Subject: Renault's speech
From: webb@CS.CMU.EDU (Jon Webb)
Date: 1991-01-22, 07:25
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks

I consider Jean Renault's speech to Cooper, just before he died, to be
extremely significant.  He said, before Cooper arrived in Twin Peaks,
everything was quiet.  Now that he is here, everything has changed.  I
think that this relates Renault's activities (which have been
conventionally criminal) to the mystical things going on in Twin Peaks. 
I think that Cooper is driving events in Twin Peaks somehow; his
spiritual force is perhaps activating the various evil things in the
woods, and turning a quiet conflict between good and somnolent evil into
an active confrontation.  I think that this is why Cooper was not
worried about the FBI investigation; he sees that he has a major role to
play in this fight if he stays where he is.

I'm reminded somewhat of ``The Shining'' or ``Poltergeist'', where the
young children's special psychic abilities  activate or draw evil around
them, which comes to threaten them.  I think that is what is happening
to Cooper.  Bob left Leland, probably, because with Cooper around he
could no longer conceal himself, or because he had to leave in order to
be strong enough to fight against him later.  Cooper's ministering to
Leland as he died was probably a very good thing to do; he will be
helped by it later.

All this suggests to me that Cooper is not getting out of Twin Peaks
alive -- there's no way he could defeat Evil, as he certainly will, and
then go back to being an FBI agent.  He'll probably end up sacrificing
himself, or transcending life, or being reborn, or something like that. 
And Truman will play the role of Ishmael.

-- J