Twin Peaks: Top 10 Agent Cooper Quotes
Over the limited run of Twin Peaks, FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper provided us with a plethora of memorable lines. Everything from the highly intellectual to the inane, Cooper kept us interested in every word that he was saying.
Counting down to the time when viewers can return to the sleepy Washington town that is full of secrets in 2017, it is time to examine some of the many gems that have been thrown out there by Coop over the initial run of the series.
Simply put, there are too many good lines to fit into a Top 10 list, so here is a selection of favorite lines from the show.
10. “Damn fine coffee.”
Coop loved his coffee. Of that there is little doubt. There are innumerable mentions of coffee over the course of the show, and it all starts with Cooper and his initial judgement of the Joe at the Great Northern Hotel. From that point on, a love affair with coffee began over the course of Twin Peaks.
9. “This must be where pies go when they die.”
Does anything go better with coffee in Twin Peaks than a slice of cherry pie? Probably not, and the best pie around is served up at the Double R Diner in town, made fresh by the lovely Norma Jennings.
8. “I believe I was visited by a Giant last night.”
The fact that Cooper was visited by a Giant, and that he believed in the clues that he was being provided with, helped Coop get closer to solving the murder of Laura Palmer. Also, it represented a shift in the show from a straightforward crime drama with quirks to one that was always willing to bend the conventions of a normal television series. The omens, or prophecies, provided by the Giant, started off a wild ride on Twin Peaks, one that would continue for the duration of the series, taking us right into the nefarious Black Lodge.
7. “That’s what you do in a town where a yellow light still means slow down, not go faster.”
Dale Cooper could appreciate the slow moving life of the small Washington town that he was thrown into. Speaking about his new whittling hobby, Cooper demonstrates his love of the town, and the pace of life there, with this memorable quote.
6. “Every day, once a day, give yourself a present.”
With this philosophy, we come to understand the Special Agent a little better. He is a man who is built on goodness and principle, and a part of that is based on making yourself happy. Providing yourself with a surprise gift each and every day is a great way to a healthy mind, something that Cooper was very much in favor of.
5. “Women were drawn from a different set of blueprints.”
Cooper loved and respected women, understanding them on a level none of the other characters could get. Sure, Cooper could have slayed it with the ladies, but he was choosy, and he believed in true love. He always showed women the utmost respect, believing in their different makeup from men.
4. “What I want and what I need are two different things, Audrey.”
We all wanted Cooper to end up with the troubled teen Audrey Horne. Despite the gap in their ages, they were really perfect for one another. Yet Coop managed to show restraint when the Twin Peaks beauty showed up naked in his bed at the hotel one evening. Despite his desires, Cooper was able to live by a moral code that wouldn’t allow him to put Audrey in any danger while he investigated the troubling and dangerous murder of Laura Palmer.
3. “How’s Annie?”
The disturbing final line of the series, we see Cooper transformed into something we are not used to. After smashing his face into a bathroom mirror, Cooper turns to ask how his girlfriend is doing. Over, and over again. It was a creepy and memorable way to finish off a creepy and memorable show.
2. “I have no idea where this will lead us, but I have a definite feeling it will be a place both wonderful and strange.”
Unafraid of the unknown, Cooper was more than willing to plunge into the lore that surrounded the town, including the mysterious forest that surrounded Twin Peaks. There was something out there, and Coop would be our guide in finding out what it was.
1. “Black as midnight on a moonless night.”
Someone has never described their taste in coffee in such a wonderfully articulate manner as Cooper did when asked how he took his coffee. This quote allowed us to see the poetry and the passion in the man that would be the hero of the show.
