Northern Exposure S1 E8 - The Aurora Borealis

Summary (from Wikipedia): The Northern Lights and the moon induced by them cause dreaming to intensify among the residents.

Dr. Fleischman hears about "Adam", the local version of the Bigfoot monster. When his truck breaks down one night on a lonely road, he encounters the mysterious creature, who turns out to be an odd, hostile hermit living deep in the woods. However, nobody in Cicely believes him.

Bernard shows up. He sold his condo in Portland, Oregon, bought a motorcycle and rode north without quite knowing why. He and Chris find themselves strangely in tune, even sharing the same dream. They finally learn that they share the same father and the same birthday. Satisfied, Bernard returns to Portland.

This is one of my favorite episodes so far of NoEx. It's so well written and just makes me feel so good by the end. Perfect way to end the first season.

What's that song on the radio in the morning? It sounds like an awesome rendition of Moonlight Sonata. I friggin' want it.

Bernard is a character I'd like to see much more of. Perhaps he IS used more in the show, I don't know, however I know he shows up at least one more time in Season 3 I believe.

"So... you're black." "Yyyyeah..."

This is just such a funny (Joel with Adam) and beautiful (Chris and Bernard) episode. It clicks so well. While this is one of the best and one of my favorites, there's not much I have to say about it; it's just great. Definitely a pick-me-up from the previous episode. No tears here; just smiles. Watch it if you can.

And bring your garlic press :P

Northern Exposure S1 E7 - A Kodiak Moment

Summary (from Wikipedia): Maurice receives word that his brother Malcolm has died, leaving him the last of the Minnifields. He persuades Chris to become his heir and tries to mold him in his own image.

Ed informs Holling that Jessie, the bear that nearly killed him, has returned. Holling, Ed and Shelly try to track it down, but get sidetracked.

Fleischman has to teach a childbearing class in another community. He charters Maggie's plane to take him there; in the time they spend together in the air and in class, they begin to bond.

LOL at Chris's traffic report.

I wish I could get a whole box of whatever items I want from some distant place.

There's that "We only have one line!" joke again. lol.

I really really feel for Maurice here. I'm not even getting into loss of a loved one, so that's all I'm saying about that.

Joel certainly turns into a more cheerful person once bagels are introduced to his Alaskan equation.

Man, I really don't remember much about this episode either. These past two episodes I don't know what I was doing. Watching Maurice mourn his brother really gets to me, I guess. I'm very sympathetic that way.

Hmm... that "I WANT MY EPIDURAL" line/joke is familiar. Is it from sorta semi watching this episode before? Or is it from something? Hmmm.....

Oh, wait, this is the episode where Maurice tries to make Chris his heir, that's right. That I remember.

Lol, why is the sudden cut to Maurice showing Chris his "empire" with the overused hawk sound so funny?

Boy, nothing to say about this episode except little one-off sentences.

Holling's dream about all the animals he'd killed pointing guns at him? I wonder why they didn't try portraying that dream in this show of frequent dream sequences... Maybe because it would have been WAY too awesome to film such a thing :P

Wow, such a long period without whatever Joel and Maggie are doing. Guess there's not much to thinking you're doing a class on hygiene, but doing a birthing class instead. I wonder what connection there is between air pilot and birthing coach, but Maggie seems to know what she's doing.

"IT'S TIME!" "No, it's Newsweek." I laughed out loud at that.

Awesome silent scene between Ed and Jesse.

Bonding moment between Joel and Maggie. Cute.

This may be the first episode to honestly make me tear-up. I know this sounds a little odd, but I almost want to hug Maurice.

Yay, snow.

Northern Exposure S1 E6 - Sex, Lies and Ed’s Tapes

Summary (from Wikipedia): Shelly turns out not to be pregnant; it was all in her mind. To further complicate her relationship with Holling, her twenty-year-old hockey player husband, Wayne, shows up, looking for a divorce so he can marry her best friend. As they get reacquainted, they begin having second thoughts.

Fleischman finds a growth on Rick's chest. Mindful of the weird, untimely deaths of all Maggie's other boyfriends, he becomes worried. It turns out to be a false alarm, but Maggie resents Rick's belief in the "O'Connell Curse".

Ed has trouble picking a subject for his screenplay. He imagines the other residents in scenes from Raiders of the Lost Ark and Midnight Cowboy before finally taking Dr. Fleischman's advice and writing about what he knows - the inhabitants of Cicely.

This episode I must not have been paying too much attention the first time I watched it because a lot of it I don't remember, but I DO remember watching it.

The Indiana Jones scene was very well done. Squint and it looks like that scene in Raiders :P

Maurice has a Macintosh. Noted. Also, a sandwich named after Ed? I wonder if it would be a PASTRAMI ON RYE FROM THE STA- sorry. I really want one.

So, Mike from Twin Peaks shows up claiming to still be married to Shelly? No, I know it's not Mike. Well, it's Mike's clone at least; squint and it looks like Mike :P

Are the various Holling/Shelly/insert_name triangles something the writers love? There's H/S/Maurice, H/S/Wayne, isn't there another one in Season 2 or 3? Not that it's boring; guess Holling will have to buy Shelly something expensive and addictive to keep her past from catching up with her... oh, wait... Also: ohhhh boy... more crap between Holling and Shelly :\

Man, the Midnight Cowboy scene... This cast is full of good actors that can act way out of their NoEx characters for these dream sequences/visions/etc.

"Forgive yourself, Wayne." Hehe.

Y'know, seriously, this Wayne guy is so Mike (from TP), although they are both just average high school guys. "Oh, I'm not your friend."

You won't live with a married woman who doesn't like her husband, but you're fine living with a woman not your wife? Holling, what about that made you think the sensitive timebomb Shelly would just get over? Tsk tsk tsk... I have to admit; I am glad to see an older character who isn't a stubborn a-hole.

So, since I didn't really watch this episode before, like I said, I hadn't realized that this is when Ed's movie is first mentioned, as he's writing the screenplay. The continuity in this show is fun.

Marilyn's awesome. Also, wow, who's the Native American MC? Squint and he looks not so awkward.

Oh, and about last night's episode: The Twin Peaks moment wasn't as much an homage as it was a jab back at critics at the time who compared Northern Exposure to Twin Peaks, yet someone who truly watches both shows can see they aren't the same at all. They each have their own charm.

Northern Exposure S1 E5 - Russian Flu

Summary (from Wikipedia): Fleischman's fiancee Elaine arrives for a visit, only to have the entire town come down with the flu, ruining their time together. In their delirium, the townspeople blame the helpless doctor. Marilyn takes it upon herself to prescribe a foul-smelling native remedy that cures everyone, but won't tell Fleischman what's in it.

Ahh, now we get to this episode, which, after watching clips on YouTube, I was awaiting, but I'll get to that later.

I believe Joel meant to say that he and his fiancee, Elaine, HAVEN'T been together for two months. He's probably saying that, but doesn't sound like it.

I can't wait to find the opportunity to call someone a "vindictive piece of shrapnel."

Good lord, I want a huge pastrami on rye from the Stage Deli :O

Ed's constant appearances at Joel's house reminds me of what he said at the beginning about everyone having the same key.

The dialog at the town meeting is aggrivating until Joel mentions the flu names and the townspeople attach to the option of it being Russian, then it just gets hilarious. The post-Cold War talk and accusing Joel of being communist is pretty funny. Crazy-haired Maurice.

I think I, too, would be desperate enough to heal my love by smearing possibly moose feces onto her body, but, oh boy...

I think this is the first strange vision/dream sequence in the series, which eventually becomes commonplace.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand there it is. Twin Peaks homage. Friggin' sweet. It comes out of nowhere, too, but it's all good. The mock theme, the jazzy Angelo Badalamenti imitations. Mentioning cherry pie, coffee and donuts, the Log Lady, the snappy beat, a great, sweeping downward shot of Snoqualmie Falls. I love it.

I imagine it wouldn't have been hard to actually film at the falls. The fictitious town of Cicily was actually Roselyn, WA, just down the highway from Snoqualmie and North Bend, WA, where Twin Peaks (the pilot at least) was filmed and Twin Peaks was at it's peak at this time, so it just had to be done. I just wish the favor had been returned and Twin Peaks made a Northern Exposure reference in there somewhere, but NE wasn't nearly as popular at the time, so Twin Peaks probably didn't even notice its existence. Shame.

Feeling the pacific northwest flu? Try some Hi-oh-Hi-oh-ipsinio.

Northern Exposure S1 E4 - Dreams, Schemes and Putting Greens

Summary (from Wikipedia): Shelly becomes pregnant and a wedding is arranged, but Holling has a deep-rooted fear - both his father and grandfather lived over a century, while their wives died young, leaving them alone and grieving for over sixty years each. Holling vowed to avoid their fate. Meanwhile, Maurice and Fleischman entertain a Japanese investor interested in building a resort in Cicely.

Another fear of a possible curse. It's not something that gets old in this show; it's something kind of funny for a show supposedly based more in reality than other shows, such as Twin Peaks.

Watching Maurice deal with foreigners is just funny; he's sooooo culturally sensitive. "Rice pellets all over my dashboard." lol

I wonder if all of Maurice's plans for Cicily had worked out, it would be more than an Alaskan Riviera; it'd be an Alaskan Dubai.

Interesting a primetime tv show got away with such little lighting. Everything looks so dark, and one of the most off-putting examples of this is Joel's office, which I imagine a doctor would need plenty of light for examining patients. The Brick (at least the first scene of The Brick in this episode) is mainly lit via the windows. I'm not complaining here; I actually like it when something on primetime television gets away with something very unconventional. It's kind of a small victory for things outside the standard.

Shelly was crowned Miss Northwest Passage. Feel the Twin Peaksness creeping in? Hehe yeah.

Chris was ordained from answering a classified in the back of Rolling Stone? That's hilarious.

Holling is older than Shelly's father. That's the kind of thing this show does hehe. Strange stuff.

So, despite being desperate enough to get out of Alaska that he'll get into a strange deal with Maurice, Joel goes as far as golfing in a rainstorm. "Granted, it's a little humid out there..." hahaha

Oh, and I find Holling to be an interesting character: he's one of the oldest residents of Cicily, yet his actions make him seem like a young man who isn't very sure of himself and lets into a lot of fears, yet at times seems age-appropriately wise.

Um... why did they want Maurice to sing at the wedding again?

Now, having already gotten through to 1/3 of Season 3, I can say I believe this is the ONLY time a moose actually shows up IN the show. Odd.

Northern Exposure S1 E3 - Soapy Sanderson

Summary (from Wikipedia): An old hermit dies, leaving his land jointly to Maggie and Fleischman, who have radically different ideas about what to do with it. She wants to create a nature preserve, while he has been approached by rich natives who want to buy it to use as a tax shelter.

This episode feels just a tad too early in the season, but it's all good. There's not much to say about this episode actually. It's mainly just a struggle between Joel and Maggie (as always, of course, but with a black and white differential subject between them this time.)

Other than the documentary filming going on (which is related to Soapy anyway) this episode mostly only focuses on one thing, which does happen here and there on this show, so I guess this was the first one. It does, however, open up something of a small arc in Season 1 with Joel and Maggie figuring out what to do with the land.

Releasing ashes from a plane, lol. What did you guys expect? It reminded me of The Big Lebowski.

Northern Exposure S1 E2 - Brains, Know-How and Native Intelligence

Summary (from Wikipedia): Ed gets Dr. Fleischman to talk to his medicine man uncle. The man is seriously ill, but refuses to seek conventional medical treatment out of a fear of losing face with his patients. Maggie berates Joel for not being able to fix his toilet, calling him helpless. Joel decides to try to fix his shower when the hot water stops working. Maggie hurts her knee and visits Dr. Fleischman. Chris is fired from the radio station after speaking of poet Walt Whitman's homosexuality on the air.

I love the abundant use of Native American imagery in this show. They are portrayed in such a peaceful, wise way, but also they are very funny because their calm demeanor contrasts with Joel's uptightness, especially Marilyn.

Maurice's reaction and subsequent firing of Chris for his mentioning of Walt Whitman's sexual preference on the air was kind of confusing at first, as I realize Maurice isn't your typical closed-minded homophobe. He likes showtunes. He recognizes Walt Whitman's greatness and cultural impact, but chooses to not reflect on it. He's the same with the history of Cicily's two founders, Roselyn and Cicily, later on.

Chris is shown more in this episode than in the pilot, and he's shown to be one of the best characters ever. He's so calm and upbeat, thinking positively and is an ultimate optimist.

I don't think it's been mentioned since this episode, but wow, Holling is the Mayor of Cicily? Huh...

"You almost blew my head off with a shotgun."
"Oh, that? Hehe, that's nothing personal son. Plus, you had it coming." lol

I strongly agree with Joel in this episode: Pride is stupid. It's not worth your health or your life. It hurts others. Hurts ones you love. That love you. Just drop it.

Also, while I don't agree with Maurice's homophobic tendencies, I like his speech about heroes. And it shows that Maurice is a complex character.

That's another thing I love about this show. In the second episode and the characters are already so complex.

Want to catch a fish? Think like a shower :P