Twin Peaks: Lonely Souls is the Best Episode of the Series

 

Credit to “Twin Peaks” Lonely Souls (TV Episode 1990) — IMDb

Twin Peaks has been a fantastic show, but episode 7 from season 2 is hands down the best episode of the entire series so far. So many pieces of the puzzle are finally coming together for Laura Palmer’s murder, but the last thing we see before the episode ends was a shocking reveal that left me feeling disturbed and scared. 

Dale Cooper and his new allies from the Twin Peaks sheriff department are able to get new evidence for the death of Laura Palmer. Through the help of Donna and Madeline, Laura’s cousin, they are able to get a secret diary of Laura’s, that was in the possession of a strange man named Harold Smith. 

His death was a bit mixed for me, because even though I did find his character interesting, there was important information in that diary that should have been given to the authorities ahead of the investigation. One name that had been mentioned in the diary was Benjamin Horne, the father of Audrey Horne, who was in multiple shady businesses and murders. Through both the diary and Audrey, the authorities are able to arrest Benjamin Horne under the suspicion of Laura’s murder. 

What was even more sickening, is that he had admitted to Audrey that he had shared a romantic connection with her, a 17-year-old girl that was still in high school, and was unfortunately working at a brothel called One Eyed Jack’s that was owned by Mr. Horne as well. 

While this reveal was pretty shocking enough, the ending to this episode was the real twist. 

Laura Palmer’s killer is finally revealed. 

Credit to Twin Peaks “Lonely Souls” Episode 15 | Coffee. Black. No Sugar.

During the episode before the crazy reveal, Laura’s cousin, named Madeline, who looks just like Laura, was planning to leave Twin Peaks. She felt that her time was done in the small town, and decided it was time for her to go back home. She says a heartfelt goodbye to James, and doesn’t bother to say bye to Donna, who had pulled her into so many dangerous situations to solve Laura’s murder. 

She says a heartfelt goodbye to both Leland and his wife, who she had wanted to support through their tough times of losing their daughter. It appears that all is well with both parents, and even though they had been grieving during the series, they were slowly healing from their loss. 

Unfortunately, this small moment of peace is corrupted by a pure evil that invades the Palmer home. 

While Dale Cooper is sharing a drink with two allies in Twin Peaks at a bar called The Roadhouse, he gets a visit from a man known as The Giant, who appears to only him. He gives him an odd message, “It’s happening again,” leaving Dale confused with what it could mean. 

While this message is being given to Dale, the Palmer home is under attack by a man known as Bob, that the authorities have been relentlessly hunting down. Bob is revealed to be some kind of entity, who is able to possess people. Leland’s mother passes out from pure shock from a supernatural presence in her home, and Leland becomes possessed by Bob. 

He brutally attacks Madeline, a scene that depicts the most disturbing murder I have seen in crime fiction. 

Credit to “Twin Peaks” Lonely Souls (TV Episode 1990) — IMDb

Madeline is ruthlessly attacked by a possessed Leland, and it was so heartbreaking to see Leland literally beating his own niece to death in such a vicious way. He even carries her during the assault, sobbing as he holds her, crying for Laura. I think Leland was breaking through the possession here, but Bob had full control the whole time, and finished off Madeline by smashing her face against a glass frame on the wall. 

She dies from the attack, and Leland forces a paper letter through one of her nails, that had become the killer’s signature. 

I didn’t realize that I was completely silent during the whole scene. Watching Madeline scream in terror and beg for help was extremely difficult for me to watch. I felt so sorry for the entire family, especially Leland, who was being used to commit these evil acts. The fact that he was responsible for the murder of his daughter was brutal, and it’s even worse, knowing that he most likely has no idea what he has done. 

I can’t believe this episode was allowed to air on TV, due to the disturbing nature of Madeline’s murder. 

Twin Peaks was truly ahead of its time in the 90s, and I now consider this show to be the best crime fiction piece of media I have ever watched.