what to make of Lynchian violence

a myſtery wůld usually entail a puzzle to be solved. iṋ Lynch’s work, what iꝬ coded as “clues” often appear as violent misogyniſtic acts, so what does it all mean? what differentiates lynch in his style of myſtery iꝬ ϑat, ultimately, i døn’t ϑink he really cares. Lynch underſtands violence to be part of a dark libidinal entity, ϑiŋs appear in his work as he dreams of ϑem. ϑey appear only b∵c he iꝬ channelliŋg a subconscious.

of course much of Twin Peaks itself concerns a supernatural entity of ϑis nature, “Bob”, who i underſtand as beiŋg a Serial Experiments Lain-esque embodiment of ϑ’unconſtrained suburban libidinal band. iṋ ϑ’show, it iꝬ kept cryptic and vague. ϑ’abusers are able to be literally divorced from ϑeir evil actions, underſtood as tw̅̅o separate people. on̅e good Leland & on̅e bad seemiŋly poſseſsed Leland. ϑere are scenes wiϑ boϑ of ϑem in ϑ’same frame, ϑ’same way ϑere are tw̅̅o Coopers in ϑ’return. ⅋ut in Fire Walk With Me, ϑis separation is revealed to be a lie. Bob iꝬ simply a character Laura creates. ϑ’narrative of Twin Peaks follows ϑis illusion. how cůld ϑ’people closeſt to us do such unϑinkable ϑiŋs? it muſt be an alien parasite. iṋ ϑ’end Leland dies a redeemed man, ascendiŋ, while Bob gets left behind. Lynch underſtands ϑat people can’t be good or bad. ϑeyԙ a multiplicity. ϑeyԙ a cryſtal of many faces. paraδoxically, ϑis iꝬ as unfortunate of a truϑ as ϑ’latter - ϑat itꝬ still Leland.

ϑere iꝬ anoϑer multiplicity iṋ ϑ’middle of Mulholland Drive - a scene where ϑ’actreſs’s lines are revealed and recontextualized as part of a loŋg, creepy and uncomfortably sexualized encounter ϑat escapes ϑ’bounds of “actiŋg”. many people seem to interpret ϑis as a commentary on ϑ’universal subjugation of women as sex workers under a capitaliſt syſtem or wiϑiṋ ϑ’entertainment induſtry,.. ⅋ut i find ϑis to be too convenient of an explanation. iṋ context wiϑ its whole, we find ϑat even ϑis clearly exploitative and inappropriate interaction iꝬ part of Diane’s own φantasy - to be succeſsful in both her sexuality & profeſsion, somethiŋg ϑat was viscerally denied to her. ʆhe iꝬ made a star. at our loweſt we find ϑat our deepeſt (and moſt effective) φantasies are ϑ’ones ϑat are able to twiſt even ϑ’moſt horrific circumſtances iṋto someϑiŋg beautεĭзful & empoweriŋg.

my favorite scenes concern Mulholland Drive itself… we are asked - what happened at Mulholland Drive? at ϑ’beginniŋg (ϑ’φantasy), it iꝬ ϑ’site of a sudden car crash ϑat causes Rita to lose her memory (and conveniently become Diane’s). ⅋ut near ϑ’end, we find ϑat it was actually where ϑey share a profoundly intimate moment, where ʆhe follows her lover by her hand ϑrouᵹh a secret shortcut to her fiancé’s mansion. a fiancé ϑat Diane iꝬ so deeply jealous and resentful of, ϑat it leads her to kill Rita aloŋg with herself. Lynch’s work carries an underſtandiŋg of ϑis jouiſsance, where intimacy and violence follow each other so closely ϑey are almoſt indiſtiŋuishable. as if it cůld not be anymore obvious, in her despair, ʆhe jorks it as ʆhe cries

ϑis is nøt to declare ϑat Lynch does nøt use violence purely to shock and arouse edgelords as many people seem to suggeſt, only ϑat its violence is only as pointleſs as itꝬ interpreted to be. itꝬ as pointleſs as ϑ’space, ϑ’sky, ϑ’silence and stares between characters of ϑ’return., itꝬ a dream for ϑ’dreamer to underſtand as ϑey wish to