Season 1, Episode 1

Synopsis

Cooper hangs upside-down in the hotel room at the Great Northern, talking to Diane, his trusty tape recorder. He finds a damn fine cup of coffee in the hotel restaurant. Audrey Horne introduces herself, shows him her ring, and asks Cooper if his palms ever itch.

At the police station, Doc Hayward gives an autopsy report to Cooper and Harry. Laura Palmer died sometime between midnight and four AM. She had numerous shallow wounds, was tied up, and had sex with three men. Ronette Pulaski was attacked by the same perpetrator. Ronnette is psychologically damaged and can’t give testimony.

Busy cleaning his truck, Leo meanly demands that Shelly clean his clothes. She notices blood stains on his denim shirt. Flustered, she hides it in a dresser.

Cooper and Harry question James, who admits to shooting the picnic video in the woods, and that he and Laura were secretly dating. He mentions that Laura was using cocaine, and that she had become scared of something. Cooper asks James if he recognizes the heart necklace, leading to a flashback of a cheesy romantic moment. Saddened, James says he doesn’t know what happened.

Still in jail, Bobby and Mike discuss some money the Leo has, and the rest given to Laura for safekeeping in her safe deposit box. Cooper later lets the two boys go, but warns that if anything happens to James they’ll be questioned first.

Donna tells her mother that she was the only one who knew James and Laura were seeing each other. Donna admits having feelings for James, but feels guilty about betraying Laura.

Ed Hurley comes to pick up his nephew James from the police station. Cooper reiterates his belief in James’ innocence. Ed was at the Roadhouse the night before, and mentions to Harry that his beer was drugged. Jacques Renault was tending bar. As Ed and James leave the police station, James mumbles that the “Bookhouse Boys” need to watch his back.

At a store, Norma bumps into Nadine, who says she was up all night building silent drape runners using cotton balls.

As Pete offers coffee, Cooper and Harry question Josie. Laura was tutoring Josie in English. At their last lesson, Laura said “I think now I understand how you feel about Andrew’s death.” Cooper guesses correctly that Josie and Harry are seeing each other. Pete suddenly returns to take the coffee back - there was a fish in the percolator.

Katherine telephones Josie to say that the shutting of the mill for a day cost $87,000. She toasts Ben Horne, with whom she’s having an affair. They’re conspiring against the mill, and joke about setting it on fire.

Donna visits Laura’s parents, Sarah and Leland Palmer, who are still reeling from Laura’s death. Sarah cries, “I miss her so much.” Sara looks at Donna’s teary-eyed face and sees Laura’s, superimposed. Suddenly, she sees a long-haired man, hunched over and hiding at the end of a bed. Sarah bursts into hysterical screaming, and Leland hurriedly reappears to comfort her.

At the hospital, Hawk learns that Ronnete worked as a sales girl at a perfume counter. A one-armed man exits the elevator and goes to the morgue via a hallway lit completely blue.

At the Double R Diner, Shelly serves Cooper and Harry coffee and pie. Norma tells them that Laura helped organize a meals on wheels program. The log lady tells them that the log saw something that night and one day, will have something to say about it. Cooper really likes the cherry pie.

Leo cuts open a football and hides it above a kitchen cabinet. As Shelly walks in, he immediately demands his “favorite shirt.” He then comes at her, swinging a sock containing a bar of soap. Shelly cowers in fear in the corner of an unbuilt room.

In a bizarrely decorated Hawaiian room, Doctor Jacoby listens to a secret tape recording of Laura’s voice. She mentions becoming lost in the woods tonight, and a “mystery man.” Jacoby dons earphones and we can’t hear the rest. He opens up a coconut - reveals the other half of the heart locket. He starts to cry.

Thoughts

This is the first episode where Cooper openly voices his love for a “damn fine cup of coffee” and the iconic cherry pie which he scarfs down.

Chill-inducing moment: Sarah sees the face of a long haired, freaky guy hiding at the foot of a bed (later revealed to be BOB).

Clues

• Laura Palmer was killed between midnight and 4 am, had numerous shallow wounds, was tied up, had sex with three men, and Ronette Pulaski was attacked by the same person.
• Ronnette worked at a department store perfume counter.
• Laura Palmer tutored Audrey Horne’s mentally challenged brother.
• Laura saw Josie for a tutoring lesson.
• Laura helped Norma with a meals on wheels program.
• Bobby and Mike are linked with the 10 grand in Laura’s safe deposit box.
• Bobby and Mike hate James Hurley.
• Sara Palmer is deathly afraid of a long haired freaky guy hiding at the foot of a bed.
• Jacques Renault, bartender at the roadhouse put drugs in the beer.
• The log lady’s log saw something that night.
• Leo has a shirt with blood on it.
• Leo beats his wife, Shelly.
• A mysterious one-armed man visits the hospital morgue.
• Ben Horne and Catherine Martell are conspiring to ruin the Packard saw mill.
• Ben and Catherine are having an affair.
• Ben has a strained relationship with his daughter, Audrey.
• Dr. Jacoby dug up the other half of the locket that James buried.
• Dr. Jacoby has a secret tape.
• Dr. Jacoby has an unhealthy Hawaiian fetish and hides things in coconuts.

Next Episode: Zen, Or The Skill To Catch A Killer
Previous Episode: Pilot

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