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18 once there was only dark

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“Twin Peaks” Part 5 (2017)

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Mulholland Drive (2001), dir. David Lynch

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[cinefiliz]

Carrie, 1976.

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Night Blooming Jasmine

David’s final message left behind on his gravestone, references an old Hollywood smell conveying a rather nostalgic nod at his time in LA. Lynch reportedly once said during a 2016 interview that “On a summer’s night, you can drive to certain places and if you smell that night blooming jasmine, you can almost see Clark Gable or Gloria Swanson. The golden age of Hollywood is still living in some moods here.” Lynch also made further references to this in one of his YouTube wether reports, posted on December 21st in 2020 declaring “Now the days are going to start getting longer, and springtime is right around the corner. When, at least in LA, that night blooming jasmine will once again fill the air with its sublime fragrance.”

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his one serious line in the entire first two seasons

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The Many Faces of Laura Palmer

Throughout the show Lynch portrays many different versions of Laura, exposing an increasingly dark reality. The paradoxical versions of Laura are said to represent the duality of the human race.

In the beginning of the show Laura is depicted as a fairly typical small town girl with a seemingly perfect life, sporting the title of homecoming queen, an equally popular boyfriend and happy family dynamic. This version of Laura although later proven to be far from her actual self encapsulates the innocent side of humanity, as many first impressions can be deceiving. Her perceived innocence in the beginning also sets her character up for victimisation.

The next version of Laura is revealed as the show goes on and is particularly emphasised in the film Fire Walk With Me where she is revealed to live a double life in which she indulges in sexual taboos and a drug addiction. Although in my opinion her less than admirable actions do not take anything away from her character as it is an outlet for the generational abuse Laura was subjected to for years. This side of Laura emphasises the darker side to humanity and how anyone even the so called “chosen one”, as Laura was revealed to be in the final season, can be tainted by irreversible darkness. Laura also confronts the growing darkness and trauma she constantly endures showing her ability to encompass spiritual growth and resilience which builds her characterisation, conveying the strength and perseverance of the human soul.

The third face of Laura Palmer comes in the form of a doppelgänger in the Black Lodge representing Laura’s supernatural connection in a rather sinister and disturbing form. She appears in the Red Room allowing the audience to infer that she no longer belongs in the real world and has passed on to a different plane of existence, where perhaps the darker aspect of her being became trapped in the Black Lodge.

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I miss his weather reports

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Although the show is largely based around the cyclical nature of evil and generational abuse, Twin Peaks also dissects the country of America as a concept, delving into the repercussions of human failure in the form of an atomic bomb in the final season, as well as the struggle between good and evil.

Lynch initially hid the identity of Laura’s killer portraying everyone in the small town as a possible suspect. This could be a comment on the human race, indulging the fact that everyone is guilty of something.

Lynch also presents the pre existing duality of good and evil in paradoxical places which exist in between the folds of time. These supposed alternate dimensions each encapsulate concepts of so called good and bad such as the black lodge which is seemingly centred around extreme evil and the white lodge which is presented as a place of benevolence.

Even in the final season when Laura’s murder is solved, which initially was the entire premise of the show, nothing has really been solved as the characters have not moved on or changed in anyway apart from their physical signs of age. This conveys that there was no closure and not one of the characters grew emotionally or spiritually from all the grief they were subjected to.

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Albert is the best character

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Blue Velvet (1986)

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This scene has always meant an immense amount to me, my father quoted it to me many times growing up long before I took the time to watch the series for myself.

In the final episode of season one Marty and Rust exchange an emotionally complex dialogue. After recounting feeling the love and presence of his deceased infant daughter during his recent coma Rust breaks down. In an attempt to distract his partner from his overpowering grief Marty reflects on the memory that Rust would “make up stories about the stars.” After some back and fourth the age old antithesis of “light vs dark” is brought up, prompting Marty who is usually the more down to earth and optimistic of the two to declare “Well, I know we ain’t in Alaska, but it appears to me that the dark has a lot more territory.” This line of dialogue is something the audience would typically have expected Rust to say due to his deeply pessimistic approach, perhaps reflecting how Marty’s characterisation had evolved to encompass more spiritual depth after being exposed to Rust’s strange habits for so many years.

However, it is Rust’s response “Once there was only dark. You ask me, the lights winning.” Which I find to be the most shocking as it directly contradicts all of Rust’s characterisation up until this point. His oddly optimistic viewpoint may allude to how deeply everything he had been put through during season one has had drastic psychological consequences on Rust’s sense of being.

This creates a hopeful atmosphere for the audience to digest as the final scene draws to an end.

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“I think human consciousness is a tragic misstep in evolution. We became too self aware, nature created an aspect of nature separate from itself. We are creatures that should not exist by natural law. We are things that labour under the illusion of having a self, a secretion of sensory experience and feeling, programmed with total assurance that we are each somebody, when in fact everybody is nobody.” - Rust Cohle

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Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me (1992)

Bowie was only cast in the role of Philip Jeffries in FWWM following a joke Lynch’s assistant made which inspired Lynch to approach the famous singer

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I love the log lady