The Mystery of the Log and Its Lady

Written by Eden H. Roquelaire for Twin Peaks Freaks.

Warning: Contains spoilers for Twin Peaks seasons 1 and 2, and the film Fire Walk With Me.

Dedicated to the memory of Catherine E. Coulson, who lent her brilliance and uniqueness to Twin Peaks, which has effected and inspired all of us fans for decades. Rest in peace.

“Welcome to Twin Peaks. My name is Margaret Lanterman. I live in Twin Peaks. I am known as the Log Lady. There is a story behind that. There are many stories in Twin Peaks – some of them are sad, some funny. Some of them are stories of madness, of violence. Some are ordinary. Yet they all have about them a sense of mystery – the mystery of life. Sometimes, the mystery of death. The mystery of the woods. The woods surrounding Twin Peaks. To introduce this story, let me just say it encompasses the all – it is beyond the “fire”, though few would know that meaning. It is a story of many, but begins with one…”

TWIN PEAKS – ‘Log Lady’ Gallery – Shoot Date: July 26, 1990. (Photo by ABC Photo Archives/ABC via Getty Images) CATHERINE E. COULSON

Margaret Lanterman, a.k.a. the Log Lady, is one of the most iconic characters from the series, along with Dale Cooper and Laura Palmer. She was the distributor of abstract wisdom, and had a strange connection to powerful forces. Her character is of a great importance that was never fully understood. David Lynch chose her to serve as a sort of guide to take us through Twin Peaks: Why is that? How did she obtain so much knowledge about the town and the woods? In this article, we will pay tribute to the wonderful Catherine Coulson by analyzing the character she so perfectly brought to life.

I carry a log – yes. Is it funny to you? It is not to me. Behind all things are reasons. Reasons can even explain the absurd. Do we have the time to learn the reasons behind the human being’s varied behavior? I think not. Some take the time. Are they called detectives? Watch – and see what life teaches.

When we are first introduced to the Log Lady in Twin Peaks, she is presented almost as a gimmick; something to laugh at. We learn rather quickly, as Cooper does, that this is a mistake. Margaret is a keeper of knowledge, and gives the protagonists essential clues in their mission. Her primary purpose is to serve as a link between the developed town and the spirits of untouched nature. The character is played by Catherine Coulson, who, you may know, has been a close personal friend of David Lynch’s since his film school days in the 1970s. You might not know, however, that at the time Twin Peaks was first written, the concept of the Log Lady was not a new one to Lynch: As early as the 70s, he had planned to make a series called I’ll Test My Log with Every Branch of Knowledge. The character was written for Coulson, who Lynch met while working on Eraserhead.

“I had this idea during Eraserhead that I described to her and Jack (Nance) and and whoever would listen. And it was called I’ll Test My Log with Every Branch of Knowledge! It’s a half-hour television show starring Catherine as the lady with the log. Her husband has been killed in a forest fire and his ashes are on the mantelpiece, with his pipes and his sock hat. He was a woodsman. But the fireplace is completely boarded up. Because she now is very afraid of fire. And she has a small child, but she doesn’t drive, so she takes cabs. And each show would start with her making a phone call to some expert in one of the many fields of knowledge. Maybe on this particular day she calls a dentist, but she makes the appointment for her log. And the log goes in the dental chair and gets a little bib and chain and the dentist X-rays the log for cavities, goes through the whole thing, and the son is also there. Because she is teaching her son through his observations of what the log is going through. And then sometimes they go to a diner and they never get to where they’re going.”

-David Lynch (Source: Lynch On Lynch)

Right away, from this synopsis, we can see the connection between the Log Lady and obscure knowledge, told in strange ways. But what is the truth behind the Log Lady? Why does she carry a log in the first place? Why does the log seem to communicate with her? And how? And what is the point of her transmitting these obscure clues to people?

So, let’s begin taking our closer look into Margaret, a.k.a. the Log Lady. She clearly knows more than we know:

I grew up in the woods. I understand many things because of the woods.

So right away, we get the idea that she has lived in Twin Peaks for all of her life, at least since she was a little girl. Through her extensive experience with it, she formed a sort of intimacy with the woods, and learned some of its secrets. However, she also says that there are many things she “mustn’t say,” and then directs the viewers’ attention to the fact that her fire place is boarded up, so there will never be a fire in there. Of course, fire, in Twin Peaks, is virtually synonymous with BOB. So just what did she learn from the woods? Perhaps she was privy to the comings and goings of Dugpas? Did she maybe meet BOB? We aren’t given any real evidence that she did, but her husband most likely has.

The Log Lady explains, in bits and pieces, how her husband, a logger, was killed in a fire in the woods the day after their wedding. It was “not a friendly fire.” Because of this, she has a deep fear of fire. She says that “fire is the devil, hiding like a coward in the smoke.” One night, before his death, her husband brought a jar of scorched engine oil, and told her it was “an opening to a gateway.” He may have gotten this from the woods, or he may have been taking it to the woods, instead. Either way, whatever he was doing with the oil must have been what triggered his meeting with “the devil.” Most likely, he was trying to open the gateway to the Black Lodge, for whatever reason, and seems to have succeeded. From the Lodge came BOB, who killed the logger with fire.

It may be that after his death, the Log Lady’s husband became trapped in the Black Lodge, or otherwise entered this realm in spirit form. A popular theory says that he is one of the lumberjacks seen above the convenience store in Fire Walk With Me.

The lumberjack (played by Jurgen Prochnow) seen above the convenience store with BOB, Mrs. Chalfont, and the Man from Another Place. Is this the Log Lady’s husband?

If this is the Log Lady’s husband, it suggests some intriguing things: Firstly, it implies that he plays a larger role than we might suspect. Rather than being a hapless logger who was in the wrong place at the wrong time, he could be a wise man or even an occultist with great knowledge of the woods and the goings on therein. Most likely, his meeting with BOB was intentional. Could he have been attempting to make a pact with the Lodge beings, similar to what Windom Earle was attempting? Only, perhaps he wasn’t planning on making this pact for evil, as Earle was planning on doing. Perhaps he wanted to deal with the Lodge beings in order to learn more about them, and use that information positively.

Another common theory is that the Log Lady’s husband is inside the log that she carries. When you consider the fate Josie met at the hands of BOB, this makes a lot of sense. It seems that in Twin Peaks, wood can be used as a receptacle for spirits. Notice the name of an important patch of woods in town: Ghostwood. That about sums it up, doesn’t it? If we know that Josie was trapped in the wood of the Great Northern Hotel after being murdered by BOB, it only seems reasonable to conclude that the Log Lady’s husband could have become trapped in the wood of a nearby tree. Likely, BOB came upon him in the forest, while he was chopping wood, killed him, and perhaps trapped his spirit in one of the logs that was left behind. The Log Lady, having a deep connection to the woods, was able to sense this, and took the log with her. Through it, he is able to psychically communicate with her, providing her with crucial information, which she passes on to the appropriate source.

Another interesting connection is between Margaret and Major Briggs. Both seem to have been abducted by aliens/angels/beings from the White Lodge, and left with interlocking symbols on their skin. This implies that Margaret, her husband (through the log), and Major Briggs are being used as agents by the White Lodge: The log (Margaret’s husband) tells Margaret to tell Briggs to deliver the message he received from the deep space monitors, which is a warning to Agent Cooper (“The owls are not what they seem”). This would make all of them agents of good, influenced and aided by the White Lodge.

As for the markings or “tattoos” left on the Log Lady and the Major, it would seem that they, too, are meant as clues, to help lead Cooper (or another agent of good) to the map within Owl Cave, and in turn give them the location of the opening to the Lodges.

An interesting point of note is Margaret’s surname: Lanterman. It sounds similar to “lantern,” implying illumination; someone who lights the way.

Margaret’s dwelling place in her cabin in the woods made her an excellent person to keep watch over anything taking place there: The actions of the Dugpas, the movements of the owls, and other strange phenomena. Perhaps she had experiences similar to Leland’s as a child, and this began her lifelong connection to the nature spirits around her. Through this, she was able to achieve her own kind of zen, and learn many secrets. However, she could not pass on all of these secrets, as not all knowledge is meant to be passed on at once. After all, a path is formed by laying one stone at a time.

Notice the little cabin built from tooth picks by Margaret’s right hand.

Margaret seems to have been chosen by the White Lodge, through her close relationship with the woods. Both she and her husband developed a deep connection and understanding of the woods and the spirits that dwell there, and, in turn, the woods and the spirits became familiar with the two of them. Perhaps the White Lodge spirits sensed a purity of heart in Margaret and her husband, and that is why they were “chosen” to help act against BOB. Margaret understands the dangers of the owls, the power of nature, and the terror BOB’s fire. This made her a powerful agent of good for the White Lodge, and a valuable ally of Cooper’s. Her participation will be sorely missed in the new season, but her presence will continue to be felt in Twin Peaks.

“There is a sadness in this world, for we are ignorant of many things. Yes, we are ignorant of many beautiful things – things like the truth. So sadness, in our ignorance, is very real. The tears are real. What is this thing called a tear? There are even tiny ducts – tear ducts – to produce these tears should the sadness occur. Then the day when the sadness comes – then we ask: ‘Will this sadness which makes me cry – will this sadness that makes my heart cry out – will it ever end? The answer, of course, is yes. One day the sadness will end.”

-Margaret Lanterman, the Log Lady

Trapped Between Two Worlds: The Mystery of Deer Meadow

Written by Eden H. Roquelaire for Twin Peaks Freaks.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for Twin Peaks and Fire Walk With Me.

One of the main complaints any die-hard Twin Peaks fan might have against Fire Walk With Me is that much of it does not take place in our beloved town. Instead, the entire Teresa Banks investigation occurs in a strange, hostile place called Deer Meadow. Despite the pleasant and peaceful image this name might conjure up, Deer Meadow is a rather ugly place, filled with unfriendly townspeople. One could say it is the evil Doppelganger of Twin Peaks itself.

But why is Deer Meadow the way it is? In this article, I will analyze the town, its residents, and the rich symbolism that litters it, hopefully shedding some light on what is going on there.

First, let’s take a look at the diner, Hap’s. There is so much symbolism here, it’s difficult to know where to begin. Hap’s, of course, serves as the Doppelganger of the Double R Diner, making (the late) Hap and Irene potential parallels to Hank and Norma, and Jack, the man Agents Desmond and Stanley talk to, could parallel Ed.

First notice the neon sign outside of Hap’s: It’s a clown face, which ties into the clown (or Sacred Clown) symbolism of Twin Peaks, as well as the recurring motif of electricity. One side of the clown’s face is burnt out, suggesting dualism. It also looks like tears might be falling from the clown’s face. This image reminds me of Laura, trapped in what Lynch refers to as the “suffocating rubber clown suit,” living the party girl life, acting like she’s happy, while in reality, she is being split in two, and inside she is crying.

When the agents enter the diner, they go to the back room, where there’s an electrician working on a lamp, which is sparking dangerously. In a version of the script, Stanley asks Desmond about why there was someone working on a lamp in Hap’s Diner, and Desmond replies that it is due to faulty wiring. Of course, electricity, in the film, is connected to the Dugpas and, therefore, the Black Lodge as well. Notice also the odd, door-like recess in the wall: This implies an opening to the Lodge is present, or perhaps used to be. Sitting in the “doorway” is a man, possibly a lumberjack. He looks remarkably similar to the Jurgen Prochnow lumberjack seen above the convenience store. If this was intentional, it would imply that there is some interference here from denizens of the Black Lodge.

The agents speak to Jack, presumably the manager of Hap’s Diner (since Hap is dead, good and dead). Jack’s name tag reads, “Say Hello Goodbye, My Name is Jack.” He doesn’t seem to know much of anything about Teresa, and instead directs them to ask Irene. He warns the agents: “Now, her name is Irene, and it is night. Don’t take it any farther than that. No good will come of it.” This is, of course, a reference to the folk song, “Goodnight, Irene.” This reference also comes up in Mulholland Drive, which infamously takes place inside a dream (this is reminiscent of Philip Jeffries’ declaration that “we live inside a dream”), and features an elderly woman named Irene.

In the background, we can see some interesting decor. One item of interest is a tree stump, with two chainsaws sticking out of it (one red, one yellow). Wood and lumberjacks are two recurring motifs in Twin Peaks, especially as we are shown that spirits can reside in wood. The chainsaws suggest the act of cutting. Perhaps this is a place where spirits can cut through, into another dimension? Also, notice the big fish mounted on the wall here. It looks to be a bass, but it could be meant as a reference to Fat Trout Trailer Park. It could also be connected to Lynch’s concept of “catching the big fish,” which means (roughly) searching for profound truths or ideas. In a sense, the agents are looking to catch the big fish by looking for the answer to this intricate mystery.

Then there’s a highly disputed scene: A middle-aged man sitting in the diner gets the agents’ attention, asking, “Are you talking about that little girl that was murdered?” When prompted, the man doesn’t have any pertinent information to offer the agents. Sitting with him is a young woman, who says something to him in what seems to be French. It’s hotly debated among fans what she says, although the most common consensus is that she is saying, “Nighttime is the right time.” This could be a prompt to her companion, telling him to wait until night for something. Whatever she means, the significance of nighttime in Twin Peaks is well-known, as all of BOB’s killings take place during the night. This could be when the Dugpa always strike. After the agents speak again with Irene, the man repeats the line: “Are you talking about that little girl that was murdered?” This could have many interpretations:

One idea is that it has to do with the murder of a “little girl” happening twice: Laura and Teresa. It could also have to do with the distortion of time associated with the Black Lodge. If there is a portal to the Black Lodge nearby, perhaps even within the diner itself, this pair could actually be Dugpas. For whatever reason, Desmond doesn’t want to interview either of them, and no one really acknowledges the French woman.

From Hap’s Diner, let’s visit the Sheriff’s station briefly. Here we see more parallels: Deputy Cliff is a reflection of Deputy Andy, the giggling secretary is Lucy, and Sheriff Cable is Sheriff Truman. The name “Cable” could be interpreted literally as referring to an electric cable, making it another symbol of electricity. On the wall of the Sheriff’s office is a large saw: Another symbol of cutting, as in, “cutting through.”

Next, let’s take a trip to Fat Trout Trailer Park. This is another interesting and very important place. The people here seem harassed, afraid, and disoriented, almost as if they have just woken from a long and terrible nightmare. The superintendent, Carl Rodd (Harry Dean Stanton), has most likely had his run-ins with the Black Lodge.

Mr. Rodd is a fascinating fellow. He seems to be having strange nightmares, which might be robbing him of good sleep (needing to sleep in might be a reason he doesn’t wish to be disturbed before 9am). He appears reluctant to leave his trailer or interact with the tenants. They have left many notes on his door, but he never seems to bother reading them. He is haggard, and there is a band-aid covering some unidentified injury on his forehead. As we’ll discuss momentarily, he might know a little more than he lets on.

Then there is the woman with the ice pack, who wanders into Teresa’s trailer while the agents are investigating it. I would like to note here that in an early draft of the script, this woman was leading Deputy Cliff to where the agents were. It could be that, originally, she had the ice pack because Deputy Cliff assaulted her to get information on the agents (it’s already established that the law enforcement in Deer Meadow is not well-liked by the townsfolk; this could be why). However, it is curious that, once the scene with Deputy Cliff was removed, Lynch and Frost would choose to leave in the scene of the woman with the ice pack, with seemingly no explanation. I believe that, in this new version, it is meant to be inferred that the woman has also been having experiences with the Black Lodge, possibly even BOB himself, and this is the cause of her injuries.

After seeing her, Mr. Rodd is noticeably disturbed. His eyes tear up, and he takes a nervous drag on his cigarette. He seems to think about the electrical pole, the one with the number “6” on it, just outside the trailer. He looks at Agent Desmond, and after much fruitless stuttering, he says,

“See, I’ve already gone places. I just want to stay where I am.”

He looks to Agent Desmond as if hoping he understands his meaning. He doesn’t want to explicitly state what he means, perhaps for fear of being thought of as crazy. Some people believe he means that he has spent time in jail or prison, and doesn’t want to go back. Perhaps he fears being accused of Teresa’s murder. However, this doesn’t completely fit. Why would the woman with the ice pack generate a fear of prison in Mr. Rodd? Why the shot of the pole, traveling up towards the electrical wiring? It would make more sense if Mr. Rodd is referring to having visited the Black Lodge.

Mr. Rodd knows that strange things are happening in the trailer park. Strange beings appearing out of nowhere and attacking residents, electrical disturbances, voices heard out of thin air, bizarre dreams haunting the people in the trailer park, normal people suddenly acting strangely, perhaps other tenants that have disappeared. However, being a very simple man, he doesn’t understand any of this. He only knows what he’s seen, but fears that he is going crazy. He doesn’t want to tell anyone, because a) they might think he’s crazy, or b) it would mean having to acknowledge what is happening, which might mean confronting it, which would cause more trouble for him. Instead, he hides in his trailer and tries to ignore the bizarre nightmares and upset tenants. He has probably accidentally stumbled into the Black Lodge at some point, either in a dream or through a portal in waking life. The experience terrified him. He’s afraid of getting trapped there; he just wants to stay where he is.

Also in an early draft of the script, Mr. Rodd says that he was having a dream of “a joke with no punchline.” Almost immediately afterwards, Desmond and Stanley discuss Deputy Cliff and refer to him as “a clown.” This ties in with the Sacred Clown symbolism that proliferates the movie. Essentially, the symbolism says that the Dugpas are (or are related to) Native American trickster spirits which sometimes use clowning to impart important knowledge to humans, but sometimes also just cause chaos for fun. This is yet another tie between the trailer park and the Dugpas. I would also like to make a brief observation in regards to Mr. Rodd’s name, which always made me think of a conducting rod. Could be another connection to electricity in the film.

And then, of course, there are the Chalfonts. Now, the Chalfonts are, presumably, the Tremonds. They are described as being a woman and her grandson, and they once again have a French surname. As we know from Twin Peaks the series, they are not humans. They seem to be spirits from one of the Lodges, acting in a manner similar to the Man From Another Place and the Giant: Appearing to humans and giving them clues to “help” them catch BOB. (Whether or not they are truly “helping” is a tricky question we will have to save for another article.) We also see a pattern in their behavior: They occupy a space, and take the last name of the people who live there, or used to live there, causing some confusion. Before, they seemed to change reality itself, altering the interior of the home of the real Mrs. Tremond and placing a fake order to Meals on Wheels the lure Donna there. This time, they seem to have waited for the real Chalfonts to vacate their space at the trailer park, then taken their own trailer to occupy that space. These spirits seem to only appear when someone is about to die. They appear to Laura in a dream shortly before her death, then they appear to Donna before Harold Smith commits suicide, and finally they turn up in Teresa Banks’s trailer park before her death. They may simply be appearing to predict a death, as with Harold’s, or they may actually aid in facilitating it, as they seem to have a suspicious level of involvement with both Laura and Teresa around the times of their murders. Or, perhaps they are chasing BOB?

Later, Agent Desmond returns to the trailer park to see Deputy Cliff’s trailer, suspecting the corrupt deputy of having Teresa’s ring, but instead diverts his path. While looking at the electrical pole with the number “6” on it, he hears the Indian whooping call on the wind. He turns around and sees a trailer with its lights on, and heads over. He knocks on its door, but no one answers. Underneath the trailer is a pile of dirt and Teresa Banks’s ring: The one with the green stone and the Owl Cave symbol on it. Desmond reaches for the ring, and disappears.

When Cooper visits the trailer park later, he feels compelled to walk over to an empty space. This is where Desmond disappeared; now, the trailer is gone. We learn that this space was owned by the Chalfonts, which further links the trailer park with the Black Lodge. The space left by the vacant trailer seems to be soaked with engine oil: similar to the entrance to the Black Lodge found in Glastonberry Grove. A glance at Agent Desmond’s car reveals the words “Let’s Rock” have been written in red across the windshield. Of course, these are the first words spoken to Agent Cooper by the Man From Another Place. This would seem to confirm that Desmond has disappeared into the Black Lodge.

But why is all this happening here?

Deer Meadow is riddled with portals to the Black Lodge. There are Dugpas all over the town, mostly unnoticed by residents. However, the trailer park seems to be a hotspot for attacks, particularly near the telephone pole bearing the number “6.” It would make sense that BOB, having had a fixation on Teresa, frequented this area, probably harassing her neighbors at the trailer park.

We’ve seen how much of Deer Meadow is a parallel of the more familiar town of Twin Peaks, and there may be a deeper reason for this than we at first suspect. Deer Meadow represents the dismal bitterness and distrustful nature that Twin Peaks itself might descend into as a result of its victimization by the denizens of the Black Lodge. After many years of torment, nightmares, and living in fear, one could imagine that even a town as idyllic as Twin Peaks could become a grim place, broken by crippling fear, and sacrificing its innocence to suspicion, cruelty and criminal behavior.

Throughout the TV series, we fear our beloved town will fall prey to its dark side: Corrupt business men, drug dealers and pimps all populate the shadows of Twin Peaks. There is a battle, both literally and figuratively, between the light and the dark. Deer Meadow is a town that has been overcome by the darkness.