Twin Peaks: The Return: 10 Most Wonderful & Strange Theories Examined
1. An Origin Story: The Battle Of Good Vs. Evil
Establishing a creation story for the show's most iconic villain, Part 8 of the Twin Peaks revival took us on a journey through time and space, starting with the Trinity nuclear test (as indicated by the title card: July 16, 1945, White Sands, New Mexico; 5:29 AM MWT).
In a chaotic sequence of clouds, particles and industrial noise, we witness the detonation of an atomic bomb, tearing the barrier between our world and that of the Lodges, as a “mother” figure materialises and gives “birth” to a gooey substance containing a sphere with BOB’s menacing face trapped inside.
Elsewhere, The Fireman and Señorita Dido attempt to restore balance in the cosmos by sending a golden globe containing Laura Palmer’s face, presumably, towards the Pacific Northwest region of the North American continent. Is this the original Laura Palmer or another version, comparable to Maddy Ferguson, sent to combat the newly unleashed forces of evil (since the woodsmen removed the BOB-bubble from DoppelCooper earlier in the episode)?
Next, we flash forward to the 1950s, where we see a grotesque locust/frog hybrid emerge from a freshly hatched egg (akin to those being regurgitated by the androgynous figure previously) and crawl through a young girl’s window in a scarily similar manner to BOB-inhabited Leland Palmer in Fire Walk With Me.
This bug, an assumed incarnation of one of the two spirits, then climbs into the unsuspecting girl’s mouth as she sleeps - but who could this unfortunate youngster be? Many fans have theorised that it’s likely to be a teenage Sarah Palmer, with this seminal moment serving as a catalyst to their subsequent family tragedy.
Phew. Anyone Gotta Light?