Philosophy, Puzzlement, and Dreams of Twin Peaks

I'm still thinking about Tamler's ideas and questions! Tamler Sommers is an author/philosopher ("Why Honor Matters"), a podcaster ("Very Bad Wizards"), and best of all a Twin Peaks dad. Please enjoy:
1:01 - A decade-plus of podcasting
4:10 - Tamler's deep dives into Lynch's works
7:49 - Some current thoughts on The Return and "The One"
11:08 - Appreciating the r/FindLaura venture
14:57 - Sharing (and obsessing about) Twin Peaks with loved ones
20:06 - Nadine's journey and endpoint
27:12 - Who killed Laura Palmer? (mysteries, endings, & optimisms)
47:22 - Season 3 is great -- and a magical collaboration
52:19 - Was "Alice Tremond" a last-minute invention? If so, WOW
58:56 - Reality vs projections of reality (key Lynchian theme)
1:03:16 - Interpretation & puzzlement: Philosophy, David Lynch, & Plato
1:16:05 - Skepticism & intuition (friends or foes?)
1:24:18 - 'Continental philosophy' might be closest to Lynchian
1:27:04 - The playwriting to philosophy to "public intellectual" path
1:36:15 - The concept of Honor
1:46:57 - Spending time with this fictional show
1:54:34 - Appreciating the Diane podcast
1:59:12 - Some Dougie questions for John T
2:09:52 - Even more potential roles for Cooper
2:13:26 - Twin Peaks speed round
2:15:52 - Some recommendations
Connections & References:
/ tamler | www.tamlersomm...
/ verybadwizards | verybadwizards...
• Why Honor Matters | Ro...
• CPF Reviews #16: The R...
/ findlaura
• Ominous Whoosh: A Wand...
• Twin Peaks Conversatio...
• Lynch and Tarkovsky
/ dianepodcast
25YL: 25yearslatersi...
Images: twinpeaksblog....
The "Artists Love Twin Peaks" podcast: open.spotify.c...
Tamler, thanks again!

[@mattgilbert7347]

Fantastic discussion, thank you.

[@infov0y]

Nice discussion. So spot on re Lynch almost trolling us with Cooper's drive back to TP in the final episode: I remember the sense of nervous anticipation and rising worry of time running out; which is exactly the kind of visceral responses he can elicit in such interesting ways.

[@musiclover-ev7jn]

Season 3 is better approached as threads first, recognizing the main story lines are about different angles of rumination on the last 25 years being lived on a bad trajectory, coming terms with the mistake that was made, and confronting what to do about it. The three major Cooper throughlines are: bad cooper of the 25 years as he exists in the world and how this attitude eventually entraps, denies, and destroys him (Mr.C); Dougie who lives in the rubble of that life and, by reconnecting and relearning, heals that world; and a churning repeated "Dale in the lodge" depiction of multiple attempts and failures at coming to terms during those years. This is reflected by the town's downturn, the FBI's search to (metaphorically) rescue the feminine, and Hawk's search for meaning, all or which culminates in the Ed/Norma and sheriff station Bob-punching scenes.
Inland empire is similar in that it breaks down into 4 versions of the same story at different levels (as lived, performed narrative, folklore/myth, and psychological/archetypal) that the movie cues you to read as a story of a recurrent "bad" cycle that is broken at the end. The POV you choose makes you able to construct several coherent narratives (like oragami that can be folded between different sculptures along the same folds). Actress goes deeper into a role and heals herself, woman in a tract home deals with her life by imagining the life she could have had and understanding of where she came from, a young woman who is depressed imagines a fantasy/degraded reality complex based on the TV that heals her, or all at once.
Inland Empire had The One Mind Theory. A woman, in a troubled relationship. She starts having affairs, gets pregnant. The relationship starts getting more abusive. In a fight she kills her husband, loses the foetus. She finally "snaps", and spends the rest of the time in her delusional dreamworld. She is trying to escape the trauma, but it always blends back in. This is what we see in Inland Empire then. The tale of infidelity, loss and violence all over again. What is interesting is that while these events get repeated, they have different forms. There is the monologue of the "Foul Mouthed Whore" who openly admits the affairs and puts all the blame on her husband. There is the actress that only "acts" having an affair. But it is always the core story. I think Season 3 can be seen in the same way. There are some motifs at the core that are repeated over and over with different settings and characters. The truth lies in the overlaps.