Twin Peaks (TV Series) Traces to Nowhere (1990) User Reviews

Agent Cooper has some 'damn fine coffee' and three slices of cherry pie

[Tweekums · 9/10 · 30 April 2012]

This episode opens with Special Agent Cooper talking into his Dictaphone; there would be nothing too strange about that if he wasn't hanging from his ankles at the time. He then goes downstairs and has a 'damn fine cup of coffee' before heading to the police station where he questions James Hurley. More suspicions are raised when waitress Shelly Johnson discovers blood on one of her husband Leo's shirts; we already know that he is a dangerous man; the question is just how dangerous?

This episode follows on from the pilot and lets us get to know the characters a bit better; the more we see of them the more it is apparent that there was a lot going on just under the surface in Twin Peaks long before Laura Palmer was murdered. Leo Johnson shows just how unpleasant he can be and Bobby Briggs and his friend Mike Nelson, while probably not murderers are clearly unpleasant. Not everybody in the town is like that though in fact most seem to be the epitome of friendliness. There were plenty of amusing moments scattered throughout the episode; one of the best was when Cooper and Sheriff Truman were served some decidedly fishy coffee! The cast did a fine job; Sherilyn Fenn's performance as the sultry Audrey Horne was positively seductive; and that was before she even said anything!

an audience pleaser

[framptonhollis · 8/10 · 19 September 2017]

Following the bleak, if sometimes comical Pilot, this episode is very lighthearted. It definitely has its fair share of dark moments (including the first appearance of BOB), but a majority of this episode is funny, amusing, entertaining, and engaging. There's plenty of memorable, iconic, and essential scenes without, including the classic "damn fine coffee" sequence that is immediately followed by the extremely sensual first meeting between Audrey Horne and Agent Dale Cooper (two characters who most fans agree to be the best and most enjoyable on the show) as well as an absurd encounter with the log lady and a brief, hilarious moment in which Pete reveals some...unflattering information about his percolator.

Full of classic moments

[TouchTheGarlicProduction · 9/10 · 11 March 2017]

Every time I re-watch this episode, I'm surprised by how many classic scenes are in it. The episode itself never leaves much of an impression of its own (likely because it is sandwiched between two Lynch episodes), yet it has some of my favourite scenes. It has the fish in the percolator, the first meeting of Cooper and Audrey, the Log Lady's first dialog, the first physical appearance of cherry pie, Cooper's first time saying "damn fine coffee," the first appearance of BOB, and more.

Yet despite all of these classic scenes, the episode is not one of the show's best or most memorable episodes. It is not the sum of its parts, but rather a collection of parts that work best as a part of the series rather than as a part of the episode.

It Shows How We've Become Used to Mediocrity!

[Hitchcoc · 10/10 · 30 May 2017]

I loved this episode. As Cooper downs three pieces of pie and drinks coffee that had a dead fish in the percolator, things begin to buzz in all directions. Each of the young people focused on have some pretty interesting baggage. Those two delinquent types, Bobby and his buddy, are downright nuts. Bobby's mom and dad are a couple of weird ones. Then we have the lady with the log and the other one with the drapes and the cotton balls, obsessed with pulling the drapes but keeping them quiet. Of course, more central to the plot are the goings on at the mill, the rapes of young women, the not-so-hidden necklace, Audrey (my goodness), the psychologist (Russ Tamblyn), and on and on. This town is terrific and I will continue to plow my way through. I watched the whole series back in the Nineties but can't remember how it plays out. Having only watched the Pilot and the first regular episode, I am once again convinced that television has the potential for some of the greatest artistry, and that most of what we see is really not worth our time. Now that all kinds of stuff is produced by non-network sources, we have so much to occupy us.

I tough it was the first episode !!

[nicofreezer · 9/10 · 27 February 2021]

I juste discover Twin peaks with that and Il like it, its actually possible to jump in the story from that point, the Pilot is important but even without it you Can understand within 2 episodes. Anyway agreat episodes, I already love Agent Cooper, sugar addict like me 😁

Feeling david lynch

[CursedChico · 8/10 · 31 October 2020]

Feeling david lynch with that piano sound music effect. Also it shows classic lynch when Laura's mother saw that hallucination and screamed. Those things reminded me of his movies.

There are lots of characters and most of them are related. So, it made me confused for 2 episodes.

Cooper is interesting character. Fan of black coffee and desserts. He is funny.

"Traces to Nowhere"

[TheDonaldofDoom · 20 February 2018]

After a near-perfect pilot the second episode doesn't add that much to the mystery, but it's still entertaining and still has that haunting quality.

The most interesting part comes at the end, where it's Jacoby who now has the other half of the heart and he has a tape Laura recorded for him. Too much time otherwise is spent on unfunny jokes like a fish contaminating the water supply and so on. And in one scene that feels particularly dated, Laura's mother sees her daughter in Laura's friend and starts screaming. Why? Who knows, but it's one scene I want to wipe from my memory because it doesn't work.

We get some insight into the characters, Leo and Shelly's abusive relationship and Laura and James's relationship. There's some quite original filming, especially in the first scene which shows the legs a man apparently hanging upside down before zooming out to show how that's possible.

So not as good as the pilot but that would have been hard to top.

Great follow up

[lareval · 8/10 · 30 September 2021]

After such an eventful premiere, episode 2 is kind of a transitional affair. But a transitional one that showcases more classic bits, great performances and a good revelation at the end.

1x02

[formotog · 7/10 · 3 September 2020]

The way this show is able to dictate tone is really brilliant. At times it's the overacting, sometimes it's really strange dialogue, and other times it's the hilarious music playing at climactic moments. I think some moments could genuinely be very dramatic, but add that same oscillating synth over it and it becomes really funny. We got to know the characters more this episode, and there are some real weirdos to put it bluntly. Most of it is funny at the moment, except Leo who is genuinely quite scary. We also have some weird stuff going on with Sarah Palmer, and I don't just mean quirky like the log lady, I mean weird like supernatural weird. This show definitely has me interested

High 7

The other golden heart

[AvionPrince16 · 7/10 · 5 April 2022]

An epissode with more information about Laura and how she died. We know a little bit more with what whappened between Laura and James the night who she died. The FBI agent is now in the hotel and believe that James is innocent. At the end of the episode we know where is the other golden heart and.who got it. A nice episode with a rythm less interesting than the first epiosdoe but still enjoyable and at the end we wondering how the guy who have the missing piece is implied with Laura's dead.

The rise of twin peaks

[aramis-112-804880 · 1 September 2023]

A high school girl known and beloved all over the town of Twin Peaks is murdered and the weirdest detective in the FBI is looking into the matter.

After the pilot episode, one of the most brilliant moments of TV to that time, the series nestles in and a study of the town and its denizens begins in earnest.

Everyone in town has some dark secret. It's the darnedest soap opera ever, with an increasingly wacky cast of characters.

Cooper himself is one of the oddest ducks in town. It's as if he came from there. He's a perfect fit.

All the relationships are difficult to keep straight without Binging. But it's worth it.