From: jgp@zodmate.Rational.COM (Jim Pellmann)
Newsgroups: alt.tv.twin-peaks,rec.arts.tv
Subject: The Twin Peaks Finale Timeline/Commentary (part 5/5)
Date: 27 Aug 92 21:25:43 GMT
Followup-To: alt.tv.twin-peaks

[Start of File 5 of 5]
<----------------------------------cut here---------------------------------->
==============================================================================
*** Humor
==============================================================================

Global Television [in Canada], in uplinking the show on Sunday, followed the
program with the usual title screen indicating the feed was over, with the
added words at the bottom: 

                   By the way, "How's Annie?"

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"How's Annie?" "Oh, she's OK, just a mild case of Frost bite..."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>After Coop entered, oh, about the eight curtained room, I kept hoping his
>Eagle Scout training would kick in, and he'd make a map of the place.  

"You are in a twisty maze of red-curtained rooms, all alike."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When I saw this cat, everything became clear to me.  All along, we've
been getting this whole Black Lodge thing wrong.  It's not the Black
Lodge, it's the Black *Lounge*!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Q: What did the Dalai Lama say to the hot dog salesman?
A: Make me one with everything.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>(Let's start thinking of titles for those movies, y'all.)

Twin Peaks: The Motion Picture
Twin Peaks II: The Wrath of Bob
Twin Peaks III: The Search for Coop

(I couldn't resist.)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Favorite line:

Audrey (Recently De-flowered): It's only been a day.  I hope it doesn't
                   hurt this much in a week.
                   
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Audrey (Recently De-flowered): It's only been a day.  I hope it doesn't
>                  hurt this much in a week.   

This is the most twisted thing I've read all day.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Perhaps the mark the major and the log lady have is due to facing the
> black lodge and NOT getting corrupted....If so, perhaps he made it to
> the white lodge...
> 

Probably the giant is actually the doorman for the White lodge and if you pass
the test, he will stamp your hand (neck or whatever) as you leave so you can
get back in later ...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"We're here in front of world-famous Maurice's Cafe and Deli in
 downtown Pittsburg.  Today, we've replaced the fine coffee they
 usually serve with dark, sparkling Black Lodge Coffee.  Let's
 see what people think."

"Black Lodge Coffee?  I can't believe it!  It tastes so...
 so...so...EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!"

"Coffee?  Coffee.  Coffee!  Coffee."

"Oh!  Is that why it's so good?  It certainly is a step up
 from Maurice's usual General Foods International Coffee crap!"

"Who's the midget?"

"Well, that proves it folks.  Black Lodge Coffee - fine enough to be
served in the world's (or at least Pittsburg's) finest restaurants."


------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You say you didn't like how Twin Peaks ended?  There's a very simple
explanation.

Lynch and Frost weren't involved with it.  It was their Black Lodge
doppelgangers.

Repeat after me (in a nasal voice):
    How's Twin Peaks?
    How's Twin Peaks?
    How's Twin Peaks?
    
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

> APPLICANTS BEARING LOVE OR FEAR, PROCEED DOWN CORRIDOR
> APPLICANTS BEARING OIL AND ALL OTHERS USE SIDE ENTRANCE        ;-)

"The White Lodge is for Loading and Unloading..."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Coop == Mario?

So when is the release of the BL/WL/Red Room video game?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Good thing he didn't have to floss!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Some TV network person out there may be interested in a
more long term commitment to loyal older TV viewers and to the
upcoming generations of viewers.  For example, one might envision
a future Saturday morning cartoon feature with voices
provided by the actual voices of the original series.  A possible
finale for one of these hypothetical weekly shows which might be
called:


     "Fugitive Twins Reach Their Peaks in Kung Fu Course"


Opening cartoon:

David Carradine's character (Caine) appears very suddenly in a
clearing -- seemingly emerging feet first and reclaims the wind
instrument from WE.  Quietly and nonviolently Caine explains the
deeper, more meditative applications of such devices in and
"Easterly" way -- WE occasionally 'egging' him on.  With the
wooden instrument in hand cartoon character Caine turns to the
camera and says "go figure" and at this point he transforms into
a (you guessed it) -- grasshopper.  

Before it can achieve 'one good leap for a grasshopper' our
Caine/Hopper-guy is engulfed fast-flying-swooping blurry creature
which is eventually seen more clearly to be (you  guessed it
again) an EMPEROR OWL.  This OWL is what is seems, and it begins
to fly away leaving no one, except itself, with a bad taste in
its oral cavity.  The OWL thinking to itself but out loud so we
and others can hear the message through the doppler effect (or is
that doppelganger?): "Yuk.  Pah-toohey!  I wonder what that
grasshopper had in his backpack? Yuk."  The OWL can no longer
tolerate the bad taste of this morsel and he "upchucks" the half-
chewed grasshopper out of his oral cavity onto none other than --
BOB (maybe you didn't guess this one).  Add this would be tobacco
wad hits BOB right in the kisser!  Bob Barks.  "WOW, WOW, WOW!"
(fooled you?).  He then wipes the partially regurgitated matter
from his face so as to better reflect on these events.  Suddenly,
he turns from his mirror and spots a seemingly innocent figure
running through a red room and screams "backwards or in reverse-
order pig-latin" -- "There goes Kimball!"  Dr. Richard Kimball
stops, cups his mouth with his hands and yells "Stop you OAM"!
Not very loud though.  Maybe he would do better with a (you
guessed it!) MIKE.

Go to commercial break and sell the kids some baseball cards.

Back from break.  Scenes from next week -- Nadine in China at the
monastery trying rice paper drape technique.  Norma hires Kimball
to clean up the RR (replacement for Hank).  Cooper and the rest
of the local law enforcement crowd run into Caine on their way to
the TP sheriff's office.  Caine is loudly trying to explain his
innocence to (you guessed it!) Gordon.  And like that.  

==============================================================================
*** Movie
==============================================================================

Great news for David Lynch and Twin Peaks Fans!!!!

David Lynch called me  on the telephone on Friday, and he relayed to me that
a Twin Peaks movie WILL BE his NEXT project. (whether or not he is working
on Ronnie Rocket now is something that I don't know.)

The movie will cover the Theresa Banks murder and the final days of
Laura Palmer.  The title will be 'Fire Walk With Me.'  

He did not tell me this in confidence, so I am sure that it is not a secret.
:^)

He said, and I quote, 'It's gonna be cool.'

PS  I am sure that Kyle MacLachlan will be in it...if you remember correctly,
he investigated Theresa Banks murder.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Let's hope the writers are REALLY CLEVER.  A well-written prequel can easily
resolve questions in the original series.  The viewer can be places and learn
things that remain unknown to the other characters, even in the original series.
For example, we may see how Josie got into double dealing, and perhaps something
that happened in her past that foreshadows her timely end, wrapped in plywood.
We may hear the giant's voice come out of Margaret's log.  BOB may impart some
crucial Lodge secrets to Laura in an effort to entire her to let him in.  He may
describe previously unknown portions of the Caroline affair to her, or let slip
something about his plans for Windom Earl.  It Can Be Done, folks!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From a local newspaper's Television Guide:

To some people, the smell of coffee, doughnuts and cherry pie just won't
be the same.

Devotees of ABC's "Twin Peaks" have had time to brace themselves for
Monday's two-hour finale of the offbeat serial, since the network
announced weeks ago that the last two episodes -- the second of which
was directed by co-creator and co-executive producer David Lynch --
would be combined into a last hurrah.  However, several key players
(including Lynch himself) have started to imply that "Peaks" might not
be over completely, with the possibility of a subsequent theatrical
movie under discussion.  That should come as welcome information to the
show's fans, since Monday's offering is destined to leave some threads
hanging, with one of the major plots involving the efforts of Dale
Cooper (played by Kyle MacLachlan) and Sheriff Harry S. Truman (Michael
Ontkean) to save the winner of the Miss Twin Peaks contest from the
clutches of the sinister Windom Earle (Kenneth Welsh).

Lynch's "Peaks" production partner Mark Frost says that continuing the
saga on the movie screen was considered an option "only when it looked
like we probably weren't going to come back (on ABC) and have a chance
to close out the stories that we'd started.  There are a lot of moving
parts to that, though, and we just have to see if they can all fit
together.  I can't speak for David, but for me, this has been a year filled
with all sorts of different feelings ... elation, frustration, happiness,
disappointment.  You name it, it was there."

Indeed after starting out phenomenally in the spring of 1990, "Twin Peaks"
was moved to a Saturday-night berth for the start of the 1990-1991 season,
and its ratings quickly plunged.  By the time the decision was made to
restore it to Thursday nights, too much ground had been lost, since it then
was beaten regularly in the Nielsens by all the other Network competition.

"I think the show had a meteoric rise and kind of a similar plummet, in
terms of viewership," Frost says.  "There were still millions of people
watching it every week quite loyally, and we're certainly grateful for
all of their support, but I think a lot of things contributed to the
show's short life span.  Among them was the tremendous hype that surrounded
('Peaks') when it first came on, because that can raise expectations to
extraordinary degrees, and it probably robs anything of its ability to
survive over the long term.  It gets eaten up quicker.  Also, there were
some programming choices that I think could have been wiser (regarding)
handling the show, but we probably could have done better with some of our
work in the second half of the season."

While Frost feels that Monday doesn't necessarily mark the absolute
conclusion of "Twin Peaks," that view is shared by others involved in
the project, such as co-star Ontkean.

"This is certainly something that's going to be ongoing in some form or
other, at some time or other," the actor says.  "It'd be fun to do it
again, because there's still some stuff to explore, but it would be
a different medium and a different ball game."

Though Ontkean recalls a general feeling on the set that the end of "Peaks"
as a TV series was near, he says, "When you're working with David (Lynch),
the atmosphere is always very energized and very positive.  He also has a
great sense of humor though people might perceive him otherwise because
his work is somewhat dark.  We were aware that the show had been doing
poorly in that horse rase called 'the ratings,' so it was generally thought
that we were doing our last shows.  For some reason though, we didn't feel
it would end there.  The concept is so strong and the characters are so
finely drawn, I'm sure we'll do it in another form.

"I'm not quite ready to say goodbye to it, and I don't think the audience
is, so there may be another way to play the game."

==============================================================================
*** Plot developments (potential)
==============================================================================

Idle speculation re: any sort of follow-up.  My office-mate Gael and I were
speculating about how the whole Coop or alter-Coop would get returned to
their rightful places.  I was reading in the _Access_Guide_to_Twin_Peaks_
about the Passion Play which occurs every 5 or so years, but be ready in April,
at Glastonbury Grove. It's rumored to be produced by the Bookhouse Boys. Hmm,
Passion Play (usually having to do with the death and resurection of Christ),
Glastonbury the legendary burial place of King Arthur who sought the Holy Grail
aka the Cup of Christ (Arthur, the Once and Future King, who goes away but will
return at the times of greatest need and peril -- yet more death and re-birth
symbolism) and not to mention the secret society (ala the Masonic Lodge) which
is dedicated to keeping the good and rightious.  Now if my time sense is 
correct the Miss Twin Peaks contest is in April -- just in time for an emer-
gency reenactment of the Passion Play ... food for thought, eh?

[See separate posting on Passion Play story.]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Now that Bob's in Coop, it must go somewhere.  I want more Bob 
intrigue.  Doesn't the TP opening show the town's population to be circa
5000.  Albert now can go after Coop thus mirroring the first plotline of
Coop after WE.

    Consider pay-per-view about once a month.  Yuppies by themselves 
or forty college students around one tube.  It might just be the best avenue.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Where do we go from here?  Well...it doesn't really matter, except that 
someday, Lynch is gonna get around to some sort of a 'love will triumph over
all' ending.  Remember Wild at Heart?  I have always felt that that was 
the metaphor of choice for Lynch, and with Briggs saying the same thing a
few episodes ago, I know that that is someday what will happen....so you
'this was filled with pain and anguish and that's all we get' people...
just hang on!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Briggs is the guy. He's the one who is told by the Log Lady that "Coop
  Is With Me at the Black Lodge"... he's got to be the one to save him.
  
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>* Briggs is the guy. He's the one who is told by the Log Lady that "Coop
>  Is With Me at the Black Lodge"... he's got to be the one to save him.

That wasn't the Log Lady that was Sarah Palmer. The big question is who was
she possessed with. BOB? LMFAP? There seemed to be a tone of maliciousness
in the voice, but that could just be me. Briggs is the coolest. I really wish
he had been more involved. He definitely has to be in the movie. After all,
they are "waiting for him" in the Black Lodge.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

..If the series continues somehow (there was talk of a movie), I don't think  
we will see Harry "leading the frontline battle against Agent Bob".  Maybe  
Annie, but Harry probably won't even realize the Coop is Bob.  Annie, Major  
Briggs, Margaret, and maybe MIKE will have to save Coop.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, so I can't let the last episode stand as it is, I must anticipate that
TP has a future and begin to look to what that future may be....

So Coop (or his doppelganger) is controlled by Bob.  I personally would like
to believe that the real Coop is still in the Black Lodge but it doesn't
matter.

Annie appears to be OK. At least according to Harry who tells Coop that she 
is in the hospital but she is OK.

Now, in the forthcoming episodes or movie:

What will happen when Coop (and Bob) meets Annie????  What will happen when Coop
meets Major Briggs?

It will all work out!!!!!!

I think Lynch does believe in happy endings (In Blue Velvet the sun did
shine and the Robins did sing).  This will all be resolved for us. (I do
believe, I do believe....)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>I think Lynch does believe in happy endings (In Blue Velvet the sun did
>shine and the Robins did sing).  This will all be resolved for us. (I do
>believe, I do believe....)

I don't know about this-- when Lynch was asked about finally revealing
everything (what the owls really are, who the cream corn kid is, what
the lodges really are...) he said that he wouldn't because it would be
far too depressing.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We've been learning -- bit by bit -- about the black lodge, the white
lodge, and what it takes to go through unscathed.  Coop faces this
challenge in the key scene from the next-to-last sequence, in which
Windom and Coop had their "showdown."  Windom asks Coop to give up his
soul for Annie.  By accepting, (sorry if this sounds hackneyed) he has
chosen love over fear.  From what we have been led to expect, Coop has
passed the test.

Then, BOB takes windom (checkmate), and frees Cooper.  Or at least
that's how I saw it until the final final scene.  In the last five
minutes of film, we find the Coop is possessed by BOB.  No fair!  I
didn't mind Coop getting shot at the end of season 1, since that was
just a senseless act.  The story is telling me that Coop did not have
what it takes to make it through the black/white lodge.  How does the
plot continue from here?

Then, this idea, stolen from another person's article.  It made some
sense to me, but it may seem to you as if I'm grasping at straws to
make the ending fit my expectations.

>   Interesting. Dopplegangors. She'll see him in 25 years. 
>   I see some hope for Dale in that. In his 25 year hence dream state
>he didn't seem possessed by Bob. Is this finally the evil twin motif? Is
>Cooper's better self still in the waiting room?

Evil twin stories sound silly, but bear with me.  I see it like this:
Cooper is stuck in the black lodge, evil Cooper is out in the real
world.  Cooper chases Windom/Bob around, evil Cooper gets hunted by
Truman, et. al.  Cooper has another soul-searching scene, which I
don't know what it is, and then a bunch of white lodge stuff.
Meanwhile, Truman's narrowed in on evil Coop.  As Coop finds
redemption, he takes the place of evil Coop, Truman doesn't shoot him,
something else happens, and then a cherry on top.

What this future storyline does for me is the following:
    Affirms our belief that love is enough.
    Allows Coop to get to the white lodge.
    Gives us a reason for the dopplegangers.
    Has a cherry on top.
    Keeps around the Windom Earle character.
    Lets us see Log Lady's hubby at the white lodge.
    Never places two Coopers on the physical world at the same time.
    Shows Dale Cooper (possesed by Bob) ravaging the town of Twin Peaks,
        while at the same time assuring us that it's not Dale's doing.

One big minus is that this future storyline would either have evil
Coop kill people which would hold Coop accountable, or it would have
evil Coop kill no one, which is a bit boring.  

If a movie version (or another season) ever pans out, we will see what
the writers come up with.  I hope to god it's better than my version.
I also hope to god it's better than the civil war and "little nicky"
storylines they had...  However, the point is this.  I found that by
thinking of how the ending could be continued, I could see the ending in
a different light.  I suppose this is what people meant by, "think of
this as a season finale, not a finale finale."  

Before, it just seemed like, "Ok.  We're not being renewed.  Let's
paste on that one-minute toothbrush-Bob-mirror thing and get the hell
out of here."  Now, I don't know what to think, which is normal for
this show, I suppose.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've been thinking about this for a little while, and it seems as if Lynch
may have set himself up with a really nice cinematic device here.  It'll
be interesting to see if he uses it this way (assuming, oh please goddess,
he gets a chance to):  Instead of a choice between Cooper being possessed,
fighting for his soul strictly within his physical body, and his doppelganger
being out in the physical world while he is trapped in the Black Lodge,
perhaps both are true.  That is, if the events that transpire in the
Lodges are dream-like manifestations of the psychological/spiritual events
transpiring in the physical realm, then Lynch could produce a film where
all the internal struggles of his protagonist could be given "physical"
form.  Where more traditional movies are limited to troubled facial
expressions or Dr. Strangelove-style left-hand-fighting-the-right-hand
methods for expressing internal conflict, the Twin Peaks movie (PLEASE!)
could carry on two interwoven storylines/story-settings.  So, when Dale
is trying to fight back in the physical world, and, say, is experiencing
a brief period of success against BOB, we could cut to scenes of good-Dale
temporarily overcoming bad-Dale in the Lodge/Red-Room environment.  And
vice versa.

For this to be exciting, the Lodge environment would have to be expanded
from just the Red Room, I think, or even the most dedicated TP fans (myself
included) would begin to suffer from claustrophobia and boredom.  But
since the whole Lodge reality has been mulching in Lynch's mental garden
of earthly delights for some time now, I'd like to see his expanded vision
of the Lodges.  (I must confess, I had hopes that we would get some of this
in the Season Finale.)

Since Major Briggs and Annie could conceivably enter the Lodges directly to
try to help Dale at that level, while Truman, Hawk, Andy and Albert try to
contain the possessed Dale's carnage in the physical realm (with, possibly,
the Log Lady able to occasionally communicate messages between the realms),
we could witness quite an epic struggle for self preservation and self
control by Dale from two entirely different vantage points, using two
entirely distinct metaphors.

Ah well, just a thought...

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Cooper faced his confrontation with the Black Lodge with imperfect 
>courage.  He forgot to face evil and fear with love.  His previous comments
>to Agent Roger Hardy (the FBI agent played by Clarence Williams III) that
>he is looking 'beyond the board...looking at the world with love' exemplified
>this philosophy.  But in the true test, Cooper failed.  

>He did not save Windom Earle from BOB.  (Gathering thoughts here...)
>Cooper loved Annie, and she was the focus of his love, but in order to 
>truly love, to look at the world with love, you must ALSO love your enemies.
>In failing to save Windom, Cooper could not save himself...hence...being
>possesed by BOB.

I agree with this, and I think that the solution should be obvious.
The only person we've seen on the show capable of the complete love
needed solve the problem of the Black Lodge is Albert.

Didn't someone post a comment along the lines that Albert was going
to be in the movie (if such a beast occurs?)

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Now we
>are left to our imagination on a world with an evil Cooper. Mind boggling...

Mind-boggling indeed!  I hope it boggles Lynch's mind--enough to keep
him churning out TP movies for some time to come.  :-)  (Let's start 
thinking of titles for those movies, y'all.)

But an evil Cooper is not the *only* thing I imagine!  I also imagine:
    --as a result of multiple spider bites, Leo goes insane and is
hospitalized, but when he is put on Haloperidol, he turns into a docile
gentle-giant of a man, and becomes close friends with Johnny Horne;
    --Ben wakes up from his head injury thinking that he's Abraham
Lincoln; he is so wise and kindly, he's elected mayor a few months
later, when Mayor Milford keels over while receiving a blowjob;
    --Major Briggs makes it to his destination, and opens the door
to the White Lodge (assisted, of course, by all the lovers in town (-:),
where he unleashes some marvelous mind-boggling force for Good--sort
of like the Great Spirit crossed with the primal Mother Goddess. 

This force for Good is so strong, it will mobilize the remnants of Dale
Cooper's soul, which are still floating around inside his body--recall
that Leland was still "inside" there with Bob, because he re-emerged at
the time of his death--and allow those remnants to be fruitful and
multiply, to grow stronger, so that at least he will engage in a fierce
battle with his Shadow self, his Doppelganger, the part of him that
cooperates with Bob, and then....

I guess I got a little carried away.  I'm worried about Dale Cooper,
let's face it.  I'm trying to think up a scenario where he makes it
back to us.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Harry is at the door to the bathroom right now.  What would you do if you've
seen all the things that Harry has over the past 30 (about) days.  Coop is
freaking out, pounding his head like Leland.  If I were Harry, I'd pull my
revolver and kill Coop where he stands.  Or wait until after June when the
Lodge door is closed for 25 years.  While BOB is out in a main host
(WE --> Coop) he can roam freely around from pawn to pawn without giving up his
hold on the main host.  Kill the main host without a replacement, and BOB is
outta here.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The ending is not nearly as obvious as many suppose.  Cooper could be
possesed by Bob, but I haven't seen anybody mention the possibility
that Agent Cooper in his infinite wisdom is stronger than Bob and is
running a master scam to defeat him.  In other words, he is allowing
Bob to think he is possesing Cooper.  Then, possibly, Bob will let his
guard down, materialize in order to kill Annie, and while Bob is
distracted, Cooper will get him in the nick of time.  Cooper hasn't
"lost" to Bob yet.  Remember he voluntarily took up Bob's offer (made
through Windam) of trading his soul for Annie's life.

Yet another possibility for the movie is that Agent Cooper may have to
be rescued from the Black Lodge and his doppelganger on earth
defeated.  If I were writing it, I'd have Annie, Garland Briggs and
Hawk pressed into service.  The first two have been to the Black
Lodge.  Annie and Cooper are in love, so the connection is obvious, but
what is interesting is that Annie has a dark background and so may have
weaknesses and/or hidden strengths just like Dale.  Briggs brings the
power of reason.  Hawk has been revealed to have spiritual
understandings.  One might write in Andy since he is so obviously pure
of heart and innocent.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

    Last night I phoned Scott Frost again, and got a couple
    fresh bits of into.

    Probable good news (?):

      Details are not final for the Twin Peaks movie, but the
      commitments to do it are quite close to being nailed down.

    Probable bad news (IMHO):

      Lynch wants the movie to be about the last 7 days of
      Laura Palmer's life.  The threads left hanging in the
      last TV episode will probably hang forever -- and what
      sort of place is Peaks without Coop?
      
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Responding to whoever relayed Scott Frost's news that the movie
will fill in events before the series began and that there will be no
new series continuing from where we currently hang: Good. 
 
I always thought the whole thing would have been better as a 
miniseries (one story with beginning-middle-end) than as an 
open-ended, "Dallas"-type soap (however creatively twisted 
and surrealised). A year ago, many of us predicted an inevitable 
slide into mediocrity, which we all saw this last season. (Nod to 
the recent poster who said "This wouldn't have happened with a 
movie.")
 
Anyway, it's a relief that we won't have to put up with 
"Twin Peaks: The Next Generation."

==============================================================================
*** Unanswered questions
==============================================================================

> And what ever happened to The One Armed Man?

He's selling shoes in Seattle and faithfully taking his medication daily :-).

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why didnt they explain why everyones hands were shaking in the past few
episodes?  Was it contamination (like some here guessed) of the water, etc.  or
was it just the fear of what was to come?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

     Interesting that the scene in which Coop's hand shook was replayed
prior to the beginning of this episode -- it has more significance than
we know, perhaps?  Was part of Bob already in Coop, working on his dark
side?  Was that Coop's dark side testing its strength, its independence?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Why did Josie weigh so little at her death?  And why wasnt she brought back?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Subject: Loose Ends (God, am I bored!)

here's my little list of loose ends and possible new plot threads should they
ever start it up again (besides the obvious choices of CooBobper and the
various end-of-season-are-they-dead-or-not thingys).  I find it useful to
ponder this stuff when I'm _really_ _really_ bored ...

-  Will we ever see LL's husband?  Is he in the WL?
-  Where's OAM and Mike?
-  Is Ben going to run for Senate (if he lives, that is)?
-  Where's James and what's he up to?  How 'bout his mom?
-  Johnny Horne.
-  Does JJ's partner's death have to do with anything?
-  How _did_ the fish get into the percolater?
-  <BOB voice on> WHAT HAPPENED TO JOSIE??!?! <BOB voice off>
-  Are there any others besides Bob and Mike?
-  That gum you like is going to come back into style.
-  Who the hell clubbed Jacoby?  Are we to assume it was Leland?
-  What the hell does little Nicky have to do with anything?
-  Kreamed Korn Kiddo.

Any additions?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Any additions?

   Did Josie shoot Cooper?  If so, why?

   Who was with Leo in confrontation with Mike & Bobby in first season?

   Any special significance to Leo being in jail when Teresa Banks was
murdered?

   Why was Leo keeping shoes hidden with his dope (Albert said they were
not tampered with in any way).

   What was BoB hitting Laura with?

   Is there any special treasure in the cave with the drawing?

   What happened to One-Eyed Jack's?

   If the owls are not what they seem, what are they?  [if there were
any owls in the last episode, I missed them]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

>-  Where's OAM and Mike?
        The OAM and Mike are both the spirit possessing Philip Michael
Gerard-- in case there's confusing on the above.
    Also, why did his "best friend in the whole world," Dr. Bob
Lydecker, go into a coma (ala Ronnette)?  Will he ever come out?
Like Gerard, is Dr. Bob also possessed by a spirit?

>-  Who the hell clubbed Jacoby?  Are we to assume it was Leland?
    Mark Frost said that this was Leland/BOB.

    Why did Harold's hand start shaking when he collapsed outside?
    Why did Coop's, Pete's, and the diner person's hands shake?
    Is the LMFAP good, bad, or neutral, and is he related to BOB or the
       Giant in any way other than the fact that they were all found
       in the black lodge/waiting room?
    Did Josie know anything about Laura's death at the start of the
       first show?  [i.e. suspicious glance at Pete as he leaves to
       go fishing... also humming in front of the mirror = "where we're
       from...there's always music in the air"] 
    Are the owls more than just easy creatures for BOB-like spirits to
       possess or is there something else to them?
    Were Maddy and Laura both daughters of Leland?     
    From the diary:  What was it that Nancy (Blackie's sister?) secretly
    revealed to Laura (about Ben Horne?) ? 
    Finally, why do lambs and does eat oats, but little lambs eat ivy
    anyway?  Is there some digestive problem?
    
------------------------------------------------------------------------------

What about the "Invitation to Love Gang?"

See is Montana dead or is he a veggie?
What about Jared, Emerald and Jade?
See did I miss anyone.....
Or was the show cancelled by some AR TV execs?

==============================================================================
*** Why TP didn't catch on
==============================================================================

One thing about TP that I find exasperating/disappointing is the number of
"mystical" threads of folklore Lynch/Frost tried to weave together.  Has
anyone attempted a complete list before?  Here's my attempt at a start:

Arthurian legend (Glastonbury Grove)
Native American legend (Black & White Lodges, but I think these were
inventions)
UFOs and alien visitors
doppelgangers (Cooper; Laura & Maddie)
demonic possession (Bob) and Satanic worship (rail car; Mike)
clairvoyance (Laura's mom)

more loosely associated:
serial killers

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ABC isn't bad, as far as the three BIG networks go. I mean, honestly, I used
to be an NBC guy.. I liked the NBC shows the best. But now I like ABC better.
Honestly, even though they axed what I consider two of the best shows of all
time (Twin Peaks, and the BEST show ever, "Max Headroom"), the fact is that
they did put them on the air. and they gave both of them a second-season
committment-- something I really do find commendable. After all, their ratings
were not GREAT, and it was clear (to me at least) that they weren't going to
do any better... but ABC took the chance.

Now, this is not to defend the ratings system. I think that Twin Peaks has a
big following, one that doesn't translate well when it comes to the way that
A.C. Nielsen measures ratings. But I think it's out there.

One other thing about ABC: they do have, IMHO, some of the best TV on the air.
When the new schedule came out, I jumped for joy (well, not literally) when I
found they were bringing "Anything But Love" back. We lost Twin Peaks, but at
least one "marginal" show (and a damned fine one) is coming back. And I also
find "Wonder Years" and "Doogie Howser, M.D." superior shows, too. (Is this
blasphemy? Twin Peaks was #1 (or 2, depending on how much I like ST:TNG) in my
heart, swear to god, a.tv.tp'ers...) So perhaps ABC is just the lesser of two
evils, and I'm afraid that Twin Peaks was TV the likes of which will NEVER
pass this way again, at least on a major US network.

Anyway, I can see why ABC killed TP. It didn't perform in the ratings, and
that's how they make their money. I can't see that the ratings would ever get
better. What TP needs is a medium where it can be financially healthy.. if it
can be that overseas, then Lynch/Frost should just keep makin' them, and
syndicate it. If a movie will bring in bucks, go for it. But -- honestly -- if
I were running ABC, I'd have cancelled it. BUT-- I would have offered them a
TV movie. And if I were running CBS, I'd call and offer 'em money to put it on
at 11:30 p.m. once a week.... 

So don't attack ABC too much. They're putting out better stuff than the other
networks, at least right now. Did you see CBS' schedule this year? Eeeawwwgh..

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I thought y'all might be interested in what's happening recently
on the POLITICS list, and I'd certainly love to hear *your* opinions
on this interesting topic.

From:  IN%"POLITICS@OHSTVMA.BITNET"  "Forum for the Discussion of Politics"
Subject: Lynch isn't fair

The rotten bastard.  He's great, but I really want to scream at him.
 
On the down side, it was fairly obvious that Lynch had to cram a half-dozen
episodes of material into two hours minus commercials (I hate commercials).
 
On the upside, I sure didn't expect the show to end that way, so I was
surprised in a big way -- rare on modern TV.  But why, oh why did Audrey
have to engage in her first act of civil disobedience just *then*??
 
Not politics, true, but at least it's a new topic....
 
Actually, a discussion about the social factors involved in the roman-candle-
like popularity of Twin Peaks might be very appropriate on this list, as I
think that kind of information ties in closely with the way people live, view
the world and, consequently, deal with political issues.  Anybody wanna give
it a try?  If not I'll shut up.

Subject: re: Lynch isn't fair

A little bird sent me your posting to POLITICS.  I'm not sure I want
to join the list just in order to join this conversation--although 
my natural impulsivity has taken me into many such avenues, I admit--
but being an ardent "Twin Peaks" fan, I would like to comment on your
"roman candle" observation.

I think there is indeed a parallel between how people lost interest
in TP, and how they respond within the political arena, and that the
parallel lies in the way we deal with information.

Understanding and appreciating TP demanded several things of the viewer:
    --a long attention span, to keep focused on the evolving
threads of the plot over multiple hiatuses of weeks to months in
duration;
    --access to a reliable information source about upcoming
changes in the schedule;
    --frustration tolerance, and the ability to wait for
gratification;
    --a fairly good memory for details.

Some of these same skills are required for other TV shows, and for
reading long books (fantasy trilogies, _War_and_Peace_), and for
watching movie series such as "Star Wars," but TP seemed to raise
the ante a bit--at least as judged by how many people dropped out
of the running.  I think that following political contests, acting
according to political goals, and just plain being a "good citizen,"
are similarly challenging.  You have to pay attention.  You can't
tune in from time to time, and expect to know what's going on.

And then there are the other issues, which pertain more to the content of
the information, rather than the process of keeping up with it:  While
it was not absolutely necessary (nothing is) to enjoying the show, a
number of other emotional/cognitive skills were helpful.  The ability
to make sense of literary and pop-culture allusions.  A healthy capacity
for emotional investment in characters who might die violently before
your very eyes (think of the impact of Robert Kennedy's death--how it
soured many people on caring deeply about political figures).  A sense
of humor that includes the offbeat, the outre', and the disconcerting.
And so on.  Obviously, more layers of enjoyment open up if the viewer
has friends with whom they can share their enthusiasm for the topic,
mailing lists or newsgroups (alt.tv.twin-peaks on USENET) where they
can read and write about the show, and access to news about the stars, the
writers, the directors, and most of all, their fellow TP-heads.  And if
they're willing to rent and view David Lynch's previous films, and catch
"Wild at Heart" during its first run, and check out "Industrial Symphony
#1," and track down Lynch's cartoon series ("The Angriest Dog in the
World").  Not to mention reading Laura Palmer's diary, Coop's autobio-
graphy, the second-season press kit, and the transcript of the European
ending for the "Who Killed Laura Palmer" thread.  And I won't even get
into the T-shirts, coffee cups, and other paraphenalia--all of which
enhance one's enjoyment, if taken in the right spirit.  Heck--just
going to the trouble to bake a cherry pie and brew up a good pot o' joe,
could make a difference in one's pleasure in any one episode.

==============================================================================
*** A happy ending
==============================================================================

(Found in the trash bin behind Lynch/Frost productions:)

The finale - Version 4 

Bob is standing beside the entrance to the Black Lodge. Andy comes up to
him with a cup of coffee. Andy trips, falls, spills the coffee onto Bob.

Bob:    I'm MELTING!!!!! MELTING!!!! AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHhhhhhhhhhh

Bob disappears into the oily puddle.

Andy:   Well, I guess good always triumphs over evil!

Cooper walks up.

Coop:   Good work Andy!

Coop pats andy on the back.

Andy:   Agent Cooper, I found that evil murderer you asked me about,
    Windom Earle, so I put him in the jail cell for you.

Coop gives Andy the thumbs up sign.

Coop:   Andy, you're allright!

Pete walks up.

Pete:   Hi guys! Guess what? Audrey's getting married to that
    jet pilot fellow.

Coop:   really?

Pete:   Yep. I sure hope he takes her fishing from time to time,
        she's such a dear heart!

Andy:   I'm sure they will make a lovely couple.

Coop:   Yes, I'm sure they will. Marriage is both strange and wonderful.

Sherriff Truman walks up.

Truman: Well guys, I had to break up a little fight at Ed & Nadine's,
    but everything is back to normal now. Seems that Nadine is
    back to normal, and so Ed and Nadine can get on with their
    life now.

Andy:   But what about Norma?

Truman: They're going to marry her too. She'll live with them.

Andy:   Oh. (looks thoughtful)

Cut to Hayward living room. Ben Horne is in the living room with
Doc Hayward and Mrs. Hayward. Donna walks in.

Donna:  You!

Ben:    Yes, Donna, I wanted to be good. I had to tell them.
    I'm actually James's father!

All:    AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Cut to the log lady's home:

Log Lady:   Well, here goes!

She pours an oily substance all over the log. There is a little
smoke, then a huge flash of light, and she is holding in her arms:
The Log Man!!! (Try to get Arnold Schwartzenegger for this role!)

Log Man:    Hi Honey, I'm home! (smiles)

Cut to the Double R:

Bobby and Shelley are leaning over the counter talking.

Bobby:  Let's get married!

Shelley:    Ok!

Bobby:  But what about LEO?

Shelley:    I got a judgement against him for divorce, by default,
    He never even showed up!!!

Bobby:  Wow, Shelley, Wow!

Cut to TV set:

Chet:   Jade, I'm so glad we came out of this okay!

Jade:   Oh, Chet! But what happened with Emerald?

Chet:   She and Montanna are opening up a diner in a faraway
    town, they won't bother us again!

Jade:   Oh, Chet! (They embrace)

Camera pans back to reveal bedroom, and in the bed, Leo, with
a cup of coffee and a piece of cherry pie, smiling, and next
to Leo, Heidi! Heidi takes a bite from her donut.

Cut to The Great Northern Lobby:

   The giant walks up to the desk.

Giant:  If you tell me the price for a room, then can I believe you?

Clerk:  Of course sir. This is a high class joint!  Front!

Little man from another place walks up wearing bellboy's uniform.
He grabs the giant's bag.

LMFAP:  Waulk theeeeese waaaaaay! (smiles, rolls eyes around)

LMFAP starts walking to the beat of the jazz music, snapping
his fingers with his free hand, dancing toward the room.
The giant looks amazed, then starts following, doing
the same dance.

Cut to the Sherriff's Department.

Lucy:   Now that I've decided that you will be the father, we can
    start buying the wardrobe for the baby!

Andy:   Lucy, will you marry me?

Lucy:   Oh, Andy, yes!

Lucy and andy kiss over the counter, Hawk walks through, notices
them, and shakes his head slightly while he continues walking.


Cut to the Double R:


Agent Cooper walks in.

Cooper: Norma! You're looking good! Nice to see you! Major Briggs,
    I have the most amazing things to tell you about the
    green butt skunk! Have you been fishing lately?

Annie:  Well hello there!

Coop:   Hi Annie. (pauses) Annie: I've been doing alot of thinking
    lately, and it has become clear to me that I've been focusing
    beyond the edges of the board too long, and that when a man
    can't picture the necessity for life as it should be and the
    beauty of a douglas fir or making love with a beautiful woman
        you feel genuine affection for, that the whole universe can
    be changed somehow.

Annie passes out, crashes to the floor.

Coop whips out pocket recorder.

Coop:   Diane, what ever did happen to the balanced national budget?

Norma picks up Annie, starts reviving her.

Coop:   How's Annie?

Norma:  She'll be fine. 

Coop:   Good.

Coop joins Norma with Annie, Annie comes around

Coop:   Annie, will you marry me?

Annie:  Oh, yes! I accept!

Coop:   (smiles) Then our adventures are just beginning!
    Come on everybody! There's going to be a group
    wedding at the roadhouse!

Briggs: Agent Cooper, there's been one thing I've been
    meaning to ask you.

Coop:   Yes  major, what is it?

Briggs: I've been wondering about this for a long time now,
    and so I have to ask you:
    Are cherry pies really enough?

Coop:   Only if you get three pieces. With coffee.


Laura Palmer walks in.


Laura Palmer:   Hi everybody, I'm back!

All:    Where have you been?

Laura Palmer:   I had the strangest dream, I dreamed I died. And
    you were there, and you, and you, and you! But, everything's
    fine now, so I'll be back in school on Monday.

Everybody smiles and nods approval.

Roll credits, background sun setting over Twin Peaks. An owl
is seen flying out of town, it passes the camera view on its
way out.

==============================================================================
[End of file]       Compiled by Jim Pellmann (jgp@rational.com)        8/27/92
<----------------------------------cut here---------------------------------->
[End of File 5 of 5]
--
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"I lived in my head mostly."                | Jim Pellmann (jgp@rational.com)
"That's not a bad neighborhood."            | RATIONAL
"There were some pretty strange neighbors." | Santa Clara, California