"Episode 1", also known as "Traces to Nowhere", is the second episode of the
first season of the American mystery television series ''
Twin Peaks
''Twin Peaks'' is an American Mystery fiction, mystery serial drama television series created by Mark Frost and David Lynch. It premiered on American Broadcasting Company, ABC on April 8, 1990, and originally ran for two seasons until its cance ...
''. The episode was written by series creators
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...
and
Mark Frost
Mark Frost (born November 25, 1953) is an American novelist, screenwriter, film-and-television producer and director. He is the co-creator of the mystery television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and was a writer and executive story ...
, and directed by
Duwayne Dunham
Duwayne Robert Dunham (born November 17, 1952) is an American director and editor of film and television, as well as an adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He is best known for his collaborations with George Lucas and David L ...
. "Episode 1" features series regulars
Kyle MacLachlan
Kyle Merritt MacLachlan (; ' McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dale Cooper in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), as well as roles ...
,
Michael Ontkean
Michael Leonard Ontkean (born 24 January 1946) is a retired Canadian actor. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Ontkean relocated to the United States to attend the University of New Hampshire on a hockey scholarship before pursuing ...
, and
Richard Beymer
George Richard Beymer Jr. (born February 20, 1938) is an American actor, filmmaker and artist who played the roles of Tony in the film version of ''West Side Story'' (1961), Peter in ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959), and Ben Horne on the telev ...
.
Dunham was offered the role of directing the episode by Lynch, who wanted Dunham to
edit
Edit may refer to:
Concepts
* an action that is part of an editing process (including of images, video, and film)
* a particular version that is the result of editing, especially of film (for example, fan edit), or music (for example, radi ...
his next film project, ''
Wild at Heart'' (1990). Dunham continued to use several stylistic elements in his direction that he had observed in Lynch's work on "
Pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
", including largely static camera work and the use of reddish color tints. The episode also marks the first appearance of
Killer Bob
Bob (sometimes known as BOB or Killer BOB) is a fictional character in the ABC television series ''Twin Peaks,'' played by Frank Silva. He is an interdimensional entity who feeds on pain and sorrow. An inhabiting spirit, he possesses human b ...
, who was played by set decorator
Frank Silva
Frank A. Silva (October 31, 1950 – September 13, 1995) was an American set dresser and actor best known for his performance as the evil spirit Killer BOB in the TV series ''Twin Peaks''.
Silva had a degree in lighting design from San Francis ...
after Silva had been accidentally caught on camera.
"Episode 1" continued the investigation of the series' main plotline, the murder of schoolgirl
Laura Palmer
Laura Palmer is a fictional character in the ''Twin Peaks'' franchise. She is portrayed by Sheryl Lee and was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. She first appears in the ABC original series ''Twin Peaks''. A high schoo ...
(
Sheryl Lee
Sheryl Lynn Lee (born April 22, 1967) is a German-born American film, stage, and television actress. After studying acting in college, Lee relocated to Seattle, Washington to work in theater, where she was cast by David Lynch as Laura Palmer and ...
), with
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
agent
Dale Cooper
Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Dale Bartholomew Cooper, portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan, is a fictional character who is the protagonist of ABC's and Showtime's television series ''Twin Peaks''. He also plays a supporting role in the ...
(MacLachlan) interviewing several suspects connected to the victim. The episode was viewed by approximately 14.9 million households upon its initial airing, which represented over a quarter of the available audience. Since its broadcast, the episode has earned positive reviews from critics.
Plot
Background
The small town of Twin Peaks, Washington, has been shocked by the murder of schoolgirl
Laura Palmer
Laura Palmer is a fictional character in the ''Twin Peaks'' franchise. She is portrayed by Sheryl Lee and was created by the series creators David Lynch and Mark Frost. She first appears in the ABC original series ''Twin Peaks''. A high schoo ...
(
Sheryl Lee
Sheryl Lynn Lee (born April 22, 1967) is a German-born American film, stage, and television actress. After studying acting in college, Lee relocated to Seattle, Washington to work in theater, where she was cast by David Lynch as Laura Palmer and ...
) and the attempted murder of her classmate
Ronette Pulaski (
Phoebe Augustine
Phoebe Ellen Ceresia (born April 1, 1967) (known professionally as Phoebe Augustine) is an American actress best known for playing Ronette Pulaski in ''Twin Peaks''.
Career
She portrayed Laura Palmer's friend Ronette Pulaski in several episo ...
).
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...
special agent
Dale Cooper
Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent Dale Bartholomew Cooper, portrayed by Kyle MacLachlan, is a fictional character who is the protagonist of ABC's and Showtime's television series ''Twin Peaks''. He also plays a supporting role in the ...
(
Kyle MacLachlan
Kyle Merritt MacLachlan (; ' McLachlan, February 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Dale Cooper in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), as well as roles ...
) has come to the town to investigate, and initial suspicion has fallen upon Palmer's boyfriend
Bobby Briggs
The following is a list of characters from the television series ''Twin Peaks'', the film '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'', and the 2017 revival.
Overview
Concepts
Bob
Frank Silva was a set decorator who worked on the pilot episode. ...
(
Dana Ashbrook
Dana Vernon Ashbrook (born May 24, 1967) is an American actor, best known for playing Bobby Briggs on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) and its 1992 prequel film '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me''.
Early life
Ashbrook was ...
) and the man with whom she was cheating on Briggs,
James Hurley James Hurley may refer to:
* James Hurley (Twin Peaks), a fictional character from the television show ''Twin Peaks''
* James Francis Hurley (born 1962), English murderer
* James R. Hurley (born 1932), Southern New Jersey politician and gambling ...
(
James Marshall).
Events
Cooper takes breakfast at the Great Northern Hotel, enjoying a "damn fine cup of coffee" as
Audrey Horne
Audrey Horne is a fictional character from the ABC television series ''Twin Peaks'', played by Sherilyn Fenn. The character was created by David Lynch. She was introduced in the pilot. The daughter of Ben and Sylvia Horne, sister of Johnny Horn ...
(
Sherilyn Fenn
Sherilyn Fenn (born Sheryl Ann Fenn; February 1, 1965) is an American actress and author. She came to attention for her performance as Audrey Horne on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991, 2017) for which she was nominated for a Go ...
) introduces herself and begins flirting with him. He makes his way to the sheriff's department, where he and Sheriff Truman (
Michael Ontkean
Michael Leonard Ontkean (born 24 January 1946) is a retired Canadian actor. Born and raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Ontkean relocated to the United States to attend the University of New Hampshire on a hockey scholarship before pursuing ...
) discuss the day's plans. They interview Dr Hayward (
Warren Frost
Warren Frost (June 5, 1925 – February 17, 2017) was an American actor. His work was mainly in theater, but he worked in films and television sporadically from 1958. He is known for television roles on '' Matlock'' and ''Seinfeld'', and p ...
) who has had an autopsy conducted on Palmer's body. They learn that Laura had had sex with at least three men the night she died.
Waitress
Shelley Johnson (
Mädchen Amick
Mädchen Elaina Amick ( ; born December 12, 1970) is an American actress and television director. She is known for her starring role as Shelly Johnson on the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991), its prequel film '' Twin Peaks: Fire ...
) is about to leave for work when her abusive husband Leo (
Eric Da Re
Eric Da Re (born March 3, 1965) is an American actor who played the notorious criminal Leo Johnson on the TV show ''Twin Peaks'' and its prequel film, '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me''. He has worked behind the scenes in several other films by ...
) demands she do more laundry. She finds a bloodstained shirt among Leo's clothes and hides it before he notices. However, he later realizes that it has gone missing. When she returns home that night, he questions her about its whereabouts, and savagely beats her with a bar of soap in a sock.
Cooper interviews Hurley about a video of Laura and Donna Hayward (
Lara Flynn Boyle
Lara Flynn Boyle (born March 24, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Donna Hayward in the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991). After portraying Stacy in Penelope Spheeris's comedy ''Wayne's World'' (1992), ...
); Hurley had denied him being present the day it was taken but Cooper notices a reflection of his motorcycle in the video. Cooper confronts Hurley about the affair he was having with Palmer, and about her cocaine habit. Hurley admits seeing Palmer the night she died but denies killing her. James' uncle Ed Hurley (
Everett McGill
Everett McGill (born Charles Everett McGill III, October 21, 1945) is an American actor, who rose to prominence for his portrayal of a caveman in ''Quest for Fire'' (1981). He went on to have prominent roles in the films ''Dune'' (1984), ''Silve ...
) comes to the sheriff's department to pick his nephew up. Ed tells Truman that he was drugged the previous night at The Roadhouse, the town's bar; he suspects bartender Jacques Renault (
Walter Olkewicz
Walter Olkewicz (May 14, 1948 – April 6, 2021) was an American character actor. He played Marko in the short-lived TV series ''Wizards and Warriors'' and Coach Wordman in the feature film '' Making the Grade''.
Biography
Olkewicz was born in B ...
) was responsible. Cooper takes a telephone call from his colleague Albert Rosenfield, who is on his way to aid the investigation. Meanwhile, Briggs and his friend Mike Nelson (
Gary Hershberger
Gary Hershberger (born April 5, 1964) is an American actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his television roles as Mike Nelson in ''Twin Peaks'' (1989–1991; 2017) and Matthew Gilardi on '' Six Feet Under'' (2001–2002).
Early life an ...
) are in a jail cell, discussing money they owe to Leo. The
$10,000 they were meant to pay him is in a safe deposit box owned by Palmer, which they can now no longer access. They are later released by Cooper, who warns them not to approach James Hurley. The scene fade cuts into a short clip from the VHS tape of Palmer dancing outdoors, and pauses on a close up of her face. The words "Help Me" can be heard.
Josie Packard (
Joan Chen
Joan Chen (born April 26, 1961) is a Chinese-American actress and film director. In China, she performed in the 1979 film and came to the attention of American audiences for her performance in the 1987 film ''The Last Emperor''. She is also ...
) and Pete Martell (
Jack Nance
Marvin John Nance (December 21, 1943 – December 30, 1996), known professionally as Jack Nance, was an American actor. A longtime collaborator of filmmaker David Lynch, Nance portrayed the lead in Lynch's directorial film debut ''Eraserhead'' (1 ...
) discuss Packard's trouble with her sister-in-law Catherine Martell (
Piper Laurie
Piper Laurie (born Rosetta Jacobs; January 22, 1932) is an American actress. She is known for her roles in the films ''The Hustler'' (1961), '' Carrie'' (1976), and '' Children of a Lesser God'' (1986), all of which brought her Academy Award no ...
). Truman and Cooper arrive to speak with Packard, who had employed Palmer as an English tutor. Packard admits to sensing that Palmer was troubled but cannot help further; Cooper picks up on the fact that Truman has been having a relationship with Packard. Catherine calls Packard to tell her that the latter's sawmill lost $87,000 the day before; Catherine is having an affair with Benjamin Horne (
Richard Beymer
George Richard Beymer Jr. (born February 20, 1938) is an American actor, filmmaker and artist who played the roles of Tony in the film version of ''West Side Story'' (1961), Peter in ''The Diary of Anne Frank'' (1959), and Ben Horne on the telev ...
), with whom she is conspiring a hostile takeover of the mill. That same day, Hayward visits Palmer's mother Sarah (
Grace Zabriskie
Grace Zabriskie (' Caplinger; born May 17, 1941) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Sarah Palmer in ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and its film prequel '' Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me'' (1992), Lois Henrickson in '' ...
), attempting to console her. However, Sarah has a vision of a
sinister man (
Frank Silva
Frank A. Silva (October 31, 1950 – September 13, 1995) was an American set dresser and actor best known for his performance as the evil spirit Killer BOB in the TV series ''Twin Peaks''.
Silva had a degree in lighting design from San Francis ...
) crouching in the corner of the room, and panics. Meanwhile, Lawrence Jacoby (
Russ Tamblyn
Russell Irving Tamblyn, also known as Rusty Tamblyn (born December 30, 1934) is an American film and television actor and dancer.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Tamblyn trained as a gymnast in his youth. He began his career as a child actor f ...
), Laura's psychiatrist, listens to an audio tape she had made for him, and sobs as he toys with half of a golden heart necklace, the other half of which was found at the scene of the crime.
Production
"Episode 1" was written by the series creators
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch (born January 20, 1946) is an American filmmaker, visual artist and actor. A recipient of an Academy Honorary Award in 2019, Lynch has received three Academy Award nominations for Best Director, and the César Award for Be ...
and
Mark Frost
Mark Frost (born November 25, 1953) is an American novelist, screenwriter, film-and-television producer and director. He is the co-creator of the mystery television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–1991; 2017) and was a writer and executive story ...
. The pair had co-written "
Pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
", and would also write "
Episode 2 ''Episode II'', ''Episode 2'' or ''Episode Two'' may refer to:
* ''Episode II'' (album), an album by Safri Duo
* ''Episode II'' (EP), an EP by Eiffel 65
* "Episode 2" (song), a song by Dragon Ash
* "Episode 2" (''Ashes to Ashes''), an episode of ...
" together. Frost would pen a further eight scripts for the series after that, while Lynch would write just one episode—the second season opening installment, "
Episode 8". The episode was the first in the series to be directed by
Duwayne Dunham
Duwayne Robert Dunham (born November 17, 1952) is an American director and editor of film and television, as well as an adjunct professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He is best known for his collaborations with George Lucas and David L ...
, who would return to helm two further installments in the series' second season. The episode features the first appearance of Frank Silva as
Killer Bob
Bob (sometimes known as BOB or Killer BOB) is a fictional character in the ABC television series ''Twin Peaks,'' played by Frank Silva. He is an interdimensional entity who feeds on pain and sorrow. An inhabiting spirit, he possesses human b ...
, 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.
Dunham had first met Lynch when he worked as the
film editor
Film editing is both a creative and a technical part of the post-production process of filmmaking. The term is derived from the traditional process of working with film which increasingly involves the use of digital technology.
The film edit ...
for Lynch's 1986 film ''
Blue Velvet''. 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. 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. Dunham finished principal photography on "Episode 1" the same day that Lynch finished filming "Wild at Heart".
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
In fiction, a MacGuffin (sometimes McGuffin) is an object, device, or event that is necessary to the plot and the motivation of the characters, but insignificant, unimportant, or irrelevant in itself. The term was originated by Angus MacPhail for ...
" 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. 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".
Dunham retained the frequent use of static cameras seen in "Pilot", something he saw as a hallmark of Lynch's directing style; describing the result as "like framed pictures". He also continued the use of a "warm" reddish tint to the footage, using soft
coral
Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...
filters and carefully selected props and costumes to obtain this coloring. 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.
Broadcast and reception
"Episode 1" was first broadcast on
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is an American commercial broadcast television network. It is the flagship property of the ABC Entertainment Group division of The Walt Disney Company. The network is headquartered in Burbank, Cali ...
(ABC) on April 12, 1990. Upon its initial airing, it was seen by households, or of the available audience.
[ ] It placed second in its timeslot after ''
Cheers
''Cheers'' is an American sitcom television series that ran on NBC from September 30, 1982, to May 20, 1993, with a total of 275 half-hour episodes across 11 seasons. The show was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions in association w ...
''. This marked a decline from "Pilot", which attracted of the available audience. The following episode would be viewed by of the available audience, representing a further drop in numbers.
[ ]
Writing for ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'', 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.
Writing for
Allrovi
RhythmOne , previously known as Blinkx, and also known as RhythmOne Group, is an American digital advertising technology company that owns and operates the web properties AllMusic, AllMovie, and SideReel.
Blinkx was founded in 2004, went publi ...
, Andrea LeVasseur rated the episode four stars out of five.
Television Without Pity
Television Without Pity (often abbreviated TWoP) was a website that provided detailed recaps of select television dramas, situation comedies and reality TV shows along with discussion forums. These recaps were written with sarcastic criticism an ...
's Daniel J. Blau felt that the episode showed series composer
Angelo Badalamenti
Angelo Daniel Badalamenti (March 22, 1937 – December 11, 2022) was an American composer, best known for his work scoring films for director David Lynch, notably '' Blue Velvet'', the ''Twin Peaks'' saga (1990–1992, 2017), ''The Straight St ...
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 Killer Bob as still seeming powerful and frightening even several years after first being seen, considering it a potent and disturbing scene.
Notes
Footnotes
Bibliography
*
*
External links
*
{{Good article
1990 American television episodes
Twin Peaks (season 1) episodes
Television episodes written by David Lynch
Television episodes written by Mark Frost