This is crazy but it may work. I watch again episode 18 and imho the man that came out from the Black Lodge in the circle of sycamore is not the good Dale. I believe it's a flashback of Cooper's Doppleganger back in 1990. We see again the good Coop wakin up in a motel, after he and Laura were trapped in a different dimension by Judy. She's is tryin to disturb his memories, so maybe Judy is Linda. Below there's a full post that i subscribe last night with all my thoughts. It's my first time here, so i hope i'm not doin anything bad 🙂

After good Cooper meets Leland in one of the first scenes of episode 18, there's a cut. After that, we are not seeing anymore the good Cooper, instead starts a flashback of Mr.C just after he grabs good Cooper in the last episode of the second season. In the Leland scene, good Cooper is walking fast, while the guy we see in the next scene, walks slowly with the typical manners of Mr.C. Also he makes a weird movement with his right hand, just like he was tryin his new body.

So the guy that comes out of the lodge in the cyrcle of sycamore is Mr.C. The real Diane asks him if "is that you? is that really you?". Look his face... He is mr.C, no doubt. And let's forget about Annie, she is never mentioned so she doesn't exist, she was created by different authors and refused from Lynch/Frost. The man lookin' for a place 430 miles away is Mr.C with the real Diane. Then they go to a motel. Mr.C goes in and creates a tulpa of Diane, and the real Diane sees her fake self. Then we have the sex scene. The real Diane looks at mr.C face and realizes that something is wrong. After this, Mr.C replaces the real Diane with her tulpa and turns the real Diane in Naido. He sends Naido in the non-existent dimension to avoid other people to find her.

Then the flashback ends, and we are back with the good Coop.The message he receive from Linda is not wroted by Diane. What happened to the good Coop and to Laura? Why is he there? After the good Coop go back in time to prevent Laura meeting Jaques and the others, we see Judy/Sarah hitting the picture of Laura, so i think Judy takes good Coop and Laura in another dimension. Good Cooper then wake up and find a message from Linda. This message was not from Diane, instead was written from Judy who is tryin to disturbe his mind. He also call Diane cause his memory is confused with the one of his doppleganger. Note that the motel Cooper wakes up in is not the same he went in the previous scene with Diane. Nor is the car he drives in the morning. Then good Coop go out and see a coffee shop called 'Judy's', where Laura is workin. That means that Judy has taken full control on Laura soul. So the good Dale and Laura are stucked on a dimensional trap set by Judy/Sarah.