With the break between episode 8 and 9, I decided to revisit "The Secret History of Twin Peaks" book that was released before the third season even began airing.
The book is presented as a dossier, compiled by an unknown archivist. Throughout the book along the edges are annotations from FBI Special Agent "TP"(Tamara Preston) who has been assigned to discover the archivist's identity by Deputy Director Gordon Cole .
The basic "story" of the book is the history of the area that became known as the town of Twin Peaks and some of the significant people who are connected to said history.In particular, there connection to unexplained phenomena in and out of the town as well as connections to significant real world influential points in America's History.
I love the idea of books such as this . The collection of notes,letters,"official" documents,transcribed interviews,ephemera that collectively tells a story.Like sifting through a trunk of miscellaneous papers.
House of Leaves, by Mark Z.Danzielewski, was my first experience with this type of novel and Ive been an admirer ever since.I still like to crack open that book from time to time to read passages.
Ive often thought about how much fun it would to be able have a "book" that is made up of actual collections of physical reproductions of files and documents,bound together by a large rubber band that introduces a reader to a murder mystery.Where you as a reader get to hold the actual documents in their "original" form and sift through them to discover the story and the mystery.Each reader would explore the mystery in their own way depending on which document they choose to read next.
You ,as the reader are in the role of a detective or FBI agent,instructed to go through the collected documents,catalog names and record dates,look anything that might help lead to the discovery of the identity of a serial killer.There would be a introductory letter to direct the reader on where to start and personal notes,findings,and verifications from other "detectives" who have already gone over the material throughout.Within this process the reader discovers connections,timeline clues ,etc that would allow them to make an educated guess.There would be one sealed file that the reader would be instructed to not open till they have read through all of the previous material and are ready to make a guess as to the identity of the killer.This document would be something from the most recent discovered crime scene and could be such a revelation that it could contain a piece of information that makes what you think happened before was false. The final document would be the confession interview with the person or persons involved in the crime.
I enjoyed reading The Secret History of TP.As an admirer of Mark Frosts previous works of fiction I was pleased to not only have a new book ,but one that touches on the world of Twin Peaks.
Before cracking it open, I hoped that more of the history of the Lodges would be explored and their residents influence on the town.That there would be personal backstories that revealed a significant event that influenced the character of someone in town.What made them the person we meet on the show?And made us look at them in a new light the next time we watched the original series.And lastly, I hoped there might be some indication as to what direction season three would explore.
Enjoying the book as much as I did.....
There are aspects of this book that trouble me.
Deputy Hawk's voice in his Bookhouse Boys story of Ed and Nadine doesn’t sound like the Hawk we grew to know in the series. Even though it is younger representation of his voice,his tone and way of speaking is off.It did seem to find his voice a bit closer to the end of the document.Perhaps this is a clue? Someone has rewritten some of the story under Hawks name?This particular document was found at the Bookhouse.Anyone could have replaced the text with their own version of the story.Big Ed?The question remains, why? For its not only the voice that is off , the story it tells is different from what we have known as fact from the show itself.A story that was told directly by Big Ed himself.
There are many obvious continuity errors throughout the book. In this day and age of "google it" ,there is no excuse for the blatant errors. Dates are mixed up within the same book and not just from television series to paper. Sometimes from chapter to chapter.Mark Frost has written historical non fiction books before, so it would be in his writing nature to research and get the facts correct.
This page provides a detailed list of some of the believed and discovered errors.https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1XEvoZzu9XUU13cWcELbJ3vQ2M--lnnGowrElBTRec8M/edit#gid=0
Unless there is a reason for the errors.Errors that include character histories rewritten.And some...the characters are written completely out.
Reasons that drove the plot forward in the series are completely removed.
If this is intentional. The book appears to be missing that one important key element or revelation that points the reader in the right direction.A last minute "TP" notation that sends the reader back into the text to find the clues she uncovered.As it is,the book is leaving the revelation to be found within the new television series.If you had not watched the original series, and were to read this book,most of the errors would be meaningless.
From a reader stand point this is frustrating.While anyone interested in the book is certain to have watched the original series, it is troublesome that the answer one seeks after reading the book must be waited for and potentially revealed late in the series.(The show is currently on episode 9 of 18)
While I enjoy a good mystery,and I understand the writing compulsion that not every mystery has to be resolved,(The book itself even calls attention to this point that once a mystery is solved, its magic is no more.),there is so much going on already in the third season story that it feels as if its building to a confrontation.Where does the book come in? Or where does the reveal come that gives clarity to the glaring errors.
There will be a second book released later this year. A Final Dossier collection of even more information. Perhaps this book will reveal the truth or at least point the reader in the right angle with which to look at the first dossier. This second book appears to be more focused on the familiar people of Twin Peaks.What happened to them off screen for the last 25 years and perhaps what happens to them after the third seasons final episode. My hope is that this book gives us the details that this new series just doesn’t have the time for with the story that is driving us forward.The show is not spending time enough for a character to go into detail of their past 25 years.Who spends their days doing that anyway?
For example, If Shelly has divorced herself from Leo Johnson,who may or may not be alive, there would be no reason for her to bring him up in casual conversation and talk about what happened between them after the show went off the air. She clearly has moved on and is doing,daughter Becky troubles notwithstanding, well.
One perspective is that since these notes are collected from other peoples statements and observations of events from a writer who wrote things how he remembered them , not how they may have happened.Telephone with details can alter memories.Errors could be from someone obtained or was given the wrong information intentionally.Or maybe Mark Frost felt the actual events of season two didn’t work for the new story he had in mind for season three and decided to chuck the facts that didn’t serve his purpose.
There is some discussion within the book that lends itself to the idea of alternate timelines/universes. Something most recently hinted at within the show itself. Though, some of this could be misunderstandings of the strange and weird wonders what the person has seen.Meetings ones Doppelganger could make one think that that version existed in another timeline or definitely in another universe.How would you explain the Lodge?
Overall, the book concludes with a feeling like having the last chapter of a murder mystery novel missing.There should have been a SA Tamara Preston summation of her suspicions and discoveries from reading the book at the end that someone may have altered original documents.Something that points the reader to rereading the book and looking for their own discrepancies missed the first time through.That would have fit nicely into the whole conspiracy theory elements of the book as well as the various shadow groups that are referenced throughout.Without giving up the ghost.It wouldn’t confirm or deny the existence of alternate timelines within the world of Twin Peaks.
It wouldn’t reveal that someone actually had altered the document after the Archivists had collected the paperwork.
What is the purpose of SA Tamara Preston? She makes validations and confirmations on various posts. But then completely misses what should be an error to anyone who has never been to Twin Peaks. Are the clues in what she doesn’t validate or confirm or comment on?
Hows Annie?Whose Annie?Norma Jennings is Annie’s sister in the second series of Twin Peaks.But in one of the documents within the book,Not only is Annie never mentioned in regards to Norma’s family, but the maiden name Norma has is completely different and her mother is deceased. Is the purpose of this document to remove Annie Blackburn from the history of Twin Peaks? For what purpose? To protect her? If she is meant to be hidden,to the point that histories are altered, then why is she mentioned within the new series?
While her name arises from what are believed to be found missing pages from Laura Palmer’s secret diary ( this a continuity error of its own proportions) Dept Hawk and the new Sheriff Truman(not a stranger to town)only briefly discuss her. There interaction is in private. Sheriff Truman is not aware of her..Hawk is. She is mentioned as going into the Lodge and this being the reason for Cooper to follow.
BUT, this going into the Lodge all happened because of Windom Earle .Who according to implications in the book, is still locked up and never escaped. Never raided the Miss Twin Peaks contest.Never kidnapped Annie.Never entered the Lodge.
How does changing Norma’s maiden name and family history in these documents protect Annie?What purpose does this serve? Why include them at all in the history if its not going to be correct? Wouldn’t the fact that it is incorrect draw too much attention.Is this a clue left by the Archivist?
It does this for us the reader.If you knew the truth or discovered it while reading these files, it would call out to you as a glaring error in a so far competently researched piece and perhaps make one discount the whole of the information collected.A poorly researched detail that could easily be confirmed via Norma or high school year books,etc would question the research of the Archivist.Since this Secret History was not just laying around in a library for just anyone to read,What purpose would altering history serve?You can rewrite history , but how can you rewrite the memories of all who grew up with Norma and family?
Is Annie in some extra special Federal Bureau Witness protection program?With Norma’s now supposedly deceased Mother caring for her as well?Why would they place Annie in this care?If the FBI knows what she does, then they know about the two Coopers already and the Lodge.Or are they protecting her for when that moment that she DOES remember occurs?
Had the Bad Dale already tried to cause her harm while she was in the hospital after they left the Lodge? Necessitating her protection from further harm
Annie’s past would make this actually quite possible to do some rewriting to hide her. Annie had a boyfriend during her senior year of high school. This relationship did not go well and she attempted suicide. After which , She spent the next five years in a convent.After her leaving the convent to return home to Twin Peaks, She expressed fears of returning to the real world.The events of her night in the Lodge, would not have helped that.The towns folk of Twin Peaks would not be as familiar with her and could just as easily have forgotten her after she disappeared. This was in the age of pre cell phones with cameras so there would be few pictures of her as well.The few that might exist from the Miss Twin Peaks contest could have been destroyed
Its understandable that Annie would need protection.Who knows what the Bad Dale did to her while she was in intensive care. Who knows what scars and mental breaks she had from entering a world that would have challenged her spiritual beliefs and broken her core.
But it could be more about what she knows. She knows that the Bad Dale came out of the Lodge and not the Good Dale. She may one day recall this information.The Bad Dale couldn’t let her speak.And would come to silence her.
Agent Tamara Preston presents issues as well. In the show ,she does not seem to be readily aware of Cooper or the events of Twin Peaks.
One issue is, she is going through this book sometime in 2016. If the timeline of the shows is correct, this is 2 years AFTER the events of the third season.What does this tell us about the events of the show that she is going through this old file now. The file is said to have been found at a crime scene.A crime scene that occurs AFTER the series? The box the book is said to have been found in looks similar to a box under a table seen at Ruth Davenports home.But this topic has not been discussed.
Considering she becomes aware of Agent Cooper during the course of season three,within the book her notes in regards to Agent Cooper are sparse.She should know something that we as yet do not since the events in the series have already occurred.What does this imply for season threes resolution?
This could be an indication that she is not heavily involved in the action of the series. For the most part she is an observer of events in the first nine episodes. Standing by Gordons side.Learning, but mostly observing.
We are lead to believe that the Archivist is Major Briggs. But I came away from the book thinking that it has been touched by three sets of active hands.
Douglas Milford ,who began the book.Passages about the brother seem to have a level of disdain.
Major Garland Briggs,who takes up the research task at Milford’s request.Major Briggs,served the greater good, even at his family’s detriment.Not being there enough for his son Bobby.But Major Briggs also knew and was familiar with the townsfolk of Twin Peaks. He spent many years in this town and would have been able to discover many truths.So for some of these errors to be in this book raises some questions about his contribution.
As for the possible undisclosed individual. Perhaps this person has intentionally gone through and altered this book before leaving it at the crime scene with intentions to be found.Again, I question, for what purpose- to lead away or to something? Hide or reveal?
I read somewhere that David Lynch had not even read the book before he began filming.Maybe this is Mark Frosts way to anticipate those happy accident discoveries that often happen during David Lynch’s filming that change events or add unplanned elements.
If the errors are intentional , it still strikes me as odd to fill a book with them when pages could be spent on other pieces of explored history that did not need to be directly connected to events in the television series.I hope that the Final Dossier will reveal the secret to the Secret History of Twin Peaks.
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