Episode: 4.20

Title: Homesick

Written by: Jeffrey Vlaming

Directed by: Nick Marck

Aired: March 15, 1993

Log line: When Mike gets test results showing he is completely healthy, he feels obligated to leave Cicely and Maggie behind to continue his environmental crusade. 

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.19

Title: Family Feud

Written by: David Assael

Directed by: Adam Arkin

Aired: March 8, 1993

Log line: When a totem pole is carved for the Whirlwind family, a family feud originating from an incident in 1934 is resurrected, dividing the Native Americans in Cicely. 

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.18

Title: Northern Lights

Written by: Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider

Directed by: Bill D'Elia

Aired: March 1, 1993

Log line: Maurice befriends Cicely's first homeless man; Joel goes on strike when his vacation is denied; Ruth-Anne, Chris, and Holling perform their various winter rituals. 

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.17

Title: Love's Labour Mislaid

Written by: Jeff Melvoin

Directed by: Joe Napolitano

Aired: February 22, 1993

Log line: Maggie forgets having sex with Joel; Ed faces an arranged marriage; a rare bird is seen.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.16

Title: Ill Wind

Written by: Jeff Melvoin

Directed by: Rob Thompson

Aired: February 15, 1993

Log line: Drastic tension between Maggie and Joel; Maurice is unhappy when Chris saves his life; Ed is intrigued by death. 

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.15

Title: Learning Curve

Written by: Jeff Vlaming

Directed by: Michael Vittes

Aired: February 8, 1993

Log line: Much to Joel's distress, Marilyn goes on vacation by herself; Holling attempts to earn his high school diploma; the regional teacher spends two weeks in Cicely and almost becomes a role model for Maggie. 

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.14

Title: Grosse Pointe, 48230

Written by: Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess

Directed by: Michael Katleman

Aired: February 1, 1993

Log line: Maggie bribes Joel into accompanying her to her grandmother's birthday party in Grosse Pointe, Michigan. 

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.13

Title: Duets

Written by: Geoffrey Neigher

Directed by: Win Phelps

Aired: January 18, 1993

Log line: Ed's spiritual guide leads him to his natural father; Maggie and Mike share their first kiss; a traveling piano tuner visits the Brick to adjust its ancient upright.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.12

Title: Revelations

Written by: Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider

Directed by: Daniel Attias

Aired: January 11, 1993

Log line: Chris takes his vacation at a monastery; Ruth-Anne pays Maurice the remaining amount owed on her store; Joel becomes incredibly antsy when he has no patients.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.11

Title: Survival of the Species

Written by: Denise Dobbs

Directed by: Dean Parisot

Aired: January 4, 1993

Log line: It's human nature versus Mother Nature when Ed's terrifying apocalyptic dream scares him into making a plan to save the world. But Maggie is more concerned with the environment in her front yard when she discovers artifacts from an ancient female. 

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.10

Title: Crime and Punishment

Written by: Jeff Melvoin

Directed by: Rob Thompson

Aired: December 14, 1992

Log line: Chris' past finally catches up with him and he is apprehended and tried for breaking parole in the state of West Virginia many years earlier.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.9

Title: Do the Right Thing

Written by: Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider

Directed by: Nick Marck

Aired: November 30, 1992

Log line: An ex-member of the KGB visits Cicely to sell Maurice his official Russian dossier; a health inspector surveys The Brick for the first time in more than thirty years; Maggie makes a vow to herself to live each day as if it was her last.  

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.8

Title: Thanksgiving

Written by: David Assael

Directed by: Michael Fresco

Aired: November 23, 1992

Log line: Cicely readies itself for the annual Day of the Dead parade and Thanksgiving Day feast; Joel discovers he owes the state of Alaska a fifth year of service.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.7

Title: The Bad Seed

Written by: Mitchell Burgess

Directed by: Randall Miller

Aired: November 16, 1992

Log line: Everyone is shocked when Holling's unknown illegitimate daughter arrives in town - especially Holling who believed he was sterile. Maggie assists Marilyn in her search for her dream house. Ed is excited about his annual visit from Princess, a crane he took under his wing when she was abandoned as a baby.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.5

Title: Blowing Bubbles

Written by: Mark Perry

Directed by: Rob Thompson

Aired: November 2, 1992

Log line: A mysterious new resident quarantines himself in Cicely, arousing Maggie's interest and Joel's disbelief. Ruth-Anne must also cope with a new addition to the community - her materialistic son, Matthew, who gives up his career as an investment banker in Atlanta in search of a simpler life.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.3

Title: Nothing's Perfect

Written by: Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider

Directed by: Nick Marck

Aired: October 12, 1992

Log line: Chris kills a dog with his truck and quickly falls in love with its owner. Maurice buys an extremely expensive Augsburg clock and with its delivery comes a highly trained specialist to install it.  

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.2

Title: Midnight Sun

Written by: Geoffrey Neigher

Directed by: Michael Katleman

Aired: October 5, 1992

Log line: Joel is "light loony" and, with his enormous amount of excess energy, coaches the Cicely Quarks in their annual basketball game against Sleetmute. An old friend drops in to visit Ruth-Anne and outfits the town from his collection of fashionable ensembles.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 4.1

Title: Northwest Passages

Written by: Robin Green

Directed by: Dean Parisot

Aired: September 28, 1992

Log line: To celebrate her thirtieth birthday, Maggie spends the weekend camping alone to reflect on her life an cleanse her soul. Marilyn asks Chris to help her learn how to drive. Maurice rambles endlessly into a recorder about his past in an attempt to write his memoirs.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

We have finally reached the end of Season Three. In this podcast episode, we discuss themes and arcs of the season, and we reveal our favourite and least favourite moments, characters...all will be revealed.

Episode: 3.23

Title: Cicely 

Written by: Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider 

Directed by: Rob Thompson

Aired: May 18, 1992

Log line: Joel stumbles upon an elderly sage who tells him the story of Cicely's creation. 

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.22

Title: Our Wedding

Written by: Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider 

Directed by: Nick Marck

Aired: May 11, 1992

Log line: Adam and Eve decide to wed for the baby's sake; Maggie avoids Joel like the plague, still believing that they slept together in Juneau; Officer Semanski serves Maurice with an official complaint. 

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.21

Title: It Happened in Juneau

Written by: David Assael

Directed by: Michael Katleman

Aired: May 4, 1992

Log line: Things heat up between Joel and Maggie when they are forced to share a hotel room; Chris and his brother Bernard for the first time are not in perfect synch with each other. 

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.20

Title: The Final Frontier

Written by: Jeffrey Vlaming

Directed by: Tom Moore

Aired: April 27, 1992

Log line: Much to Holling's dismay Ed discovers that Jesse the bear has died; Japanese tourists infiltrate Cicely; a package that has traveled the world arrives in Cicely addressed to an unknown person.  

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.19

Title: Wake Up Call

Written by: Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider 

Directed by: Nick Marck

Aired: March 23, 1992

Log line: The coming of spring brings love to Maggie, a new skin to Shelly and a reminder to Joel of the importance of blending compassion with his scientific knowledge.  

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.18

Title: My Mother, My Sister

Written by: Kate Boutilier and Mitchell Burgess

Directed by: Rob Thompson

Aired: March 16, 1992

Log line: Shelly's mother drops in unexpectedly with her new twenty-four-year-old husband, a baby abandoned in Joel's waiting room is temporarily adopted by the townspeople, and Adam undergoes the same changes as his pregnant wife.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.17

Title: Lost and Found

Written by: Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider

Directed by: Steve Robman 

Aired: March 9, 1992

Log line: Joel discovers his cabin is haunted, Eve is worried that she is suffering from an exotic illness, and Maurice is disappointed when his old friend from Korea turns out to be less than perfect.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.16

Title: The Three Amigos

Written by:  Robin Green and Mitchell Burgess

Directed by: Matthew Nodella

Aired:  March 2, 1992

Log Line: The death of a rugged hunting companion sends Holling and Maurice into the wilderness to make good on a promise to bury him miles from civilization at a paradise called No-Name Point.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.15

Title: Democracy in America 

Written by:  Jeff Melvoin

Directed by: Michael Katleman

Aired:  February 24, 1992

Log Line: Mayoral incumbent Holling is stung by the news that he has a formidable opponent, old friend Edna Hancock, who's got a bee in her bonnet over a promise he never kept. The election also finds Shelly testing the aphrodisiac of power, Ed anticipating his first time voting, and Joel and Maggie arguing party politics.  

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.14

Title: Burning Down the House

Written by:  Robin Green 

Directed by: Rob Thompson

Aired:  February 3, 1992

Log Line: Maggie receives a double dose of disaster when her mother accidentally burns down her house after announcing she is divorcing Maggie's father. Meanwhile, Chris searches for the "right" cow as part of his new piece of performance art.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.12

Title: Our Tribe

Written by:  David Assael

Directed by: Lee Shallat

Aired:  January 13, 1992

Log Line: Joel reluctantly undergoes a cultural conversion after receiving a goat as a gift from a grateful village elder, who insists on "adopting" him into her tribe, and a mysterious Holling shuts down the Brick, ostensibly to wax the floors. 

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

The Alaskan Riviera is interviewing Northern Exposure fans, and people who have been inspired to work on a project related to the show. This week, we talk to Chris Valley and Stephanie White, who happen to run three (!) Northern Exposure Facebook Pages:

Northern Exposure Philosophy

Ed Chigliak

KBHR's Chris and Bernard

Check out Chris and Stephanie's answers to our Northern Exposure questionnaire on our blog.

Episode: 3.11

Title: Dateline Cicely

Written by:  Jeff Melvoin

Directed by: Michael Fresco

Aired:  January 6, 1992

Log Line: Maurice goes out on a limb to spice up his newspaper’s coverage by hiring an unnamed reporter given to clandestine meetings. Maggie talks to trees, but Joel won’t listen, and to ease Holling’s tax debts, Chris becomes a partner at the Brick, where he sets about sprucing up the place.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.10

Title: Seoul Mates

Written by:  Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider

Directed by: Jack Bender

Aired:  December 16, 1991

Log Line: Maurice, dreading being alone for the holidays, gets a big surprise when his gift is an instant family of his own. Meanwhile Maggie, dreading being with her family, gets a big surprise when her parents opt for a Caribbean Christmas without her.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.9

Title: Get Real

Written by:  Diane Frolov and Andrew Schneider

Directed by: Michael Katleman 

Aired:  December 9, 1991

Log Line: Magic is in the air when the circus comes to Cicely. Marilyn becomes romantically involved with The Flying Man, while Holling fears his passion for Shelly may be waning when he realizes her feet are big. 

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.8

Title: A-Hunting We Will Go

Written by:  Craig Volk

Directed by: Bill D'Elia

Aired:  November 18, 1991

Log Line: After grousing about the hunting frenzy sweeping Cicely, Joel sees firsthand what it's all about by outfitting himself to join Chris and Holling for the primal ritual in the wilds. Holling, however, prefers the home fires to the campfire, while, back in town, Ed fears that Ruth-Anne is being stalked by the Grim Reaper. 

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.7

Title: Roots

Written by:  Dennis Koening

Directed by: Sandy Smolan 

Aired:  November 11, 1991

Log Line: Joel grapples with the possibility of a new start with his old love when his ex-fiancee Elaine visits Cicely; Bernard brings Chris is inheritance from their father, giving Chris the opportunity to go to Africa, as his dreams have told him to; and Adam becomes the chef at Holling’s Bar.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

The Alaskan Riviera is branching out into interviewing Northern Exposure fans, and people who have been inspired to work on a project related to the show. We’re delighted that our first interview is with Mirpy Daniels, a transplanted New Yorker who is developing a Northern Exposure musical. You can find out more about the musical and her other projects at mirpydaniels.com.

You can also see her answers to our first Northern Exposure questionnaire on our blog.

Episode: 3.5

Title: Jules et Joel

Written by:  Stuart Stevens

Directed by: Jim Hayman

Aired:  October 28, 1991

Log Line: Joel’s twin brother Jules, a charming but conniving rogue, creates a stir when he arrives in quiet Cicely to visit his sibling.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

We discussed 3.4 "Animals R Us" in a previous podcast episode, which you can find here.  And we wrote a blog post comparing the shooting script and the final episode, which you can find here. 

This podcast episode is an audio commentary for "Animals R Us" that is meant to be played while you watch the episode. We will give you a countdown so you will begin the episode at the same moment as us. That way, we will all be in sync. As we watch the events of 3.4 unfold together, we will comment on what we are seeing; we tried to make these comments significantly different from what we discussed in our earlier podcast episode and blog post, though that was challenging. This is an experiment that was fun for us to do -- and really made sense for an episode that is so focused on cinema and even features Ed and Grandma Woody commenting on a film they are watching (Dryer's Ordet). 

Sit back and re-watch this episode with us. It's not quite as much fun as if we were Ed and Grandma Woody, but it was an entertaining experience. Maybe we'll try it again some time. 

Episode: 3.3

Title: Oy, Wilderness

Written by:  Robin Green

Directed by: Miles Watkins

Aired:  October 7, 1991

Log Line: Joel is a reluctant survival student when he and Maggie become stranded in the wilderness. Shelly’s best friend Cyndy comes to Cicely asking Shelly to divorce Wayne, because Cyndy has been married to him for six months.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

Episode: 3.1

Title: The Bumpy Road to Love

Written by:  Martin Sage and Sybil Adelman

Directed by: Nick Marck

Aired:  September 23, 1991

Log Line: Maggie discovers the late Rick was unfaithful and proceeds to distrust all men; Maurice's tax indiscretion could destroy his relationship with Officer Semanski; while Joel is toted off to the woods to play marriage counselor to wildman-chef extraordinaire Adam and his hypochrondiacal wife, Eve.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.

We have reached the end of season two! In this podcast episode, we discuss themes and arcs of the season, and we reveal our favourite and least favourite moments, characters...everything.

Episode: 2.6

Title: War and Peace

Written by:  Robin Green and Henry Bromell

Directed by: Bill D'Elia

Aired:  May 13, 1991

Log Line: Passages from War and Peace are woven into the lives of Cicely's residents and visitors, who experience Tolstoyesque nightmares and Dostoyevskian passions.

For more about the episode, visit our blog.