The consensus I get from reading posts is that Judy took Laura, preventing Coop from saving her. I assume this is thought because the "Laura scream" happens when she vanishes. Other than that is there some evidence I missed?
Also: why is the assumption that Dale failed to save her? We literally saw her dead body disappear. It may be that preventing her death in this dimension also prevented her birth. And without the presence of Laura, there can be no BOB. Maybe because of the complexities of time warpage Coop effectively undid the whole Palmer lineage and possibly the tearing apart of yin/yang (fireman/experiment) through the atomic bomb test. But only in this dimension (dream). In this scenario, Dale succeeded. He saved Laura.
Interesting that when she vanishes, the red room appears around Coop. But we aren't in Glastonbury Grove. So Coop was already in the Lodge saving her (never left that realm after saying goodbye to Gordon and Diane). Then Coop exits the lodge at Glastonbury Grove to a waiting Diane(?) decked with Lodge-esque colors. Coop said farewell to her standing by Gordon so whoever this Diane is, isn't. It's a Tulpa from the moment we see her.
So, Coop enters the other realm to visit PJ and in my opinion becomes like PJ (doesn't really exist). He has to sacrifice his mortal, tied to the real world narrative self (samsara?) in order to save that narrative, dream, reality, whatever. In doing so he becomes multi dimensional (reminds me of Sirens of Titan). The responsibility of a multi dimensional FBI agent to the gods is that you are only on one assignment, Find and save Laura, whoever and wherever she is. He had to take her back home to show that Sarah no longer exists. Or never did in Carrie land. But the connection multi-dimensional beings can have to their alternate lives can be strong (as in Coop/Richard), non-existent (Diane(Tulpa)/Linda) or can come and go (Laura/Carrie). So that's why we get a scream.
Maybe Laura gets plucked away by the fireman. Then he puts her back in the other dimension (seen in episode 8) only to become Carrie. Can't explain the corpse in her living room though.
I posted a similar theory here: http://welcometotwinpeaks.com/discuss/twin-peaks-part-17-part-18/my-turn/
Like you, I thought the Fireman did grab Laura from Cooper in 1989 and then relocated her to a alternate reality. I never thought of it to you mentioned episode 8, but maybe we didn't see the birth of Laura, instead we saw her rebirth into the alternate reality. Good call, I like it.
One thing that might indicate the Fireman grabbed her was his record player sound occurring right before.
If the fireman put Laura into Carrie Page Universe why does Cooper go there? Also why does Laura being saved negate BOB's existence? BOB preexists Laura.
If the fireman put Laura into Carrie Page Universe why does Cooper go there? Also why does Laura being saved negate BOB's existence? BOB preexists Laura.
I am not under the impression that anything negates Bob. Only that he couldn't get his hands on her THAT night.
It would make more sense if the Fireman took Laura I think not only because of the sounds but because of the fact that they were by the portal near Jack Rabbit's Palace I think. I like the idea that this led to what we saw in Part 8, but then what about the stuff in the Red Room? When I first saw Part 8 I thought maybe the Fireman was sucking her out of there (I never thought he was creating her, as some seemed to think).
Also, if the ending of FWWM holds, what about that? Why would Dale even being trying to "save" her? I know she was dead and all, but that was an almost sappy happy ending, with the angels and everything. I can only conclude that keeping Laura from being killed in 17 was not about saving her at all, but was about the plan with the regard to Judy.
"Agent Cooper. Listen to the sounds. It is in our house now." Perhaps that means the Judy is in the White Lodge, but also maybe that is a good thing? 430, Richard and Linda - this may be a step to capturing Judy? Or, at least Cooper thinks so, I think. Thus the crossing over with Diane. The sounds are those that we hear in the woods before Laura disappears, so perhaps the Fireman took her as a lure for Judy?
Does anything I am saying make sense? I still haven't worked out a cogent interpretation of all of this I don't think.
If the fireman put Laura into Carrie Page Universe why does Cooper go there? Also why does Laura being saved negate BOB's existence? BOB preexists Laura.
It's hard to say anything pre-exists anything anymore in Twin Peaks.
Fire walk with