Episode Details
First broadcast May 31, 1997
Season One, Episode Four
Preceded by The Reconstituted Corpse
Followed by The House of Monkeys
Written by David Renwick
Directed by Sandy Johnson
The Verdict
One of Jonathan’s least colorful cases but the logic is sound and I appreciate how it continues to build Jonathan and Maddy’s relationship.
My Thoughts
Roy Pilgrim is an aging rock star who had been a part of the band Edwin Drood in the seventies. After coming back home from a jog outdoors, Roy notices his door is open and when he investigates he is struck from behind. He wakes up some time later chained to a radiator and then spends hours waiting for someone to come to rescue him.
Meanwhile teenaged fan Tracy is getting ready to meet her idol having received a letter from him. She is seen arriving at his home by some other teens and she enters. When she does not return home her parents contact the police who arrive at the house to investigate. When they and Pilgrim’s fiancee Francine enter they find Roy still handcuffed. He tells them that he never wrote the letter and that he never saw her enter the building. The question then is what happened to Tracy…
This story is a different sort of case to those we have seen in the previous three episodes. Each of those were presented as murder investigations but No Trace of Tracy instead places its focus on explaining the apparently inexplicable. If we accept that Roy really was knocked unconscious as we were shown and was awake as he appeared to be, how could he not see Tracy arrive at his home?
As such this represents an interesting change of pace for the series and I appreciate that it places a focus on the contradictions of these two credible accounts of what happened. By directly showing us the sequence of events leading up to Roy being attacked we are encouraged to view them as accurate and so it is clear that something more devious or unusual must be behind the incident.
This case, like many of the best Creek cases, boils down to an exploration of several small and seemingly innocuous details. Building on these small curiosities, Jonathan and the viewer can begin to make some logical inferences that change our understanding of what we are seeing. This is, for me, the show’s great idea and I think this episode presents us with several strong examples of it.
The deductions are all pretty clever. While I think the case is simpler than those in either of the two previous episodes, the focus on a single aspect of the case does place added attention on Jonathan’s process of logically working through the significance of each of those small details that seem out of place. In terms of the main mystery plot I think this episode works rather well although it should be said that this is the least whimsical episode of the first season.
I also appreciate the growing tensions between Maddy and Jonathan that we see develop during this episode. Those tensions had been hinted at in the B-plot in the previous story but there are a few moments in this story that seem to bring them into an even more direct focus. I think this gives their respective feelings and assumptions about their relationship a greater clarity while also suggesting that this relationship continues to change and evolve as they work closer together. It helps that there are a few very funny moments along the way.
Unfortunately I am a little less enamored of some of the other elements of this episode. The tree bonding antics at Hogs Belly Farm are rather broad and veer away from the quirky sweet spot that is so comfortable for the series. Comedy is, of course, subjective and others may well have loved this but in my opinion Jacob and Polly feel too consciously comedic and over-the-top to take seriously.
I also think that some aspects of Roy’s character have perhaps not aged well, particularly in light of events over the past decade. In particular the assertion that Roy likes them young, while important to the plot, sits pretty uncomfortably given it attracts no further comment or discussion. Ralph Brown is good in the part though, adding to the character’s credibility.
In terms of its mystery plotting I think No Trace of Tracy represents one of the stronger efforts in this first season of the show. The case is not only a welcome change of pace, it features a few genuinely puzzling elements and the solution is simple but clever and absolutely fair game for the viewer. The broadness of the comedy and the relatively bland backdrop for the story perhaps keep it from being one of the highlights of the season but it is clever enough that it didn’t struggle to keep my interest.
Mysteries Ahoy! 
Again, we agree. The treehuggers are a bit cringe-y and if I remember correctly, the motive is a bit iffy, but the main mystery is really good and the misdirection is lovely.
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Your memory is right. The motive isn’t great though it is at least clued.
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I’ll have to rewatch this one to remember the precise order of events, but my impression of it now is that I’d solve it PDQ. At the time of this first being on TV, however, I was blown away by the principle of something as simple as someone vanishing on the spot. Man, I wish I was still that credulous sometimes, it would vastly improve my experience of some impossible crime stories 🙂
And, yes, the elements away from the plot in this are a little awkward now, though used as the basis for some superb moments — “Whereabouts? Barking?” 😆 And the principle applied by the guilty party to mask their guilt is as old as the hills and a lovely nod to the classics.
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Yes, I rather think you would too. The solution is clued effectively but if you’ve come across one of the ideas before you will likely recognize it being used and be able to make a logical inference as to why. It’s done pretty well but it’s definitely an old trick.
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And, as we keep saying, incredible to see this sort of thing laid out so adroitly for the inexpert audience. As someone who got so caught up in this subgenre due in no small part to this show, it’s important to me that I never forget how damn brilliantly Renwick presented the puzzle plot at a time when it was a long, loooooong way from the public’s sympathies or interest.
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