There Will Be A Nuclear Blast
Theory: Predictably, there have been some ‘leaks’ on the internet – mostly script-based – about some of the larger plot points, and one that has refused to dissipate is that of a nuclear blast. There’s some suggestion that, at some point, the characters will be faced with a nuclear holocaust, for reasons unknown.
Is it likely? It’s certainly possible – but I’m not sure that “likely” is the word I would choose to describe the odds of this theory panning out in a literal way. Firstly, it’s possible that the famously secretive David Lynch and Mark Frost facilitated Showtime ‘leaking’ some script pages indicating some random events, so as to keep the actual plot under wraps. This would not be unprecedented in the world of film and television, and would fit with the fact that there was no mention of nuclear holocaust in either of the previous two seasons – nor in the prequel movie, Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me.
Secondly, and by contrast, it’s possible that a nuclear blast and its aftermath may form part of a dream or premonition experienced by one or more of the characters. This is something that became a recurring motif in seasons 1 and 2, with Agent Cooper using his dreams as part of his deductive technique, and Sarah Palmer (Grace Zabriskie) and Madeleine Ferguson (Sheryl Lee) both experiencing dreams and visions of Bob and the events surrounding the death of Laura Palmer.
Thirdly – and frankly, least likely – the third season could serve to take the phenomenon which plagues the woods of Twin Peaks, and view it on a global scale, leading to nuclear conflict. In the second season of the show, we heard that Windom Earle (Agent Cooper’s former FBI partner, played by Kenneth Walsh) was seeking to gain access to the Black Lodge with a view to harnessing its infinite power to wreak havoc on the world – which is why the very end of season 2 became a race to reach the Black Lodge before he did. Windom Earle did reach the Black Lodge, of course, but Bob took his soul. Does that mean that the aspirations of the ‘evil’ souls in the Lodge are now more far-reaching than the murder of one person at a time? They certainly do love playing with fire, that’s for sure.
All things considered, I would suggest that if a nuclear blast does feature in the show, it would be as a character’s premonition of a possible future that they must then work to prevent.
