Damn Fine Podcast - A Twin Peaks Podcast Ron Richards and Tom Merritt

I decided to rewatch Twin Peaks from the beginning after being curious about The Return on Showtime, and was sold on this podcast by the hosts: I know Ron from his iFanboy comic book podcast, and remembered Tom from years ago on the TWiT network. what I wasn't prepared for was how enjoyable this rewatch experience was. I come to the show as a relative newbie; I was only 5-6 when the show originally aired so didn't experience then, and I had watched the show with a girlfriend years ago but don't even think we made it to Laura's killer being revealed before we gave up on the show. somehow it didn't catch me at the time, although I definitely liked it more than she did.

Upon me starting the show from the beginning, I started with episode 1 of this podcast and it really provided the context and insight I needed to fully fall in headfirst with the show. not only are they superfans of the show since it originally aired, which helps provide meaningful context and clues for the episodes, but they take care not to spoil anything and are just generally great podcast hosts. they include guests from people who are obsessive about the show to people watching for the first time, and somehow they make even the weird, awful James episodes of season 2 bearable. Ron provides fun stats like the ratings (RATINGS....) of the show when it originally aired, what it was up against, and how much of the viewing public watched the show.

I'm halfway through The Return right now and can't watch more than 2-3 episodes before I need to check in with Ron and Tom to see what their analysis is. at this point I find their podcast an essential part of the viewing experience, and feel like I have someone to geek out about the show with after every episode. can't recommend enough.

Usually love everything Tom associated with but Ron... all the forced belly laughing doesn’t add to the fun of this discussion.

So here is my other theory:

Judy is the bug that crawled inside Sarah Palmer and became her. Bob took possession of Leland when he married Sarah to be close to Judy after mike left him. The Fireman created Laura Palmer as a containment, as well as a wellspring of garmonbozia for Sarah/Judy through Leland/Bob over the years. The drink Leland makes Sarah every other night is garmonbozia from Laura's pain and suffering. Leland started developing a desire for Laura which is why he was having sex with Teresa Banks who reminded him of Laura. He found out his daughter was affected by bob and that his daughter was no longer pure and bob robbed her of that. He killed Laura to stop the cycle of pain and suffering. That opened the door for bob to escape serving Judy, and the black lodge through cooper. Doppel-Cooper and bob spend the next 25 years trying to figure out a way to escape into the alternate dimension. While the good cooper works with the fireman to trap Judy in the Palmer house by taking Laura before she got killed to change the past in twin peaks. When that happened it created a new time stream for twin peaks which everyone's reality changed to a dream except for Judy who is trapped in that alternate time loop in the Palmer house.

The positive ending:
The fireman re acquired Laura back to the white lodge and send her to the alternate universe as Carrie Paige. Bob is destroyed and Judy is trapped in the dream of future past. Cooper knows he can never return to this twin peaks universe since part of his soul and Diane's was entwined with black lodge at some point but forgets until he is at the end of his journey the last scene. This creates a new cooper with both good coop and bad coop all in one person as it shows when he entered the new dimension as Richard. Diane and cooper are given a new identity in the new universe and can never return because both have been trapped in the black lodge. 2 birds one stone.
However the trauma that resonates the Palmer house time loop transcends parallel universes, so the Palmer house is now a haunted place. When Richard brings Carrie to the Palmer house the haunting reaches out to Carrie which brings back trauma of Laura's death is why she screams. Richard finally starts to piece together that he is no longer agent cooper. Richard and Carrie Paige return to the Palmer house to find out that the real life owners now lives there in our reality, which breaks the 4th wall.

The negative ending: Sarah Palmer/Judy figures out coop is trying to help Laura escape. Judy steps in and takes Laura and place her into another Dimension coop has to follow to this alternate dimension.

This brings up the question of past lives, are they past lives of our universe or do we experience our own alternate dimension selves?

Another coincidence dougie is named for coops love of Douglas Firs per beginning of twin peaks series and Carrie Paige is referring to Laura's missing page in her diary.