Sunday, December 4, 2011

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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