I just finished watching the series for the first time several nights ago, and I imagine this has been discussed to death already. If it has, remember what it was like when you watched it for the first time and please bear with me... I did my best to read what's already posted on the board, but I might've missed this discussion.

I agree with the apparent consensus, in that Cooper didn't go wrong surrendering his soul to Windom in order to save Annie. There, he exemplified courage over fear and love over hate. People more or less agree -- though I could be wrong -- that Cooper shouldn't have fled from the doppelganger, that he was broken down emotionally by Annie/Caroline and probably scared shitless by BOB taking Windom's soul right in front of him, all of which resulted in an uncharacteristically bad decision to run away.

So, if you were Cooper, what would you have done differently to make it out of the Black Lodge with soul intact? Was he supposed to win the race with his doppelganger, or perhaps fight and kill him? Confront BOB on his own? Invite BOB out for a coffee date? (Kidding.)

What's the winning strategy here?

BOB feeds on fear so I would say that fleeing only makes him stronger. To defeat him you probably have to confront him, though whether or not you make it seems largely predetermined by your own character flaws. Cooper's problem was that he was not a balanced individual. I think one of the things that Lynch was getting at in the final episode was that Cooper's 'perfection' came at the price of him neglecting his own dark side. Simply put, Cooper was too virtuous, and this made him corruptible to BOB.

That said, it's an open question whether BOB can even be defeated by 'mortals', and if so, who would be capable of doing it. Major Briggs doesn't stand much more of a chance than Cooper in my eyes (for similar reasons just mentioned). Laura finally did confront BOB but basically had to commit suicide to defeat him. That leaves very few characters capable of undertaking a black lodge trip. The Log Lady is wise and balanced but doesn't seem equipped to confront BOB.

The only other character I can think of is Albert. He seems in touch with both his good and bad sides but he's probably hindered by his own scepticism. If he doesn't believe that such a thing as the Black Lodge or BOB could exist, then how could he be prepared for it?

Ah musings...

Just watched FWWM last night, and I feel a little embarrassed.

I imagine Lynch made the film as a response to the two camps of public opinion on Twin Peaks: the people who only cared about the Laura Palmer murder mystery and resented all the weirdness, and the people who (like me) got way into the weirder aspects of the show and more or less neglected that the whole thing revolved around one person who had an extraordinarily shitty life.

Thinking about it, I came to a similar conclusion as Sourdust. I think what happens to you in the Lodge is predetermined by your character, and Cooper -- however much we don't want to admit it -- was flawed from the outset. I think his imbalance was that he loved too much and too easily and ultimately couldn't restrain it. He pretty much handed his heart over to the first woman he met that didn't factor into the investigation in some way, and the only things that stopped him from doing so earlier were his adherence to a professional code of conduct (not actual moral sensibility) and the pain of losing Caroline (an instance of being totally blinded by love). To me, he seemed so wrapped up in Caroline that there was no room for guilt over betraying his partner, friend, and mentor. Maybe I'm not remembering correctly, but he never expresses remorse for what he did to Windom. Likewise, he got so wrapped up in Annie that he failed to prevent a whole shitstorm from raining down on the town at the end of the series. A love-related imbalance is his weakness.

I think it's interesting that, on the one hand, Lynch says he wanted never to resolve the show's original mystery. And yet, he seems almost upset at the way the show ended on that particular cliffhanger, saying that's the ending we all got stuck with.

I'm sure there's more he would've wanted to explore with the series. After dwelling on it, I figure Lynch might've wanted to leave Dale's fate unresolved, as if to say that humanity doesn't have an answer for what protects us wholly from the Black Lodge. It's a mystery to Lynch as much as it is to us. It's what it is to be human. And as long as Lynch makes us think about how we'd deal with our own Black Lodge, he's done his job.

The conditions are set for Dale's potential rescue, between the meeting of the gifted ones at the diner and Annie from FWWM. But I guess I'm just glad Dale was able to give Laura some comfort and help her pass on to the White Lodge. The ending sits better with me than it did before.

Yeah that makes sense to me.  I have watched this episode a gazillion times and it still remains one of my favourite and I love threads like this. :)

Personally, I think that because he "feeds on the fear" as discovered by himself when Josie died and Mike at the Great Northern, I've always had this feeling that the Black Lodge is indeed BOB's home and maybe because he's so powerful in defeating these souls he is in charge there.  True, we see the Giant/Waiter fleetingly and Mike, the only one BOB fears, in FWWM, but I always pictured them as kind of spirits who reside more in The White Lodge after they pass through the Black.  Perhaps they just appear as "friends" to help Cooper pass his test.

I personally think the only two people who would have had the know-how and balance of black/white would be definetly Hawk, who seems to know most about the Lodge/s, and as has probably been mentioned, speaks to Cooper in an angry tone when he asks about it.  "Cooper - you are fearless in this world..but there are other worlds..every spirit MUST pass through the Black Lodge to reach the white" (which I assume is T.P heaven, where there are no doppelgangers, and worst of  all, "if you confront the Black Lodge with imperfect courage (shakes his head, speaks in a worried tone..) "it will utterly annihilate your soul...". 

Even upon hearing this, Cooper looks terrified. The only reason he approached the lodge was because of Windom/Annie.  I think the "friends" he met here were definetly helping him on his way, especially Laura, with her "do not be afraid" hand gesture.  However, I don't know if Maddy and LMFAP in the second room were to be trusted, since they both had dopp eyes, even though Maddy was warning him.  

I think his first big mistake was fleeing from the Laura dopp.  True, that would put the shits up anyone (I have nightmares about that scene all the time!) Not only BOB felt the fear, but Windom Earle also was gaining in power and knowledge ("it's fear Leo!  My favourite emotional state!" here because his grinning image is superimposed onto Laura's, but I think that was the worst possible thing to do, because the fear was blatantly obvious in him - he looks terrified, so Hawk's words about "utterly annihilate your soul" return to haunt him.  Now, both Earle and BOB smell the fear and are onto him and after him.  When he sees Annie/Caroline bleeding on the floor he feels a confused mix of love, fear and pain imo.  His soul is falling prey to their plans already and his attempt to stay fearless has gone awry.

Again, he jumps when Laura dopp appears the second time, giving HER dopp power, which it probably feeds off, as well as BOB.  Notice how much BOB is smiling/laughing?  He's winning and he knows it, as is Earle.  After BOB takes Earle's soul, I think this actually impresses Coop, regardless of what the hell BOB is, because hey, after all, this guy just killed the maniac who not only killed the woman he loved/tried to kill him, but also saved Annie.  What motive could BOB have for that?  The fear/love has created a Dale dopp and when Coop sees him, AGAIN the fear comes back, I just think you can see it in his eyes.  He sprints away, knowing he has to run for his life, minutes later, dopp claims fearful/by now WEAK soul taht has been, as Hawk predicted, utterly annihalated.  BOB's claimed a soul, a fresh host and is literally laughing his ass off.

One more thing - I think the only other person who could enter or defeat the Black Lodge, is Major Briggs.  Think about it, he is seen in the Lodge when he disappears, has dreams about them and is kidnapped by Earle, during all this he shows no fear whatsoever.   He also understand the workings of the Lodge better than many and receives messages from deep space pertaining to Cooper, which again, he is unafraid to deliver. Since, as his superior mentions when Garland goes missing, "he was born with hardware most of us only dream about", I think he's basically the only one with the necessary smarts and knowledge to enter the Lodge, find Cooper and get them out of there without anyone losing their soul.

"watch out for my cousin.."

Cooper got what he deserved and you are all Doomed.. Defeating the black lodge indeed...

Just don't go there... That would be the nearest thing you could get to 'a win' there, I would of thought...

God Dam you... your all Doomed !!!!!

Myowl

He might catch BOB by surprise... I love you, BOB!

The original question is a very good one - actually I don't remember such a "strategy" ever being discussed. Is it possible at all to defeat BOB in face to face confrontation in HIS kingdom? Perhaps it is... I have some intuition that BOB can only defeat us if we allow it. Demons come when they are somehow invited. But how does that apply to Cooper, I cannot tell yet. I'll have something to think about!

Bobi 1 Kenobi

B. Beware
O. Of
B. BOB 

"watch out for my cousin.."

my guess... (ha)

likeable prick !!!!!

Myowl

I pretty much subscribe to that analogy myself.... that jinxes and hexes and curses and such...(black magic) can only have power over people that allow it too them...

if one rejects this stuff absolutely and believes in themself more than 'the curser' and/or the stuff 'cursed upon them'...then it can't really be an influence on them...

that's what I believe anyway...

There's plenty of stuff out there though that is poor and stupid enough,so that the demons of darkness may be allowed to have their fun with/upon...

plenty,me thinks !!!!!

Myowl

my mum and dad and brother for instance... (I know them)

none of that type of stuff could ever work on them....

demons of darkness prefer stuff they can 'slap about a bit' and have a little fun with,me thinks....

the poor and the stupid,basically !!!!!

Myowl

the demo.s ov darkness love those ones...

(the gullable and the wooly headed)

Myowl

The poor and the stupid...

and I'm sure Albert would of done fine...

(cooper was just 'too good for his own good')

He brought it all on himself !!!!!

Myowl

"you invited me" "it is not my custom to go where I am not welcome"

aye....

Myowl

he can't just turn up 'out of the blue' uninvited !!!!!

Myowl

he has to be invited or invoked or somehow offered an opportunity into that persons life...

you know... that's just the wah it is...

Demon can't just 'turn up' out of the blue uninvited... it just doesn't work that way.. he has to be invited or invoked or in one way or another... Given a green light !!!!!

Myowl

Either way.... you lose !!!!!

Myowl

think Creepshow 2...

Do you remember that middle one 'the raft' ("I beat you")

Hahaha... Oh no,you didn't !!!!!

Myowl