This episode is about everything. Scattergun. Centered is the news from the Alaskan government that Joel will not get a vacation because there is no replacement for him, leaving the town in danger. So our whiney medic decides to go on strike and withhold medical services. Of course, this leads to reprisals from the community. That's one thing. Then we have a guy who has decided that he will wander for the rest of his life, living off anything offered him, and scrounging for the rest. I found him to be mentally ill, but so what. In the most boring thing, Mike and Maggie end up getting it on, even though she thinks it will lead to his death. Holling apparently, hibernates like a bear and is asleep, leaving Shelly to do all the work. And finally, Chris is breaking into people's houses, stealing light bulbs, and drawing attention to himself again, leading to the grand finale. While entertaining, it's a mess of a plot.
Add a Review
-
eongoosm1 February 2017To say I'm biased... fine. Yet being a fan doesn't mean you lose all objectivity and I really would like to find reason to NOT be as enthusiastic about this series, in particular this episode. But all that said I'd encourage anyone interested in this (overall) uneven television series to--if nothing else--watch this episode from Northern Exposure titled "Northern Lights." My emphasis that I would ask any viewer is to appreciate the writing in N.E. There is character depth, humor, subtlety, scatological wit, I'd go as far as to put N.E. in-between Twin Peaks and E.R. It has a mainstream accessibility but moves along at such an esoteric pace. The writing finds you and leaves you behind all in the same scene. In this particular episode it feels like everything from cast to crew, above and below the line, were firing on all cylinders. Everything and everyone seems to be going nowhere in Cicely, AK. until all of sudden it brilliantly goes right to finish that you will never see coming. Yet in hindsight it was building in nearly every scene. It leaves you stunned, both visually which is the on-going metaphor of the episode but also in how concisely television can be crossed with literature. Again, I know this type of rave review can sound hollow, however I would faithfully put this episode in my top three all-time (up with MASH, Deadwood, and more recently Hodor has found the door). There's just such a sublime gracefulness to N.E. and in particular to this episode, Northern Lights, that I'm actually going to quote the dialogue from a film "American Beauty," when the character Ricky Fits says, "Sometimes there's so much beauty in the world, I feel like I can't take it, and my heart is just going to cave in."
Yes. It's really that good. -
vickia023565 August 2014This show, the whole series, was so progressive for it's time and still holds to that truth. I watched it back in the 90's when it aired on TV and my adult children are watching it now on their computers and I'm watching it all over again. My son said this evening that it's one of the only shows that is like the best of today's TV shows. Watch from the beginning as it moves through the lives of this small Alaskan town. The episode Northern Lights in season 4 has a number of the cast members making an about face to their choices and justifications for those choices. The last scene I hope will give you chills as it did me. Burning Man in the snow on a very small scale. I know Chris would be an active member of the Burn.