I know it's way too soon to try and decipher the whole "430/two birds one stone/ Richard and Linda" deal. But something struck me as strange in that first scene (the black and white one).
Cooper looked very calm about the flood of information being laid upon by the giant.
By the end of the speech, Coop even says: "I understand", whereas, in every other Lodge scene, he still look completely confused: "Are you Laura Palmer?/Laura Palmer is Dead/Where am I?"
I know that there's probably not a linear time in the lodge, but could we, as spectators, be looking into a sort of flashforward? Will Coop return to the lodge to seek guidance by the giant at some point?
My guess: we start our journey in the room where Coop has spent 25 years since 1991/1992, not the Red Room but the Black Lodge itself. It is no coincidence that it is in black and white (recalling the early days of Eraserhead/Elephant Man), like a photo-negative of the techni-full-color 'real life'. Giant and Coop'-on-hold' refer to music that is now (in) 'their house'. Richard & Linda 430 could refer to a song by musicians couple Richard & Linda Thompson: SunnyVista (1979). It is exactly 4:30 long. Lyrics about family and happiness and dreams. And 'Two Birds, One Stone' is a recent Drake song written by Kanye West, one of Lynch's favorites. It is about rivalry between rappers. Good versus evil. The timeless battle behind the opening of the Lodges, every 25 years (= once in every generation)
So in the first minutes we right away bridge the gap of 25 years: the era in which Cooper is powerless and can only watch and listen to the world. 'Richard and Linda' refers to an old song; Drake to a recent one. Carel Struyken (formerly The Giant') is....well what is he ???? Coop's guardian angel on the other side?
What do you guys think: is The Giant visiting Coop or has he been with him all the time?
I believe they are all are. The One Arm Man, Leland, Laura (although I'm questioning that now, maybe just her ddoppelgänger), the Giant, the Arm, the Man from Another Place.
But there's also the blind woman and her counterpart in the Outlet room with "Mother" to consider too.
@William De Bruijn Where did you find out that Lynch loves this Drake song?
Keep in mind that the "red room" is only ever referred to as "the waiting room" in original series by The Man From Another Place and even looks like one.
From this, I would think that "black white" is the "main room" of the Black Lodge, and this is why Cooper is then returned to the "waiting room" when he's given the clues by The Giant.
When back in the waiting room, he is literally waiting for 2:53pm to arrive so he can replace Evil Cooper out int he real world.
Kanye West is mentioned in this Vogue article describing an evening where Lynch talked about his musical (and other) preferences, back in 2014:
http://www.vogue.com/article/david-lynch-music-inspiration
And allegedly West is the composer/producer of this particular Drake-song according to a music news page:
In the last article there's also a hint at a Drake/Kid Cuti controversy ending with Kid Cudi saying 'I'll be out soon'. Same could be said for Cooper in this phase of the storylines....
Brilliance! Thanks for the song breakdown. I'd never guess
The room where Coop ends up with the blind woman & eventually "American Girl" played by Phoebe Augustine is a kind of limbo where the doppelganger of the Arm sent him. The actions of the blind woman suggest he wasn't supposed to access the portal allowing escape.
The Giant: At one point he tells Coop: "You are far away."
Fire walk with