TWIN PEAKS - #29 DWELLER ON THE THRESHOLD (1991)

The Score: 10 out of 10

The network's decision to resolve Laura Palmer's murder early in the second season dissolved the glue that held Twin Peaks together. David Lynch explained: "The murder of Laura Palmer was the center of the story, the thing around which all the show's other elements revolved – like a sun in a little solar system. It was not supposed to get solved. The idea was for it to recede a bit into the background, and the foreground would be that week's show. But the mystery of the death of Laura Palmer would stay alive.

"And it's true: As soon as that was over, it was basically the end. There were a couple of moments later when a wind of that mystery – a wind from that other world – would come blowing back in, but it just wasn't the same, and it couldn't be the same. I loved Twin Peaks, but after that, it kind of drifted for me."

GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!

The Town Beauty Pageant is Interrupted and Terrorized by Windom Earle

At another time, David Lynch remarked: "I liked the idea of a continuing story that sucks you into a deeper world. But Laura Palmer's killer was never meant to be discovered. The mystery was meant to float permanently above the action. Once it got solved, something beautiful was lost." Two more episodes detailed the killer's discovery and capture after Laura's killer was first revealed to the audience by Lynch in episode 14. But once Laura's murder storyline was fully resolved in episode 16, we noticed a clear dip in the quality of Twin Peaks' storytelling.

Lucy and Andy's Strained Relationship is Finally Repaired

The revelation of Laura's killer was tragic, disturbing, and traumatic. Just out of sight, at the heart of the series existed the horror of a young woman's secret life of abuse. A beautiful and popular girl carried an awful secret that slowly burned away at her soul, while she desperately tried to reach back to the light. After the series shifted its focal point away from Laura, Frost and Lynch paid less attention to the story than they probably should have, and the series began to meander on pointless and annoying plot threads. The combination of these things resulted in a sharp decrease in the show's ratings, ultimately paving the way for the show's premature cancellation.

Agent Cooper Tries to Understand His Ex-Partner Windom Earle's Plans

As easy as it would be to dismiss the second half of the series entirely, the truth is Frost and Lynch eventually returned their attention back to the show and flexed their creative muscles in time to produce some powerful and entertaining moments. But unfortunately, even this upswing near the end of the second season was too little too late. The show was not picked up for a third season, much to the chagrin of a newly reinvigorated fan base.

Contemporary "Save Twin Peaks" Interview

In this Fascinating Scene, with the Help of Several Citizens of Twin Peaks,
Agent Cooper Decodes All of the Clues Gathered Over the Last Half of the
Series to Figure Out How to Physically Enter the Red Room from His Dreams

Although you should prepare yourself for some terribly cheesy moments, the last half of the series is still worth watching for the ongoing story of BOB trying to find a new host through whom he can commit more murders and enact other monstrosities in the flesh. But honestly, we would not blame anyone for fast-forwarding through James's film noir adventure with Evelyn Marsh while on the road away from Twin Peaks, Ben Horne's nervous breakdown as he becomes General Robert E. Lee from the Civil War, Dick Tremayne's escapades as big brother to the ambiguously evil Little Nicky, or the other notoriously weak story threads in that awful six episode run.

Cooper Pieces Together the Puzzle Many Clues from Laura Palmer's Case,
Including the Phrase: "Fire Walk with Me"

And in probably the worst turn of events for the series, Agent Cooper and Audrey Horne's sweetly and slowly budding romantic relationship goes absolutely nowhere. We are reticent to spread rumors about why this happened, but since this one story thread was among the most enjoyable of the show, we would be remiss if we did not explain the apparent reason for it being abandoned.

The Giant from Cooper's Dream Apparently Represents Jupiter and the Dwarf
Apparently Represents Saturn. The Red Room (White/Black Lodges) Can Be
Entered Physically When Jupiter and Saturn are Aligned

Kyle MacLachlan told the show's writers that he did not believe his character, Agent Cooper, would pursue a romantic relationship with a teenage high school girl. You would think this might be an objection MacLachlan would have mentioned at the beginning of the series when Cooper unabashedly flirted with Audrey. And we should mention Audrey is graduating from high school within a few months, is clearly 18 years old, which is the age of consent anywhere in the United States. Given Cooper's relative youth and the conclusion of his Laura Palmer murder investigation, MacLachlan's objection seems weak at best.

The Gateway Opens Tonight, Enabling Windom Earle a Narrow Window of
Opportunity to Enter the Black Lodge Where He Hopes to Gain Power

Clearly something else prompted MacLachlan's objection. This site takes no responsibility for the accuracy of this rumor, but we heard Kyle MacLachlan's real-life girlfriend Lara Flynn Boyle (Twin Peaks' Donna Hayward) objected to co-star Sherilyn Fenn (Twin Peaks' Audrey Horne) being paired together with MacLachlan in a series of romantic scenes, especially considering their considerable on-screen chemistry. Although everyone in the cast and crew is relatively discreet about this topic, the interviews in the retrospective documentary on the Gold Box DVD set, a recent radio interview with Mark Frost, and Sherilyn Fenn's recent interview (video excerpt below) all seem to support this explanation.

Recent Sherilyn Fenn Interview

And apparently, Lara Flynn Boyle was irked that series co-star Sherilyn Fenn's Audrey was gaining prominence in the show's storyline while Boyle's character Donna was less and less important. Much of the news media began featuring Sherilyn Fenn as the bright new star of Twin Peaks, as evidenced by Fenn's central placement in this Rolling Stone cover shoot below. Fenn's increasing star power and obvious on-screen chemistry with Boyle's boyfriend Kyle MacLachlan—who played Agent Dale Cooper—seemed to be too much for Boyle, who apparently pressured him into telling the show's writers that the Cooper and Audrey storyline was a no go.

Apparently Lara Flynn Boyle Wanted the Center Position

These behind-the-scenes insecurities are frustrating for all Twin Peaks fans, since many of the show's random developments in later episodes could have been avoided if we had been able to follow one of the best, sweetest, and most chemistry-endowed romances of prime time television through to its natural conclusion in the Black Lodge. Instead, the audience is cheated of the Cooper and Audrey pairing we all want, nay demand.

Whatever the reason for it, the termination of Audrey and Cooper's romantic relationship was probably the worst misstep of the series, causing the writers to alter the story arc too much in the last half of the series. For no good reason, the writers introduced new love interests for Audrey Horne and Agent Cooper. Billy Zane was brought in for Audrey and Heather Graham for Cooper. As much as we actually like these new actors, the characters they play were random and totally distracting as the show was reaching a climax.

The introduction of the characters John Justice Wheeler and Annie Washburn interfered with the entire dynamics of the show late in the game, when Twin Peaks should have been barreling ahead toward its climax. Even if the romance between Cooper and Audrey had to be stunted because of off-screen politics, in hindsight it is clear the writers should have had continued with their original plans for Windom Earle to abduct Audrey and take her to the Black Lodge instead of Annie. The entire series would have ended with greater emotional resonance, rather than dilute this climax with a tinge of randomness.

We realize that hindsight is 20/20 and the writers had to work with what they were given on a demanding schedule, but the last half of Twin Peaks would have been greatly improved had we seen Cooper and Audrey struggle against her father Ben Horne as they continued their problematic courtship. Sherilyn Fenn and Kyle MacLachlan really had a once-in-a-lifetime type of on-screen chemistry that would have been impossible to plan before shooting the series. The show should have pressed this incalculable advantage in their favor rather than test our patience with a passionless foray into Zane's and Graham's extraneous characters. We will now take a seat back down and stop armchair quarterbacking.

The Site of the Ghostwood Development Project, Ghostwood Forest,
is Where the Entrance to the White/Black Lodges is Found

Deputy Hawk Explains All the Evidence He Discovered in Laura's Case,
Like the Diary Pages and Bloodied Towel were Found in Ghostwood
Forest Near a Circle of 12 Sycamore Trees at Glastonbury Grove

Glastonbury Grove has a Circle of 12 Sycamore Trees that Correspond to
the Owl Cave Map that Andy Reproduced on the Station's Chalkboard

Pete Martell Believes the Log Lady Stole His Truck Because of Earle's Disguise

The Log Lady Brings Agent Cooper a Jar of What Smells Like Scorched
Engine Oil that Her Late Husband Brought Home with Him Years Ago

The Log Lady's Husband Explained that the Contents of the Jar were an
Entrance to a Gateway

Agent Cooper has Ronette Pulaski Smell the Contents of the Jar, Which
She Recognizes from the Night Laura was Murdered

Everything that has Taken Place in the Series Up Until Now
Seems Connecteds to What is About to Take Place

Windom Earle Kidnaps Annie Blackburn (Played by Heather Graham)

Over the Last Few Episodes, Annie has Become Cooper's Main Love Interest

Windom Earle's Wife Fell in Love with Cooper, Prompting Earle to Seek
Revenge Against the Woman Cooper Loves Most

This Storyline Would have been Far More Involving if Audrey had been the
One Kidnapped, as the Writers had Originally Planned

Audrey in Peril Would have Raised the Stakes Higher

Windom Earle Takes Annie to Glastonbury Grove

Windom Earle Terrorizes Annie so She is Filled with Fear

Windom Earle Uses Annie's Fear to Open the Gateway to the Black Lodge

Behind the Sycamore Trees, the Familiar Red Curtains of the Red Room Appear

Since Episode 14, Nadine Hurley has Believed She is a High School Girl

Nadine Enrolled in High School and Joined the Wrestling the Team with Mike

Nadine Fell in Love Bobby's Best Friend, Mike, and They Began an Affair

Now Mike is Actually in Love with Nadine and Tries to Comfort Her After
They Both Sustained Serious Head Injuries at the Miss Twin Peaks Pageant

Nadine has Regained Her Former Memories, But Lost Her New Memories

Nadine Acts Like the Same Crazy Woman She was Before the Coma Induced
by Her Former Suicide Attempt

Nadine Cries When She Sees Norma in Her House, Knowing
Ed and She Must Be Back Together Again

Everyone Thought They had Found a Way to Get What They Want and be
Happy, But Nadine's Reversal of Amnesia has Shattered this Hope

The Hayward Family Residence

This Fire Foreshadows an Awful Confrontation About to Take Place

Eileen Hayward was Romantically Involved with Ben Horne Many Years Ago

Ben Horne's Mental Health has been Precarious Since being Accused of
Laura's Murder But Ben Wanted to Reinvent Himself as a Do-Gooder

Earlier that Night Donna Hayward Confronted Ben About Being Her Father

Trying to do the Right Thing, Ben Confessed He is Donna's Biological Father

Doc Hayward Orders Ben to Leave His House, But Ben Stays in Hopes of
Placating the Haywards and Apologizes Profusely for the Trouble

Ben's Wife Sylvia Horne has been Rarely Seen in the Show Since the First
Season, But Tries to Stop Ben from Revealing the Truth; Too Late

In a Fit of Uncharacteristic Rage, Doc Hayward Attacks and Throw's Ben
Head First Against the Fireplace

Ben Horne is Badly Injured (Dead?) and Collapses to the Ground

Is Ben Actually Dead? Is He Badly Injured But Otherwise Alive?
We May Never Know...

And Doc Hayward Screams in a Bizarre Fit of Horror and Rage

Something strange is happening in the town, and the open gateway at Glastonbury Grove seems to be exacerbating the problems. The selective return of Nadine Hurley's memories, the horrible rage of Doc Hayward, and the other troubles around town seem to be getting worse and worse as a result of Windom Earle's entry into the Black Lodge.

This actually makes sense if you take into account Earle's explanation to Leo Johnson and Rusty Tomaski in Episode 26 that the Black Lodge is "a place of almost unimaginable power, chock full of dark forces and vicious secrets... The spirits there... [are] as [likely] to rip the flesh from your bone as greet you with a happy 'good day.' And if harnessed, these spirits in this hidden land of unmuffled screams and broken hearts would offer up a power so vast that its bearer might reorder the Earth itself to his liking." Apparently Earle has managed to do a great deal of harm in the short time he has been in the Black Lodge tonight. Does time even exist in the Black Lodge? Certainly not as we experience it on Earth.

GOT YOU, ANDREW

We Mentioned the Importance of Safety Deposit Box Keys
in Our Analysis of of the Series Pilot

Another Secret in the Cat and Mouse Game Between the Still Living Andrew Packard
and his Recently Murdered Adversary Thomas Eckhart—Josie's Master

After Josie Killed Eckhart, an Associate Delivered a Puzzle Box to the Packard Family—Before Awkwardly Attempting to Seduce then Assassinate Sheriff Truman, We Might Add. Andrew, Pete, and Catherine have Struggled to Open for Several Episodes. In the Penultimate Episode of the Series, They Finally Open the Box to Reveal a Key. The Family Agreed to Keep the Key Under Glass Until They were Ready to Pursue Wherever it Might Lead Together

Pete Martell is Disappointed that Andrew Would Sneak in at Night and Replace the Key with Another Safety Deposit Key in His Possession, Yet Strangely Accompanies Andrew Alone to the Bank the Next Day. Where Will Catherine Be All this Time?

Cooper and Truman Rush to Glastonbury Grove

Where They Find Pete Martell's Stolen Truck

Agent Cooper: "I have to go on alone."

The Owls are Not What They Seem

12 Sycamore Trees Surround this Pool of Oil at Glastonbury Grove

Cooper is Filled with Concern for Annie Blackburn as He Enters the Waiting Room

The Normal Laws of Physics Do Not Seem to Apply in Lodge Space

We Find Julee Cruise's Opposite Number Singing in the Lodge

Lynch Shows Us Several Important Landmarks from the Series, Ending on
Glastonbury Grove, the Entrance of the White/Black Lodge

Where We First Saw Ronette Pulaski

Glastonbury Grove in the Light of Day

Sheriff Truman Keeps a Faithful Vigil, Waiting for Agent Cooper to Appear

As Part of Ben's New Attempts to Shift the Horne Family into Do-Goodery,
Audrey has Helped Ben Oppose the Ghostwood Estates Development Project
Recently Co-Opted by Catherine Martell

Audrey Learns from Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi for Examples of
"Civil Disobedience" to Protest the Ghostwood Estates Development

Audrey Declares to an Aging Banker that She Will Handcuff Herself to the Bank's
Vault in Opposition to the Bank Underwriting the Ghostwood Project

You Might Recognize this Actor from the Hotel Scene in Wild at Heart (1990) 

Just as He did in the Season 2 Premiere, Lynch Slows the Pace a Bit to
Follow the Action of an Elderly Man Trying to Perform Simple Tasks

Audrey Asks the Kindly Old Man to Inform the Newspapers of Her Protest

But the Man is a Bit Confused by this Whole Situation 

Audrey Also Requests a Glass of Water

After a Considerable Amount of Time, the Man Returns with a Glass of Water

Unable to Reach Her Mouth, the Elderly Man Humorously Helps Audrey Drink

Pete Martell and Andrew Packard Arrive at the Bank, Catherine Conspicuously
Absent from the Outing. Andrew and Pete have Apparently Decided Not
to Include Her on this Last Leg of the Journey to Eckhart's Mystery

Audrey is Blocking the Way to the Vault, But Andrew Praises Audrey's Gumption
and She Lets Them Pass by her into the Vault, Apparently Naive About the Purpose
of Chaining Herself to the Vault Door to Begin With

Audrey is Humorously Bad at Civil Disobedience and Lets the "Publicly-
Recognized-as-Being-Deceased" Gentlemen Walk by Her into the Vault

Pete and Audrey Exchange a Friendly Glance, Likely Reminiscing Over their Fishing Trip
When Pete Shuttled Audrey to J.J. Wheeler in His Truck the Episode Before Last

And the Attendant Locates the Safety Deposit Box Connected to Eckhart's Key

The Bank Guard Receives a Phone Call with News that He has Just Become
the Father of a Baby Girl, Which he Proudly Shouts to Everyone in the Bank

The Kindly Old Banker's Glasses Fall on the Branch of a Tree Across
the Street, a Gentle Wind Blowing Through the Trees

And Cash Rains Down from the Bombed-Out Bank

The Briggs Family are All Present at the Double "R" Diner

Bobby and Shelly are Touched by His Parent's Display of Affection

Prompting Bobby to Ask Shelly to Marry Him

Bobby and Shelly Perform their Humorous Yet Affectionate Howling Ritual
as They Playfully Caress Each Other

Heidi, the Same Waitress from the Pilot Episode, Walks into the Diner Late
for Her Shift Again

Prompting Bobby and Shelly to Repeat their Exact Same Lines of Dialogue
from the Pilot Episode

Heidi Laughs Identically to the Way She Laughed Before, Too. Whoa... Deja Vu

Shelly is a Little Worried About Her Husband Leo Johnson Living Off in the
Woods by Himself. Bobby Hypothesizes that Brain-Damaged Leo is Probably
Having the Time of His Life

David Lynch Hilariously Inserts a Brief Shot of What Leo is Doing Right Now,
 Precariously Biting Down on a Booby Trap String that Windom Earle Left for
Leo in the Penultimate Episode. If Leo Stops Biting Down, a Tarantula Cage
Will Drop and Open Over His Face

A Pimpin' Dr. Jacoby Escorts Sarah Palmer into the Diner

Message from the Black Lodge

Sarah Palmer (in Red Room Backwards Talk):
"I am in the Black Lodge with Agent Cooper."

Major Briggs has Played an Increasingly Important Role in the Series as We
Discover His Assignment from the Air Force is to Assess, Monitor, and Make
Contact with the Entities of the White and Black Lodges

David Lynch does something remarkable here with Twin Peaks, making the end of the series feel like a mirror image of the beginning. Many themes and characters from the pilot episode return to roost in the series finale, giving a series of interesting Easter eggs for faithful viewers who have been carefully watching the series from the beginning. David Lynch takes the reins of the series masterfully, tying together all the threads of the show in a surrealistic tour d'force. But for viewers seeking answers, this final episode created whole new questions they wanted to see addressed in the later feature film.

THE BLACK LODGE

Agent Cooper's Journey into the Black Lodge is Among the Most Frightening
and Bizarre Experiences Ever Captured on Film

The Black Lodge

We Are Brought Back to the Familiar Red Room from Cooper's Dream

This Place is Not Just a Figurative Dreamworld, But is a Literal Place in the
Midst of the White and Black Lodges

Actress Sheryl Lee has Not Been Around Since Maddy's Murder 15 Episodes Earlier,
But Lynch has Her Reprise the Role of Laura and Maddy in this Bizarre Reunion

The Elderly Room Service Attendant Next Appears

The Elderly Room Service Waiter is Apparently a Host for this Entity

We Speculate this Phrase Implies the Giant and Dwarf are Actually the Same
Being, Just in Different Forms. Read Our Full Article on the Subject Here

Cooper Reaches for the Coffee Offered to Him

But the Coffee is Not as it Appears

The Coffee Mug is Filled with the Same Scorched-Engine Oil Often Associated
with the Appearance of BOB. We Assume the Dwarf is Preparing Cooper to Leave
the Waiting Room and Enter the Black Lodge

DOPPELGÄNGER

Cooper Proceeds Deeper and Deeper into the Lodge as He Seeks Annie

This portion of the finale is so surreal and emotionally charged that we will keep down to a minimum our analysis and commentary for this section of the story. David Lynch wants people to connect to this material on a subconscious level. Suffice it to say, Lynch captures on film a climactic battle for Cooper's soul that shatters any audience expectations.

Doppelgänger

A Strange Version of the Dwarf Introduces Maddy

We Even Meet the Red Room Dwarf's Doppelgänger

In theatrical performances, to help actors orient themselves on stage they refer to four commonly understood "walls" or directions. Stage right, stage left, the background (or backdrop) make the first three walls. The "fourth wall" refers to the audience, itself. Actors are normally discouraged from looking out at the audience, since this could destroy the illusion of the play. Although Shakespeare and other playwrights might have a character narrate or make a brief "aside" comment to the audience, for the most part actors are told to pretend another wall exists on stage where the audience is watching. This symbolic construct helps the actors avoid distracting the audience by looking at them at moments when the playwright did not intend them to do so.

A Twin Peaks Character Breaks the Fourth Wall for the First and Only Time

The term "breaking the fourth wall" has come to be used to describe any time an actor looks directly at the audience. In a first and last for the series, David Lynch directs Kyle MacLachlan to peer into the lens of the camera in this shot for the sole purpose of looking the audience in the eye. Other moments of characters looking into the camera, the character is ostensibly looking into a mirror or something else of interest.

Agent Cooper Desperately Races Back to His Physical Plane of Reality

Although each of us can interpret this "breaking" of the fourth wall differently, we suspect Lynch wants to remove the comfort zone that normally allows the audience to feel safely separated from the story on the screen. When Agent Cooper's Doppelgänger peers out at us, perhaps we are being subconsciously prompted to look inwardly at ourselves for the source of evil. As Agent Cooper wrestles with his own shadow-self, so to must we wrestle with our own.

But Cooper's BOB-Friendly Doppelgänger Catches Up to Him and the Two
Struggle for Control of Cooper's Body in the Flesh

BOB Delights in his Triumph, Having a New Means of Terrorizing Mankind

Why is Annie Blackburn's Face Covered with Blood? Her Injuries Look
Somewhat Similar to Ben Horne's Wounds from Doc Hayward's Attack

What happened in the Black Lodge exactly? What happened to Annie? What happened to Dale Cooper? What is happening to the town? David Lynch and Mark Frost were not actually planning to end the series on this episode, and were under the impression they could address all these open threads in a third season. And many viewers hoped Lynch's Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) film would resolve these points, but Lynch intended the film as a prequel to return back to Twin Peaks basics, and only touched on the Cooper cliffhanger sideways—setting up the real resolution in two planned feature film sequels that ultimately were never made.

HOW'S ANNIE?

In this monumentally depressing end scene, Cooper is clearly possessed by BOB. Cooper apparently opened the doorway to possession when he attempted to give his soul to Windom Earle in exchange for Annie's life. BOB indicated that Windom Earle could not ask for Cooper's soul and apparently took Windom's. But Cooper's Doppelgänger raced Cooper back to his body and apparently won, giving BOB the opportunity to seriously wound Agent Cooper in a remarkably similar way to how Doc Hayward attacked Ben Horne earlier in the episode.

Speaking of which, Doc Hayward is tending to Agent Cooper rather than sitting in a jail cell for killing, or at least seriously injuring, Ben Horne. I doubt Doc Hayward posted bail, since it takes time before the traveling judge passes through town again. We have to assume Sheriff Truman needed Doc Hayward's help to treat Cooper, so the Doc is technically in custody but cooperating with the Sheriff in this medical emergency. Whatever the case, Doc Hayward is in serious trouble right now.

A Possessed Cooper Brings Up a Complete Non Sequitir, Explaining
How He Needs to Brush His Teeth

Doc Hayward and Sheriff Truman Seem to Think Cooper is Just Disoriented

Last Scene of Twin Peaks

Again, this Wound is Identical to Doc Hayward's Attack on Ben Horne, and
BOB's Attack on Leland at the End of Episode 16

They Grow Concerned When they Hear the Bathroom Mirror Crack

Just Like Leland Palmer in Episode 16 and Ben Horne Earlier this Episode,
Cooper/BOB is Bleeding Profusely from the Crown of His Head

When speaking to Claire Laffar—artist and Lynch enthusiast from the U.K. (find her Twin Peaks related artwork here)—on the topic of Twin Peaks' ending, she mentioned something that resonates: "How much better would the ending have been if instead of Cooper-BOB saying, 'How's Annie?' He had said instead, 'How's Audrey?'" The sweet and lovely romance between Audrey and Cooper souring into a deadly triangle with Audrey horribly injured by BOB in the Black Lodge and rushed to the hospital, with a possessed Cooper laughing maniacally as he smashes his head into the mirror like Leland before him. The already horrifying ending of Twin Peaks would have had even greater emotional resonance and felt like we were still anchored in the same world created in the first few episodes of the series. It brings chills down the spine just to imagine the difference that change would have made...

A Possessed Cooper Laughs Maniacally and Asks the Same Question Repeatedly:
"How's Annie? How's Annie? How's Annie?"

We also have to ask ourselves why BOB would attack his new human host? Is BOB afraid his control over Cooper is limited so he wants to kill Cooper before the real Cooper returns to his body? We have pieced together another theory with the help of certain deleted scenes in the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992) screenplay, which describe Cooper being rushed to the hospital by Doc Hayward and Sheriff Truman, something that BOB surely anticipates. BOB is apparently practicing a question he will ask at the hospital, "How's Annie?" Because BOB is likely going to try to get into Annie's hospital room and kill her before she wakes up and tells everyone that the real Dale Coooper is stuck in the Black Lodge.

As Claire Laffar Posits, Would it Not Be More Horrifying this Way:
"How's Audrey? How's Audrey? How's Audrey?"

Since Annie is the only living witness of Cooper's possession, BOB is highly motivated to injure Cooper's body enough to require a visit to the emergency room to place him within striking distance of Annie. Once Annie is is out of the picture, BOB can continue possessing Cooper without anyone else being the wiser. Although, BOB seems surprisingly bad at impersonating Cooper, which might expose the possession sooner than later. We will touch on this theory in greater detail in next week's analysis of Fire Walk with Me.

The Last Shot of a Human in Twin Peaks Mimics

The First Shot of a Human in Twin Peaks

David Lynch opens and closes the series on shots of characters looking at themselves in the mirror. And both these characters (Josie Packard and Dale Cooper) were at one point in time attacked and to some degree possessed by BOB. Although Josie's possession by BOB is somewhat vague, in episode 26 Josie is clearly under some kind of influence when she is attacked and killed by him. And Josie's spirit apparently migrates into the woodwork of the Great Northern Hotel, trapped in it like Dale Cooper's spirit is trapped in the Black Lodge. To learn more on this subject, the Twin Peaks Archive released a very informative article on the subject that explains more of the Josie storyline than was ever revealed in the series and was only hinted at in the feature film. Clearly there are strong parallels between Josie and Cooper, but we leave it for you to determine the significance for yourself.

Sheriff Truman loved Josie to a nauseating degree and became close friends with Agent Cooper over the show's month-long narrative. One can only imagine how Truman must feel losing both people closest to him to BOB. Come to think of it, this happened to Sarah Palmer, too. Sarah lost her daughter and husband within two weeks of each other because of BOB.

So who and what is BOB? David Lynch leaves the answers to these questions purposely vague. He leaves the door open with possible science fiction answers, like BOB and the other Lodge dwellers being intra-terrestrial entities who exist on a different temporal plane. Strong spiritual connotations are also present with its own set of implications. Albert Rosenfield sums up another possibility at the end of episode 16: "Perhaps BOB is just the evil that men do." Whatever your viewpoint, Lynch raises some interesting questions and expects us to answer them for ourselves.

The Series Ends on Laura Palmer's Face Reflected on the Scorched-Engine
Oil in Cooper's Coffee Mug

Albert Rosenfield: "Cooper. In observation, I don't know where this is headed. But the only one of us with the coordinates for this destination and its hardware is you. Go on whatever vision quest you require. Stand on the rim of a volcano, stand alone and do your dance. Just find this beast before he takes another bite."

The TV series ends with Episode 29 and next week we will analyze David Lynch's follow-up prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me (1992). The prequel film is sold separately from the box set, but all series episodes can be found in an excellent box set: Twin Peaks - The Definitive Gold Box Edition. Twin Peaks can also be found in 720p HD format at the iTunes Store. Many of the episodes can be viewed in lower definition at IMDB, CBS, and Fancast.

Conan O'Brien Loves Twin Peaks

HD Twin Peaks Montage

Previous Article

TWIN PEAKS - #14 HE IS BOB, EAGER FOR FUN (1990)

Next Article

TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (1992)

Any purchase made via our web store or the product links throughout the article contributes a small portion to the running of this site. Thank you for your support.