ARTICLE Five years later, Twin Peaks: The Return's ending finally makes sense

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Hello!

Infrequent poster here. I wrote this article and thought you'd might like to read it. In it, I expand thoughts I expressed in the Speculation thread a while back, though the editorial is not connected to a theoretical season four. It is "my own ongoing personal investigation" into the meaning of The Return's finale.

Cheers!

Sidgwick
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Hello!

Infrequent poster here. I wrote this article and thought you'd might like to read it. In it, I expand thoughts I expressed in the Speculation thread a while back, though the editorial is not connected to a theoretical season four. It is "my own ongoing personal investigation" into the meaning of The Return's finale.

Cheers!

Sidgwick


Nice article! "The Return" has finally started to make sense for me as well, although for slightly different reasons.
 
It hadn’t occurred to me before to link the Part 18 stop at the Valero station with Big Ed, but that’s fascinating, especially given the weird stuff going on with Ed’s reflection not syncing up with what the “real” Ed is doing, like he’s catching a glimpse of another dimension or the future or something. Very good thoughts.
 
Hello!

Infrequent poster here. I wrote this article and thought you'd might like to read it. In it, I expand thoughts I expressed in the Speculation thread a while back, though the editorial is not connected to a theoretical season four. It is "my own ongoing personal investigation" into the meaning of The Return's finale.

Cheers!

Sidgwick

Very well written and insightful. I disagree somewhat with your take on the final minutes of the season finale. To me, "What year is this?" is the clouds lifting from Cooper's mind, he has in fact used his deductive skills, and has figured out what is actually at play. Notice how he is also using the hand motion that investigates whether there is a rift to another dimension in this scene. Whether the lights going out is a good thing or a bad thing remains to be seen, but similar to what you are suggesting I think it might be a temporary tragedy for Cooper the person, but a win for his mission. He has managed to dismiss the illusion created by Joudy and restored Laura to the brutal reality of her trauma. The log lady has indicated that there will be a (narrative) time following this darkness.
 
En route, they stop at a gas station. This scene parallels with Big Ed mournfully eating soup over the closing credits of Part 13.

The parallel that's significant here would be the gas station in Part 8, if anything, but the scene with Ed could be something too. I think that scene was more about Ed's loneliness, but gas stations (if not Ed, himself) certainly are real important to the mythology in the show.

Frost drew criticism for undermining the mystery upon the publication of this novel.

I keep up with all things Twin Peaks and never heard this. Is this true?

With no electricity, the ceiling fan, the eternal metaphor of abuse, no longer spins.

I like this. I also like the doppelganger theory about the car following them on the highway. My theory, as I've written here, is it's the "white of the eyes and dark within" of the horse. Two bright white eyes following them surrounded by darkness. And this comes after several horse references in the preceding minutes.

Great final section on the 6th page too. The last episode being some sort of internal struggle with Cooper and the queasiness of accepting if the Mr. C of it all is really inside him, etc, really brings us back to Fire Walk With Me and Leland.

Great stuff!
 
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