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Twin Peaks 2017: Wild Mass Guessing

A look at some of the my favourite theories proposed so far.

By James GilesPublished 7 years ago 7 min read
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Evil Coop, or CooperBOB, or Mr C, or...whatever.

SPOILERS - PARTS 1-4

I wrote in an article just before the debut of Twin Peaks: The Return that it was essentially impossible to predict what may happen, due to the nature of the show, and given we're only 4 episodes in; I also pointed out that, irregardless of accuracy, it is still damn fun to speculate. This is something most Peaks fans clearly know in their hearts, based on the sheer volume of interesting theories that have arisen about what things may mean, who might yet arrive and in what role, and where the story may go.

To that end, I have complied some of my own and others (mostly friends from the Twitter-verse) most interesting theories based on what we have seen so far.

'Phillip Jeffries' is actually Windom Earle

This is one I like a lot, being a big fan of Kenneth Walsh's performance as Earle (if not always what the writers did with him..) from Season 2 of the original. Many including myself have wondered whether Evil Coop was actually talking to Jeffries during the motel scene; whoever it was seemed to be aware of details Jeffries shouldn't (that Coop had spoken to Major Briggs) and wouldn't confirm his identity when pushed. The voice also said they 'wanted to be with BOB again' and there hasn't been indication (?) thus far that Jeffries was possessed by BOB.

However there has been subtle hints that Earle has been possessed by BOB previously; during the interrogation of Leland-BOB in Season Two, BOB mentions to Coop about 'what happened in Pittsburgh', referring to the incident when Earle attacked Coop and killed Caroline, something it's not clear how BOB would have knowledge of. It is also referenced in Diane: The Secret Tapes of Dale Cooper that Earle has used Haloperidol in the past, the anti-psychotic drug used by Phillip Gerard to keep MIKE from possessing him. Earle also worked with Major Briggs on top secret UFO investigation Project: Blue Book (which actually focused on signals coming from Twin Peaks, not space) and has advanced knowledge of the Black Lodge, especially compared to other characters in the series. There is also the suggestion that Earle was possessed again by BOB when he first discovered the Owl Cave, returning from there with his skin turned white and teeth blackened.

Could it be that Earle's somehow survived the Season finale and has been scheming to be reunited with BOB ever since?

Likelihood - The main contradictory element is that Earle was seemingly destroyed by BOB in the season 2 finale, and there not being an obvious explanation for how he could have survived, at this point anyway. For now this seems somewhat unlikely but there is plenty of time for new info to emerge to support this.

The identity of the 'mysterious billionaire'

Audrey Horne

A favourite of mine, as a huge fan of Audrey, I can only see her life having gone in one of two extreme directions; she is either completely broke, down on her luck and at the bottom of a bottle somewhere (more on this later...), or she has been incredibly successful and is the mysterious billionaire. There is definitely some characterisation that supports it, Audrey has always been highly determined and resourceful, and shown an aptitude for business. Money making is also in her DNA; note that Ben's businesses were said to have doubled the Horne family fortune, and Jerry (the younger brother) states in Part 1 that his pot business has tripled it again. If monetary gain increases with each younger generation of Horne, how damn successful could Audrey be now? Something else that I feel others have missed here - what if Audrey did marry John Justice Wheeler, but he since died and she inherited his fortune? Or she took that fortune, and amplified it further?

Likelihood - Strong for me to be honest. The only thing I struggle with in this scenario is the building of the box - who, or where did Audrey, get knowledge of the Lodges, and to what end? Rescuing Coop? There has a been a 25 year gap, so she's had plenty of time to seek out answers on Coop's disappearance...

Windom Earle

See above for his motivations for creating the box. It wouldn't be a stretch to believe Earle could have accrued a mass fortune in 25 years ("his mind is like a diamond: cold, hard and brilliant") but this theory of course rests on whether Earle has survived Season 2 somehow.

Likelihood - As likely as him potentially being 'Phillip Jeffries' really, which is to say not very at the moment.

John Justice Wheeler

This is definitely more of a fun one, but JJW is, if you're looking solely at original series characters, one of the more logical options. The guy was already a successful businessman and it's plausible he would only have gotten richer since. Billy Zane has also suggested in interviews since that John would have had a major role in the original proposed season 3. What motivation he would have for building the box is beyond me at the moment (maybe he's part of a much larger conspiracy attempting to harness the power of the Lodges for themselves?), but I wouldn't be too surprised to see Lynch & Frost take a minor Scrappy character they didn't create and turn him into one of the arch-villains of new series.

Likelihood - Pretty damn low I'd say given Zane has not been announced as a cast member for season three and Wheeler wasn't particularly well liked first time around (no fault of Zane's I should add, who was great in the role). But for curve-ball value, I admit this would be cool.

The identity of the woman Gordon & Albert refer too

Audrey

Although I'd much prefer her to be the billionaire, I think there is a good chance Audrey could be the mysterious woman whom Albert knows where she drinks. After being caught in the bank explosion and Coop's disappearance, and possibly the fate of her other love John Justice Wheeler (did they marry & divorce? did he die?) Audrey could be dealing with some serious trauma, and it's plausible she might he turned to drink as a means of dealing with it. She also had a very special emotional connection to Coop, and it would possible they believe she could sense something being off with him.

Likelihood - It's the second most popular choice for sure but I think it depends on Gordon/Albert's reasoning why they want someone else to observe Coop; if they have intuition something supernatural is going on, and they think they need someone who could have a better sense of that, then I'm not sure Audrey is the one.

Diane

Cooper's long-time unseen secretary Diane is the leading choice by far and I can see why; given how much Cooper has told Diane over the years, it makes a lot of sense she would know him better than anyone else. Personally the introduction of Diane as an on-screen character is not something I'm keen on; the mystery of what she was like and why we never got to see her was light-hearted and playful in the original, and not one I've ever felt begged for an answer. At the same time I can see why some fans feel that as a major part of Coop's life, it would be interesting to see her fully fleshed out, and a face put to the name after all these years - it's always fun to speculate on who could be playing such a pivotal role too (Laura Dern...??).

Likelihood - If Gordon & Albert are looking for the person who may know Coop the best, and have the best sense something is wrong, the Diane does seem like a good bet. I don't think it would be implausible if they gave her a similar psychic sensitivity as Sarah Palmer either; being a brand new on-screen character would also give Frost & Lynch the biggest range of potential directions, a useful tool in writing.

Sarah Palmer

If Gordon & Albert are looking for someone who would have a strong psychic reaction to anything supernatural, then Sarah Palmer seems like a good choice. Whilst not the only character with this sensitivity, Sarah displayed it the most often, having visions of white horses and BOB, and acting as a conduit of sorts for inhabiting spirits. It also seem believable that Sarah could be a heavy drinker by this point, having endured truly tragic levels of pain and suffering.

Likelihood - Fair, especially if its a woman who can sense the supernatural that is required. Lynch is also fan of both the character and of Grace Zabriske as an actress, and it's very plausible that Sarah will have a significant role this time around. Whether this is it remains to be seen.

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About the Creator

James Giles

Writer, confessed geek and pop culture enthusiast, loves film, TV and video games. Blogged and written for various websites on all the above.

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