Why Twin Peaks Revealed Laura Palmer’s Killer So Early

Twin Peaks famously revealed the answer to who killed Laura Palmer early during season 2, and many would argue the season never recovered. When it debuted in spring 1990 on ABC, Twin Peaks wasted no time in becoming a pop culture phenomenon. Twin Peaks was – and kind of still is – truly unlike any other show on TV, with much of that due to the influence of co-creator David Lynch, who brought his surreal, always surprising filmmaking and storytelling style to the small screen.

At the center of Twin Peaks, but certainly by no means it’s only draw, was the mystery of who killed local Homecoming Queen and all-around overachiever Laura Palmer. Or at least that’s who she was on the surface, as the series would reveal that she led quite the double life, full of drug addiction, prostitution, and hidden sexual abuse. No matter what else happened, the central question of who killed Laura always hung over the proceedings, tantalizing viewers with further reveals about her killer’s identity and her torrid past.

That was until seven episodes into Twin Peaks season 2, when the true identity and nature of Laura’s murderer was abruptly revealed. Once that arc was completely finished, season 2 really lost creative momentum, and for much of the rest of its original run seemed to be spinning its wheels. Here’s why the story ended when it did.

Why Twin Peaks Revealed Laura Palmer’s Killer So Early

David Lynch has said that his intention was never to reveal who killed Laura Palmer, as he saw the ongoing mystery as the show’s dramatic hook, which was then used to keep viewers coming back and be further entertained by the weird goings on in Twin Peaks and the eccentric characters that inhabited the town. Unfortunately, ABC disagreed, pressuring Lynch to resolve the storyline, feeling that it was being drawn out too long and that audiences would tire of waiting to learn who did it. While the actual episode that revealed the killer’s identity as Leland Palmer – who killed Laura while possessed by supernatural villain BOB – was very well-received, afterward most feel season 2 ran out of creative steam.

While the rest of Twin Peaks season 2 wasn’t without its great episodes, such as the insane finale that sent Dale Cooper into the Black Lodge for 25 years, so much of season 2 just lacked the spark provided by the search for Laura’s killer and the developments surrounding it. Without the murder mystery element, Twin Peaks began to feel more and more like an off-kilter soap opera, which it always kind of was to some extent, but now to a worrying degree. Things like James Hurley’s storyline with Evelyn Marsh, and Donna possibly finding out she was Ben Horne’s daughter, just ended up feeling extraneous to the rest of the show’s plot. Thankfully, Lynch and co-creator Mark Frost would eventually reunite to craft Twin Peaks: The Return, one of the most acclaimed TV seasons ever.

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