The first time I saw the footage of “Dale Cooper” driving a car, I was struck by the seriousness on his face. In this single shot, this wasn’t the Cooper that I remembered. Now several parts into the new season, I can’t help but think about this shot of “Cooper” behind the wheel of a car.
Is it Dale Cooper? Is it Evil Cooper/Mr C? Or is it something else entirely?
The scene also hearkens back to the final scene in Lost High way in which Fred Madison is running from the cops. The actors are positioned the same way – to the right of the viewer. Behind Fred you can see the cop car lights. Behind Cooper you can see a white light (I presume a car’s headlights).
It may mean absolutely nothing but I can’t help draw the parallels between these two scenes. If you’ve watched Lost Highway, then you know it ends with Fred suddenly changing into something else. His head begins to shake wildly and his face changes while lights flash. (Here’s a video of the end of the movie.)
Over the years, fans have tried to analyze the two stories together – including a strong belief that the two stories happen in the same Lynch universe.
Even if nothing comes of these connections, it still shows how Lynch uses the same visuals & ideas throughout his work in a way that at least makes us think.
For more articles on Lost Highway, check out our Lost Highway section.
