Fire…Blog With Me: ‘Twin Peaks’ Rewatch, Chapter 2 “Traces To Nowhere”

Two episodes in and we’re already comfortable with Special Agent Dale Cooper’s quirks: he likes coffee, pie, and monologuing in his tape recorder to “Diane.” In fact, he likes monologuing so much, he can do it upside down, in his plaid undies. I know it’s a bit strange, but there’s something about his choice in boxer pattern makes me think, “Ah, yes, Dale Cooper is a hero.” – Meghan O’Keefe

Special Agent Cooper’s intense contemplation and resulting enjoyment of a “damn fine cup of coffee” is how I wish I felt about my own coffee every morning. – Jade Budowski

It’s time to talk about Sarah Palmer. And in particular Grace Zabriskie as Sarah Palmer. Sarah was already having a hard enough time with her daughter’s murder before she started seeing things. Donna’s visit brings about David Lynch’s most surrealistic moment to date, as Sarah sees her darling Laura’s face on Donna’s, and then, when she hugs “her daughter” close …

Sarah’s reaction would have been the hottest gif on the internet had ordinary TV watchers been using the internet back then. What I love the most is that Zabriskie knows exactly when to go VERY BIG. The conception of Twin Peaks as a kind of macabre soap opera informs a lot of the tone of the show. It’s a dark melodrama, and she nails it.

Zabriskie’s is a face that you almost certainly recognize from something. She played George’s would-be mother-in-law on Seinfeld, most famously. (That Seinfeld cast TWO Twin Peaks alums as Susan’s parents — Warren Frost played her dad — should have been a clue as to how Susan would end up.) Lynch cast her in two of his other projects, too: Wild at Heart and Inland Empire, and you should do yourself a favor and watch her Inland Empire scene, because it is WILD. — Joe Reid

It was inevitable, but “There was a fish…in the percolator!” is hilarious. I also covet Audrey’s on-the-nose tree cardigan (which has been the subject of tweets and blog posts). Mostly, I’m enjoying the loveliness of young Lara Flynn Boyle, just a girl from Iowa who had no idea she’d date Jack Nicholson, don The Ballerina Dress, be dismissed by David E. Kelley, and doctor up her face. — Jenna Marotta

I’m calling this one early. I mean, the Log Lady has the same glasses of half of Williamsburg, a thrift store sweater she may or may not be wearing ironically, a pseudo-natural hairstyle in a world of perfectly groomed people, and a weird quirk that’s connected to crafting. She’s the hipster prototype.

Besides the Log Lady, this episode really allowed me to focus on the music of the series. There’s something unsettling about how the background music constantly changes between soap opera levels of sad tingling and low bass notes. It’s amazing how this one element so perfectly captures the series so far — a cheesy, smiling demeanor masking mystery. Another gem of this episode was Laura Palmer’s mom, who, more and more, reminds me of Winona Ryder’s character in Stranger Things. Or more accurately, she reminds me of Ryder’s character in SNL’s sketch about Stranger Things. Bless that woman. 

Also, shoutout to the most relatable bit of dialogue in the whole episode: “I’m no pea-brained chambermaid looking for a tumble in the broom closet.” I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said the exact same thing, Catherine Martell. Just rolls of the tongue. — Kayla Cobb

Fun fact for all of your first time watchers of Twin Peaks: We have some famous moms in the house! Peggy Lipton, who portrays Double R diner proprietress Norma Jennings, is the mother of one Rashida Jones, who you know and love from shows like The Office and Angie Tribeca. Meanwhile, the wheelchair-bound mother of Donna Hayward, Eileen Hayward, is played by Mary Jo Deschanel, mother of Zooey and Emily Deschanel. Zooey’s father, Caleb Deschanel, also directed a few episodes of the series.—Mark Graham

David Lynch’s Blue Velvet, released in 1986, shocked critics and audiences alike by peeling back the layers of seemingly normal suburbia and exposing its seedy, rotten underbelly. Twin Peaks mines similar territory, and while it’s nowhere near as explicit — one was an R-rated film, the other a primetime soap on ABC, after all — it’s arguably more subversive. Can you ever remember a time, before or since, when you’ve seen someone “suckin’ on toes” (to borrow a phrase from Tenacious D) on broadcast TV?— Mark Graham

Decider will be returning to Twin Peaks for Chapter Three, “Zen, Or The Skill To Catch A Killer” this Tuesday, February 14. Want to watch along? Join in the conversation? Comment, tweet, or add on Facebook YOUR favorite part about “Traces to Nowhere.” The best reader response will make it to Thursday’s discussion.

Where to Stream Twin Peaks