Is it just me or was there a lot of shoulder squeezing in this episode? I counted 3 or 4 times that we either saw it happen or it was mentioned.
First, when Gordon comes to speak with Diane about the change in travel plans (the way he squeezes her left shoulder makes me wonder if it means something or just an unconscious movement made by Lynch - does anyone know Morse code lol??)
second, when Mullins is saying goodbye to Dougie/Coop and Janey - he pats Janey's left shoulder.
third, when Mrs. Briggs is speaking to the Sherriff, Hawk, and Bobby she made it a point to mention that her husband squeezed her shoulders, when he told her this.
and the forth, i admit may or may not count but I wanted to mention it just in case, is when Gordon and Albert are in the morgue and they step into the hall to "think out loud" - Gordon places is hand on Albert's left shoulder.
I don't think it means anything. It's too much of a common gesture.
It's a gesture of "understanding" I guess.
In that case, it meant something like "Betty, listen to me. This has to stay between me and you... until the day comes"
In that case, add the hand which is placed on Johnny's shoulder when he smacks into the wall.
And let's not forget considerable left armpit action in episode 9.
Didn't Andy also squeeze Lucy's shoulder?
I interpreted it as a way for Lynch to slowly and gradually introduce intimacy and affection, which has lacking thus far.
But now I'm thrown off by you, Jack, for bringing up that arm pit! Haha
The Cole squeezing Diane's shoulder is too creepy not to mean something... he is groping her for like 45 seconds...
Unrelated, but Albert appears to be asleep until he lets go and Cole walks away and he opens his eyes right away, blinking, like he was acting like he was just waking up.
Looking back now with the benefit of Episode 10, it seems that shoulder squeezing could be Cole's verification of Diane similar to the spiritual mound found on the left ring finger (spirit mound, spiritual finger). And as he's applying pressure and checking her out, he realizes something's not right (or something shifts/changes while he's talking to her?). Not sure what the left shoulder represents, but maybe Cole will enlighten us at some future point about that as well...
Perhaps looking over the left shoulder touches again might shed some light on its purpose (sort of like the left eye (Nadine, Jacoby's glasses, Johnny, Ruth) is the intuitive visual side).
Fire walk with