Here’s what Twin Peaks: The Return’s cryptic “We are like the dreamer.” quote means. Twin Peaks was a landmark television event when it debuted, offering audiences a uniquely cinematic series with great characters and a fascinating mystery. The show was a co-creation of David Lynch and Mark Frost and revolved around the dark secrets dug up by the murder of teenager Laura Palmer in the titular town. Lynch never intended to solve this mystery, however, but after restless viewers complained the network forced him to reveal the killer in season 2.
Following the reveal of Laura’s killer, the fascination with Twin Peaks quickly burned out. It was cancelled by the end of the second season and Lynch’s prequel film Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me was met with a backlash for being too dark and not addressing the cliffhangers’ left by the series finale. The filmmaker later revived the show with 2017’s Twin Peaks: The Return, where he directed all eighteen episodes
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From his debut Eraserhead to 2001’s Mulholland Drive, David Lynch has always left the meaning behind his work up to viewers to interpret for themselves. This is certainly true of Twin Peaks: The Return, which features no end of cryptic sequences, characters and lines of dialogue. One of the revival’s most memorable scenes comes from episode 14, where FBI Deputy Director Gordon Cole – played by Lynch himself – is recounting a dream he had about meeting actress Monica Bellucci, who plays herself.
Twin Peaks: The Return takes viewers inside Gordon’s black and white dreams, where he meets Bellucci outside a cafe in Paris. Gordon also reveals Dale Cooper (Kyle MacLachlan) is in the dream too, but he can’t see his face. Bellucci says to Cole “We are like the dreamer who dreams, and then lives inside the dream.” She then looks directly into the camera and says “But who is the dreamer?” She then prompts Cole to turn around, where he sees a younger version of himself from Fire Walk With Me. It’s in remembering this scene – which featured David Bowie as Agent Phillip Jeffries 0 that gives Gordon a key clue about his current case.
So, what does Monica Bellucci’s “We are like the dreamer.” statement mean within Twin Peaks: The Return? It’s been interpreted in many ways by critics and fans, but Twin Perfect’s extensive breakdown of the entire series gives the most credible answer. The video explains the dream highlights the show itself is a “dream” created by Lynch, and that by playing “Director” Cole he’s inserted himself into it; he’s literally the dreamer who lives inside his dream.
Cooper’s presence, like his role on Twin Peaks itself, represents the audience, who Lynch can’t actually see watching but he knows they’re there. Twin Perfect goes even further by explaining how meta the scene is, as the street in Paris where it was shot in is right beside a gallery that had an exhibition of Lynch’s artwork. When he turns around to see the younger Gordon he’s looking into his own past. Of course, it’s possible this Twin Peaks: The Return reading is entirely wrong, but it’s likely as close to a solid answer as fans will get.
