All very good points. I agree, he had crude talent but no skills. Comparatively Earle appears a lot more knowledgeable and skilled - and is shown to be throughout from figuring out the cave, to first entering the red room and his assertiveness in there.BetweenTwoWorlds wrote:When I saw the original ABC broadcast of the series finale, I was depressed for a week. But after subsequent viewings of the entire series, starting from the original VHS release, I've come to believe that the ending is fitting -- inevitable, even, in a Greek tragedy kind of way.indyit wrote:...I agree it seemed like Cooper was going through a number of tests, and he may have ultimately failed.
Cooper has natural shamanic talent, but it's largely undeveloped. He's aware of the spirit world, but he has absolutely no context for understanding it, and so his interactions with it are clumsy from the start, and they don't get much better as the series progresses. He journeys to another place early in the show but can't bring the medicine back to consensus reality (by not being able to remember Laura's killer's name). This tells us that he's in over his head. By the time "it is happening again," he's flailing badly. Yes, he uses magic to regain access to his secret knowledge, but he does so out of desperation, and even then he misses crucial components. The giant isn't summoned; he invites himself. He also supplies the, umm, sacred gum? A proper shaman brings his own.
So when Cooper physically enters the spirit world, as noble as his intentions may be, he's nowhere near being equal to the challenge. He wanders aimlessly from room to room, simply reacting to everything he sees. I'd argue that he doesn't pass a single test. He never even gets past the gate. What is this other than imperfect courage? Of course the evil spirits overtake him. He's offering himself to them on a platter.
I'm a little reluctant for this new season. As much as I dearly love the original run and the feature film, I don't know how you continue Cooper's story without attributing to him a level of spiritual sophistication that was potentially but never actually his.
If Coop is cooped up in the red room for 25 years maybe he learns a thing or two about spirits and the spirit world. He may come out a sage man having learned from lodge spirits. I agree with your take of Coop's position in episode 29, he desperately wanted to save Annie, but he was wayyy over his head.