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"Episode 1"

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Not to be confused with the pilot episode or Part 1.

"Episode 1", also known as "Traces to Nowhere", is the second episode of Twin Peaks' first season, which aired on ABC on April 12, 1990. It was written by series creators Mark Frost and David Lynch, and directed by Duwayne Dunham.

The day after Laura Palmer's murder, Special Agent Dale Cooper continues his investigation, questioning several suspects connected to the victim, including Laura's secret boyfriend James Hurley and her best friend Donna Hayward.

Plot[]

"I carry a log, yes. Is it funny to you? It is not to me. Behind all things are reasons. Reasons can even explain the absurd.

Do we have the time to learn the reasons behind human beings' varied behavior? I think not. Some take the time. Are they called detectives? Watch, and see what life teaches."

Margaret Lanterman[src]

At 6:18 AM, Special Agent Dale Cooper dictates a tape to Diane, telling her about the conditions of his hotel room as well as his troubles with the nature of Marilyn Monroe's relationship to the Kennedys and who really pulled the trigger on JFK.

32

At breakfast, waitress Trudy Chelgren pours Cooper a cup of coffee, which he praises as being "damn fine." Audrey Horne then observes him as he gives Trudy his order. She comes over and introduces herself to the special agent and sits across from him. He asks her about Laura Palmer, and she informs him that Laura tutored her brother Johnny.

Cooper goes to the sheriff's station, where he greets Deputy Andy Brennan, Lucy Moran, and Sheriff Harry S. Truman, all in the middle of consuming donuts. As Truman chews, Cooper fills him in on the plans for the day, then excuses himself to urinate.

Doctor Will Hayward presents the results of Laura's autopsy, performed by Joe Fielding, as he could not bring himself to do it. The results find that the victim died from a loss of blood and she had various bite marks and lesions. It was also found that she had sexual relations with three men within a day of her death. Hayward has no doubt that Ronette Pulaski witnessed the crime, but was unsure when she would become responsive.

Shelly goes out to Leo, ready to go to work. He gives her a load of laundry to do before she leaves, in which she finds a bloodied shirt. She quickly hides it when Norma arrives to take her to work.

James Hurley is questioned by Agent Cooper and Sheriff Truman, and he confirms that he shot the video of Laura and Donna at the picnic. He tells them about the nature of their relationship, that it was Laura's idea to keep it secret. He also confirms that Laura was a cocaine user and tells them about his activities with her the night she died. Cooper presents the half of the heart necklace found at the crime scene, and James says he recognizes it. However, he claims to not know who has the other half.

Leo frantically searches for the bloodied shirt, but does not find it.

In their cell, Bobby and Mike discuss money they owe to Leo, the remainder of which was in Laura's possession, but not paid before her death. Deputy Hawk then brings James back to his cell.

Donna wakes up and goes to her mother, wondering why she was not woken up earlier to be at the sheriff's station. Her mother says it was decided to let her rest, and Donna explains her feelings over the previous day, including her new love affair with James.

Ed Hurley is introduced to Cooper, and warned that Bobby and Mike would likely try to come after James. Lucy then receives a long-distance call for Cooper from Agent Albert Rosenfield. Ed tells Harry that he suspects Jacques Renault of drugging his beer.

At the general store, Norma encounters Nadine, who was there to buy cotton balls in order to silence her drape runners.

James is released to Ed and requests the Bookhouse Boys to watch his back. Cooper then lets Bobby and Mike go, warning them to not go after James.

Pete cleans a fish as Josie thanks him for his support the previous day. Harry and Dale then arrive to question her about Laura, as she had been tutored by her in English. Pete pours the men cups of coffee and Josie tells them that the last time she saw Laura, she said that she then understood how Josie felt about her husband's death. Josie receives a phone call as Cooper asks how long Harry and Josie had been seeing each other. Pete then comes in to tell them that there was a fish in the percolator, so to not drink the coffee. Over the phone, Catherine antagonizes Josie, saying that her "shenanigans" cost the mill a substantial amount of money. As Pete cleans the percolator, Josie asks Cooper to define "shenanigans."

Catherine and Ben discuss their business plans to get rid of the mill, with Ben suggesting that they set it on fire.

Donna comes to visit Sarah Palmer, Leland requesting she try not to upset her. Sarah and Donna both express how much they miss Laura. Donna takes Sarah's hand, and when Sarah looks up, she sees Laura's face in place of Donna's. She hugs her and screams when she sees a man with long, gray hair.

At the hospital, Hawk questions Janek and Suburbis Pulaski about Ronette and her activities. The deputy then spots a one-armed man and follows him to the morgue, but quickly loses track of him.

Audrey dances in her father's office. He comes inside and asks if she had anything to do with the Norwegians leaving. She admits her guilt and Ben threatens her to ensure that she does not pull another stunt like this again.

At the Briggs home, the family sits around the dinner table. Garland Briggs wishes to discuss with Bobby the events since Laura's murder, but Bobby instead lights a cigarette. The major smacks his son, sending the cigarette flying into Betty's dinner. Betty tells their son that they are there for him.

At the Double R Diner, Cooper tries one of their cherry pies for the very first time, liking it so much that he requests more. He greets the Log Lady and is introduced to Norma, who he asks about the Meals on Wheels program that Laura helped organize. As the Log Lady leaves, she tells them that her log saw something the night Laura was murdered.

Leo cuts open a football as Shelly arrives home. He asks her where his shirt is and beats her with a bar of soap stuck in a tube sock.

James goes to the Hayward home to meet Donna's parents and have dinner with them. Bobby and Mike stop outside and see James' bike.

Doctor Lawrence Jacoby begins listening to a tape made for him by Laura and begins crying as he observes half of a heart necklace he had hidden inside of a coconut.

Deleted scenes[]

  • "Lucy, Andy, and Donuts"
    • Lucy and Andy go together to pick up donuts for the lawmen and Lucy tells Andy about her aunt who liked jelly donuts and that her aunt's son reminds her of Agent Cooper.
  • "27 Going on 6"
    • Johnny fires suction cup arrows at buffalo targets as Jacoby laughs and tells Agent Cooper and Sheriff Truman about his and Laura's history with Johnny.

Episode credits[]

Cast[]

Starring[]

Also Starring[]

Guest Starring[]

Featuring[]

Uncredited[]

Production staff[]

  • Created by Mark Frost & David Lynch
  • Music Composed & Conducted by Angelo Badalamenti
  • Produced by Gregg Fienberg
  • Written by Mark Frost & David Lynch
  • Directed by Duwayne Dunham
  • Executive Producers:
  • Associate Producer: Philip Neel
  • Director of Photography: Frank Byers
  • Production Designer: Richard Hoover
  • Editor: Jonathan P. Shaw
  • Production Manager: Gregg Fienberg
  • First Assistant Director: Robert D. Simon
  • Second Assistant Directors:
    • Cristopher T. Gerrity
    • Deepak Nayar
  • Production Supervisor: Tim Harbert
  • 1st Assistant Camera: Rudy Fenenga Jr.
  • 2nd Assistant Camera: Beth Cotter
  • Art Director: Okowita
  • Set Decorator: Brian Kasch
  • Construction Coordinator: Keith Cox
  • Property Master: Clarence "Cass" Quitan
  • Costume Designer: Sara Markowitz
  • Costume Supervisor: Laurie L. Hudson
  • Make-Up: Carla Roseto Fabrizi
  • Hair: Annette E. Fabrizi
  • Make-Up/Hair Assistant: Linda A. Vallejo
  • Gaffer: Robert Ferrara
  • Key Grip: Joseph A. Kelly
  • Sound Mixer: Walter Hoylman
  • Boom Operator: Walter Charles Gorey
  • Transportation Coordinator: Steve Boyd
  • Transportation Captain: Greg Van Dyke
  • Location Manager: Steve Share
  • Casting Assistant: Elaine J. Huzzar
  • Script Supervisor: Judi Townsend
  • Production Controller: Nowell B. Grossman
  • Production Secretary: Lori Tulli-Mitchell
  • Orchestrations: Angelo Badalamenti
  • Assistant to Mark Frost: Paula K. Shimatsu-U.
  • Assistant to David Lynch: Debby Trutnik
  • Assistant to Gregg Fienberg: Suzanne Hargrove
  • Supervising Sound Editor: John Larsen
  • Music Editor: Lori L. Eschler
  • Assistant Editor: Pamela Reisenleiter
  • Apprentice Editor: Alison M. Howard
  • Re-recording Mixers:
    • Gary Alexander
    • Jim Fitzpatrick
    • Adam Jenkins
  • Assorted wardrobe provided by:
    • The Greif Companies
    • Sheplers
  • Extras Casting: Superior Casting, Inc.
  • Titles & Opticals by Pacific Title
  • Color by de luxe
  • Telecine and Electronic Post Production: Encore Video
  • Post Production Sound & Sound Effects by Todd-AO/Glen Glenn Studios
  • In Association with Propaganda Films



Notes[]

  • Timeline: February 25th, Saturday
  • The origin of the fish in the percolator comes from a past experience of David Lynch. During breakfast at the studio of his friend Bushnell Keeler he discovered that he and David Keeler drank coffee made with a bar of soap in the percolator.[1]
    • In the episode's audio commentary on the initial DVD set, director Duwayne Dunham tells his own tainted coffee story: While on a trip with his family, he had his wife pour him a cup of coffee from a thermos they had. It tasted peculiar to him and he eventually noticed there was a piece of hot dog inside. He told Lynch the story and the fish in the percolator scene was later added to the script, though Dunham states he is unsure if the addition had anything to do with his story.

Production[]

"Episode 1" was written by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. The pair had co-written "Pilot", and would also write "Episode 2" together. Frost would pen a further eight scripts for the series after that,[2] while Lynch would write just one episode—the second season opening installment, "Episode 8".[3] The episode was the first in the series to be directed by Duwayne Dunham, who would return to helm two further installments in the series' second season.[4] The episode features the first full appearance of Frank Silva as BOB, though the character is not yet identified at this point. Silva was the art director for the series, and had accidentally been caught on camera during a shot. Lynch was pleased with the result and decided to include Silva in the cast from then on.[5]

Dunham had first met Lynch when he worked as the film editor for Lynch's 1986 film Blue Velvet.[6] Dunham then edited "Pilot", and was about to look for another editing job elsewhere when he asked Lynch if the director had another film planned; a week later Lynch decided to film Wild at Heart and asked Dunham to edit that as well.[7] However, Dunham had committed to another project and felt uncomfortable leaving one editing job for another; Lynch then offered him a directing position on Twin Peaks in the interim to justify cancelling his other project.[8] Dunham finished principal photography on "Episode 1" the same day that Lynch finished filming "Wild at Heart".[9]

The introduction of a sexual rapport between the characters of Audrey Horne and Dale Cooper was a suggestion of Dunham's, who felt it would benefit both characters. Dunham felt that the central mystery in the series — the murder of schoolgirl Laura Palmer — was simply a "MacGuffin" to compel what he saw as the real focus, the interaction of the large ensemble cast. As such, he took care to introduce meaningful interactions between characters wherever possible.[10] Dunham also spent time with each of the cast to help them develop their characters, having studied the scripts involved and basing his take on the characters on his experience with "Pilot".[11]

Dunham retained the frequent use of static cameras seen in "Pilot", something he saw as a hallmark of Lynch's directing style;[12] describing the result as "like framed pictures".[13] He also continued the use of a "warm" reddish tint to the footage, using soft coral filters and carefully selected props and costumes to obtain this coloring.[14] This tint was considered important enough that Lynch sent a representative to the network to ensure they understood it was deliberate and not a mistake, for fear that they might correct the saturation to be more "realistic" before broadcasting it.[15]

Ratings[]

"Episode 1" was first broadcast on American Broadcasting Company (ABC) on April 12, 1990. Upon its initial airing, it was seen by 14.9 million households, or 27 percent of the available audience.[16] It placed second in its timeslot after Cheers.[17] This marked a decline from "Pilot", which attracted 33 percent of the available audience.[18] The following episode would be viewed by 21 percent of the available audience, representing a further drop in numbers.[19]

Writing for The A.V. Club, Keith Phipps awarded the episode an "A−" rating. He felt that the scene showing Leo Johnson domestically abusing his wife was "among the show's most disturbing moments", comparing it to a scene from the 1990 film The Grifters. Phipps also felt the sound design in the episode was impressive, commenting positively on the blurred distinction between diegetic and non-diegetic music.[20] Writing for Allrovi, Andrea LeVasseur rated the episode four stars out of five.[21] Television Without Pity's Daniel J. Blau felt that the episode showed series composer Angelo Badalamenti to have limited range, repeating several similar musical cues throughout. He also considered Eric Da Re's performance as Leo Johnson to be unconvincing, finding it difficult to believe that the character was as feared and menacing as was implied. However, Blau described the introduction of BOB as still seeming powerful and frightening even several years after first being seen, considering it a potent and disturbing scene.[22]

Production errors[]

  • Audrey's hair is significantly longer than in the Pilot.

Appearances[]

References[]

  1. ↑ Pretty As A Picture - The Art Of David Lynch - 1997
  2. ↑ "Mark Frost – Movie and Film Biography, Credits and Filmography". AllRovi. Retrieved August 10, 2012. 
  3. ↑ "David Lynch – Movie and Film Biography, Credits and Filmography". AllRovi. Retrieved August 10, 2012. 
  4. ↑ "Duwayne Dunham – Movie and Film Biography, Credits and Filmography". AllRovi. Retrieved August 10, 2012. 
  5. ↑ Dunham, 32:02–32:38
  6. ↑ Dunham, 01:55–02:26
  7. ↑ Dunham, 02:45–03:36
  8. ↑ Dunham, 03:37–04:23
  9. ↑ Dunham, 08:59–09:08
  10. ↑ Dunham, 05:02–06:47
  11. ↑ Dunham, 12:29–13:13
  12. ↑ Dunham, 10:01–10:28
  13. ↑ Dunham, 10:38–10:40
  14. ↑ Dunham, 19:40–20:18
  15. ↑ Dunham, 22:01–22:36
  16. ↑ Bickelhaupt, Susan (April 14, 1990). "'Peaks' Doesn't Overshadow 'Cheers'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 10, 2012.  Template:Subscription required
  17. ↑ Feder, Robert (April 16, 1990). "Radio's new WCFL will return to oldies". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 10, 2012.  Template:Subscription required
  18. ↑ Bickelhaupt, Susan (April 12, 1990). "'Twin Peaks' vs. 'Cheers'". The Boston Globe. Retrieved August 10, 2012.  Template:Subscription required
  19. ↑ Feder, Robert (April 23, 1990). "Winners or losers? // Sping series shoot for fall slots". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved August 10, 2012.  Template:Subscription required
  20. ↑ Phipps, Keith (December 5, 2007). "'Episode 1' / 'Episode 2' |Twin Peaks | TV Club". The A.V. Club. Retrieved August 10, 2012. 
  21. ↑ LeVasseur, Andrea. "Twin Peaks: Episode 01 – Cast, Reviews, Summary, and Awards". AllRovi. Retrieved August 10, 2012. 
  22. ↑ Blau, Daniel J. (June 7, 2000). "Episode One – Twin Peaks TV Show – Recaps, Reviews, Episodes". Television Without Pity. Retrieved August 29, 2012. 
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