I know this has been a hard year and a half (or however the hell long it’s been) for everybody. I’m trying to find a creative voice, just fighting out of a long depression and only just feeling like I could finally move closer towards creating something I can be proud of. I’m going to try to make twin peaks content. I’ve just been kinda stuck in the void for a while, seeing these great videos you did really does inspire me. So thanks, I’m glad you make these
Something I feel is important to take into account when discussing Dale and Laura's interactions, is how, in their respective diaries/autobiographies, they are set up to parallel each other in very intentional ways. Cooper's flaw in the Palmer investigation is not necessarily that he's "curious" or "excited" about the "adventure" of discovering what happened to Laura, but rather that he becomes unhealthily attached to her story because of his own similar suffering. My Life, My Tapes establishes important things about Dale that are fundamental to understanding, I think, the full breadth of his arc in The Return. Mark Frost explicitly mentioned that Cooper's tendency towards white-knight behavior was first expanded and elaborated on in My Life, My Tapes, saying that the intention with that book was to dive deep into Cooper's psychology. Cooper's mother was implied to be some degree of psychic or at least lodge-attuned, and seems to have died while actively resisting BOB's influence to save Dale. There are intimations and implications that Dale might have been assaulted or abused by a doctor at some point in his youth after his mother's death - he is described as being asthmatic and spending a good portion of his early childhood bedbound or otherwise incapitated, and Dale continually demonstrates a deep discomfort around medical settings and professionals moving forward - to the point that it's significant that he lets Albert examine him so closely after he gets shot. Dale's relationships in the book range from awkward to toxic, with several of his partners abusing or otherwise hurting him, and he always seems to take the blame even in cases where he's not at fault, his own guilt eating at him for perceived failures that he couldn't control. He's an abuse survivor as well, and this is what makes him become obsessed with Laura and Twin Peaks - he sees himself in her, and the hometown life he never had as a child, which makes him increasingly lose healthy levels of objectivity and leads to him being trapped in the Lodge.
Your analysis is incredible, you are always very on point. FWWM is my favorite Lynch film (in my top 3 of all time) so this means a lot to me, thank you so much.
The Secret Diary book is canon 110% and not supplemental Doesn't take away from any of the points you make, I find you will feel the diary supports them Highly recommended Theres even an official Sheryl Lee audio version
as someone who has had a very similar life to laura, i actually *really really* love the diary and its one of my favorite books. its also written by a woman, david lynch's daughter :3 but yeah i liked and related to it so much that i wanted to give it to a future therapist but yeah i actually do highly recommend it ❤
i hear good things so im definitely interested, i was just saying that im not rly basing my understanding of the film on the contents of that book, bc i think it's important to the film that we don't see laura's diary contents much, as it helps give her back some dignity that the original show sort of deprived her by turning it into another piece of gossip about her
@@MalmroseProjects ah i see no yeah i did hear that in the video, glad you'll probably read it in the future :3 i also recommend dale's autobiography i feel it also gives more insights into the character personally but ye :3
@@MalmroseProjects Sheryl Lee actually did the recordings for the Audiobook of the secret Diary a few months before S3 released, I recommend that version to the paperback because she does an amazing job recapturing her performance as Laura.
My trauma has a different origin than Laura's, fortunately my father is a very loving man, but I still find Laura extremely relatable. A lot of the psychological effects end up being the same. That I escaped things like drugs is largely due to having love and support in my life that Laura lacked. Through the specifics of the story and her character, much more general and abstract truths about trauma and its effects can be told, especially for women.
Your analysis of Lynch's work is great. I'd never heard of Functional Structuralism, but it really does help shine a light on FWWM's (and Blue Velvet's and the series') themes. Definitely excited for your future videos!
I have a slight disagreement on your interpretation of Leland’s behavior. 1) The fingernail thing is related to cleanliness/purity, but he’s also threatening her-he’s talking about something being deep under her fingernail, the letter he will put there after he kills her. It’s horrifying and it seems like Laura has some idea what he’s getting at. You may have already noticed that, but I haven’t seen anyone else point it out up to this point. 2) I don’t think Leland approves of her relationship with Bobby. I’ve been impacted by incest and have studied in depth; imo Leland is possessive of Laura and doesn’t want to “share” her. Many sexually abusive fathers are obsessed with their daughters’ sexual lives, paranoid of what other men will do to them, which is of course projection. When Leland points out the locket, he is staking a claim on her. Laura’s own sexual behavior can be seen as defying him in that way.
those are both fair assessments. i definitely agree that it could be meant as a threat of his future intent, tho i think that the specific revelation of her being with james plays a role in the escalation that leads to him killing her, which is why i got the impression that her being with james was particularly worse than being with bobby. that doesn't invalidate your interpretation, and i v much appreciate your perspective. possessiveness is absolutely the main key to his dynamic with her. ive recently been studying the psychology of abuse and found that a big part of it is abusers desiring specific outcomes that they feel entitled to, and viewing the person's autonomy or humanity as expendible in the pursuit of those outcomes. i was emotionally abused by my own father as a child and it informs a lot of my understanding of fwwm: a dinner scene gone awry was common in my childhood. but possessiveness wasnt really a role in my experiences, whereas entitlement and coercion were. i find that in dynamics like that, things which are "off-radar" are as much about control as things that an abuser fixates on. if laura is "allowed" to be with bobby, that's as much a method of control as her not being allowed to be with james, etc. leland seems to be fine with donna, but that's because donna fits within leland's idea of what laura needs to be. this is why i feel like a big part of leland's role in the narrative is to present his family as an ideal, traditional nuclear family. because the outcomes of the dynamic are, at a surface level, the exact image of a 50s patriarchal home. i think your perspective is of value in that context too, in that the possessiveness leland displays very much fits within the mold of conservative family values. as the patriarch, he effectively is supposed to "own" his family, and laura's rebellion is betrayal. glad to hear your thoughts on the matter
u consistently put out the best stuff about lynch’s work and it legit makes me think abt it in a much more nuanced way !!!!!!! (off topic but may i ask ur pronouns ? i wanna be referring to u correctly when recommending these 2 ppl )
I came into your channel from your video on Xavier Renegade Angel. Have you considered doing an analysis on Moral Orel? It's one of the first fully dramatic adult animations (albeit only in the infamous third season) and has a lot of political things you could discuss.
If anyone is curious in the video malmrose says the movie doesn't explain know why laura engages with "the dark side", her secret diary is a very enjoyable read which deals exactly with this and other things. I found it very interesting and i think others who preferred the laura point of view and the more personal feel of fire walk with me might like it too. (you can even find the audiobook version read by sheryl lee herself on ytube)
I don't think you can abstract the demonology from the show and state that Bob is an aspect of Leland. It's made fairly clear that he is a parasite by Mike (who inhabits Philip Gerard and is of the same kind of spirit). The Tremonds and The Arm seem to be different, not inhabiting actual people and unable to 'feed through possession' as Bob and we assume Mike does. The Tremonds are interesting because they seem to be feeding off Harold Smith in some fashion, to the extent that they might be influencing him - for either the grandson knows the future and Harold's parting words, or they Tremonds are the author of these words in Harold. They're like cuckoo birds in some respect.
Yeah, I think there's a difference between saying that Bob *represents* Dissociative Identity Disorder (a perfectly valid reading) and that he literally just *is* a result of said condition (in which case the plot straight up doesn't work.)
@@Quirderph Especially since Laura, Leland, Sarah, Maddie and Cooper see the same 'Bob' entity - they even have a sketch artist rendering. Bob is a Fire Spirit.
I know this has been a hard year and a half (or however the hell long it’s been) for everybody. I’m trying to find a creative voice, just fighting out of a long depression and only just feeling like I could finally move closer towards creating something I can be proud of. I’m going to try to make twin peaks content. I’ve just been kinda stuck in the void for a while, seeing these great videos you did really does inspire me. So thanks, I’m glad you make these
Something I feel is important to take into account when discussing Dale and Laura's interactions, is how, in their respective diaries/autobiographies, they are set up to parallel each other in very intentional ways. Cooper's flaw in the Palmer investigation is not necessarily that he's "curious" or "excited" about the "adventure" of discovering what happened to Laura, but rather that he becomes unhealthily attached to her story because of his own similar suffering. My Life, My Tapes establishes important things about Dale that are fundamental to understanding, I think, the full breadth of his arc in The Return. Mark Frost explicitly mentioned that Cooper's tendency towards white-knight behavior was first expanded and elaborated on in My Life, My Tapes, saying that the intention with that book was to dive deep into Cooper's psychology. Cooper's mother was implied to be some degree of psychic or at least lodge-attuned, and seems to have died while actively resisting BOB's influence to save Dale. There are intimations and implications that Dale might have been assaulted or abused by a doctor at some point in his youth after his mother's death - he is described as being asthmatic and spending a good portion of his early childhood bedbound or otherwise incapitated, and Dale continually demonstrates a deep discomfort around medical settings and professionals moving forward - to the point that it's significant that he lets Albert examine him so closely after he gets shot. Dale's relationships in the book range from awkward to toxic, with several of his partners abusing or otherwise hurting him, and he always seems to take the blame even in cases where he's not at fault, his own guilt eating at him for perceived failures that he couldn't control. He's an abuse survivor as well, and this is what makes him become obsessed with Laura and Twin Peaks - he sees himself in her, and the hometown life he never had as a child, which makes him increasingly lose healthy levels of objectivity and leads to him being trapped in the Lodge.
Your analysis is incredible, you are always very on point. FWWM is my favorite Lynch film (in my top 3 of all time) so this means a lot to me, thank you so much.
Thank you for this series! The Twin Peaks television series helped me through some tough times.
The Secret Diary book is canon 110% and not supplemental
Doesn't take away from any of the points you make, I find you will feel the diary supports them
Highly recommended
Theres even an official Sheryl Lee audio version
It was so impactful that it almost felt too intimate. I had to stop reading further when Laura asked me to.
as someone who has had a very similar life to laura, i actually *really really* love the diary and its one of my favorite books. its also written by a woman, david lynch's daughter :3 but yeah i liked and related to it so much that i wanted to give it to a future therapist but yeah i actually do highly recommend it ❤
i hear good things so im definitely interested, i was just saying that im not rly basing my understanding of the film on the contents of that book, bc i think it's important to the film that we don't see laura's diary contents much, as it helps give her back some dignity that the original show sort of deprived her by turning it into another piece of gossip about her
@@MalmroseProjects ah i see no yeah i did hear that in the video, glad you'll probably read it in the future :3 i also recommend dale's autobiography i feel it also gives more insights into the character personally but ye :3
i definitely wanna read both! hard to track down the secret diary. i read the final dossier which was p good
@@MalmroseProjects Sheryl Lee actually did the recordings for the Audiobook of the secret Diary a few months before S3 released, I recommend that version to the paperback because she does an amazing job recapturing her performance as Laura.
My trauma has a different origin than Laura's, fortunately my father is a very loving man, but I still find Laura extremely relatable. A lot of the psychological effects end up being the same. That I escaped things like drugs is largely due to having love and support in my life that Laura lacked. Through the specifics of the story and her character, much more general and abstract truths about trauma and its effects can be told, especially for women.
great video! excited for the third part
Your analysis of Lynch's work is great. I'd never heard of Functional Structuralism, but it really does help shine a light on FWWM's (and Blue Velvet's and the series') themes. Definitely excited for your future videos!
"I have the fury of my own momentum" I'm having a blast listening to this series. Thanks.
You are awesome. I saw the movie for the first time and you were the best analysis 🎉
I have a slight disagreement on your interpretation of Leland’s behavior. 1) The fingernail thing is related to cleanliness/purity, but he’s also threatening her-he’s talking about something being deep under her fingernail, the letter he will put there after he kills her. It’s horrifying and it seems like Laura has some idea what he’s getting at. You may have already noticed that, but I haven’t seen anyone else point it out up to this point.
2) I don’t think Leland approves of her relationship with Bobby. I’ve been impacted by incest and have studied in depth; imo Leland is possessive of Laura and doesn’t want to “share” her. Many sexually abusive fathers are obsessed with their daughters’ sexual lives, paranoid of what other men will do to them, which is of course projection. When Leland points out the locket, he is staking a claim on her. Laura’s own sexual behavior can be seen as defying him in that way.
those are both fair assessments. i definitely agree that it could be meant as a threat of his future intent, tho i think that the specific revelation of her being with james plays a role in the escalation that leads to him killing her, which is why i got the impression that her being with james was particularly worse than being with bobby. that doesn't invalidate your interpretation, and i v much appreciate your perspective. possessiveness is absolutely the main key to his dynamic with her.
ive recently been studying the psychology of abuse and found that a big part of it is abusers desiring specific outcomes that they feel entitled to, and viewing the person's autonomy or humanity as expendible in the pursuit of those outcomes. i was emotionally abused by my own father as a child and it informs a lot of my understanding of fwwm: a dinner scene gone awry was common in my childhood. but possessiveness wasnt really a role in my experiences, whereas entitlement and coercion were. i find that in dynamics like that, things which are "off-radar" are as much about control as things that an abuser fixates on. if laura is "allowed" to be with bobby, that's as much a method of control as her not being allowed to be with james, etc. leland seems to be fine with donna, but that's because donna fits within leland's idea of what laura needs to be. this is why i feel like a big part of leland's role in the narrative is to present his family as an ideal, traditional nuclear family. because the outcomes of the dynamic are, at a surface level, the exact image of a 50s patriarchal home. i think your perspective is of value in that context too, in that the possessiveness leland displays very much fits within the mold of conservative family values. as the patriarch, he effectively is supposed to "own" his family, and laura's rebellion is betrayal.
glad to hear your thoughts on the matter
I think you are 100% correct!
Another great job.
Oh nice, didnt know this series existed, will have to watch it from part 1 now.
Probably the best video on Laura ever made
Talked about bad dale, good dale, but not damn good dale
This is awesome. Have come back to your series multiple times Would love to see a video with your thoughts on Mulholland Drive
it's on the list! im about to finish a p long video on lost highway and then mulholland drive will be the next video after that for lynch stuff
The finger nails is related to when the letter is found under her nail and was found under the nail of all of Leland’s victims.
u consistently put out the best stuff about lynch’s work and it legit makes me think abt it in a much more nuanced way !!!!!!! (off topic but may i ask ur pronouns ? i wanna be referring to u correctly when recommending these 2 ppl )
she/her
@@MalmroseProjects awesome ty !
Great to find this channel! Very erudite :)
yaaaay!!!!
having now watched the video, that was the most revealing study of this film i’ve seen online
I came into your channel from your video on Xavier Renegade Angel. Have you considered doing an analysis on Moral Orel? It's one of the first fully dramatic adult animations (albeit only in the infamous third season) and has a lot of political things you could discuss.
Bro the Xavier analysis was uneeded and cringe, morel has no underlying message
If anyone is curious in the video malmrose says the movie doesn't explain know why laura engages with "the dark side", her secret diary is a very enjoyable read which deals exactly with this and other things. I found it very interesting and i think others who preferred the laura point of view and the more personal feel of fire walk with me might like it too. (you can even find the audiobook version read by sheryl lee herself on ytube)
I'v been saying if Everade had been a man his body would be lucky to make local news . Case in point Michael Fife after a false r@pe accusation
Why aren't these videos much more Popular?
Damn, you nailed it!
Loved this movie 😍
I don't think you can abstract the demonology from the show and state that Bob is an aspect of Leland. It's made fairly clear that he is a parasite by Mike (who inhabits Philip Gerard and is of the same kind of spirit). The Tremonds and The Arm seem to be different, not inhabiting actual people and unable to 'feed through possession' as Bob and we assume Mike does.
The Tremonds are interesting because they seem to be feeding off Harold Smith in some fashion, to the extent that they might be influencing him - for either the grandson knows the future and Harold's parting words, or they Tremonds are the author of these words in Harold.
They're like cuckoo birds in some respect.
Yeah, I think there's a difference between saying that Bob *represents* Dissociative Identity Disorder (a perfectly valid reading) and that he literally just *is* a result of said condition (in which case the plot straight up doesn't work.)
@@Quirderph Especially since Laura, Leland, Sarah, Maddie and Cooper see the same 'Bob' entity - they even have a sketch artist rendering.
Bob is a Fire Spirit.
@@marshrabbit7565 And even if you're *just* going by Fire Walk With Me... Philip Jeffries also saw him during the convenience store meeting.
@@Quirderph Yup and Bob is not the only spirit she sees either.
Feels ( in a sort of metaphorical way) like the story of Britney Spears.
Moar!
You should read the Secret Diary. Really.
Yes!!! It's an incredible piece of work!