Canadian Politics Today

I kid, Michael. I kid because I care.

I think the surreal and supernatural elements added to the unsettling atmosphere.  The contrast between the wholesome sleepy little town and the strange and ominous things (that may have been?) lurking just out of sight was an effective storytelling tool.  I never figured out any of the mythology of the show-- the Black Lodge, the owls, the dancing midget, and all the rest.  I'm not sure it actually even matters.  They contributed to an atmosphere where you sensed that nothing was as wholesome as it seemed, and evil and corruption was just under the surface everywhere.  The discovery of these strange folklore elements surrounding the town parallels the discovery that all the residents have their dirty secrets.


At the end of the show, there's a scene where Sheriff Truman talks to Agent Cooper... he questions Agent Cooper's conclusions, feeling it's too far fetched, he can't wrap his head around it.  Agent Cooper's reply is something along the lines of: (spoiler) "What's harder to believe, Harry?  That Leland Palmer was possessed by a demon? Or that a father could **** and murder his own daughter?"   That's not just two characters talking, that's David Lynch telling the audience what the show is really about.  There's a similar scene in season 4 of Game of Thrones where Tyrion relates to Jaime his recollection of their retarded cousin Orson smashing beetles in the garden. You might wonder "why did they waste 5 minutes of screen time in a pivotal episode talking about smashing beetles?"  ...but that wasn't a story about beetles, that was the author telling you, the viewer, what the show is really about.


 -k