Review Tonight! "Twin Peaks" S01E02 "Traces To Nowhere"

Aired Thursday 9:00 PM Apr 12, 1990 on ABC

Agent Cooper enjoys the comforts of the Great Northern Hotel. He makes a connection with Audrey Horne and interrogates James.

CAST

Kyle MacLachlan ... Special Agent Dale Cooper
Michael Ontkean ... Sheriff Harry S. Truman
Mädchen Amick ... Shelly Johnson
Dana Ashbrook ... Bobby Briggs
Richard Beymer ... Benjamin Horne
Lara Flynn Boyle ... Donna Hayward
Sherilyn Fenn ... Audrey Horne
Warren Frost ... Dr. Will Hayward
Peggy Lipton ... Norma Jennings
James Marshall ... James Hurley
Everett McGill ... Big Ed Hurley
Jack Nance ... Pete Martell
Ray Wise ... Leland Palmer
Joan Chen ... Jocelyn Packard
Piper Laurie ... Catherine Martell
Eric DaRe ... Leo Johnson
Harry Goaz ... Deputy Andy Brennan
Michael Horse ... Deputy Tommy 'Hawk' Hill
Sheryl Lee ... Laura Palmer
Russ Tamblyn ... Dr. Lawrence Jacoby
Grace Zabriskie ... Sarah Palmer
Don S. Davis ... Maj. Garland Briggs
Mary Jo Deschanel ... Eileen Hayward
Charlotte Stewart ... Betty Briggs
Gary Hershberger ... Mike Nelson
Wendy Robie ... Nadine Hurley
Kimmy Robertson ... Lucy Moran
Catherine E. Coulson ... The Log Lady
Alan Ogle ... Janek Pulaski
Michelle Milantoni ... Suburbis Pulaski
Jill Engels ... Trudy
Al Strobel ... One-Armed Man


WRITING CREDITS

Mark Frost
David Lynch


DIRECTED BY

Duwayne Dunham

This is going to be a much shorter review than that of last week, because I feel that basically I said everything I had to say and until something really new happens, what I said before still applies.

As far as I can see, the pieces are still being set on the board, and we're still learning what the deal is with each curious Twin Peaks denizen. This time we get the first interaction between Agent Cooper and Audrey Horne (and they do make a nice couple, but now I'm remembering that she's one of the "kids"), as well as a closer look at some dysfunctional couples. Such as Leo and Shelly Johnson; he's such a creep. And why does she put up with that? Oh, and he has a blood-stained shirt... Did he do it? At this point everybody wants it to be him.

We also get more scenes with Nadine (who is completely crazy, by the way), her eyepatch and her obsession with curtains and quiet things, hence the cotton-balls solution. Speaking of crazies, there comes again The Loglady, whose log has interesting things to tell Agent Cooper, and Sarah Palmer, who might not be crazy yet, but is getting there quickly.

By the way, for some reason I really want a doughnut now... I wonder why.

We also got a glimpse at dynamics between Catherine Martell, who's a spiteful bitch, and lovely Jocelyn Packard, who doesn't know the meaning of the word "shenanigans" but of course won't admiti it to the person who's torturing her emotionally. To add spice to the mix, Catherine is having an affair with Benjamin Horne, and Agent Cooper didn't take long to figure out Sheriff Truman and Jocelyn are an item.

All in all, it is becoming more and more evident that the show borrows lots of elements from soap operas. In fact, if I didn't know this is an iconic show with an intriguing story, I might start to question now why I am watching this. Like in a soap opera, there are lots and lots of indoor scenes, no physical action, exaggerated seemingly good and seemingly evil characters, actors chewing the scenery and very corny dialogue. Take this exchange between James and Laura (my top cingy dialogue moment of the week):

Laura - "James, guess why I'm so happy today."
james - "Because your skin is so soft and you smell so good?"

OK, at this point I thought that the only acceptable reply that Laura could've given would be:

Laura - "Yes, James... Yeah... That's EXACTLY why I'm so happy. Because I have soft skin and I smell so good and I just walk around feeling my own skin and smelling myself, marvelling at how soft and fragrant I am. And that always makes me happy."

But I know, I know the writers and the director have a plan, so I have tos ee the bigger picture. "Traces to Nowhere" sort of goes nowhere, but the show still has my best hopes. It gets 7 fish in the percolator.

Last week I said Leo was my prime suspect because he seems involved in the crime ring behind the local cocaine trade. This week's bloody shirt reinforces that. In addition to just wanting it to be him because he's such a dreadful, wife-beating SOB.

Still kind of clinging to the developer who wants to shut down and buy out the saw mill for money properties, though. Kind of ghoulish to even suspect him when he wouldn't have had an axe to grind against her personally but more just for the sake of the act and its effect on the community.

Still lots of intrigue among the town folk. The show is starting to get better in the running story line now. I give it 8 tapes of sweet talk from a dead girl.

I'm not one for long reviews, I usually just sum up a few thoughts.

Cooper and Audrey's freshly squeezed scene was amazing. Sure, she is young, but great chemistry.
The opisite is Donna and James, they are like cotton candy, ugh.
The parent kid relationships are pretty cold.
Leo, he is a real creeper.
Monogamy ist really a thing in Twin Peaks.
There was a fish in the percolator. Its funny how that became such a thing in the TP community, shirts and everything.
Nice secret coconut hiding space.

I am having technical difficulties this week, which I will explain later. My post will be quite late this week; hopefully I'll be back on schedule by the next episode. Thanks for your patience.

Brimfin said:

I am having technical difficulties this week, which I will explain later. My post will be quite late this week; hopefully I'll be back on schedule by the next episode. Thanks for your patience.

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I was expecting you to be traveling by now.

Mad-Pac said:

Such as Leo and Shelly Johnson; he's such a creep

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TheSowIsMine said:

Leo, he is a real creeper.

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Bob Peters 61 said:

Last week I said Leo was my prime suspect because he seems involved in the crime ring behind the local cocaine trade. This week's bloody shirt reinforces that. In addition to just wanting it to be him because he's such a dreadful, wife-beating SOB.

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Well I love Leo.....
nope can't do it. He is winning the race for "character I most want to see wash up on a beach". Additionally I've not been terribly impressed with his acting so far. I get the feeling he is meant to be intimidating but it never comes across, even when he is whipping the soap in a sock around, advancing on Shelley. This scene should have been terrifying but it fell flat.

I am beginning to wonder about the Agent Cooper, Diane, dicta-phone messages. Initially they were at least relevant to the case with a few musings but in this episode most of his entries are more of a travel guide and rambling.
It's very entertaining don't get me wrong, and perhaps Diane loves the little asides, smiling as she takes a sip of coffee waiting for Cooper to get back on topic so she can type up his damn report for AD Skinnneeeeeerrrrr.

Ah Audrey , I'm surprised the heat from the scene wasn't enough to cook Coopers bacon to order. "Do you like my ring?", "Do your palms ever itch?" all delivered with a perfect mix of innocence and sultriness.
Her later scene with her father gives some clue where this all comes from. I suspect he only notices her when she does to provoke him.

Fish in the percolator?? Did I miss something, I went back to watch that scene again.
Josie Packard on hearing their arrival goes to make a new pot. Pete Martell pours it for them, then runs back in saying there was a fish in there.
Is this just quirkiness? Was there something else wrong with the coffee, as in Josie made a mistake brewing it and Pete was covering? Was there really a fish in it? I guess Pete used it when he went fishing or was it something Catherine did?

I thought the scene with Sarah Palmer seeing Laura instead of Donna would have worked a lot better without the superimposed image. I think we would have got the point. Then boom, creepy man crouching by the chair, Ok then.

We get to meet the rest of Bobby's family. His father is very articulate and Don S Davis is one of the great supporting actors. It's an interesting family dynamic and Bobby's face seems to suggest incredulity at his dads actions, so I am assuming he is a man who uses force rarely but with effect, knocking the cigarette away.

TheSowIsMine said:

The opisite is Donna and James, they are like cotton candy, ugh.

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Yes I thought that scene worked quite well with the one that follows. James does seem like a nice guy and him an Donna grinning at each other over the table was a bit cheesy. Then we hear Laura saying James was too sweet for her.

So it turns out it was Dr Jacobi who retrieved the half necklace James and Donna hid. He's added to the pool of people with a closer connection to our victim than it first appeared.

Another good episode this week. I must admit I found the 45min length far easier than last weeks pilot.

8 cups of coffee consumed by Cooper, which probably would have been higher if not for that darn fish, out of 10

Okay, I have a great reason for being late this week – as madp hinted, I’ve been on vacation. My wife and I traveled from Florida to Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, New York, Massachusetts and lots of states in between. It was a marvelous experience. We had watched the pilot prior to leaving on the 9th so I was able to review it remotely. We actually could have watched episode 2 remotely on my computer last Friday, but well…we were busy visiting family and seeing sights. We got home last night (Monday) and so watched the episode tonight for review.

I can see it’s going to be hard to rate this show from week to week. There was a lot going on this week but mostly small snippets, teases and a few reveals. That isn’t really a bad thing. This is a single murder mystery, not a murder of the week, so the investigation should take time and unfold gradually. Let’s examine.

Some suspicious behavior going on: Whose blood was that on Leo Johnson’s shirt? Leo is clearly a violent, controlling piece of work. What’s the long game for Ben Horne and Catherine Martell, who are not only having an affair but planning evil deeds? What did Dr. Jacoby hear on that tape from Laura Palmer and how did he manage to dig up the missing half-heart medallion we saw last week? For that matter, just what was with poor Laura, who seemed to be deeply in love with James and yet tells her psychiatrist he’s too sweet? That whole last scene at the end of the episode was one of the highlights of the show.

Since we heard that Laura’s diary had a reference to a mysterious “J” last week, suddenly we have an abundance of people whose first or last names begin with j. Audrey mentioned a brother whose first name started with J, and soon after someone mentioned a Jacques character. There’s the Johnsons (Shelley and Leo), Norma Jennings, Jocelyn Packard, James Hurley, and of course Doctor Jacoby.

Audrey’s dad did find out about her leaking the information about Laura’s death to the Norwegians last week, ruining his deal, and costing him a fortune. So there were dire consequences, with her father saying, “You ever do that again and I’ll….” Clearly, it was an idle threat, as she earlier mentioned he had warned her thousands of times not to play her music so loud and yet she keeps doing it anyway. He’s just an empty blowhard in her mind.

Meanwhile, we have the usual assortment of off-kilter characters: Nadine Hurley, the lady with the eye patch, seems to be about to confront Norma about sleeping with her husband but instead brags about using cotton balls to muffle the racket of the drape runners; Bobby’s military father slaps away his cigarette into the wife’s food (still, at least he’s showing some backbone in trying to discipline his son, unlike Audrey’s wimp of a dad). And Agent Cooper starts the day with a brisk hang from the ceiling (made to look almost routine) and loves his cherry pie so much he orders two extra pieces. He really hated the coffee with the fishy flavor, though (who wouldn’t?). He is so efficient in his investigation that Sheriff Truman admits he feels like Dr. Watson to Dale “Sherlock” Cooper.

The best scene of the night was Donna explaining her conflicting feelings to her mother regarding the death of Laura and her newfound love for James. She tells it all in a scene that is very poignant and makes the sudden change of the object of James’s affection seem downright poetic. The spookiest scene was when Laura’s mom briefly thought Donna was Laura and began to hug her only to be interrupted by a vision of some creepy character hiding below.

Overall, the pacing was good, and the clues and reveals were interesting. The music and strange direction were not as front and center as they were in the pilot - different director tonight. Still, I’ll give this one 6 tape recorded messages to the mysterious Diane.

Best line of the week from Bobby, after finding out James cheated with both Laura and Donna: "Too bad we can only kill him once."

Yeah, everyone, I don't know why Nadine needs an eye patch, but I can't help but suspect some sort of drape hook related accident.