When I first started watching the new season I had the strong feeling that Lynch was making a point about devolution in society. Especially when Richard plowed into the little boy and when the lady in the apartments in Buckhorn couldn't actually remember her own address. I felt that Steven was another aspect of this. Even the high school asshole from back in the day can't stand the guy, because he won't bother to fill out the job application correctly. In his last monologue, he says, "I am a high school graduate!" and we are left to wonder what that even means anymore--apparently very little.
I'm heading up a support group for the families of tulpas called Tulpanon. Feel free to join up.
I guess I was reading too deep into Renee's line "Everybody loves Steven". Also I was assuming it might have more significance Being that it is the first Roadhouse conversation that's sets the precedent for all the following mystery Roadhouse conversations. **
The job interviewer saw through Steven immediately, telling him he was the worst applicant ever. So he's not exactly maintaining a good clean image. I agree that he's the modern Bobby (though without a chance for rehabilitation). Even as a bad boy Bobby still had an allure which Steven lacks entirely. Steven did get quite a lot of screen time.
Thats a nice connection you have drawn here which I missed. It links up all that talk about 'Billy', the guy who everyone liked, was popular, and also 'spreading it around'; and who then went crazy, jumped the fence, and began to bleed in the sink.....as if the tulpa had emerged from within Billy. This original roadhouse conversation is maybe identifying the first 'Billy' as Steven who, went crazy after he found out something that Becky did, then ran to Gersten('spreading it around'), but in the end was unable to hide from the shattering impact of his failure to find a job and maintain his marriage with Becky, thus went crazy like Billy.....
I guess I was reading too deep into Renee's line "Everybody loves Steven". Also I was assuming it might have more significance Being that it is the first Roadhouse conversation that's sets the precedent for all the following mystery Roadhouse conversations. **
The job interviewer saw through Steven immediately, telling him he was the worst applicant ever. So he's not exactly maintaining a good clean image. I agree that he's the modern Bobby (though without a chance for rehabilitation). Even as a bad boy Bobby still had an allure which Steven lacks entirely. Steven did get quite a lot of screen time.
Thats a nice connection you have drawn here which I missed. It links up all that talk about 'Billy', the guy who everyone liked, was popular, and also 'spreading it around'; and who then went crazy, jumped the fence, and began to bleed in the sink.....as if the tulpa had emerged from within Billy. This original roadhouse conversation is maybe identifying the first 'Billy' as Steven who, went crazy after he found out something that Becky did, then ran to Gersten('spreading it around'), but in the end was unable to hide from the shattering impact of his failure to find a job and maintain his marriage with Becky, thus went crazy like Billy.....
I prefer this idea to the alternative in which Steven killed Becky. I think Steven did lose his mind from the drugs, but also from failing as a husband and provider. His anger toward Becky in the trailer was really anger at himself for his failures. He couldn't deal with the reality, so he blamed Becky and went too heavy on the sparkle. Then he ran off to Gersten when he knew his marriage was over.
I guess I was reading too deep into Renee's line "Everybody loves Steven". Also I was assuming it might have more significance Being that it is the first Roadhouse conversation that's sets the precedent for all the following mystery Roadhouse conversations. **
The job interviewer saw through Steven immediately, telling him he was the worst applicant ever. So he's not exactly maintaining a good clean image. I agree that he's the modern Bobby (though without a chance for rehabilitation). Even as a bad boy Bobby still had an allure which Steven lacks entirely. Steven did get quite a lot of screen time.
Thats a nice connection you have drawn here which I missed. It links up all that talk about 'Billy', the guy who everyone liked, was popular, and also 'spreading it around'; and who then went crazy, jumped the fence, and began to bleed in the sink.....as if the tulpa had emerged from within Billy. This original roadhouse conversation is maybe identifying the first 'Billy' as Steven who, went crazy after he found out something that Becky did, then ran to Gersten('spreading it around'), but in the end was unable to hide from the shattering impact of his failure to find a job and maintain his marriage with Becky, thus went crazy like Billy.....
I prefer this idea to the alternative in which Steven killed Becky. I think Steven did lose his mind from the drugs, but also from failing as a husband and provider. His anger toward Becky in the trailer was really anger at himself for his failures. He couldn't deal with the reality, so he blamed Becky and went too heavy on the sparkle. Then he ran off to Gersten when he knew his marriage was over.
Definitely I agree with this nearly completely, I would just add that the situation exposes nature/world as not consistent itself, cut by vortex and void, sent into violent movement, etc......with 'reality' outside of a person itself being as limited as the people who need it to dream, live in, etc....thus Steven's world as a 'high school graduate' who is prepared for the job market, has some prospects, etc., trained to 'job search', 'get feedback' etc. comes crashing down with his dreams, its proven deaf, stupid, etc. in the face of his troubles, that world does not exist, thus he would have to change his approach to the world, not take it for granted that this 'job search' world is out there waiting for him, that its all going to work out, then the blame would not be squarely on his shoulders, leading him to suicide. Nature/world is not self-guaranteed, etc., has mistakes in it, inconsistencies. Maybe this realization could have saved Steven's life(if he actually did shoot himself) in the wake of the immense guilt which follows in those types of situations.....anyway he would have had a lot of troubles to deal with, if he became serious about it all again, but knowing the world's role and how it failed to sustain his dreams systematically would have allowed him the distance to start again, addressing the problems without thinking that the world is perfect and he is not, both are not, etc., Steven himself would have to see how his dreams are being realized in the world, take account of it, while trying to address it without giving up the dreams, working from new 'angles' etc....
And I am not sure about Becky's role in all of this, or 'what she did' that Steven accused her of, guess we should find out tonight what was going on, if she did something or what......
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