Drama alone is not enough to make Twin Peaks a true classic however. Before and after Twin Peaks there have been many attempts to capture an audience by means of standard formulaic serialized storytelling, both through the mundane and the macabre, with varying results. Twin Peaks itself has been pigeonholed by the casual observer as a uniquely surreal and mind bending soap opera, but a soap opera nonetheless. The focus of this blog is to demonstrate how the writers of Twin Peaks and it's film prequel Fire Walk With Me used direct and blatant inspiration from the programs Peyton Place and Dark Shadows to tell a reverse interpretation of the myth of the Passion of Jesus Christ, disguised as a nighttime soap opera. By borrowing immensely from Peyton Place and Dark Shadows, Twin Peaks is the perfect combination of elements required to create a cult story, but Twin Peaks is not a perfect soap opera in the standard sense. I assert that the two glaring narrative inconsistencies and plot holes that appear within the story that is told within the small margin of error of a mere twenty nine fifty-plus minute episodes including a two hour prequel film and pilot are among the strongest evidence that Twin Peaks is a reverse parable of the acts, death, resurrection, and ascension of the mythological figure Jesus Christ, as deceptively represented by FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, who was betrayed to the Black Lodge by Twin Peaks' Judas represented in the characters of Sheriff Harry S. Truman and Doctor Will Hayward. I am also convinced that the inconsistencies which mar Twin Peaks' potential for perfection as a standard linear soap opera were from the beginning completely intentional, and written to distinguish the series apart from the format of an ongoing serialized story, and I believe this is why Mark Frost is reluctant to comment on the inconsistencies, and why Frost and David Lynch are reluctant to continue the series into a third season.
Many people leave the experience of viewing Twin Peaks unsatisfied because of two reasons. People feel that the show ends with a cliff hanger and are disappointed that the hero Agent Cooper succumbs to the evil incubus Bob in the final scene. The other complaint people have is the claim that the followup film to the series was not a continuation of the Cooper saga but a prequel telling the story of the last seven days in the life of the murder victim Laura Palmer. These complaints stem from the common perception by many that Twin Peaks is a surreal yet linear soap opera. As this blog will demonstrate, the supernatural, stylistic, and narrative elements of Peyton Place and Dark Shadows were used quite gratuitously not to tell another 1960's style soap opera, but to create a reverse Passion Play for a 90's television audience. With this in mind, it is easy to understand why David Lynch claims to enjoy the world of Twin Peaks as he does but still refuses to return to it. Just as the Christian Passion Play has an ending and no one clamours for a sequel (mythologically speaking), so also does the Twin Peaks saga have an ending in the final scene of it's prequel, the Alpha/Omega Genesis/Revelation to Twin Peaks' Passion: Fire Walk With Me.
Lynch and Frost in effect created a Passion of the Antichrist in the form of a mini series with a circular narrative, disguised as a destined-to-be-cancelled ongoing soap opera in reflection of the limited mortality of the mythical Christ, and in that respect I have written this thesis in the further hope of dispelling any notion that a continuation of Twin Peaks in any form is required.
The most compelling piece of evidence in favor of Twin Peaks being a askew retelling of the Passion of Christ comes in the final image of the series, that of the beaming face of Laura Palmer smiling in Agent Cooper's coffee cup. When Cooper enters the Red Waiting Room and interacts with the Man From Another Place, he uses the coffee served to Cooper to demonstrate his powers via his father and possessor, Bob. The coffee becomes parody of the consecration of the Host, forming first into a solid and then into plasma before returning to it's original state. Laura's upside down reflected smiling face (therefore a frowning face) in the coffee during the series' closing credits is a mock representation of her sins being cleansed by the sacrament of Cooper who is destined to emerge as the Antichrist, a combination of The Arm and Bob; just as the final scene of the Genesis/Revelation prequel of Twin Peaks, Fire Walk With Me confirms, it is Agent Cooper who accompanies Laura Palmer into the White Lodge after the vanquishment the Antichrist from earth in Twin Peaks' version of Dark Shadow's Parallel Time.
The final episode of Twin Peaks contains another clue, which taken in the context of word manipulation which is prevalent in the saga, perfectly summarizes Lynch and Co's feelings on disguising their Passion Play as a tribute to the two soap operas. Cooper's final dialogue of "How's Annie? Hahahaha!" can easily be interpreted as "How Zaney! Hahahaha!" A zaney Passion Play Twin Peaks makes indeed. The story of Twin Peaks addresses serious social issues however that defy any zaney surrealism projected into it's Passion aspect. In this light, the words of Leland Palmer's doppelgänger, "I did not kill anybody." may be viewed as preceding Cooper's, "How's any?", as if the Christ of Cooper leaves the series with the general question, "How is any body?" distinguishing Cooper the man's fallibility (relating to his temptations) from the separate and distinct infallibility of Cooper as Christ.
As this blog will demonstrate the blurring of the distinctions between Cooper as Christ and Cooper as Antichrist was an intentional plot device used by the writers of Twin Peaks to parallel the Biblically prophetic description of the mythological Antichrist as a deceiving and threateningly indistinguishable Anti-Messiah.
The cast and sacred objects of Twin Peaks as the Passion of the Antichrist as referenced by mythology, and the soap operas Dark Shadows (DS) and Peyton Place (PP), are as follows:
Garmonbozia
Creamed corn, representing the spirit equivalent of forbidden fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, which was stolen and fed to Mike by the succubus Lil from the convenience store above which Bob and Mike lived when they were killing together.
Cherry Pie
Representing the earthly equivalent of the virginal forbidden fruit of knowledge of good and evil, served by Shelly Johnson at the Double R Diner.
Coffee
The lifeblood and weakness of Agent Cooper before he enters the Black Lodge representative of the Blood of Christ, parallel of the unholy Sacrament of the Antichrist when Cooper is in the Red Waiting Room, and ultimately the representative of the Blood of Christ which cleans the sins of Laura Palmer.
The Black Lodge
Domain of the incubus Bob and his henchmen, representative of Hell. Based on a nightmare section of the Stopping Off Place (DS).
The Red Waiting Room
The womb of the succubus Lil, representative of Purgatory, where the unbaptized aborted incestuous fetus of Laura Palmer is incubated, where Agent Cooper and Laura wait for 25 years after entering before being taken away by an Angel from the White Lodge. Based on the Stopping Off Place (DS).
The Log
To it's owner the Log Lady, a representation of her dead baby. In the Twin Peaks' Passion of the Antichrist, representative of the wooden crucifix of Christ which channels the Holy Ghost.
The White Lodge
Domain of the Grandson of Mrs. Tremond aka Chalfont, his Grandmother, and the Angel, representative of Heaven.
The Bookhouse Boys
A secret society in Twin Peaks allegedly in opposition to an evil presence in the woods surrounding the town that perform an annual Passion Play at Glastonbury Grove which is trans-dimensional entrance to The Red Waiting Room, and Black/White Lodges. The Bookhouse is library and sanctuary of the society where the coffee is free. The books of the bookhouse represent dead trees, the fallen hosts of owls which represent incubi and succbi. The books also represent the accumulation of earthly knowledge, resulting from the Fall of Man in Eden. The Bookhouse Boys are actively working to bring about the Antichrist.
Owls
Owls are the physical manifestation of incubi and succubi in Twin Peaks, and are in contrast to the dove of peace. Based on the vampire bats (DS).
FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper
Charismatic schizophrenic FBI Agent investigating serial murders, who becomes the target human host of Lucifer as Antichrist. Once his soul is condemned to purgatory he appears in a dream to the murder victim Laura Palmer by way of the Virgin Mary and Jesus five days before her death and urges her to abort the incestuous fetus she carries, who he knows will become the Antichrist. His lifeblood is coffee and he dislikes birds. Based on Barnabas Collins (DS) and Doctor Michael Rossi (PP).
The Little Man From Another Place AKA The Arm
The incestuous aborted fetus of Laura Palmer who assumes the name of a cast off body part, conceived by the incubus Bob, incubated by the succubus Lil in The Red Waiting Room, and representative of the Antichrist in spirit form. Based on Joseph/Alexander/Michael/Jebes Hawkes (DS).
Killer BOB
Serial killing incubus originally from the White Lodge, master of the Black Lodge, representing Lucifer, who conceives an aborted fetus of incest that is incubated by the succubus Lil in the Red Waiting Room which he possesses while possessing simultaneously possessing Agent Cooper. His blue denim clothing reflects the Blue Rose of Lil, and is representative of the Antichrist figure he will father. Based on Jebes Hawkes. (DS)
Lil
Female succubus representing Lilith, stealer of garmonbozia, and whose womb is the Red Waiting Room in which the aborted fetus of incest is incubated and possessed by the succubus Bob. Her red dress represents the drapes of the Red Waiting Room; her Blue Rose represents the illogically existing Antichrist; her stitched dress represents the entrance to her womb where the Antichrist incubates in reflection of Laura's botched abortion while the color of her dress/drapes reflect the blood of the mother, fetus, and Christ; her blinking is in reference to forty winks of RAM sleep in which she appears as a succubus; her sour expression is in reference to the forbidden fruit which she as primordial Eve tasted; her walking in place is actually representative of doing a "pee-pee dance" (her full title is Lil the Dancer) in reference to the Antichrist which she is about to expel into the world (in the Parallel Time of Fire Walk With Me, PP is a reflection of RR which is the diner in which cherry pie which represents the forbidden fruit is served); her hand held aloft is in reference to the arm of the One-Armed Man, Philip Gerard aka incubus Mike who severed his own arm when it offended him which then became the moniker of the Little Man From Another Place who was regarded as a cast away body fragment during Laura's abortion. Based on Megan Todd. (DS)
Mike aka Philip Gerard, the One-Armed Man
Identical serial killing host body and incubus, representative of the evil spirit of Man of the Old Testament, eater of garmonbozia whose Arm offended him so he cast it off. Based on Bruno and Philip Todd. (DS)
Mrs. Chalfont aka Mrs. Tremond and her Grandson
Identical host body and succubus, representative of the Virgin Mary, who rejects garmonbozia; simultaneous mother and grandmother of her Grandson which makes garmonbozia disappear, wears a mask like, walks like, and grasps a twig like the bird in the opening sequence of the series titles, who represents Jesus Christ. Both of whom show Laura Palmer the way to the Red Waiting Room in attempting to reveal her incestuous baby as the birth of the Antichrist. Based on Mrs. Hutch. (DS)
Laura Palmer
Small town homecoming queen, victim of incest, mother of an aborted fetus which is fathered by the incubus Bob and incubated by her attempted possessor, the succubus Lil to create the Little Man From Another Place. Laura walks with what is represented as Fire, the smoldering death of her illegally aborted fetus, through the last week of her life and dies of internal bleeding, only for her to become the mistaken victim of a serial murderer which brings the investigating FBI Agent with whom she shares dreams to her home town only for him to become possessed by Lucifer who simultaneously possesses her aborted fetus. Based on Allison MacKenzie (PP) and Carolyn Stoddard (DS).
Leland Palmer
Host body to the incubus Bob, father of Laura and the aborted fetus of incest which is used to create the Little Man From Another Place. Based on George Anderson (PP) and Paul Stoddard (PP).
Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Small town Sheriff representing Judas, Bookhouse Boy, host body to an incubus from the Black Lodge, betrayer of Agent Cooper enabling his possession by Bob and the Little Man From Another Place. Based on Sheriff Davenport (DS).
Doctor Will Hayward
Small town doctor representing Judas, host body to an incubus from the Black Lodge, betrayer of Agent Cooper, enabling his possession by Bob and the Little Man From Another Place. Based on Doctor Dave Woodard (DS).
Leo Johnson
Physically abusive truck driving drug dealer, representative of the first man, Adam. Based on Adam (DS) and Joe Chernak (PP).
Shelly Johnson
Physically abused highschool dropout waitress who serves cherry pie at the Double R Diner, representative of the first woman, Eve. Based on Maggie Evans (DS) and Rita Jacks (PP).
More to come.
This blog is dedicated with appreciation to the keepers of the flame: the Twin Peaks fanzine WRAPPED IN PLASTIC and to the band (MARILYN MANSON) AND THE SPOOKY KIDS who recorded the song WRAPPED IN PLASTIC.
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