You got it. Tough pill to swallow, but it's the truth. I found this to also be true via something I found on YouTube which agrees with you exactly.
Everyone has their theory but this one works the best for me.
I don't say it's THE answer, i'm only find it the best at this moment..
Excellent. thank you for posting.
The more I digest this interpretation, the more I am believe that this is accurate (at least what lynch/frost had in mind).
As for the rejection of this theory in favor of the "changing in the timeline/realities due to coops actions" theories, I don't know how that could be because of one simple fact: there's not enough information provided. By that I mean, none of us were ever given a code of laws/rules of the powers within the lodges. So We can't say what coop should or shouldn't do or where coop should or shouldn't because we don't know the motives in the mythology. We never received a prescription of those details. Cooper "shouldn't" be able to go back in time, but he did. Jeffries shouldn't be a giant teapot but he is. So I would find it hard to believe that lynch would want to tell a story in which the final revelation of coops actions or Judy altering reality without giving us vital information about the mythology of the lodges. I don't think that part will ever be explained and I don't think it's really the point. It's almost comical how the rules seem to be made up as the story moves along (cooper and Gerard able to pass hair from reality to the lodge). If that was real then they could've made this whole journey a lot easier.
Think about it: the theory that heads this thread and the YouTube videos has the least amount of holes. It even explains the continuity issues, time glitches etc. A lot of what occurred throughout season 3 was abnormally strange even for twin peaks standards (one of the things I love about it). Strange as in dream strange. Dream logic. Bobby just staring at a seemingly possessed girl puking profusely, a girl crawls in the roadhouse and starts screaming and nobody responding to it, etc (huge etcetera). Not to mention the sleepy pace of the return (dragged out scenes, repetition, and immensely abstract elements--again, even for twin peaks standards). I believe this was the direction of the story 25 years ago (cooper being infinitely trapped in the lodge dreaming of a variety of failed attempts to rescue Laura). But how would you show another twin peaks season in a world where cooper never leaves the lodge and still keep its "twin peakness"? You might not like this theory, but if you think about it, the genius of Lynch/Frost is that they pulled off another twin peaks season while staying true to what they knew the ending was supposed to be and still keep most of the twin peaks we know and love. They were more like nods to the original (Denise cameo, dougie eating pie, coles "damn fine coffee comment). Through this perspective, dougie was a literary vehicle providing us with the essence of coop, but not quite him. How else could we have Coop in this series if he is really stuck in the lodge? -- the dougie jones story arc. Lastly, it's the the theory mostly aligned with the creators' influences of eastern philosophies.
So I think most likely Cooper entered the lodge 25 years ago, lost his battle against his shadow self, and his soul/consciousness has been playing out these different realities/dreams ever since. Probably the reality changes every time he is awoken by Laura's scream. And it is in a loop. Perhaps the twin peaks version of this false/dream reality (aka "The Return") is the end of the loop. He has played out the Richard/Linda reality before but doesn't completely remember. The giant advises him to remember. That would explain why Diane saw herself at the motel. That was from the first time they were there. Maybe all the numbers in the show adds up to a formula to how many realities are in one loop. Ten, the number of completeness?
I realize the true beauty of this show is how it really seems to be alive and it seems like it belongs to us. In a way it does and I think it was designed with that intention. It allows us to make our own interpretations and predictions. And in a way, we are all correct even the conflicting interpretations. At least in our own individual minds.
Wow! Sorry for the length. Damn you twin peaks, I want my sleep back!
I'm so glad this has started a constructive conversaiton. There are loads of similarities with my theory and the one from the video. It goes very in depth to explain a few things i didn't pick up on as well.
I do understand that some things don't add up but it seems like it gives me personally a little bit of closure. He's stuck in that loop and what we saw was his vision. Him changing the events that happened just like we've learned had other consequences which in itself is a clue that in order to save laura he must save himself first. I would argue that he doesnt even have to save Laura and its not his 'purpose' but all the firemans clues seem to point toward that.
I'm so glad this has started a constructive conversaiton. There are loads of similarities with my theory and the one from the video. It goes very in depth to explain a few things i didn't pick up on as well.
I do understand that some things don't add up but it seems like it gives me personally a little bit of closure. He's stuck in that loop and what we saw was his vision. Him changing the events that happened just like we've learned had other consequences which in itself is a clue that in order to save laura he must save himself first. I would argue that he doesnt even have to save Laura and its not his 'purpose' but all the firemans clues seem to point toward that.
I think that the clues from the fireman where not to save Laura, maybe the first scene with the fireman comes after the last scene "what year is it". Cooper is now back from the loop and the fireman is preventing him from making the mistake again: Remember Richard and Linda, 430 and to birds on a stone like he has experienced that already. You are far away means he isn't in the right direction of the goal to archive.
This theory just doesn't convince me. There might be looping events (almost exactly same encounters with Mike, the arm, Leland etc.) but it doesn't necessarily mean that everything is looped since he sure did try to save(edit: let's say reach) her twice (first in the forest, second in Odessa)
1) This theory ignores the long wait.
If there is not a 25-year wait (or there's nothing special happening after 25 years) If it was a loop all along,
then, for example, why bother with "evolution" of the arm? why would it ask "do u remember your doppelganger?" with a flashback to grey-eyed doppelganger? why did he not meet the arm before that long? why does the arm tell "it must come back before you go out"
2) Loop means ending at the point you've started. Is that the case here? red room scenes of S3E1 and S3E18 just make us think so but there were a lot of things that happened in between.
Least of all, BOB is defeated with the help of the Fireman and the bad coop seems to be back. Either "the mind is a prison" and nothing has really changed or BOB is defeated, it can't be both.
I think David Lynch wanted us to be sure that Laura's fate has changed (disappearing dead body) which is a Victory #1 for Fireman&Cooper. But the game isn't finished yet.
3) This theory makes Cooper look obsessed with Laura and ignores White Lodge's/Fireman's "investment" on Laura. It's never about obsession, she is White Lodge's indispensable tool for sure. Fireman needs Laura alive, YES BUT needs her in person (most likely for the war between lodges). Cooper seems to have his own Modus Operandi, he is not taking orders from Cole. last thing he told him that he is working to kill two birds with two stones sure states his own MO. He's working with Fireman and as the highest ranked man of the WL we've seen so far, I think Fireman surely has to know what to do.
Why did Carrie scream at the end? Because she heard a familiar voice and then started remembering everything. Maybe that was what Fireman tried to achieve. We cant know for sure because the show ended just there 🙂
4) The ending is a big question mark for all of us but Fireman's "Remember 430, Richard, Linda" part was not like a "let it go" notice. He says it's in our house now, we cannot talk aloud. This means the danger is so close now. What is the danger? I think Bad Coop trying to get in White Lodge is the danger. Who, in the end, stopped it? Green gloved boy with the help of Cooper. the glove was supplied by the fireman. Lucy was positioned to shoot Bad Coop by Fireman via Andy.
All of these are connected to each other, you cant just say he tried to warn him for the loop just seconds later he tells it's in our house now. Killing BOB and preventing his entrance to White Lodge were a counter measure, a defense... I bet utilization of Laura must be a match point.
5) And for the experiment thing.. There was a video which synced all experiment scenes and concluded that Mother chased Cooper to the glass room. So mother does it every time? Why can't she catch him after some attempt?
This theory just doesn't convince me. There might be looping events (almost exactly same encounters with Mike, the arm, Leland etc.) but it doesn't necessarily mean that everything is looped since he sure did try to save(edit: let's say reach) her twice (first in the forest, second in Odessa)
1) This theory ignores the long wait.
If there is not a 25-year wait (or there's nothing special happening after 25 years) If it was a loop all along,
then, for example, why bother with "evolution" of the arm? why would it ask "do u remember your doppelganger?" with a flashback to grey-eyed doppelganger? why did he not meet the arm before that long? why does the arm tell "it must come back before you go out"
For me this one point is strong enought. Lynch simply answered why it is happening 25 years later in this conversation with Arm. Lynch wants to tell us "doppelganger have to come back after 25 years, that's why it is happening now". Simply reason to shoot a new movie with actors 25 years older. I don't buy it why Cooper trapped in season 2, suddently invented that his doppelganger have to come back. And with this tree is even better. After hundreds of trials, by this 25 years, little man changed to tree, for what purpose ?
For me Cooper trapped as a dreamer in last episode of season 2, shouln't see the same jumping man from FWWM, and what's more...in this same place and maybe similiar purpose 🙂 Phillip Jeffries was there, at last he could tell them "someone was jumping there". He tried to describe things. But we saw, he doesn't even paint anything, only short talked and dissapeared. We cannot say that meeting never happened, because it is crucial sense of TP. It is the meeting where Bob and Mike make a deal and start killing together. And there are sitting Tremond's, they are later real persons, talking to Donna.
I think the "saving Laura" part is Coop's subconscious showing him his own guilt/anger/fear. Before he ever came to Twin Peaks, he was in love with Caroline, who was murdered. Coop feels immense guilt for not saving her. That is why this infinite loop of different dream realities rotates around saving Laura. It's symbolic for his eternal attempt to rid his guilt and finally do what he couldn't do with Caroline. How can he succeed? No clue. But I don't think that matters. It might be that it is impossible for him to succeed and this is just his existence for eternity. The part I am still having a hard time with is The Richard/Linda, two birds one stone thing. Was Coop supposed to retain his identity? Diane seemed to take on Linda's identity and bailed. Maybe he's just supposed to remember this Richard and Linda dream simply to alert him that he's done this before and is in a loop. The other part I'm having a hard time with is the Tammy situation. Her character is involved with the Secret History of Twin Peaks. That makes me think her character is part of the "real world" not the nightmare Coop is experiencing. If Coop was living in these false "tulpa" realities, how could he "dream" of Tammy? He would have never met her if he was stuck in Lodge since 25 years ago. Maybe that's how Coop thinks she looks and how she appears in his dream reality. She really didn't seem like an FBI agent to me. No offense to the actress, but her character did seem a little dull for a new member of the Blue Rose Task Force, right?
Fire walk with