Naido, Diane, & repressed memories (SPOILERS)

[Saturn's child]

I posted part of this idea in the part 18 thread, but decided to expand upon it because it's fun to think about. What if when Cooper sees Naido/Diane in the sheriff's station, he is facing up to the memory/fact that he raped her? According to this line of thought:

* Coop raped Diane in the past; his conscious mind cannot accept this fact, so he cloaks Diane in the form of Naido, who is (literally) blind to the wrong that was done to her.

* He encounters Naido (Diane) in part 3, but he is not ready to confront the bottled memory he has of her. Naido warns Coop about socket #3, making throat-slashing gestures with her hand. Could this be the path of suicide, not facing up to what he has done & succumbing to pain & suffering? Regardless, Coop takes the #15 socket instead & begins a path of self discovery.

* After a series of progressions, Coop eventually Returns to his repressed memory & recognises Naido for who she truly is: Diane. This & it's attendant repressed memory are severely shocking to him & we see his personality become fractured (the superimposed giant Cooper head). It is time (2:53) for him to face up to what he has repressed.

* Coop finally receives the Great Northern key, the item needed to unlock a certain door in his mind. We've already seen him on the third floor in the original season -- his conscious mind -- but now we see it opens into the basement, the furnace. Here are his primal desires & repressions. He opens the door.

* The sex scene is Coop trying to correctly remember Diane's rape. But he is 'Mr C' during this time, blankly staring at Diane, perhaps trying to comprehend; he tried to enter the memory as Coop, but he has failed. (It's interesting that Diane covers his eyes & she has only recently emerged from a form with covered eyes -- the truth isn't being seen).

* Due to this newest failure he undergoes a sort of psychogenic fugue, becoming 'Richard'. Diane is again removed to a repressed cloak identity, this time 'Linda'. This almost feels like Lost Highway, but we get to see what happens after the credits, when Fred/Coop has entered a new version of reality. He is a hero of sorts again, trying to save the fairytale princess instead of facing up to his dangerous repressed memory.

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Now, following this line further, extending it to the wider reality of Twin Peaks:

* Coop rapes & murders Diane on February 23rd, 1989. He represses this memory a la Fred Madison.

* He creates a fictional reality, a mystery to get lost in: Twin Peaks. He enters this as an agent of the FBI, investigating a rape & murder (which is actually something he committed).

* Diane is not seen, Coop merely talks to her through a dictaphone, able to say whatever he wants to her while she remains mute. Sounding serial killer-y? She is also in a subordinate position to him, powerless except in sending him ear-plugs, etc (ie: being an idealised silent, dutiful girlfriend).

* The reality of Coop's bottled memory starts trying to break through & the darker secrets of Twin Peaks begin coming to the fore. As Jean Renault muses, maybe Coop brought the darkness with him into Twin Peaks?

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* Also worth noting are the several new characters (along with Nadine) whose names form rough anagrams of 'Diane', as previously discovered by other users on the forum.

I don't think this is 'the explanation' -- there is a lot of contradictory evidence -- I simply find it interesting to think about. I know if this view were CANON, it robs Laura of her agency & even her existence (she becomes a corrupted memory of Diane), but that 'reality' is already firmly established in my mind, this is just entertaining a different perspective. Anyway, anyone want to jam on this with me?

[Rhodes]

Great work! Very interesting....

[Saturn's child]

Thanks Rhodes!
Ragnell also mentioned in the part 18 thread that 'Diane' was the first word spoken by Coop in the Pilot...

[Mystery Roach]

This is what I love about Lynch and why the more time passes the more I love what he did with this. Because since the finale I've been looking for a theory like this; something that would tie everything together as an internal reality that's only a reflection of an external one that we never get to see. These are always the directions I want to lean with his films too, so just to be able to consider Twin Peaks in that light is a lot of fun, even if it falls apart upon closer examination. Then again, as is often the case with Lynch you could probably comb the whole series and find a way to incorporate every seemingly random character or event into a workable version of that theory if you tried hard enough.

[Saturn's child]

This is what I love about Lynch and why the more time passes the more I love what he did with this. Because since the finale I've been looking for a theory like this; something that would tie everything together as an internal reality that's only a reflection of an external one that we never get to see. These are always the directions I want to lean with his films too, so just to be able to consider Twin Peaks in that light is a lot of fun, even if it falls apart upon closer examination. Then again, as is often the case with Lynch you could probably comb the whole series and find a way to incorporate every seemingly random character or event into a workable version of that theory if you tried hard enough.

Thanks for the reply Mystery Roach! As you said, "just to be able to consider Twin Peaks in that light is a lot of fun, even if it falls apart upon closer examination." I feel the same way, I love how much Lynch invites us to put his pieces together in unique ways, some of which he (probably) guided us towards, others we may have just arranged in our own way. INLAND EMPIRE is kind of similar, it asks us to 'logically' assemble what we've just seen -- resulting in a barrage of different theories -- & I feel the Return does something similar. Just browsing this forum I've seen a variety of different interpretations, & I love them all, in a way. If we do have a 4th season, I hope it leaves as much room to dream as this ending does.

[Novalis]

This is what I love about Lynch and why the more time passes the more I love what he did with this. Because since the finale I've been looking for a theory like this; something that would tie everything together as an internal reality that's only a reflection of an external one that we never get to see. These are always the directions I want to lean with his films too, so just to be able to consider Twin Peaks in that light is a lot of fun, even if it falls apart upon closer examination. Then again, as is often the case with Lynch you could probably comb the whole series and find a way to incorporate every seemingly random character or event into a workable version of that theory if you tried hard enough.

Thanks for the reply Mystery Roach! As you said, "just to be able to consider Twin Peaks in that light is a lot of fun, even if it falls apart upon closer examination." I feel the same way, I love how much Lynch invites us to put his pieces together in unique ways, some of which he (probably) guided us towards, others we may have just arranged in our own way. INLAND EMPIRE is kind of similar, it asks us to 'logically' assemble what we've just seen -- resulting in a barrage of different theories -- & I feel the Return does something similar. Just browsing this forum I've seen a variety of different interpretations, & I love them all, in a way. If we do have a 4th season, I hope it leaves as much room to dream as this ending does.

Agreed.

Incidentally was that an intentional reference to Room to Dream or a happy coincidence? I only ask because it's one I haven't read yet and wondered if you would recommend it or not.

Come to think of it there should be a recommended reading thread somewhere on this forum. Have I missed it or have I just unwittingly volunteered again?

[Saturn's child]

Incidentally was that an intentional reference to Room to Dream or a happy coincidence? I only ask because it's one I haven't read yet and wondered if you would recommend it or not.

Come to think of it there should be a recommended reading thread somewhere on this forum. Have I missed it or have I just unwittingly volunteered again?

Happy coincidence; is that book out, & either way, what's the coincidence?
& yes, you have most certainly unwittingly volunteered!

[Novalis]

Incidentally was that an intentional reference to Room to Dream or a happy coincidence? I only ask because it's one I haven't read yet and wondered if you would recommend it or not.

Come to think of it there should be a recommended reading thread somewhere on this forum. Have I missed it or have I just unwittingly volunteered again?

Happy coincidence; is that book out, & either way, what's the coincidence?
& yes, you have most certainly unwittingly volunteered!

Ah, it's not released yet. I never even noticed.

It's listed as February 2018 release date on amazon.co.uk so I have a ways to go before I can ask anyone about it I guess.

Yes, it seems I've put my foot in it again.

[Saturn's child]

Yes, it seems I've put my foot in it again.

IAmNotFoot2.jpg (127.27 KiB) Viewed 13194 times

[Novalis]

Yes, it seems I've put my foot in it again.

IAmNotFoot2.jpg

[p-air]

This is a fascinating read - very “Lost Highway”.

Diane emerged as one of the most enigmatic aspects of The Return and I have been pondering her too.

One way or another, to understand the Diane mystery we probably need to consider the original conception of the character which your theory takes into account but many of us seem to keep forgetting. Prior to Part 6 of The Return, "Diane" - for all anyone knew - was anything from a real character to a figment of Cooper's imagination. I always interpreted Diane as sort of a figurative sounding board around which Cooper would reflect on the story - and Cooper himself as something of a surrogate for David Lynch. Thus Diane the artist's muse or perhaps a feminine Jungian "anima" of the male Lynchian protagonist. I like to think The Return leaves this conception intact.

The identification of Cooper with the real-life Lynch is intensified in The Return, as Cooper's awakening and his "return to Twin Peaks" mirrors Lynch's own travails as an artist. (Note the salience which the Bushnell character, in his relationship to Cooper, lends to this autobiographical aspect of the story.) Lynch himself, as Gordon, functions as a more superficial protagonist here as he and his cohorts do most of the narrative heavy lifting while only ever tinkering around the edges of the story’s emotional and psychological core. So when Diane - someone/something so innately linked to Cooper's character - materializes in the flesh and falls into the Gordon narrative there has to be more to this than meets the eye. Indeed it turns out to be a "tulpa" or construct.

Our first encounter with the actual Diane (Naido) could be said to reflect the state of Lynch's muse at the outset of the project: lost, blind, unintelligible, feeling through the dark - yet determined. With Cooper set to travel through socket 3 (presumed by most of us to represent Part 3), Naido insists that he instead travel through socket 15. Cooper cannot awaken, cannot "return" until the muse herself enters the canvas. Which of course she does accordingly in Part 14 prior to Cooper's awakening in 15.

Yet still, Cooper is not really awake here. "Good" Cooper's return plummets into an absurd denouement and suddenly we behold through the eyes of Cooper - not "good" Cooper but through the truly "whole" Cooper - the face of Naido, the muse who is present but remains blind.

Cooper's acknowledgement of this allows him to liberate Naido (Diane), restoring her vision which in turn motivates him to venture into the “cellar” (subconscious).

It is only here that he will confront his deepest reservations and anxieties: estrangement from the muse, moral ambiguity, his inability to relive or alter the past.

[Saturn's child]

This is a fascinating read - very “Lost Highway”.

Diane emerged as one of the most enigmatic aspects of The Return and I have been pondering her too.

Thank you p-air! Excellent post, thanks for contributing. I agree with you, Diane's importance in the Return is very interesting/mysterious; we know Lynch loves Dern, but presumably her role was also quite vital in the script. She's hard to get inside of, I think half the reason I concocted said theory (& -- yes -- ripped off Lost Highway!) was to establish a central/pivotal role for Diane. I'd love to know how fleshed out the script for part 18 was, how much Frost contributed to this segment that feels at first glance so Lynchian.

Prior to Part 6 of The Return, "Diane" - for all anyone knew - was anything from a real character to a figment of Cooper's imagination.

I love how Diane's centrality is offset by the fact we arguably never deal with a real version of her. The original run & FWWM played off the fact that we never saw her, then the form she took in the Return was largely a tulpa (thoughtform), before finally being unveiled as Naido/Diane, in a series of scenes that feel the most dreamlike/least 'real-world'. But are any of them the real world Diane?

Thus Diane the artist's muse or perhaps a feminine Jungian "anima" of the male Lynchian protagonist. I like to think The Return leaves this conception intact.

Great point! I kind of envisioned Audrey as the anima figure, but you're right, Diane absolutely works better. Female vs Coop's male, dyed/wig hair vs natural hair, a flamboyant sense of fashion vs Coop's one-note suit & tie, "Fuck you <insert name here> vs the polite formality of Dale...

Our first encounter with the actual Diane (Naido) could be said to reflect the state of Lynch's muse at the outset of the project: lost, blind, unintelligible, feeling through the dark - yet determined.

Absolutely love this!

While I'm here, what of Mother/Experiment/Judy? (if I may be so bold as to correlate them)
I didn't account for the importance of her character/archetype. At a stretch I would imagine (with no proof, mind you) that Coop the rapist/murderer was abused by his Mother at an early age, which in part informed his actions with Diane (ie: rape/murder). When I was thinking of Coop in this role, I imagined that he had Diane in the boot of his car while he 'talked to her' in his establishing scene in the original pilot.
But on a deeper level, the Mother figure resonates with me as a perversion of the Mother archetype (while we're talking Jung). Just spit-balling here, but what Mother figures are we presented with?

* Mother/The Experiment/Judy -- Again, it might be a stretch to equate the three, but I feel they all reflect the ultimately negative aspect of the Mother. I envision her as a pair/opposite with one's birth mother; one creates us & ushers us into the world, while the other 'un-births' us & ushers us into the realm of death.

* Drugged-Out Mother -- She is (seemingly) largely absent in her son's life, becoming a negative aspect of Mother. Yet her son safely navigates death (the road & the bomb).

* Hit & Run Mother -- A pure expression of grief, the grieving mother whose son does not successfully navigate death.

* Shelly Briggs/Johnson -- She seems to be some iteration of the 'good mother', what with the way she treats Becky ("come round for coffee & pie", etc) despite the way her daughter treats her (the car bonnet, etc).

* Sarah -- the long-view of what extreme grief does to a person, perhaps inviting Judy in.

* Janey-E -- A more modern-feeling (20th century & beyond) housewife archetype.


I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones that jump out at me.

[PDCampbell]

There's also Audrey, who is conspicuously absent from her son's life and story. He mentions her (sounding a bit strained when he does so) while Audrey never mentions Richard. We're pointedly told by Ben that Richard "never had a father" while left utterly in the dark to the role Audrey played as mother.

[Saturn's child]

There's also Audrey, who is conspicuously absent from her son's life and story. He mentions her (sounding a bit strained when he does so) while Audrey never mentions Richard. We're pointedly told by Ben that Richard "never had a father" while left utterly in the dark to the role Audrey played as mother.

Yes, good point! Audrey as a mother figure appears to be totally absent (or non-existent?)... Does she even know about her son? I also find it interesting that Richard Horne dies/disappears on the rock, while Coop later becomes a Richard. Are these events linked, was this a necessary sacrifice?

[p-air]

But on a deeper level, the Mother figure resonates with me as a perversion of the Mother archetype (while we're talking Jung). Just spit-balling here, but what Mother figures are we presented with?

Anyway, anyone want to jam on this with me?

Yes! This approach is crucial to deciphering David Lynch. He's a "riffer". The way one character is depicted often provides insight into another we're reminded of. And it goes beyond the singular character - sometimes the archetype is a dynamic between multiple characters (such as Horne brothers and Mitchum brothers), or it’s an entire scene or story - and we recognize the riff.

Sarah's scene at the Elks Point bar for example harbors echoes of Laura's scene with the truckers in Fire Walk With Me. The viewer recalls - I did, anyway! - in these echoes of Laura a deep-seated trauma and despair underlying the perversion of the familiar character. The Sarah shown onscreen in The Return is literally a horrifying monster - we’re never once shown that she remains grieving or vulnerable. But if we perceive echoes, if we “listen to the sounds”, we do derive it contextually.

Audrey’s story too finds unlikely parallels which go beyond obvious character archetypes. When her story is revealed to be a delusion, it seems that a sort of archetype (or whatever we want to call it…motif?) - that of the “delusional returning character” - emerges and reverberates throughout the Twin Peaks universe. If Audrey’s story is a delusion, one wonders (or again, I did!) what are we to make of Big Ed’s reunion with Norma, which too bore all the hallmarks of a delusion? James - who has “always been cool” and whose sidekick is an British, green-gloved superhero - surely is delusional?!

We’re way off topic now but I don’t imagine you mind.