Quirky Becomes Boring In Northern Exposure The Complete Fifth Season.

The Good: Moments of character, Moments of weirdness or culture, DVD bonus features
The Bad: Not funny, Little new on the acting, Stagnant plots, Pacing
The Basics: A pretty lame season of television, Northern Exposure The Complete Fifth Season does little service to the characters or concepts of the television series.


When a television series becomes tedious, sometimes the best thing that a network can do is pull the plug. As time goes by, I find myself appreciating or understanding why networks have done that from time to time. For sure, there was still plenty of potential in Firefly (reviewed here!), but the more I rewatch Twin Peaks (reviewed here!), I can understand how it did not get renewed for a third season. The middle of that second season of Twin Peaks winds and wends in directions that are not just strangely dreamlike, but are just plain bad. This comes to mind when I consider the DVD set Northern Exposure - The Complete Fifth Season because I am at a loss as to how this season survived for the entire twenty-four episodes as well as how it won a sixth season.

In its fifth season, Northern Exposure does nothing of note or significance that viewers of the series have not already seen before. In fact, the only ones who might find any portion of this season palatable are those who have suffered through the earlier seasons; those approaching just this season are likely to find the episodes tiresome and tired. The season has a homogeneously slow pace with few peaks and one long, extended valley. While the show continues its serialized storylines, nothing of note happens in the fifth season and after sitting through my latest viewing of the twenty-four episodes - each almost an hour in length - I find myself at a loss as to what to write about the boxed set because the season blurs together as one dull mass of images. There is nothing superlative in this season and while the show still occasionally delves into the philosophical or the native american indian culture, the fifth season finds the divergences less quirky and more dull; we've seen it before and for those who haven't it just "reads" as weird and quirky for the sake of quirky.

In the fifth season of Northern Exposure, Joel gets ill with Glacier Dropsy around the same time that Ed gets his calling . . . to become a shaman. As Ed begins to train for his spiritual calling, Maurice has a life-sized wax casting made of himself for a museum, Chris continues working at the radio station and trying to fulfill the spiritual needs of Cicely and Maggie spars with Joel while their passions slowly build up again. Maggie solves a minor mystery and becomes a homecoming queen for the local high school. Elsewhere in Cicely, Holling and Shelly prepare for the birth of their baby, who does eventually make an appearance and Ruth-Anne begins to date Walt.

Adam makes an appearance, to thwart Maurice's efforts to have fireworks in Cicely under the pretense that the company he is using are covert government operatives. Ed returns to working on film, even while training as a shaman, Maurice breaks his leg and loses his house to a fire and Shelly and Holling adapt to the presence of Randi. As the season winds to a close, the resident gay couple in Cicely gets married, Maurice tries to make money off a wheelchair race, and Joel finally accepts the magnitude of Cicely's effect upon him.

The only episode worth watching in the entire season is "Hello, I Love You," which has Shelly meeting a time-travelling version of her own daughter at the Laundromat. The episode is clever, allows actress Cynthia Geary to stretch beyond the strangely immature character of Shelly by giving her some real parental depth. Geary, for much of the rest of the season, is forced to play Shelly like a high school brat and the role becomes tiresome to watch, especially after Shelly loses her musical ability which made her remotely interesting at the end of the prior season. "Hello, I Love You" is psychologically interesting and does a good job of showing what could be if parents were given a chance to see the results of their childrearing before their kids are born and the concept is unique to this episode and it works.

Unfortunately, it is probably the only unique thing in this entire season. Maurice continues to try to swindle other businessmen, he retains his homophobia and he is portrayed as an absolute idiot in "Mite Makes Right." In that episode, Maurice pays over a million dollars for a violin and he refuses to consider the advice of a violin protege who insists it must be played or else the violin will be ruined. That Maurice is played as so monolithically stupid and into his investment just for the money reinforces the anti-capitalist messages Northern Exposure tends to have, save that in this case it does not logically track; Maurice is too smart to be so ignorant and not even pay attention to the violinist's view. "Mite Makes Right" is not a bad episode, but it follows on the heels of the one-note "Mr. Sandman," which is too obvious and the concept (people in Cicely begin dreaming one another's dreams) wears thin quickly.

Recurring characters like Bernard and Officer Barbara make their annual appearances, as do Adam and Eve. But the quirkiness that once made Northern Exposure interesting is gone and the series seems to be stretching for stories to tell. This seems as good a reason as any for the appearance of the gruff Walt to give Ruth-Anne a love interest and the plot with Walt becoming addicted to a light treatment is predictable and just bad. Fan-favorite characters like Chris are relegated to few scenes and almost no complete plots. Instead, Chris, Maggie and Holling (and even Joel for most of the episodes) take a backburner to stories focusing on Ed, Ruth-Anne, and Shelly. Unfortunately for viewers, they are not enough to carry the season.

For those interested in who the primary characters of Northern Exposure are, this is how the fifth season finds them:

Dr. Joel Fleischman - His tenure in Cicely rapidly running down, Joel looks to escape even as he realizes how much of a part of Cicely he has become. Irritated by a visit from his parents, he tries to have a dinner party (but fails completely) and he begins to date Maggie outright. He makes an effort to work with the fire department and admits to Maggie he cannot stand children. And when he and Maggie hit a bump, he is swallowed by the giant fish living in one of Cicely's lakes where he is taught a very valuable lesson,

Maggie O'Connell - Slowly warms to Fleischman after trying to solve a mystery of a local store and its weird owners. She builds her own airplane, becomes a homecoming queen (despite being in her thirties), and she buys a clothes washer only to discover she misses the socialization of the Laundromat. She also snags a doctor friend for Joel,

Maurice - Exposed as a shoe-fetishist when others dream his dreams, he tries to swindle a local native american businessman only to be bested in the transaction. He finds his colleagues have become geezers and tries to have Ed organize a film festival. After purchasing a rare violin, he breaks his leg and his house burns down and he is forced to rely upon others in Cicely,

Holling - Nervous (still) about becoming a father, his troubles multiply when Randi is born and he has to admit he renounced his Canadian citizenship decades ago. Things get weird for him with fellow birdwatcher Ruth-Anne when it is revealed his ancestor ate one of Ruth-Anne's during a blizzard. He begins to paint-by-number after Randi is born,

Shelly - Insecure about becoming a mother and shrill after Randi is born with Holling over religion and childcare, she has a brief lull when she meets future versions of Randi on the day Randi is born. She gets irked at Holling for his acting out during birthing classes,

Chris - Continues working at the radio station, save a portion of an episode where he quits because he learns that bloodpressure medication will keep him alive well beyond his initial expected life expectancy. Otherwise, he does sculpture, is frustrated when Bernard's new girlfriend (who is one of Chris's ex's) cannot tell them apart in bed, and he fawns over the Catholic priest who comes to baptize Randi,

Ed Chigliak - Gets the call to become a shaman. As he trains for that (undermined by a Green Man), he continues working on his film work and working at Ruth-Anne's store. He fails to arrange a film festival and when he snags an agent, his agent wants to completely alter his script "The Shaman." He betrays Ruth-Anne and Walt's relationship at a dinner party and still struggles to understand what virtually anyone in Cicely is saying,

Marilyn - Continues to show up to work at the clinic each day, though she uses patient's records to figure out who to date,

and Ruth-Anne - Pursued by Walt suddenly, she begins to question her priorities. After having a spat with Holling, she and Walt hook up. Still, she becomes upset with the residents of Cicely and abandons the store to join a motorcycle gang. Upon returning, she and Walt are outed.

There are no great performances in Northern Exposure The Complete Fifth Season. In this season, all of the principle cast simply does what they have been doing for the prior years and their performances in this season seem somewhat lackluster, as if the actors know they are not doing anything new and they are peeved about it.

On DVD, Northern Exposure The Complete Fifth Season comes with a slew of deleted scenes, many of which simply offer more quiet, awkward moments to each episode. Given that this is DVD, it is disappointing that there is no branching that allows the deleted scenes to be put back into the episodes. Given that the deleted scenes are now all relegated to the fifth disc, putting the clips back in their relevant episodes is not even remotely possible. There is a season five featurette as well and a "play all" function, but there are no commentary tracks on any of the episodes.

Northern Exposure is a supposedly quirky dramedy set in Cicely, Alaska and there is nothing quite like it on television, either before or after. In the case of how the fifth season presents its stories, this is not a bad thing. Fans of the series will find greater economic and space-saving value in Northern Exposure: The Complete Series (reviewed here!), but those looking at the seasons of Northern Exposure and considering which ones to buy can easily pass "The Complete Fifth Season" by. It is not funny, it is not well-developed and it is not distinctive or even interesting for most of its episodes.

For other fifth seasons of television shows, please check out my reviews of:
Gilmore Girls - Season 5
Frasier - The Complete Fifth Season
Friends - Season Five

4/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2009 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Season Four Of Northern Exposure Sinks Again Into More Mediocre Territory, Even On DVD.

The Good: Good DVD bonuses, Moments of character
The Bad: Most of the performances are average at best, Plots stagnate
The Basics: Northern Exposure - The Complete Fourth Season disappoints fans and DVD collectors with its lack of originality.


Northern Exposure is not one of the series' that has managed to hook me the way it seems to captivate a lot of people who watch it. It is, good at its best, but more often than not, it falls short of my expectations based on how great everyone once thought it to be. My point here is that Northern Exposure might have been groundbreaking and different at its time, whatwith being one of the first dramedies on television. But for those who were raised after that and/or are just catching the series now on DVD, it's a much tougher sell. Yes, the envelope has already been pushed and the bar has been raised higher.

With Northern Exposure - The Complete Fourth Season I am very much reminded of this. I have been, admittedly, slow in getting back through the individual seasons of Northern Exposure since watching and reviewing Northern Exposure - The Complete Series (reviewed here!). The thing is, the reason it has taken me so long to get back through it is that the series is not as inspired or exciting as it initially might have seemed.

In the fourth season, the residents of Cicely, Alaska return with Maggie trying to reconcile her past lack of luck with men and Joel discovering his stay in Alaska has been extended due to a faltering economy. Joel goes crazy when the sun doesn't set, Marilyn learns to drive, Holling returns to high school and Maggie fights with an anti-feminist pilot. The white residents are accosted by the Native population during Thanksgiving, Maggie takes Joel home to Michigan for the holidays, Maurice has to approve his son's marriage to the daughter of a war criminal, and he throws a magnificent dinner party to which Joel is not invited. Ed continues to search for his father and Shelly begins to feel the urge to change her relationship with Holling. And Ruth-Anne falls in love with a traveling salesman who returns to Cicely for her.

But what the fourth season of Northern Exposure is arguably most known for is the appearance of the heroic and neurotic Mike Monroe, who lives in a bubble and Joel and Maggie finally have sex. Maggie and Mike hit it off, despite his extreme germaphobia. Maggie draws Mike out of his bubble and in the process, the two develop a close friendship that begins to make Joel jealous. But then, of course, Maggie and Joel find their way to one another for a random sexual encounter which . . . actually does not change everything.

Northern Exposure - The Complete Fourth Season is especially anticlimactic. After leading up to a relationship between Joel and Maggie for over three years when they finally make love and nothing becomes of it, the viewer is left disappointed. After all, it's not that they are the two leads of the series and need to come together, but rather both have had inclinations toward one another for years. They fantasize about each other, they have interest, the viewer is ready for them to become something. When they finally make love, that they don't truly express love for one another . . . it's disappointing.

In prior seasons, Maggie and Joel have been kept apart by their relationships with other characters and Maggie's sudden interest in Mike seems more like an attempt on the part of the producers to drag it all out. Rather than getting to it, they delay it even longer and this is just disappointing after so long the wait. All the hours on DVD until we get to that point delay the seemingly inevitable and in the fourth season, we're ready for it to be there and it's not.

Similarly, Mike Monroe adds little to the eclectic cast other than a character who seems more like weird for the sake of weird. He is played by Anthony Edwards who I just recently saw in The Forgotten and he was fine, but in this role, he is actually wonderful. He plays quirky with panache and realism that works. It makes sense that Peg Phillips finally joins the main cast, but Edwards is just on as a recurring guest star, no matter how memorable he and his character are.

The thing is, the Complete Fourth Season of Northern Exposure is very little new compared to what one might have seen before. The third season was more fresh and original than this one and in fact, it feels in a lot of ways like the show has taken a step backward for season four. Maurice is back to being prejudiced against virtually everyone, though the most compelling moments for his character come when he actually has a character struggle outside simple racism. The only truly incredible thing about Maurice in this season is that her speaks what now seems taboo and fresh again. Yes, there are references in the media and on Boston Legal about how Barack Obama does not "sound black." In this season of Northern Exposure, Maurice makes the same comment about Chris's erudite brother, Bernard. At least in this one regard, Northern Exposure - The Complete Fourth Season was ahead of its time.

But the show, more than the recycled plots with holidays, new characters popping up, and strange occurrences that happen around town in Cicely, Alaska, is mostly about the characters. In the fourth season of Northern Exposure, the principles include:

Dr. Joel Fleischman - When the economy falters, Joel's four years in Alaska are commuted to five. He slowly moves in on Maggie, especially after she shows a preference toward Mike Monroe. He finds himself becoming more and more a part of Cicely and begins to resent when he is not included like one of the natural residents. He also begins to explore his Jewish heritage much more,

Maggie O'Connell - Having (mostly) resolved her conflicts with her past over the men in her life who have died due to being in love with her, she finds herself drawn to the reclusive Mike. She and Fleischman clash, though they each rescue one another throughout the season and eventually they make love without falling in love,

Shelly - She begins to feel her biological clock ticking and her love for Holling grows to the point that she begins to hallucinate. She resolves her hallucinations in a rather unique way and when she does, she soon finds herself bearing the consequences of that,

Holling - In addition to hunting birds with his camera, this season he discovers his sperm is not as immobile as it once seemed when his adult daughter arrives in town. Disappointed in her, he soon finds his love for Shelly is all he truly wants. He also graduates high school,

Maurice - Becomes the bearer of bad news for Joel, condemning him to an additional year in Cicely. His life is saved by Chris when he almost falls off the roof of Rosalyn's Cafe and he works on expanding his communication's empire. He also is forced to come to terms with his actions in the Korean Conflict when his son wants to marry the daughter of a Korean War despot,

Ed - Restarts making movies and he comes to believe he has found his father once again,

Chris - Almost extradited for his past crimes, he continues to be the spiritual center of Cicely. He officiates a funeral for a friend, advised Joel, strengthens his bond with Bernard and puts up with Maurice, whom he saves from a dangerous plunge. As well, he inadvertently kills the pets of a woman he becomes smitten with,

Ruth-Anne - Is wooed by a traveling salesman and accompanies Holling on his bird "shooting" expedition,

Marilyn - She encounters the Flying Man again, who she refuses to marry. As well, she learns to drive and takes a vacation to Seattle,

and (recurring) Mike Monroe - A lawyer by trade and training, he is terribly afraid of germs and as a result lives in a bubble. He looks into Joel's contract, helps defend Chris, and keeps an eye out on the environmental disasters he fears, leading him to leave Cicely. He and Maggie hit it off.

In the fourth season, none of the acting actually stands out. This season, all of the performers hold the line for their past performances. In other words, none of the players do anything we have not seen them do before. Anyone who has not seen an episode of Northern Exposure might enjoy the way these characters are established by their various performers, but for those who have been watching from the beginning, there is nothing new here. The characters grow in very minimal ways, but the performers do not infuse the characters with anything not already seen in prior seasons.

As with the prior seasons, most episodes have deleted scenes or alternate takes presented on the DVDs. This is pretty much all we can expect of Northern Exposure. There are also three promotional spots presented on the DVDs and they are mildly amusing.

But it's not enough to make one shell out for these DVDs. They are remarkably average television and it is hard to get excited about adding this set to one's permanent collection.

For a slightly better idea of what this boxed set includes, please check out my reviews of the the following episodes included in the set:
"Northwest Passages"
"Thanksgiving"
"Northern Lights"
"The Big Feast"

For other fourth seasons of comedies, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Frasier - Season Four
Weeds - The Complete Fourth Season
30 Rock - Season 4

5/10

For other television reviews, please check out my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Repetition Does Not A Hit Make; Northern Exposure - The Complete Second Season Freezes.

The Good: Moments of character, Moments of humor
The Bad: Repeats much of the same stuff we've seen before, Nothing great on the plots.
The Basics: In a somewhat disappointing season with excellent DVD extras, Northern Exposure does little to progress and more to repeat.


It's a rare thing that I give a television series a second chance when the first season underwhelms me. After picking up Northern Exposure - The Complete First Season (reviewed here!), I found myself largely unimpressed by the series and yet, as part of a sale, I was able to pick up Northern Exposure - The Complete Second Season cheap, so I figured I'd see if the series got any better as it went on. Sadly, on DVD Northern Exposure is just more of the same in the complete second season.

Dr. Joel Fleischman, trapped in his contract in Cicely, Alaska as the town doctor, is dumped by his fiancé, which frees him up to continue his love-hate relationship with local pilot Maggie O'Connell more or less unfettered. Fleischman treats the locals, who this season hallucinate (or simply see a long-dead Indian spirit, depending on perspective), lose their voice, decide to get circumcised, and run naked through the streets. As well, he poses as Maggie's boyfriend for her father and succumbs to her sense of destiny when she dreams his death.

The superlative moments in the second season of Northern Exposure all come in the last three episodes ("Spring Break," "War and Peace," and "Slow Dance"), by which time most viewers who have already sat through season one will likely have been turned off by the repetitiveness of the series. In "Spring Break," there's a wonderful parody of Robert Palmer's "Addicted To Love" video with Fleischman dreaming an erotic dream, in "War and Peace," Maurice engages in a duel with a Russian and the result is a hilarious breaking of the fourth wall, and in "Slow Dance," the O'Connell curse returns with a vengeance to dispatch Rick.

The problem, for those keeping score, is that Rick was dispatched in season one. Frustrated with his belief in the O'Connell curse when he fears he might be seriously ill, Maggie dumped her fellow pilot, which left her single at the end of the first season. Yet, come the second season premiere, Rick is back and no explanation is given for his return. This is more troubling on the character front than on the plot front; Maggie is consistently portrayed as a strong, independent woman who does not need a man, be it Fleischman or Rick. Why would she take Rick back if he believed she would be the death of him? This troubling character/plot point merely prolongs what the viewer begins to feel will be the inevitable hooking up of Fleischman and O'Connell. After all, in the second season premiere, Fleischman finds himself single.

As with the first season, Northern Exposure - The Complete Second Season does not seem so eccentric and crazy as many people made it out to be. Instead, it has moments of amusement spread thin between long stretches of slow development and plotless episodes. The show is so much more about setting and characters who seem inorganically different (i.e. eccentric for the sake of being eccentric as opposed to any real motivation for eccentricity). While that may have had some appeal in the first season, come the second it feels largely repetitive.

But the show does manage to be about memorable character. In the second season of Northern Exposure, here is how the series finds the principles:

Dr. Joel Fleischman - Abandoned by his fiancé, Elaine, Fleischman continues his indentured servitude in Cicely while continually sparring with Maggie. He helps Maggie convince her father that he is her boyfriend to get her approval, helps Holling when the senior citizen decides to get circumcised, becomes conflicted about flying to New York when Maggie dreams of his death, and goes crazy with the rest of the town during the ice breakup,

Marilyn - Shows up and supports Fleischman,

Ed Chigliak - Goes in search of his father after trying to help Fleischman through his breakup with Elaine. He also falls in love with a farm girl and enlists Chris's help in wooing her after becoming an investigator in the rash of thefts in Cicely,

Chris Stevens - Loses his voice to a beautiful woman who is passing through town (which is hellish for a d.j.), writes poetry for Ed, exposes two of the town's founders for lesbians, and watches over the dead body of a stranger no one knows,

Shelly Tambo - Becomes a television addict when Holling gets a satellite dish, becomes enamored with the idea of her older beau getting circumcised, and becomes jealous of him when an old friend comes to town and they connect,

Holling Vincoeur - Gets Shelly a satellite dish (and regrets it), prepares to get circumcised for Shelly (and fears it), bullies his customers for a fight while waiting for the spring thaw (and gets it), is plagued by nightmares of a cinematic variety (and pays for it), and spends time reminiscing with an old friend who visits town (and has to explain it),

Maurice J. Minnifield - Works a real estate deal with two homosexuals who are willing to overpay on property he is looking to unload, fights a Soviet with whom he has a past, falls for a state trooper, has an annual affair with an astronaut groupie, and looks out for an unknown dead man in town,

and Maggie O'Connell - Helps Fleischman through his breakup with Elaine, helps restore Chris's voice through her sexual powers, and uses Joel to convince her father her taste in men has improved. This leads her to start dreaming of Fleischman and as a result, she becomes drawn to him and feels guilty when Rick is taken out.

Unfortunately, the moments of brilliance in the show - like the cast suddenly debating how to resolve a scene that is fast moving into a shooting duel - are few and far between and while the acting is good, none of the actors do anything they did not already do in season one. In short, none of the actors grow in terms of their acting ability across these eight episodes. Instead, they simply reprise their roles and let the viewer watch them do more of the same.

That's not bad in all cases. John Cullum, for example, uses the second season and the greater airtime he is allowed to make Holling a more vital and watchable character. Cullum does little new with Holling, but he appears more often, making his character more familiar and he plays the part well.

As with the first season of Northern Exposure, season two is packaged in a remarkably unhelpful padded package that tells the buyer nothing about the series. There is still nothing within the show to explain the bulky packaging. But the DVD extras are decent with a plethora of deleted scenes and "unexposed footage" for each episode. The unexposed footage is a collection of outtakes, alternate takes and gaffs that allow the dedicated viewer a virtual film school on the decisions of the director and editor on how to assemble an episode. But there are only eight episodes on two disc and that's not much value for this series.

But there's nothing really new here. Season two plods along and, in some ways, the viewer is simply waiting for Rick to get out of the picture to see how Joel and Maggie will hook up. The tension is there and the direction seems inevitable. Watching much of Northern Exposure - The Complete Second Season calls to mind the Monty Python gag from The Holy Grail with hordes shouting to "Get on with it!" This season does not and ultimately, that's why it's take it or leave it.

I'd vote for "leave it."

For a better idea of what this set contains, please check out reviews of the individual episodes available, which include, "Spring Break," reviewed here!

For other sophomore seasons of quirky or interesting shows, please visit my reviews of:
Once And Again - Season Two
Weeds - Season 2
Strangers With Candy - The Complete Second Season

4.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011, 2008, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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You Can Leave, But Just Don't Go: Northern Exposure The Complete Sixth Season Sinks!

The Good: Performances are mostly fine, Moments of character
The Bad: Drawn out exit of Morrow, Character development is terrible, Plots are repetitive and droll, Prevalence of "alternate universe" episodes.
The Basics: As Dr. Fleischman makes his departure from Cicely, Northern Exposure Season Six degenerates into something untenably bad.


Watching classic television shows, it makes me wonder sometimes how the phrase "jump the shark" did not come into the popular vernacular much, much sooner. So many television shows that people called "great" go out with such a whimper as opposed to ending while at their peak or while there is still a respectable level of quality. Shows like Homicide: Life On The Street had to retool completely for its seventh season (reviewed here!) and in the sixth season of Northern Exposure, the show starts falling down and it just keeps falling. Rather obviously, Rob Morrow planned a departure from the show and the series worked to contain the fallout. But, given how awkward the season begins, the departure of Rob Morrow was not the only problem with the show, but it was the death knell.

Part of the problem with the sixth season of Northern Exposure is that Morrow as Fleischman just keeps leaving. As a result, when the character finally makes his last departure, it is anticlimactic. At least as bad is that he is replaced with two characters - the new Doctor, Phillip Capra, and his wife, Michelle - who do not truly pop. The sign that the show was terminal before the Morrow problem, though, was certainly the sheer volume of "alternate universe" episodes. Northern Exposure innovated well the idea of realities outside the main cast's lives - flashback episodes wherein the main cast played historical figures, dream episodes and the like - but when they continued to do episodes like that, especially early in the season before the characters could be re-established in the new season - it robbed the season of actual, genuine, character development.

After a story involving the history of Cicely in the wake of the Russian Revolution and Joel encountering the Ghosts Of Yom Kippur Past, Present & Future, Joel and Maggie have a serious falling out. In the wake of their break up, Joel heads north and begins to live off the land in a remote portion of Alaska. This forces Maurice to bring Dr. Capra and his wife to town. After a few weeks of settling in with Michelle, Dr. Capra begins to become a part of the community, buying land and even getting involved with the one Italian neighborhood in the village. And when Joel's term in Alaska is up, he makes his exit through an unlikely quest and supernatural methods.

When O'Connell returns to Cicely, she runs for mayor and butts heads with Ruth-Anne. More serious is that Chris realizes he has a severe crush on her and though she initially rejects him, the two begin moving toward an actual relationship. As Capra and Michelle negotiate their relationship, Ed tries to stand on his own and Maurice finds himself reunited with Officer Barbara Semanski.

Northern Exposure moves toward its inevitable end with little enthusiasm, though the show continues to upend the main characters. While Holling and Shelly have remarkably little to do in the sixth season - despite the appearance of another apparently illegitimate child of Holling's - the rest of the main characters have severe changes in their arcs. The two new characters are not nearly as interesting as one might hope and ironically, Teri Polo as Michelle easily outshines Paul Provenza's Dr. Capra. Outside the "alternate universe" experiences, most of the show treads where it has gone before and while things happen to the characters, they do not truly develop, grow or change.

The main characters in the sixth season of Northern Exposure include:

Maggie O'Connell - After years of an on and off relationship with Dr. Fleischman, they move in together and then figure out they cannot get it to work. When she and Joel break up for good, she runs for Mayor and wins. As well, she buys the abandoned local movie theater and becomes an entrepreneur. After a disastrous attempt to get trash pickup in town, she gets the lead in the town play, opposite Chris. In addition to bowling, she begins to open to Chris's advances,

Dr. Joel Fleischman - After realizing how poorly he treats his peers, he goes A.W.O.L. After being sure that Dr. Capra will take care of his community, he makes his way back to the place he has always wanted to be,

Chris Stevens - Despite being devastated that Joel has abandoned Cicely, he gets his Masters degree in Comparative Literature. After trying to champion Maggie's trash initiative, he aids her in bowling, acts opposite her and ultimately learns to dance to be closer to her,

Holling - Reluctantly takes on his "illegitimate son" and thwarts Maurice's attempts to take over his daughter's life,

Shelly - Settles in to being a mother and gets a little jealous when she is cast as a waitress in the town play,

Marilyn - Adapts to Dr. Capra's presence and learns that Joel actually has the ability to change,

Ruth-Anne - Hires Walt as a favor, but realizes she cannot work with the man she has fallen in love with,

Dr. Phillip Capra - Moves in to Cicely, then begins to rediscover his Italian roots. He and his wife Michelle have a falling out when he tries to control her life and activities,

Michelle Schodowski Capra - Not used to the cold in Alaska, she becomes impatient with Phil's sudden agoraphobia. She is a writer and happily becomes a reviewer for the local paper, which causes problems with the Vincour's. She chooses the simplicity of becoming a waitress over sticking close to Phillip,

Ed - Continues his Shaman training and even dates the Chief's daughter. His film career fizzles and he does a little work as a private eye. He has a falling out with Maurice and problems with Ruth-Anne, though he helps Capra assimilate better,

and Maurice Minnifield - Distressed over the dropping population, he takes out his anger on Ed. When the rogue violinist resurfaces, he is reunited with Officer Semanski. He is pissed when Chris has a party in his home and he invites most of the town up to Tranquillity Base, his cottage away from Cicely in order to end the series.

Northern Exposure is neither funny nor dramatically significant in its sixth season. It is merely an ending of a series that had overstayed its welcome. Not at all essential, even for fans of the show.

For other final seasons of television shows, be sure to check out my reviews of:
Frasier - Season 11
The West Wing - The Complete Seventh Season
Star Trek: The Next Generation - Season Seven

2.5/10

For other television reviews, please visit my index page by clicking here!

© 2011 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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Lackluster Exposure: DVD Extras Save Northern Exposure - The Complete First Season.

The Good: Interesting characters, Decent enough acting, DVD Extras
The Bad: Nothing really happens, Not especially funny or engaging, Packaging
The Basics: In a close call, the DVD bonus features encourage me to recommend this overrated series for those who might never have seen Northern Exposure before.


Friends, associates and well-wishers through the years (though I'm rethinking that last category as I judge my latest DVD set) have recommended Northern Exposure to me. There has been a pretty constant flow of people recommending it to me and with the DVD release of the series (I'm getting to it now because my local library got it, so I didn't have to invest in it!) it seemed like the right time to see what all of the fuss was about. With the advent and demise of Men In Trees, a dramedy set in Alaska, the basic premise of Northern Exposure was easy to grasp. In the first season of Northern Exposure, Dr. Joel Fleischman arrives in Cicely, Alaska to work off his student loan.

Dr. Joel Fleischman, a New York Jew, arrives in Cicely, Alaska where he is indentured for four years to pay the state of Alaska back for paying for the good doctor's education. In Cicely, Fleischman finds himself in the company very different from people like those he knows. Irritated by the local pilot, Maggie, Fleischman is befriended by the local d.j., takes one of the local Indians under his wing, and is kept in town by the developer and former astronaut Maurice Minnifield.

Over the course of the first season, a paltry eight episodes on the front and back of two DVDs, Fleischman occupies most of the a-plots, wherein he does such things as: arrive in Cicely, works to convince Ed's Uncle to get modern medical treatment, disposes of a windfall inheritance from one of the locals, schemes with Maurice to lessen his workload by trying to sell some Japanese businessmen on a golf course in Cicely, deals with a flu outbreak, and teaches a childbirth class. Most of the plots force Fleischman and O'Connell (Maggie) together where they antagonize one another in a way reminiscent of the protagonists of Moonlighting. In short, there's the sense that the leads of Northern Exposure, kept apart by their love interests the first season, will eventually move from a love-hate relationship to a romantic relationship.

Northern Exposure is a supposed dramedy - it definitely falls more toward the side of drama than comedy - that is almost entirely dependent upon its setting for its originality. Cicely, Alaska is uncharted television domain and as a result, the setting is what provides most of the originality for the series. Otherwise, it's a pretty standard "fish out of water" series with Dr. Fleischman being set down in a place that he is unfamiliar with. In fact, setting is so important in Northern Exposure that it draws instant comparisons to Twin Peaks, another series with eclectic characters that traded on a unique and distinct setting. The comparison is so close that in "Russian Flu," there is a parody of Twin Peaks when Fleischman has a flu-dream.

The main difference between Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure is that Twin Peaks had a purpose. For all of the convoluted plots and weird characters, the series was always going somewhere. The mystery of who killed Laura Palmer motivated the protagonist and drove much of the series. The problem with Northern Exposure is there is no such motivation. Instead, this series rambles and lacks a sense that it is going somewhere. The episodes are largely episodic instead of serialized, which further weakens it on DVD; there are no real consequences that are built upon. The characters do very little in the way of learning and growing. And while the viewer might feel there is an inevitability to the relationship between Fleischman and O'Connell, the series is wisely taking its time in getting there. Wise, but also troubling because the series does not make much in the way of a statement.

Northern Exposure - The Complete First Season on DVD is redeemed by only two things. First, the characters are genuinely interesting and there is a good mix of individuals. The principle characters in the first season are:

Dr. Joel Fleischman - An uptight Jewish doctor who is condemned to Cicely, Alaska after the state of Alaska invests in his education. Pining for New York City and his fiance, a lawyer named Elaine, Fleischman whines and complains his way through the daily chores of visiting with the natives of Cicely and curing them of what ails them,

Marilyn - Fleischman's de facto assistant who created her own job and stoically keeps an eye on the new doctor,

Ed Chigliak - An Indian guide who introduces Joel to Cicely and guides him around the town. Ed has a passion for movies and begins to explore what it would take to make a movie about those around him,

Chris Stevens - The local d.j., an educated young man who spins records, talks to the residents of Cicely, and educates them on which poets were gay. Chris gets two solid episodes when Maurice adopts him so he'll have someone to pass his legacy to and when his half-brother arrives in town,

Holling Vincoeur - Mayor of Cicely and the owner of the local cafe where everyone eats. Holling is in his sixties and comes from a solid family that has extreme longevity and his romantic interest in Shelly keeps him busy,

Shelly Tambo - Holling's young lover, she is thrilled by the older man and believes she might be pregnant with his child, prompting the pair to head for the altar. Shelly was once coveted by Maurice, though she left him for Holling and her big surprise comes late in the season,

Maurice J. Minnifield - Former astronaut and now the business developer who sees the Alaskan frontier as the "new Riviera" and he has managed to get Joel into the community to help develop that vision. Maurice is conservative, somewhat repressed, and always scheming. He is also essentially human, having a brush with mortality, a musing on art in the community and begins to mend his broken friendship with Holling,

and Maggie O'Connell - Plagued by a string of relationships that resulted in the deaths of her partners, O'Connell is gun-shy but dating a fellow pilot, Rick. Antagonized by Fleischman, she nevertheless finds herself pushed together with him when the two inherit land from a dead hermit, she helps him fix up his cabin as his landlord, and the two travel to a nearby town to teach a pregnancy class.

Largely, the series is not funny, though it has quirky moments and most of the characters are more interesting than the standard television characters. A lot of the humor and weirdness of the series comes in the form of dreams and visions, which are generally well-constructed.

The second thing that saves this DVD experience (the case is padded and that's annoying and not a specific reference revealed in the first season) are the DVD extras. With only eight episodes, it's hard to get excited about shelling out on the series, but the episodes are packed with bonus features. Every episode has both deleted scenes and "undeveloped footage." The deleted scenes are, of course, the pieces that were shot, developed and prepared for broadcast that were cut for time or content. The undeveloped footage is a whole series of scenes, clips and sometimes just lines or alternative takes that the editors of the episodes knew were not going to make it into the episode before they ever had it developed. The undeveloped footage gives a wonderful and rare sense of how episodic television is assembled and the ease with which one may compare scenes in the undeveloped footage and the final cut makes for an intriguing viewing experience.

That is, if one cares enough about the series to bother. Northern Exposure is good, but it's not the "light the world on fire" series everyone sold it to me as. The characters are interesting and the setting is good, but I've already gotten a lot more mileage out of my DVD set of Wonderfalls (reviewed here!) than I have out of the Northern Exposure DVDs. Even a series pre-emptively axed like Wonderfalls, which I mention because it has some similar structural conceits, has more of a sense of originality and feel like it is going somewhere than Northern Exposure does in its first season. Once the viewer understands the setting of Cicely, Alaska, which might take the entire first season, the show becomes something of a one-trick pony.

But while the plots do not go anywhere new and different in television and the characters are as quirky as they can be without divine influence or superhuman powers, the acting in the first season of Northern Exposure is good. Even that is hard to judge, though. For example, Darren E. Burrows plays Ed and his performances are often very broken and stiff, which seems like it might be the character, but there's an uncertainty and erraticness to the performance that undermines that argument. Ed is a "live and let live" kind of guy, yet often his body language and delivery of lines is very stiff, which makes me question Burrows' choices as an actor (or the directors).

Rob Morrow is consistent Dr. Fleischman, annoying and whining his way through the series. He has an energy and arrogance to his performance that works well for the character. Similarly, Janine Turner does well as the alternately laid back and hot-tempered Maggie, who plays off Morrow well. Morrow and Turner actually have decent on-screen chemistry which makes their conflict and supposed eventual hooking up seem much more realistic.

The two gems of the first season are John Corbett as Chris and Barry Corbin as Maurice. Relegated to mostly bit roles that seem like cameos, John Corbett creates a distinctive and interesting hippie-like character for Chris. Corbett plays laid back and easy going with an intelligence and skill that works perfectly.

But it is Barry Corbin that steals the show. As Maurice, Corbin is authoritative, knowledgeable and completely in control. Corbin has a bearing and dignity that make him a believable leader and he pulls off the role of Maurice wonderfully.

Is it enough? Barely. I'm ultimately recommending the first season of Northern Exposure because it is good (though not great) television and it is entertaining. The DVD boxed set is a value for those who are into the series or those who want to take a chance on one season of the show. The deleted scenes and undeveloped footage are entertaining and are almost enough to make up for the annoying way that the Universal credit logo rolls before each episode.

For a better idea of what the series is like, check out my reviews of two of the episodes in this set! This set includes:
"The First Episode"
"Aurora Borealis: A Fairy Tale For Big People"
Thanks for reading!

For other first seasons of eccentric shows, be sure to check out my reviews of:
The X-Files - The Complete First Season
Buffy The Vampire Slayer - Season 1
Boston Legal - Season One

5/10

For other television reviews, be sure to check out my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.


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All Together Now In One Place: Northern Exposure - The Complete Series!

The Good: Somewhat less annoying packaging, Setting, Interesting characters, plots, Decent acting, DVD extras!
The Bad: Why didn't they start with this?! On balance, show is remarkably average.
The Basics: An entertaining but inconsistent show gets (mostly) decent DVD treatment which ought to please the fans, but not so much general audiences.


I have been steadily winding my way through Northern Exposure and that task just got much easier with the release of Northern Exposure - The Complete Collection on DVD. Now, all in one place, is the entire six season series in one DVD set. Unlike some collections, this is not a bundle pack of the old issues, rather a completely new packaging of the previously released discs. This makes it analogous to the new Angel Complete Series Set (reviewed here!). For those who already have the previously released individual seasons, there is nothing new in this set that you do not already have (save the bag package). Like the complete series set for The West Wing (reviewed here!), this boxed set takes up at least as much room as the original release, though I like this DVD bag as opposed to the annoying pillowed packaging the individual seasons came in.

For those who have never heard of Northern Exposure, it is a dramedy, one of the earliest programs that defied the clear-cut boundaries between drama and comedy. It began as a series filled with dry humor that seemed to defy the one hour format and evolved into more of a cross-culture, wacky situation drama that was often too complicated to fit into a half hour. So, the fifty-minute shows now appear wonderfully difficult-to-define on 26 discs representing the entire series.

Truth be told, I'm not a huge fan of Northern Exposure; friends of mine told me I'd love it and I generally haven't. The first two seasons are repetitive and not at all as original or interesting as I was told and the last season guts the concept of the show and doesn't truly work, either. And in between, the show is intriguing at times, fun at others and touching at still others, but what it is not is consistent. The show has pretty variable seasons and episodes and while the third, fourth and fifth seasons are worth watching, it's a tough series overall to sell.

For those unfamiliar with the series, Northern Exposure is a dramedy that follows life in Cicely, Alaska. Dr. Joel Fleischman, an uptight, conservative New York Jewish doctor finds himself confined to Cicely, Alaska for a term of five years for . . . his education. While going to medical school, Fleischman was given grants from the state of Alaska with the understanding that when he completed his training, he would become a doctor in residence in Alaska for five years. Fleischman is sent to the remote town of Cicely, which is not what he expected and certainly not what he wanted when he took out the loans.

Fleischman finds himself in a laid-back northern wasteland, living in a cabin and working in the town among people very different from himself. While Fleischman treats the residents of Cicely, he gets to know them and he forms relationships with the townspeople who are unlike anyone he knows back in New York.

Over his years in Cicely, Joel begins to loosen up with the natives and he does such things as join one of the Native American tribes, bring back a mystical woodsman named Adam, and carry on a love-hate relationship with local pilot Maggie O'Connell.

Indeed, Northern Exposure might begin as focused on Joel, but it soon begins to become a truly ensemble work focusing on Cicely, Alaska and all the happenings there. In due time, Ed begins to make movies, Maggie loses another boyfriend, Holling fights his demons in the form of Jesse The Bear, Shelly manages to actually get divorced from her hockey-player husband, Maurice sells a local inn to a pair of homosexuals (this is a big deal for Maurice), Chris builds a giant catapult to fling a cow as an artistic expression, and Marilyn continues to show up for work, despite never actually being hired as Joel's assistant.

This becomes an ensemble dramedy that goes beyond the awkward "fish-out-of-water" (or, in the humor of the show, a "Jew out of Brooklyn") story rather quickly and often Joel becomes a participant in a greater action around town and the show becomes more about the situation than Joel or even his participation in it. Indeed, some episodes do not focus on him at all and those episodes tend to be ones that have rather extraordinary plots, like finding a frozen body of a dead French man who offers an alternative ending to Napoleon's life or a Russian coming to town that Maurice challenges to a duel or Shelly's mother arriving and claiming to be her younger sister.

While the show is often quite plot-heavy, the best seasons do keep the plots focused on the characters and allows the characters to move the plots, as opposed to vice versa. As a result, it is helpful to know who the principle characters are over the 110 episodes of the series. The main characters include:

Dr. Joel Fleischman - Instantly annoyed to be living in the backwoods of the Alaskan frontier, Fleischman - a recent graduate from medical school - is slow to make friends in Cicely. He is soon abandoned by his fiance, leaving him single and very much alone. He soon finds camaraderie with Chris and a sparring partner with Maggie, who he tries to keep at an arm's length despite their mutual curiosity about one another. As he become privy to the medical needs of the townsfolk, he begins to develop sympathy and empathy for them and he soon discovers he is in exactly the right place for him,

Maggie O'Connell - The local pilot (which is an important job in remote Alaska!) who is a fairly liberal woman with terrible luck when it comes to men. Indeed, O'Connell has a reputation for having buried multiple boyfriends who have died in obscure ways, making it a tough sell for her boyfriend Rick to stick around. She delights in sparring with the uptight Fleischman and begins to develop bonds with Shelly and others in the town,

Chris Stevens - The local D.J., "Chris In The Morning," is a former felon who is now the town's resident philosopher. He is kind, slow to anger, and open-minded. Early on, he discovers that he has a half-brother who is black, with whom he shares a strange bond wherein they enter one another's dreams, inspiring Chris to declare himself an honorary person of color. Despite the fact that he works for Maurice, he is nothing like the conservative,

Holling Vincour - The owner of Roslyn's Cafe, the mayor of Cicely, and a senior citizen who comes from a long line of men who have lived to be well over 100. He has a temper (especially while waiting for the ice to melt in spring) and a great love for Shelly. Possibly Maurice's best friend in the world, despite having a falling out with him for years over Shelly. He was once a hunter, but renounced it after nearly being killed by Jesse the bear,

Shelly Tambo - Holling's very young lover, she was a former beauty queen who left Maurice for Holling some years ago. She was married to a hockey player (she had nothing better to do at the time), but is deeply in love with Holling, despite their age difference. She has an odd relationship with her free-as-a-bird mother, who treats Shelly as if she were her older sister,

Ed Chigliak - A local boy who has no known family, Ed is a bit of an outsider. He becomes enchanted with movies and becomes a budding filmmaker. A little clueless, Ed often happens into situations he does not understand,

Marilyn - a Native, she becomes Fleischman's assistant by virtue of showing up and declaring that she is. She once dated the Flying Man,

and Maurice J. Minnifield - the local entrepreneur, he is a conservative and a former astronaut. Maurice has a love of guns, drink and free market capitalism and it is a part of his vision of seeing Cicely made into a future resort that ensnares Fleischman in the town. He is brutish, prejudice and has a difficult time accepting things and people who are different from his white, upper-middle class vision of how things ought to be.

The show is well-acted by a pretty great cast and even offers them opportunities to truly stretch their acting wings. For example, in the episode "Cicely," the entire cast plays different characters as they envision the founding of the town ninety years prior. In the pretty terrible "Joel et Jules," Rob Morrow, who plays Joel plays his polar opposite, a character named Jules. Generally, the show is well cast, with actors like Barry Corbin, Darren Burrows, John Corbett, and Cynthia Geary establishing themselves within the mantles of very distinct characters.

Three members of the cast truly define the show, though and over the course of the series they are the ones to watch. Janine Turner, who plays Maggie, has the task of playing off Rob Morrow's Fleischman and Turner has a pretty unique gift for playing combative without being shrill. Turner has an antagonistic relationship (on-screen) with Morrow and the two play the relationship perfectly with a love-hate chemistry that seems utterly realistic. Turner has a wonderful sense of confidence that she brings to her body language that completely sells her abilities and her character.

Rob Morrow is given the task of selling the show, though, as much of the early series revolves around his character of Joel. Morrow is given the early challenge of being annoying and likable and while his character is pretty dismally irksome (he's written that way), whenever he is given the chance, Morrow proves himself a decent actor. In due course, he is forced to act while chained up, perform alternate reality versions of himself and actually smile (and stop complaining). He takes these character changes well and illustrates decent abilities as an actor, often performing with humor and vigor.

But it is John Cullum who is the one to watch when getting into Northern Exposure. Cullum is given the greatest acting duties by virtue of playing the character that has the most moods. So while performers like Barry Corbin and John Corbett might effortlessly establish the crank and the philosopher, respectively, they remain in those roles (or acting ruts, er, niches) almost the entire time. Cullum plays Holling Vincour and Holling is open and loving one episode, secretive and temperamental the next. He has a wide array of emotions and performances and Cullum's challenge - that he lives up to - is to create a unified character throughout, despite the varied performances. It's impossible to describe how, but Cullum always makes his varied performances seem like the function of the same character and Holling quickly became a favorite.

The problem with Northern Exposure is that - outside from the sometimes absurd and wonderful plots - the show often does not seem to know what it wants to do with itself. Take Holling and Shelly, for example. Holling is in his sixties and Shelly is in her early twenties. They are in love and have a relationship that is mostly stable. Every now and again, they fight and the usual issue between them is either cultural issues based on their ages. In the first few seasons, there are at least three episodes where their love is jeopardized because of Shelly thinking that Holling is too old for her or otherwise unsuited because of his age. It always comes back to the age difference. So, there's a cultural difference based on their ages; the only time they seem to address that is when it threatens their relationship. In other words, the show has a habit of establishing characters and relationships and not so much growing them as reiterating them over and over again.

On DVD, this series is wonderful for the bonus features! Almost every episode has deleted scenes and alternate takes (called "unexposed footage"). The deleted scenes are often fun and flesh out the characters and storylines better, though there are some episodes that lack extra scenes and some even have moments that are drawn out as if to fill the remaining time, which is pretty disappointing.

Fans of the series, I have learned, have been dismayed with the music on the DVDs. Having never seen the series outside the DVD collections, I did not notice anything off about the music. However, for the record, some of the episodes apparently replace songs that were in the original release with different music. I've never noticed this as a problem as it all seems to work out (unlike on the DVD released of the first season of Family Ties where the characters mention music that is not actually playing!). Die hard fans of the series will be disappointed to know that these discs are the same pressing as the original ones and the music that was originally altered for the DVD release still is.

On the balance, Northern Exposure is entertaining, but it's a hard sell on DVD. I'd be more likely to recommend seasons 3 - 5 as opposed to the entire series set, so my ultimate recommendation is to recommend this set to the die-hard fans who want the entire series and those who want the best, simply go for the prime seasons. Ultimately, the series falls as perfectly average, though the DVD bonuses are nice.

For a better idea of exactly what this series set entails, please check out my reviews on the individual seasons of Northern Exposure at:
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
Season 4
Season 5
Season 6

Thanks!

4.5/10

For other television reviews, please be sure to visit my index page on the subject by clicking here!

© 2011, 2009, 2007 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.

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