Twin Peaks

Laura Palmer

Laura Palmer is a fictional character played by Sheryl Lee on the David Lynch/Mark Frost television series Twin Peaks. Her death was the catalyst for the events of the series.

Laura was her town's favorite daughter; she volunteered at Meals on Wheels, was the high school Homecoming queen, and was (apparently) the darling of her parents, Sarah and Leland. However, Laura led a double life — she was a **** user, a victim of child abuse and had briefly worked at One Eyed Jacks, a casino/brothel just north of the Canadian border.

The discovery of Laura's body in the pilot episode of Twin Peaks brought Special Agent Dale Cooper to town and the investigation of her death, and the effects it had on those around her, propelled the first season and the first 15 episodes of the second season. Laura remained prominent afterward, as her death had exposed many secrets related to her, and also — in some cases — unrelated, such as the Packard mill conspiracy.

Laura's diary was uncovered in the first episode, but her secret diary was not recovered until later, and it contained passages suggesting that she had long been the victim — sometimes willingly — of abuse from a malevolent entity named BOB, who wanted to be close to her, or even be her.

During the second season, the identity of her murderer was revealed: her father, Leland, who had been possessed by BOB and made to molest, ****, and kill his own daughter. When Leland dies in prison, it is implied that Laura appears before him in a vision, forgiving him and welcoming him to the afterlife.