Subject: Re: Just the facts, ma'am From: buzzard@eng.umd.edu (Sean Barrett) Date: 1991-06-14, 17:04 Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks Some theory one-liners--but remember my predeliction for simple solutions (if there's no hint for the complex ones), and a tendency to trivialize Lynch's work as being weird for it's own sake. Is there any reason to go for any of these "spiritual" theories? All the evidence holds up the Black Lodge & White Lodge as physical manifestations--sure, they can symbolize good and evil and all this stuff, but I don't see any reason to hold that it's not physical to begin with, and only symbolizing, not being, other conflicts. Let's be a little cautious about analyzing things--you're bound to find stuff that was at a minimum not *conciously* intended by the writers/directors--for example, Dr. Jacoby's glasses and the police car lights (some 3-d glasses are red and green, some are red and blue), or the black-and-white floor in the waiting room symbolizing the black and white lodges superposed--because the floor was RED and white. (I *looked*. Over and over. Look at my 400-line summary again.) Was it Catherine or Thomas Eckhart who planted the bomb? Well, what evidence do we have each way? Pro-Thomas: it was perfectly in character (I expected a bomb in the original package!), the note was signed 'Thomas'. Pro-Catherine: it was perfectly in character (was it? would she kill her brother and blow up the bank they were using?), the key moved between scenes, how could Thomas know Andrew would open it, and Catherine would have had a much easier time setting it up. But then again, does it matter? It's perfectly in character for either of them, so twist that it was Catherine wouldn't reveal anything new; the only difference it'd make is that she'd probably feel guiltly about Pete. Why would they go to such subtle effort (moving the key as the only real clue) for such a subtle change (the outcome is the same, the motivation is different)? Why should we think Bob lied to Cooper, just because it fits your theory better? Bob was at the height of his power in the Black Lodge (look at WE); Bob hasn't made a habit of lying, either (the Leland/Bob speech in the cell). If Lynch isn't going to give you a clue that something's up, I see no reason to go for these theories. (When we learned it was Leland, didn't all sorts of things click in your mind? If you had previously theorized it was Leland, you should have had all those things as clues from Lynch.) About the black lodge topology: if you watch the closing sequence, you get the definite feeling the Cooper is making progress at getting out. And he is consistently running out a different exit then he came in. It seems likely that this was the intended effect: he's nearly out. Again, I think the untopology of the rooms as he goes through them the "first" time is merely due to "I don't care"ness on the part of Lynch--not that it's supposed to be dreamlike "things change as you turn your back on them", but rather that he was more concerned with something entirely different from topology: tension. If you read the "script" I sent out, or rewatch it, you can see how it's clearly building to a climax, and the changes in the rooms is used to fuel that--you can see that Cooper is in each room for less and less time until he encounters Annie and we get the big climax. (I'm sorry. I refuse to believe that when Cooper-1 runs across the penultimate room when he leaves and the zigzag stripes are turned in a different direction, that there is some deep significance--although I also doubt that it was a continuity error, since they had to turn 90 degrees on the set to do it--but there was no furniture.) For those who insist on the "there are two rooms and one corridor" theory (ignoring the entry corridor and the closing sequence), I'll digest my script down so we can see who and what was in each room, calling the first room the Waiting Room and the second room the Black Lodge, for no good reason. Now if you want to theorize about why who was where, you can check it against the facts: Waiting RoomBlack Lodge furniture LMFAP Singer, "I'll see you in the trees" "When you see me again, it won't be me" "This is the waiting room" Laura Palmer "I'll see you again in 25 years" SDC, coffee, Giant: "One and the same" "Wow, Bob, wow! Fire walk with me." furniture "Wrong way." furniture rearranged/Cooper enters from other side/continuity error "Another friend." "I'm Maddy. Watch out for my cousin." no furniture "Doppelganger" Doppelganger Laura Palmer "Meanwhile" WE image cut in between LP images no furniture Cooper finds he's bleeding, goes back Caroline & Cooper on floor Annie & Cooper on the flor They disappear Annie "I saw the face of the man who killed me. It was my husband." Doppelganger Caroline "It's me." Annie "You must be mistaken." Doppelganger Laura Windom Earle, Annie "If you give me your soul, I'll let Annie live." "I will." Bob. "You go. He is wrong. He can't ask for your soul. I will take his." Cooper leaves, Doppelganger Cooper laughs with Bob. Cooper runs away through various room, encounters Doppleganger Leland in hall, Doppelganger Cooper chases "I did not kill anybody." buzzard @ eng.umd.edu Merriversity of Uniland, College Purgatory, MD 20742 I was objectdestroy()ed by bob on ubermud and all I got was this lousy .sig! Can I have a biscuit with my facts, ma'am?