JACOBI'S NAME WAS CALLED -- didn't lead anywhere.

BREAKING BOTTLE WHEN LEO JOHNSON'S NAME WAS CALLED -- didn't really lead
anywhere, except to a visit and the now-classic exchange,
    COOPER:  Did you know Laura Palmer?
    LEO:  No.
    COOPER:  How long did you know her?
At one point, when talking to Diane, Cooper referred to Leo as "the person
I think is responsible for Laura Palmer's murder", so if anything this clue
was counter-productive.

MIKE: "...FIRE WALK WITH ME..." hasn't really led anywhere, but does establish
that MIKE knows things the general public might not know about the murder.

MIKE: "...CONVENIENCE STORE.  WE LIVED ABOVE ONE." was true of Bob Lydecker's
(not BOB'S) office.  No help, really (they found Waldo by other means).

BOB: "YOU MAY THINK I'VE GONE INSANE, BUT I PROMISE YOU I WILL KILL AGAIN."
fulfilled, but Cooper did nothing with it.

RED DRAPES -- this was the one helpful clue.  Cooper recognized the drapes
in a photo of Jacques' cabin -- they would surely have gone there sooner or
later, but with this clue it was sooner.

MFAP: "THAT GUM YOU LIKE IS GOING TO COME BACK IN STYLE." -- As far as I can
remember, this has no reference to anything, anytime, ever.  (Did I miss
something?)

MFAP: "DOESN'T SHE LOOK ALMOST EXACTLY LIKE LAURA PALMER" -- true but so what?

MFAP: "SHE'S FULL OF SECRETS" -- true but so what?

DREAM LAURA: "SOMETIMES MY ARMS BEND BACK" -- revealed by ordinary 
investigation.

GIANT: "A MAN IN A SMILING BAG" -- Seen during ordinary investigation.

GIANT: "THE OWLS ARE NOT WHAT THEY SEEM" -- A lot has been made of this, but
nothing has come of it.

GIANT: "HE POINTS WITHOUT CHEMICALS" -- Led to the arrest of Benjamin, which
may or may not have been a step in the right direction.

LL: "THERE ARE OWLS IN THE ROADHOUSE"; GIANT: "IT'S HAPPENING AGAIN." -- yes
but Cooper doesn't know where, so doesn't seem to be moving to stop it.