Theories & Speculation

[Novalis]

Also thought of the Dutchman ship legend...
Maybe Jeffries is on that and riding it, shifting between various planes of existence...?

That'd be quite an adventure I guess.

But will it be captained by Philip Vanderdecken or by Davy Jones?

{completely tongue-in-cheek}

[BGate]

This is probably apropos of nothing, but Paul Schrader has been commenting periodically on the series, and this week he linked to an IndieWire recap and said "Thank God there's someone who can see midst this tangled grove of associations.", to which Harry Goaz responded:

The tangled grove will open to the sky . . .

https://www.facebook.com/paul.schrader. ... 9016273888


Like I said, probably just Harry being Harry, but interesting none the less.

[sylvia_north]

On Reddit someone noticed that Laura mentions in the Diary that Margaret's husband was a fire fighter, after they meet when she dreams her 1400 River Road address.
TSHOTP confirms, tho the details of his death differ somewhat. Sam is 6'5", Carel Struyken whose part 8 song is called "Fireman" is 7'.

[Mr. Reindeer]

On Reddit someone noticed that Laura mentions in the Diary that Margaret's husband was a fire fighter, after they meet when she dreams her 1400 River Road address.
TSHOTP confirms, tho the details of his death differ somewhat. Sam is 6'5", Carel Struyken whose part 8 song is called "Fireman" is 7'.

That's interesting, especially since the Giant seems to speak to Margaret through the Log in episode 14 ("there are Owls at the Roadhouse"). Points against: it's always appeared to me that Margaret sees the Giant in 14, and she doesn't react like she's looking at her husband. The Giant/??????? seems to exists in 1945, long before Sam dies (yeh, I know, time can be wonky in the Lodges). Also, am I misremembering, or doesn't TSHoTP show us a photo of Sam?

[Burns's Suite]

Ok, so I know it's not the most fashionable thing to read too deep into David Lynch's work. But these last few episodes have so far (I may very well be proven wrong in the next 5 weeks) helped me peice together a clear idea on what may have been going on in the Deer Meadow sections of FWWM.

The conversation between Gordon and Albert seems to give us the idea that the FBI know to some extent about these portals "You think there's one in there" and later "I think we found out". Now I've speculated before on another thread that I believe Agent Desmond disappeared into one of these after picking up the ring.

Now I believe the whole reason that the Blue Rose was bought into the Theresa Banks investigation was that she lived at... The (old) Fat Trout trailer park, which I believe may have been the location of a fictional unresolved Project Blue Book incident. I believe one of these portals may have existed there, FBI knew of it to some capacity and thus Desmond did go back for the Blue Rose. I can't say what, but some inside knowledge about the case is what drew both Desmond and Cooper to the location of the Chalfont trailer. Chet Desmond seems to have just stumbled onto it at the wrong time and most likely fell victim to the skull crushing Woodsmen.

Sorry for the seemingly pointless longwinded post, it just seems to explain things in a somewhat neat way that I believe there's at least some grain of truth to.

[whoisalhedges]

Ok, so I know it's not the most fashionable thing to read too deep into David Lynch's work. But these last few episodes have so far (I may very well be proven wrong in the next 5 weeks) helped me peice together a clear idea on what may have been going on in the Deer Meadow sections of FWWM.

The conversation between Gordon and Albert seems to give us the idea that the FBI know to some extent about these portals "You think there's one in there" and later "I think we found out". Now I've speculated before on another thread that I believe Agent Desmond disappeared into one of these after picking up the ring.

Now I believe the whole reason that the Blue Rose was bought into the Theresa Banks investigation was that she lived at... The (old) Fat Trout trailer park, which I believe may have been the location of a fictional unresolved Project Blue Book incident. I believe one of these portals may have existed there, FBI knew of it to some capacity and thus Desmond did go back for the Blue Rose. I can't say what, but some inside knowledge about the case is what drew both Desmond and Cooper to the location of the Chalfont trailer. Chet Desmond seems to have just stumbled onto it at the wrong time and most likely fell victim to the skull crushing Woodsmen.

Sorry for the seemingly pointless longwinded post, it just seems to explain things in a somewhat neat way that I believe there's at least some grain of truth to.

I figured Fat Trout was on their radar because Carl Rodd owned it.

[Pinky]

Remember Sam and Tracey? That was a while back... We do not know what happened to the creature from the box, do we? Could be it loose in NYC or in the world in general? I mean, it did break through the glass?

I have this notion that the very final scene, at the conclusion of/ finale for The REturn Part 18, after ALL the fallout preceding -- will be that missing security guard, returning to his post, a fresh latte of his own in hand, then looks around with a quizzical expression: "What now?!"

My brother sat blankly through the entire premiere until he saw the security guard and was like, wow, what the hell is Michael Bisping doing in this?!

[boske]

It'd be funny if in the last scene we see the glass box in NYC, and all of a sudden a large cherry pie materializes in it.

[Framed_Angel]

After rewatching Part 13, during the conversation w/ Dr Jacoby outside of Run Silent Run Drapes store, when I heard Nadine state the familiar "and do you know these drapes... are completely silent!?" it was the first actual word-for-word quote from S1-2 that I think I'd heard all of TP;TR. That and "Just You And I" being sung by James of course.
There was also a moment when DougieCoop takes a sip of the coffee Anthony bought him, and goes "Ahhhhh!" in a VERY similar way to the old Dale Cooper.

Which begets speculation, for me anyway: unless I missed some earlier Parts that quoted verbatim anything from past seasons, or had outright references (except for Part 2's Red Room which I'm sure had some dialogue of Laura's brought back from former S1/2 like "my arms bend back"), then I can't help thinking more familiarities will emerge bit by bit.

[Leebob]

It'd be funny if in the last scene we see the glass box in NYC, and all of a sudden a large cherry pie materializes in it.

If there's this one specific thing in the [glass] box...

[Mr. Strawberry]

Considering how many curveballs have come our way, is anyone not completely convinced that "the Doppelganger" is actually evil? Couldn't he just be Cooper with an utterly annihilated soul, inhabited by BOB, yet still somehow trying his best to do what's right?

You might argue that he has the warden killed in cold blood, but what if the warden did something unspeakable and isn't fit to be a father to his son? What if the son will avoid being corrupted and ruined now that his father is out of the picture?

One might point out that he murdered Jack the mechanic, but what if Jack was suffering from something awful and wanted nothing more than to die? What if Ray and Darya are part of a heartless gang of perpetrators that have inflicted untold misery on their victims?

Perhaps while everyone is watching and waiting for one aspect of Cooper to wake up in Las Vegas, they're failing to anticipate or root for the original to pull out of his empty nightmare. Why is there no sympathy for ol' Dale? Of course within the Red Room there were two Coopers, but that's not the same as the physical realm we live in. Cooper and his Shadow Self are metaphysical aspects of the same individual -- two sides of a coin. But even though a coin can be perceived as having two sides, it is still a single entity.

There is only one Dale in the physical world. The other guy in Vegas is a physical recreation, and part of Cooper is in him, but it's interesting that all the attention is put on his "plight" when in fact he's got it good compared to the soulless hell that Dale is in. If this spiritually wrecked man comes to, and emotionally faces up to what he's become, it will be one hell of a terrible and gut wrenching moment for him, and for us as the viewers it could be a lot more impactful and unexpected than the Doppelganger in Las Vegas having a sudden moment of realization.

I'm having fun with this theory in part because of the way Season 2's closing affected me back in the day, in part because I'm trying not to let Lynch & Frost pull the rug out from under us again (as if!), and in part because my gut is telling me something.

[alreadygoneplaces]

The mention of Jack in the previous post reminded me of this...

Rewatching the early episodes, I'm noticing how much Jack behaves like Dougie, especially when wolfing down his three meals in the diner. That said, he did seemingly manage to wire a carbomb, if I'd interpreted that right. There is though the link with the face rubbing- Jack is killed this way, and Dougie repeats the word 'dead' after one of the Mitchums touches his face... Probably one of the main little overlaps. links and paralells that permeate the whole series rather than one that explicitly means something significantly important to the story.

[Dreamy Audrey]

Considering how many curveballs have come our way, is anyone not completely convinced that "the Doppelganger" is actually evil? Couldn't he just be Cooper with an utterly annihilated soul, inhabited by BOB, yet still somehow trying his best to do what's right?

The thought crossed my mind a few times. We don't really know what the Doppelganger's goal is. Maybe he has a reason for doing what he's doing. I noticed that the he has never harmed innocent people (as Bob killed Laura and Maddy), he only killed people who threatened him or were working against him (and all of them seemed shady). I'm also not 100% convinced that the Cooper in the black and white opening scene of Part 1 is the good Cooper. Due to the black and white you can't tell if he has green or dark eyes. And if the good Cooper doesn't wake up soon I can't imagine him in that scene because how does the "Remember 430. Richard and Linda" make sense if Richard is Richard Horne and good Cooper doesn't know anything about him? But if that's the Doppelganger, he might know Richard or get to know him in one of his next scenes, since they are already at the same location.

[Jasper]

Considering how many curveballs have come our way, is anyone not completely convinced that "the Doppelganger" is actually evil? Couldn't he just be Cooper with an utterly annihilated soul, inhabited by BOB, yet still somehow trying his best to do what's right?

You might argue that he has the warden killed in cold blood, but what if the warden did something unspeakable and isn't fit to be a father to his son? What if the son will avoid being corrupted and ruined now that his father is out of the picture?

One might point out that he murdered Jack the mechanic, but what if Jack was suffering from something awful and wanted nothing more than to die? What if Ray and Darya are part of a heartless gang of perpetrators that have inflicted untold misery on their victims?

To be completely honest, this just sounds kind of silly. The doppelganger doesn't have a drop of good in him. Dougie-Coop has all of the good. Now, I will say that it's possible that the reintegration of the two could lead to normal Cooper, with the shadow self submerged deep in the unconscious. We do need an shadow component for a number of reasons, one being that we need to be able to understand and predict what evil humans might do. We also need to be able to go into a mode where we're less than angelic, purely for the sake of survival, which is something which societies ask of their warriors.

Of course within the Red Room there were two Coopers, but that's not the same as the physical realm we live in. Cooper and his Shadow Self are metaphysical aspects of the same individual -- two sides of a coin. But even though a coin can be perceived as having two sides, it is still a single entity.

Sort of. The shadow self is really only supposed to be one in the lodge/unconscious. When it emerged it seems to have emerged with its own physical form, the existence of which precludes the emergence of the good Coop in physical form. The doppelganger has impenetrable black eyes and a backwards fingerprint.

Let's go to Lynch:

Q:
So, was Cooper occupied by BOB in the script before you changed it?

LYNCH:
No, but Coop wasn’t occupied by BOB. Part of him was. There are two Coops in there, and the one that came out was, you know, with BOB.
______
Q:
Why was Cooper possessed by Bob at the end? It seems like he’s lost it.

LYNCH:
Well the thing is he hasn’t been possessed. It’s the doppelgänger thing, the idea of two sides to everyone, he’s really up against himself.

There is only one Dale in the physical world. The other guy in Vegas is a physical recreation, and part of Cooper is in him

I'd argue that this is incorrect. The real Dougie Jones was taken to the lodge, went poof, and left only a small gold sphere (perhaps part of the real Cooper's soul, which we might compare to the complete, large golden Laura sphere from part 8 ). Dale Cooper's body was able to emerge because of the existence of Dougie Jones. This is perhaps because Dougie provided raw organic material for Cooper to reformulate as if going through a Stark Trek transporter. Cooper's mind and/or soul lost something in the transfer (maybe his shoes/pin, and/or the Dougie sphere), but this is the real, physical Dale Cooper. He has Dale Cooper's haircut, suit, physique, and even his Great Northern room key. This wasn't supposed to be possible, but it was made possible.

What would have happened if Cooper had been able to switch places with the doppelganger? Would he have looked like good old Dale, or would he have been blotchy, tan, scraggly-haired, with pitch black eyes and a backwards fingerprint? Would he have the venereal diseases which have probably been picked up by the doppelganger? Maybe it would have been like the Dougie transfer, one body for one body, and Cooper would have emerged with his haircut, suit, normal fingerprint and everything, and without the mind/soul difficulties.

I'm having fun with this theory in part because of the way Season 2's closing affected me back in the day, in part because I'm trying not to let Lynch & Frost pull the rug out from under us again (as if!), and in part because my gut is telling me something.

I've always approached this stuff in a prismatic manner, meaning that I see it as simultaneously literal, poetic, and metaphysical/psychological. I'd generally assumed there would be one body, and that the doppelganger would be in that exact body. Lynch and Frost are telling us something different. They seem to be telling us that if the doppelganger comes out, it is not the same physical body, but a very close double.

[Burns's Suite]

Ok, so I know it's not the most fashionable thing to read too deep into David Lynch's work. But these last few episodes have so far (I may very well be proven wrong in the next 5 weeks) helped me peice together a clear idea on what may have been going on in the Deer Meadow sections of FWWM.

The conversation between Gordon and Albert seems to give us the idea that the FBI know to some extent about these portals "You think there's one in there" and later "I think we found out". Now I've speculated before on another thread that I believe Agent Desmond disappeared into one of these after picking up the ring.

Now I believe the whole reason that the Blue Rose was bought into the Theresa Banks investigation was that she lived at... The (old) Fat Trout trailer park, which I believe may have been the location of a fictional unresolved Project Blue Book incident. I believe one of these portals may have existed there, FBI knew of it to some capacity and thus Desmond did go back for the Blue Rose. I can't say what, but some inside knowledge about the case is what drew both Desmond and Cooper to the location of the Chalfont trailer. Chet Desmond seems to have just stumbled onto it at the wrong time and most likely fell victim to the skull crushing Woodsmen.

Sorry for the seemingly pointless longwinded post, it just seems to explain things in a somewhat neat way that I believe there's at least some grain of truth to.

I figured Fat Trout was on their radar because Carl Rodd owned it.

Could very well be that too, or the FBI noticed a correlation between both. But it definitely lends itself to the belief it was initially considered a Blue Rose case due to her living at the Fat Trout.

Speaking of which, I know it's technically a recton, but after discovering the link between Project Blue Book and Windom Earle you'd think that maybe Cooper would have maybe tried to get in contract with Gordon?