The first scene in the diner introduces two marginal characters, but also directly addresses a theme of dreams and nightmares. The naturalistic style of the scene contrasts with much of the film, yet the events in the scene suggest that sometimes monster do indeed lurk in the "real world." That, or it is impossible for us as film viewers to determine if what we are watching is "real" or a dream in the "world" of the film.
Naomi Watts' character Betty/Diane arrives in Los Angeles, smiling at the sign welcoming her to the city alongside an elderly companion. This and other early scenes exaggerate the sunny, optimistic side of Los Angeles and the dream of success in Hollywood. This stands in stark contrast to the dirty street and graffiti-covered dumpster outside the diner in the previous scene, as well as sharp, dark turn Betty/Diane's story takes.
Visibly disheveled and mentally deteriorated, Betty/Diane meets and hires a hitman who had appeared in an earlier scene in the film. Set in the diner that appears multiple times, the scene offers some bits of comprehension and closure to a number of narrative and thematic strands raised elsewhere.
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