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“Episode 13” was, for me, a return to form for Twin Peaks. Here, now, an episode worth discussing!

A big chunk of puzzle, actually, albeit not solved, was steeped in something like clarity. We still don’t know Bob’s motives for killing Laura Palmer - if, indeed, he did - but we finally know something about the guy.

Let’s begin things there, because the one-armed man’s explainer was the best thing about “Episode 13” and, well, most of the season. Apprehended by law enforcement, the one-armed man (Mike) turns out to be the guy the giant prophesized about in the now five-episode-old premiere. (“Without chemicals, he points.”)

Struggling to survive without his medication, Mike squirms so unnaturally in his chair that many think it unethical that they just stand there, doing nothing, as Mike writhes in front of them. But the suffering must happen if they ever want to know what Mike knows. And that only happens, apparently, when Mike’s conscience is drug free.

Finally, they get there. As if reborn, Mike’s head twists forward and he begins speaking calmly. He, as it were, has much on his mind.

He lets slip to Cooper and Harry etc. etc. that his name is Mike, and that he’s an inhabiting spirit. Philip Jerard (the one-armed man) is his host, or vessel. The same is true of Bob - he inhabits the bodies of other people.

Mike, more or less, compares Bob’s existence to that of a parasite. He attaches himself to humans and feeds on their fears and pleasures. Bob and Mike were partners, actually, sometime in the past. Now, though, Mike inhabits human vessels from time to time solely to stop Bob.

Wow, yeah?

I’m reminded of Hawk’s voiceover at the end of an early season one episode, when he says rather matter-of-factly that souls don’t die, but latch on to other life forms. Or something like that. At the time, I’d thought that if Hawk’s monologue synthesized into Twin Peaks’ story, it’d have to do with Laura Palmer’s soul.

Sure enough, we next meet Laura’s nearly identical twin, cousin Maddy, and - ta-da! - Hawk’s assertion had come true within the context of the show. Laura Palmer’s soul had, maybe, affixed itself to Maddy.

But “Episode 13” spins the idea on its head. It suggests that what Hawk said had little to do with Laura, and more to do with her killer. It wasn’t Laura as Twin Peaks’ transient one, but Bob (and, by association, Mike).

I think about the season one finale, and that one makes some sense, too. Why was Leland so horrified after suffocating Jacque with a pillow? It wasn’t because Jacques was his first-ever kill, but because - maybe - Leland wasn’t in control of what his hands were doing. Bob, at the time, reigned over him.

It makes me think that the headshot we have of Bob - the one circulating through town from the sheriff’s office - is Bob at, possibly, a moment in time. He may look totally different now. Who knows; he’s a parasite.

But when is evil the work of Bob, and when is it just evil? On the night Laura died, was Bob there as our long-haired fella friend, or was he inhabiting Leo’s (or Jacques’) body? Hard to say.

Now that we know a little more about Bob and Mike, I must ask: What are they? If you remember, Bobby’s dad said awhile back that he had noticed strange feedback from his satellites in the skies. Forgetting Cooper as our alien, is it instead Bob and Mike?

Come to think, Cooper’s character has been dialed back significantly this season. He’s no longer as quirky as the Cooper of season one, and I wonder if it has anything to do with conscious effort to limit unnecessary distraction from Bob’s evils. Or maybe the writers tired of thinking up new quirks. Hard to say.

Finally, it seems Maddy’s days in Twin Peaks are numbered, as she let Donna know that she’ll probably be leaving town pretty soon and, consequently, will no longer be a participant in their love triangle with James.

James seems to think he and Donna can work - that being together will bring about a clarity they didn’t have when Maddy was around - and sure, I’m hopeful this rings true. No Maddy means no Laura Palmer lookalike. And with her gone, Donna won’t have to focus any of her energies on a same-sex rival, but can be totally devoted to the Laura Palmer case instead.

Probably a good call, as the trio nearly all died at the hands of a recluse in “Episode 13.” And between the season one finale and season two premiere, they were nearly offed by a hooded figure, and James got apprehended for possession of drugs that weren’t his.

Come to think, Maddy brought with her a lot of bad. It’ll be interesting to see how Donna and James function again without her there.