Contains spoilers for this episode and earlier episodes.
Cooper examines the dead man left in Truman's office and recognises Windom Earle's precise methods. The blackout was a diversion, and the corpse represents a pawn in their ongoing chess game. Cooper has been cleared of criminal charges, though his FBI suspension remains. Truman keeps him on the case as a deputy. Cooper explains that Caroline, the woman he loved and failed to protect, was Earle's wife. He now believes Earle killed her and may also have committed the crime she witnessed. The new murder repeats that earlier wound and turns their shared history into a direct threat against the town.
Leo attacks Shelly in their darkened house, but Bobby arrives and helps her fight him off. Shelly stabs Leo in the leg, and he flees into the woods. At the Marsh home, Jeffrey takes the repaired car out and dies in a crash. Evelyn admits to James that Malcolm is her lover and that they mean to blame him for the death. Donna finds James and escapes with him. Major Briggs returns with concerns about the military's interest in the Lodge, while Catherine tells Pete that Andrew survived the attempt on his life. Eckhardt arrives at the Great Northern. Farther out in the woods, Leo reaches a cabin where a welcoming stranger introduces himself as Windom Earle.