Folks, apologies in advance if this theory has been done to death in other threads, it seems to obvious to me now that it surely must be, but I can't find it if it has been.
My idea is that the woman in the magnified mirror in the white room is Sherilyn Fenn. It must be.
Audrey, resourceful, clever, indomitable Audrey, has come to discover something that the other characters have not, except perhaps Cooper in the closing shot, that she is a character in a show. As she fights up through the layers of her consciousness, first in the room with Charlie, then in the roadhouse, then later in that white room, she is coming closer to the revelation that she lives within the consciousness of another, namely the woman with her face, the actress Sherilyn Fenn. The ultimate doppelganger.
Annie is in the same position as Audrey.
Here are characters in the original series, who have simply not appeared in this series. So where is Audrey? Why is she not even mentioned when sheriff Truman, for some reason informs Ben, Richard's grandfather, that he has been involved in a hit and run. Audrey, for all intents and purposes has been excised, like Annie, from this season. She is treated as a non presence, she's not in this season as far as the other characters are concerned.
And that's how it is for Audrey too. She's unaware of the events in this season. She's not aware that she has a son. She is utterly disconnected from this season.
The character of Audrey is waiting in an anteroom, and has been for 25 years. She's trapped there, desperate to get out, but also partly afraid to go, because she's so disconnected from the world of Twin Peaks, she has no idea what might await her there. And on some level, she is aware that she is a fiction and she's afraid to confront that.
Audrey is trapped in that room because she there is no story for her to operate in, to inhabit. She has to wait there until, by his grace, the creator will allow her to exist again.
And who is she trapped in there with? A man for whom she has no affection, a man that she has no reason to choose, but on whom perversely, she is totally dependent. She can't leave without him. And for his part, he has dominion over her and could release her at any time, but, surrounded by paper, snowed under with more important projects, he's tired of her and chooses not to take her out.
He's privy to information from the outside world, he knows what goes on there, but he withholds it. He won't share that information with her. He knows the story, she doesn't.
And he tells her, when she tries his patience, that he can, at any time, 'end her story'.
Charlie is Lynch/Frost, the man who Audrey resents so much and on whom she depends.
When Audrey does get out, it's to the roadhouse, that weird between world, where we've heard again and again the stories of women who never make it onto the show. Characters exist there but in many cases vanish never to be seen again. This is not the show proper, it's a half light where stories, and more importantly characters, flit into existence for a few minutes and vanish again. Audrey still hasn't achieved what she needs, to make it into the light of Twin Peaks and become flesh.
The clearest signal of all is what comes next. Audrey is invited to do what? Audrey's dance.
Audrey's dance is, in Audrey's world, a little dance she did in a diner when she was 17. It was just a little dance she did on a whim one day as a teen. It's not a talking point, it's not something that the denizens of the Roadhouse would know. So why is it 'Audrey's Dance'? Why is it known to the people in the Roadhouse who part in anticipation of seeing it. Something they could never have known about, something they could never have seen before?
Because Audrey's dance is a cultural phenomenon. In our world. And it's something inextricably linked to Sherilyn Fenn. And because Sherilyn knows it as Audrey's dance, Audrey has begun to share that knowledge.
And that's not right. She senses something is dreadfully wrong and when that breakthrough comes, she sees herself. Not in the costume of Audrey Horn, with her hair and makeup, but as a woman who shares her face, but is not her.
We're seeing Audrey existing in the same space as Annie and Donna and other characters that simply didn't make the cut. Trapped in a rudimentary sub existence waiting for the call to come.
Interesting theory. I think I've heard of it at another forum. Still, quite intriguing indeed and I think you're into something here.
I think it describes the situation with Sherilyn (and other actors/actresses) who are known for their one movie/TV role, that they're only remembered by fans for this one role and that's it.
Sherilyn indeed becomes famous for portraying Audrey in TP, and her movie career post TP did not go very well. Yet she is known by almost everyone for playing Audrey. Just like her character she was expected to play just one role: Replaying Audrey again and again. Her Roadhouse scene was clearly shot with this in mind, it's one scene from The Original TP that everyone remember (as well as her cherry knot scene for One Eyed Jacks). So she's trapped into the role who made her famous and couldn't seem to have other roles to break out of it. So I think you're clearly into something here.
The question is: how about the other cast members, most of them are known for their TP character as well: Sheryl, Madchen, Dana, James Marshall, etc? Why was Sherilyn picked to parody her role as a typecasted actress, but not the others? Or did I just not seen their parodies in "The Return" so clearly??
Interesting!
Btw, in context of these semi-ambiguous breaking of the fourth wall instances, I found it funny how Gordon Cole became the FBI Director in this season 🙂
Interesting!
Btw, in context of these semi-ambiguous breaking of the fourth wall instances, I found it funny how Gordon Cole became the FBI Director in this season 🙂
Lots of fourth wall with Gordon. I'm sure that Denise's critique of his attitude towards women was Lynch acknowledging that it's a weakness of his, but something that he's unwilling to forego.
Interesting theory. I think I've heard of it at another forum. Still, quite intriguing indeed and I think you're into something here.
I think it describes the situation with Sherilyn (and other actors/actresses) who are known for their one movie/TV role, that they're only remembered by fans for this one role and that's it.
Sherilyn indeed becomes famous for portraying Audrey in TP, and her movie career post TP did not go very well. Yet she is known by almost everyone for playing Audrey. Just like her character she was expected to play just one role: Replaying Audrey again and again. Her Roadhouse scene was clearly shot with this in mind, it's one scene from The Original TP that everyone remember (as well as her cherry knot scene for One Eyed Jacks). So she's trapped into the role who made her famous and couldn't seem to have other roles to break out of it. So I think you're clearly into something here.
The question is: how about the other cast members, most of them are known for their TP character as well: Sheryl, Madchen, Dana, James Marshall, etc? Why was Sherilyn picked to parody her role as a typecasted actress, but not the others? Or did I just not seen their parodies in "The Return" so clearly??
I'm not sure that I meant that it's representing her as typecast. More that Audrey as a character is being shown as living in limbo, waiting for the show to return. This is her existence for the last 25 years, and it's as if she hasn't made it back onto the Return. This is a little meta, separate narrative branch, showing us Audrey's inability to return, given that she's not written into the season. She's trying, by force of will, to break out of the limbo that she's been put in as an extraneous character.
I'm not sure that I meant that it's representing her as typecast. More that Audrey as a character is being shown as living in limbo, waiting for the show to return. This is her existence for the last 25 years, and it's as if she hasn't made it back onto the Return. This is a little meta, separate narrative branch, showing us Audrey's inability to return, given that she's not written into the season. She's trying, by force of will, to break out of the limbo that she's been put in as an extraneous character.
I think the missing piece there also relates to faces and aging. Sherilyn Fenn has arguably one of the 3 most recognizable faces from the original series. On our DVDs and Blu-Rays, Sherilyn will forever be that young ingenue. Audrey the character has similarly been in limbo for 25 years as you point out.
But Sherilyn hasn't been frozen in time, and can't be that Audrey anymore. She can do her dance to try to recapture it, and it's a nice nostalgic moment. It's a good thing. But it isn't the *same*, and I think even Audrey feels that at the end and is disturbed by it.
It's very important that the last shot is of her in a makeup mirror, because that means we're in the realm of *appearance* more than just simple recognition.
Another thing to consider here is that Dale and Audrey are one of the many parallel stories during this season. Both characters lost 25 years of their lives, and are faced with an ambiguous ending.
Agreed. Audrey is seeing herself in a mirror and it doesn't add up. Where has she been for 25 years?
There's also that theory that Billy is Billy Zane. Which would make sense.
There's also that theory that Billy is Billy Zane. Which would make sense.
I hadn't heard that one, but yes, that would absolutely fit.
Interesting ideas. Her character's story line was certainly not what I would have expected. The fact that in the end she saw herself in a lighted mirror like you would use for make-up makes sense within this theory.
This is a great post. For many reasons. For one, it's not convoluted. So many posts go so deep and lose the plot. I stop reading as they are too "look at me, i have swolled a thesaurus". I agree with everything you have said and found it refreshing and informative. ?
Fire walk with