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Surely one of the best episodes of the entire series- and with one of the most terrifying scenes ever shown on television- episode 7 of season 2 is one that really packs its astounding punch in the last part of the show, as we see what becomes of Laura's cousin, Madeline, as she is about ready to leave Twin Peaks after spending perhaps too much time in the town. The revelation that finally comes, who Laura Palmer's killer is (and, in effect, Madeline's killer), is displayed in a scene of pure white-knuckled tension and suspension of disbelief (however, total belief in what the scene entails psychologically). What makes it such a triumph for Lynch as a director is how he maneuvers the mood. Before we see this grisly murder take place, we're taken to the Roadhouse to see a girl- who, by the way, sang the same song in Industrial Symphony, Lynch's little seen concert film- singing a song that is meant to be serene, about love, and wanting someone close to care about the other, hence the bit with Donna miming the words to the song being sung to James....But then comes that zinger, and Lynch lays on his skills like it's nobody's business. We see slow-motion, extremely bright light, then the shock goes into a perverse detail of how "Bob" operates in his most violent mode. It ends up being extra shocking, too, because it's not entirely expected like this, not so much as to who the killer is, but in the progression of the episode. For TP fans, this definitely holds a big place of merit (one friend of mine said that it gave him nightmares- this is a guy in his 20s mind you), and even just for Lynch fans it should have a special mention as one of his best directed efforts, albeit 45 minutes.
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