Watch Northern Exposure with me: Episode 1-2

Although it's not strictly related to travel, I'm going to put these entries up on this blog, first because Northern Exposure has a very strong sense of place (making it an ideal pop culture place), and second because it's a fantastically philosophical show that benefits from multiple viewings. I don't want it to become a forgotten 90s relic. So, skipping the pilot and starting with episode 1-2, I'll be labeling these entries "watch NE with me." Hopefully this will build up into a nice collection, not of 'recaps' per se, but musings on each episode.

1-2 Brains, Know-How and Native Intelligence

Welcome to Northern Exposure 101. This episode covers territory that would become 'standard' for NE - Joel at first clashes with, then grows to understand the ways of The Other, in this case, Ed's Uncle Anku, a native healer. The B story, too, would be replayed throughout the series, as Chris' on-air musings rub the ideologically conservative Maurice the wrong way.

Maggie and Joel clash over her refusal to fix his faulty plumbing. She accuses him of being addicted to helplessness. Yet, when he makes an attempt to solve the problem, checking out a plumbing book from Ruth Anne's "library," she mocks him. Now, it could just be because I'm having some issues with a horrible leak in my bathroom ceiling that our landlord is strategically ignoring, but I side with Joel on this. It's Maggie's responsibility to fix the problem and the fact that she doesn't is simply immature. Of course, that's the thing about her character - Maggie can be the friendliest person in town when she wants to, but Joel seems to bring out her pent-up hostility. Of course, this is just another recurring theme that crops up in virtually every episode.

Ed is a surprisingly serious and somber presence in this episode. I'm not sure if that's due to the fact that his character was still in development, or an acting choice, as his Uncle Anku was ill. Ed really does seem quite desperate to make sure he receives medical attention. Joel evens bemoans his Bergman-esque "northern brooding."

One interesting twist in this "standard" episode is the reveal that Maurice's anger over Chris' comments on Walt Whitman stem not from his admitted homophobia, but from a childhood "trauma" concerning his hero, John Wayne. Maurice doesn't want Cicelians to take a sudden interest in Whitman simply because Chris has titilated them with information about his sexual preference.

Among the interesting touches:

The Ankus reference Little Big Man, a classic revisionist western, and even the makeup (which was part of an exhibit at Moving Image, where I used to work -- in other words, a major shout out.) But back to Little Big Man... I've noticed that the NE writers frequently mention films in this vein. As someone who studied films that depict Native American life, I always appreciate these references to semi-obscure movies. I think even Powwow Highway was mentioned once.

Maurice's love of show tunes starts here. Fans know that this little motif comes back several times. Typical of NE to have Maurice, the man's man, be such a theater nut. Of course, this is brought out fully with the arrival of Cicely's very own innkeepers.

I love the use of the March of the Siamese Children during the scene in Ruth Anne's. The song perfectly captures the tension between Maggie and Joel (even though it was literally about...Siamese children - funny how that worked out).

I've already noted that Ed wasn't exactly his freewheeling self in this ep, but he does pull a classic Ed-ism - not knocking during his opening scene with Joel. Classic wisdom: knocking is impolite.

Marilyn is already checking out Joel's Sharper Image catalog, as she continues to do in future seasons.

Here's a nice bit of continuity - Holling is revealed to be Cicely's mayor in this episode, as he oversees the town meeting regarding Maurice's takeover of KBHR. One person is missing from this meeting: Joel. In Democracy in America (season 3), Joel admits that he didn't know Holling was mayor. It all makes sense!

I'm convinced that this bit of dialogue is used later in the series: "You are going to die of [prostate cancer]." "We all die." Of course, ruminations on the meaning of death are par for the course on NE.