WARNING: As per usual, MAJOR MAJOR SPOILERS!!!
The Black Lodge has always been one of the most mysterious elements of Twin Peaks, and for good reason. If you'll look at the place itself and how it is presented in the show, you can see that it is part of the dream realm, but also the very real realm of the show itself. There are obviously actual explanations for this place and why it fits into the show, but for some reason, even then, there are elements we still do not fully understand about it.
Season 3 shed a bit more light on the subject as a whole, even going so far as to show us the Fire Man (AKA the Giant) in his own place of residence within the realm of the Black Lodge. The point still remains, whether it be the Black Lodge, the White Lodge or the Waiting Room, it has its own selection of characters from reality, both living and dead.
The first time we see the Black Lodge, for some reason, Dale Cooper has aged 25 years and is sitting in the Waiting Room with both the Man from the Other Place (AKA the Arm) and a recently deceased Laura Palmer. This is a dream very early in the show and it is the first time we are truly shown that there are forces at work in this world that we do not understand.
We'll stop right here for now and look at this scene for its own face value. Forget everything you know, wipe the slate clean. Act like you know nothing about the Black Lodge, its inhabitance or what the show actually means outside of its own realm. If we skip the metaphor that the Black Lodge represents, this is something of a selective group, is it not? We see that it is both a fear and a goal that Dale Cooper strives to both find and understand, while also trying to figure out how to ward off other dangers.
The Black Lodge has the White Lodge, which is supposedly the good side of the Lodge, but that's untrue. It's actually the exact same place, it just plays by different rules, seemingly. As stated, the rules in this realm are questionable, as they seem ever changing throughout the entire series. It's almost as if it changes as its needs are more suitably implemented. Gee golly!
What is known about this place is that it is the residence of the Arm, and he is a small man that seems to control it as he needs. Bob also lives in this room and the third has been Michael, who seems to have had far more dealings with the two of them than he first tells them when he is awakened into the investigation. They are the three main parts of the Black Lodge as we know it, and they seem to be pulling the strings of all of the horrible things that happen throughout Twin Peaks as a whole.
Laura Palmer, ever since her death and even before her death, she was a part of the Black Lodge. Even Dale Cooper was a part of it before the series actually started, even though he was not in on the investigation at the time. It was theorized that he was waiting there for his Clone even before his clone was made and only went to the reality world to find Laura Palmer's killer, only to return and allow his clone to escape, but again, we're getting ahead of ourselves.
If you haven't noticed, there are several elements in this world that are just befuddling to the brain. The fact that all of them talk backwards, except for Dale Cooper, is also quite strange. They all talk this strange form of backwards/forward English, but not Dale. Even Wendom Earl speaks this strange way when he finally faces Cooper down.
The question I am truly posing here is, why are these the people in the Lodge? Are they truly just sitting there and sending Bob to thwart Dale's efforts? If this is true, then why give him the chance to foil it? The game seems to be stacked against Dale Cooper, up until the Giant gets involved and starts to give him help.
The Giant has been one of the most mysterious elements. He has been seen as a friend to the Arm, though he also seems to be his exact opposite. He is the giant good man while Cooper faces off against the bad small man. If you want it in easier terms than that, then I really can't help you. It does seem to be a rule that they can NEVER get directly involved under any circumstances. Even if the game is not going their way, they are forbidden to do anything other than edge their forces in a certain direction.
So, while the Arm sends Bob to do his bidding, the Giant saves Dale Cooper from death by telling him to slow himself down and think clearly. He even stops the investigation because he knows not all of the elements are in play. Once all of the pieces are on the Chess Board, that's when he appears on a stage and tells Cooper "It's time."
We can draw many conclusions from these elements. While none of the people in the Black Lodge, who live there, can move the Chess pieces, they most certainly can influence the game. The White and Black Lodge can also be so simple as to say they are two sides of the Chess Board with different colored armor while playing in the Red Room as the board. It can be so simple as that and we wouldn't even know it.
Call this a theory, if you will. Yes, of course, there is one theory that is seen as correct, but it is also the theory that deconstructs and destroys Twin Peaks as a concept. That's the reason why many have strived to gain information any way else while combatting and flat out denying this metaphorical theme. The beauty of this concept is that David Lynch left many elements of it still very much up for interpretation. Not all elements of this have been explored, nor should a lot of them be. Who wants a definitive answer when all you really need to do is go out and give me my Garmanbozia. Now, go get it for me and bring me some coffee while you're at it. There is work to be done.
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