The City of Absurdity   TWIN PEAKS
Log Lady Introductions

  First Season      Second Season
Pilot (1000)

The Log Lady "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 - and I knew her.

"The one leading to the many is Laura Palmer. Laura is the one."

Episode 1 (1001)

"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."

Episode 2 (1002)

"Sometime ideas, like men, jump up and say 'hello'. They introduce themselves, these ideas, with words. Are they words? These ideas speak so strangely.

"All that we see in this world is based on someone's ideas. Some ideas are destructive, some are constructive. Some ideas can arrive in the form of a dream. I can say it again: some ideas arrive in the form of a dream."

Episode 3 (1003)

"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."

Episode 4 (1004)

"Even the ones who laugh are sometimes caught without an answer: these creatures who introduce themselves but we swear we have met them somewhere before.

"Yes, look in the mirror. What do you see? Is it a dream, or a nightmare? Are we being introduced against our will? Are they mirrors?

"I can see the smoke. I can smell the fire. The battle is drawing nigh."

Episode 5 (1005)

"I play my part on my stage. I tell what I can to form the perfect answer. But that answer cannot come before all are ready to hear. So I tell what I can to form the perfect answer.

"Sometimes my anger at the fire is evident. Sometimes it is not anger, really. It may appear as such, but could it be a clue? The fire I speak of is not a kind fire."

Episode 6 (1006)

"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Yet there are those who open many eyes. Eyes are the mirror of the soul, someone has said. So we look closely at the eyes to see the nature of the soul.

"Sometimes when we see the eyes - those horrible times when we see the eyes, eyes that ... that have no soul - then we know a darkness, then we wonder: where is the beauty? There is none if the eyes are soulless."

Episode 7 (1007)

"A drunken man walks in a way that is quite impossible for a sober man to imitate, and vice versa. An evil man has a way, no matter how clever - to the trained eye, his way will show itself.

"Am I being too secretive? No. One can never answer questions at the wrong moment. Life, like music, has a rhythm. This particular song will end with three sharp notes, like deathly drumbeats."

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Episode 8 (2nd Season Pilot, 2000)

"Hello again. Can you see through a wall? Can you see through human skin? X - rays see through solid, or so - called solid objects. There are things in life that exist, and yet our eyes cannot see them. Have you ever seen something startling that others cannot see? Why are some things kept from our vision? Is life a puzzle?

"I am filled with questions. Sometimes my questions are answered. In my heart, I can tell if the answer is correct. I am my own judge.

"In a dream, are all the characters really you? Different aspects of you? Do answers come in dreams?

"One more thing: I grew up in the woods. I understand many things because of the woods. Trees standing together, growing alongside one another, providing so much.

"I chew pitch gum. On the outside, let's say of the ponderosa pine, sometimes pitch oozes out. Runny pitch is no good to chew. Hard, brittle pitch is no good. But in between there exists a firm, slightly crusted pitch with such a flavor. This is the pitch I chew."

Episode 9 (2001)

"As above, so below. The human being finds himself, or herself, in the middle. There is as much space outside the human, proportionately, as inside.

"Stars, moons, and planets remind us of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Is there a bigger being walking with all the stars within? Does our thinking affect what goes on outside us, and what goes on inside us? I think it does.

"Where does creamed corn figure into the workings of the universe? What really is creamed corn? Is it a symbol for something else?"

Episode 10 (2002)

"Letters are symbols. They are building blocks of words which form our languages. Languages help us communicate. Even with complicated languages used by intelligent people, misunderstanding is a common occurrence."

"We write things down sometimes - letters, words - hoping they will serve us and those with whom we wish to communicate. Letters and words, calling out for understanding."

Episode 11 (2003)

"Miscommunication sometimes leads to arguments, and arguments sometimes lead to fights. Anger is usually present in arguments and fights. Anger is an emotion, usually classified as a negative emotion. Negative emotions can cause severe problems in our environment and to the health of our body.

"Happiness, usually classified as a positive emotion, can bring good health to our body, and spread positive vibrations into our environment. Sometimes when we are ill, we are not on our best behavior. By ill, I mean any of the following: physically ill, emotionally ill, mentally ill, and/or spiritually ill."

Episode 12 (2004)

"Sometimes nature plays tricks on us and we imagine we are something other than what we truly are. Is this a key to life in general? Or the case of the two - headed schizophrenic? Both heads thought the other was following itself. Finally, when one head wasn't looking, the other shot the other right between the eyes, and, of course, killed himself."

Episode 13 (2005)

"Sometimes we want to hide from ourselves - we do not want to be us - it is too difficult to be us. It is at these times that we turn to drugs or alcohol or behavior to help us forget that we are ourselves.

"This of course is only a temporary solution to a problem which is going to keep returning, and sometimes these temporary solutions are worse for us than the original problem.

"Yes, it is a dilemma. Is there an answer? Of course there is: as a wise person said with a smile: 'The answer is within the question.'"

Episode 14 (2006)

"A poem as lovely as a tree:

As the night wind blows, the boughs move to and fro. The rustling, the magic rustling that brings on the dark dream. The dream of suffering and pain. Pain for the victim, pain for the inflicter of pain. A circle of pain, a circle of suffering. Woe to the ones who behold the pale horse."

Episode 15 (2007)

"Food is interesting. For instance, why do we need to eat? Why are we never satisfied with just the right amount of food to maintain good health and proper energy? We always seem to want more and more.

"When eating too much, the proper balance is disturbed and ill health follows. Of course, eating too little food throws the balance off in the opposite direction and there is the ill health coming at us again.

"Balance is the key. Balance is the key to many things. Do we understand balance? The word 'balance' has seven letters. Seven is difficult to balance, but not impossible if we are able to divide. There are, of course, the pros and cons of division."

Episode 16 (2008)

"So now the sadness comes - the revelation. There is a depression after an answer is given. It was almost fun not knowing. Yes, now we know. At least we know what we sought in the beginning.

"But there is still the question: why? And this question will go on and on until the final answer comes. Then the knowing is so full, there is no room for questions."

Episode 17 (2009)

"Complications set in - yes, complications. How many times have we heard: 'it's simple'. Nothing is simple. We live in a world where nothing is simple. Each day, just when we think we have a handle on things, suddenly some new element is introduced and everything is complicated once again.

"What is the secret? What is the secret to simplicity, to the pure and simple life? Are our appetites, our desires undermining us? Is the cart in front of the horse?"

Episode 18 (2010)

"Is life like a game of chess? Are our present moves important for future success? I think so. We paint our future with every present brush stroke.

"Painting. Colors. Shapes. Textures. Composition. Repetition of shapes. Contrast. Let nature guide us. Nature is the great teacher. Who is the principal?

"Sometimes jokes are welcome. Like the one about the kid who said: 'I enjoyed school. It was just the principal of the thing.'"

Episode 19 (2011)

"Is a dog man's best friend? I had a dog. The dog was large. It ate my garden, all the plants, and much earth. The dog ate so much earth it died. Its body went back to the earth. I have a memory of this dog. The memory is all that I have left of my dog. He was black - and white."

Episode 20 (2012)

"My husband died in a fire. No one can know my sorrow. My love is gone. Yet, I feel him near me. Sometimes I can almost see him. At night when the wind blows, I think of what he might have been. Again I wonder: why?

"When I see a fire, I feel my anger rising. This was not a friendly fire. This was not a forest fire. It was a fire in the woods. This is all I am permitted to say."

Episode 21 (2013)

"The heart - it is a physical organ, we all know. But how much more an emotional organ - this we also know. Love, like blood, flows from the heart. Are blood and love related? Does a heart pump blood as it pumps love? Is love the blood of the universe?"

Episode 22 (2014)

"A death mask. Is there a reason for a death mask? It is barely a physical resemblance - in death, the muscles so relaxed, the face so without the animating spark. A death mask is almost an intrusion on a beautiful memory. And yet, who could throw away the casting of a loved one? Who would not want to study it longingly, as the distance freight train blows its mournful tone?"

Episode 23 (2015)

"A hotel. A nightstand. A drawer pull on the drawer. A drawer pull of a nightstand in the room of a hotel. What could possibly be happening on or in this drawer pull? How many drawer pulls exist in this world? Thousands, maybe millions.

"What is a drawer pull? This drawer pull - why is it featured so prominently in a life or in a death of one woman who was caught in a web of power? Can a victim of power end in any way connected to a drawer pull? How can this be?"

Episode 24 (2016)

"Sometimes - well, let's say all times - things are changing. We are judged as human beings on how we treat our fellow human beings. How do you treat your fellow human beings? At night, just before sleep, as you lay by yourself in the dark, how do you feel about yourself? Are you proud of your behavior? Are you ashamed of your behavior? You know in your heart if you have hurt someone - you know. If you have hurt someone, don't wait another day before making things right. The world could break apart with sadness in the meantime."

Episode 25 (2017)

"The beautiful thing about treasure is that it exists. It exists to be found. How beautiful it is to find treasure. Where is the treasure, that when found, leaves one eternally happy? I think we all know it exists. Some say it is inside us - inside us one and all. That would be strange. It would be so near. Then why is it so hard to find, and so difficult to attain?"

Episode 26 (2018)

"Pie. Whoever invented the pie? Here was a great person. In Twin Peaks, we specialize in cherry pie and huckleberry pie. We do have many other types of pie, and at the Double R Diner, Norma knows how to make them all better than anyone I have ever known.

"I hope Norma likes me. I know I like her and respect her. I have spit my pitch gum out of my mouth onto her walls and floors and sometimes onto her booths. Sometimes I get angry and do things I'm not proud of. I do love Norma's pies. I love pie with coffee."

Episode 27 (2019)

"There are clues everywhere - all around us. But the puzzle maker is clever. The clues, although surrounding us, are somehow mistaken for something else. And the something else - the wrong interpretation of the clues - we call our world. Our world is a magical smoke screen. How should we interpret the happy song of the meadowlark, or the robust flavor of a wild strawberry?"

Episode 28 (2020)

(Holding log directly in front of her, instead of the usual position cradled in her arms.)
"A log is a portion of a tree. (Turning end of log to camera.) At the end of a crosscut log - many of you know this - there are rings. Each ring represents one year in the life of the tree. How long it takes to a grow a tree!

"I don't mind telling you some things. Many things I, I mustn't say. Just notice that my fireplace is boarded up. (She glances over her right shoulder at the fireplace and the camera moves over to it, where we see the opening covered by plywood.) There will never be a fire there.

"On the mantelpiece, in that jar, are some of the ashes of my husband.
(Camera pans up to the mantel where we see a vase, a pipe stand, and some old pictures - none recognizable.)
(Camera pans back down to Log Lady.)
"My log hears things I cannot hear. But my log tells me about the sounds, about the new words. Even though it has stopped growing larger, my log is aware."

Episode 29 (2021)

"And now, an ending. Where there was once one, there are now two. Or were there always two?

What is a reflection? A chance to see two? When there are chances for reflections, there can always be two - or more. Only when we are everywhere will there be just one.

"It has been a pleasure speaking to you."
(Throughout the above, the camera has been slowing zooming in until only the Log Lady's face is framed. As she finishes speaking, the camera continues to zoom in. As it gets closer and closer, the Log Lady looks nervously up, down, and to her left, before staring straight ahead as the camera moves in through her left (our right) glass frame. As the iris of her left eye fills the screen, the screen turns completely white, then we hear a hissing sound, and then a 'door slamming' sound as the screen turns from white to black.)

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