Monarch of the Glen was another fish out of water series that hits a lot of Northern Exposure notes.
Magical Realism: “Northern Exposure” 25 Years Later (2015)
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Re: Magical Realism: “Northern Exposure” 25 Years Later (2015)
#82There's a conversation Chris has in an episode called Heal Thyself, I think, where Maggie buys a washer dryer and won't need to go to the laundromat anymore. Chris reflects that in the future we won't need a lot of things that are part of society, due to technology like fibre optics. We'll watch cinema at home, and he wonders what will happen to these accidental social moments we have in places like cinemas and laund…
> "the viewer is expected to sit through Chris's other conversations on the radio about Whitman, Jung, mythology, the nature of death, and other philosophical and artistic references" These scenes were some of my favorite; which makes Chris [probably] my favorite character of the series. Probably, more than likely, it is due Chris's ability to describe "life, the universe, and everything" more eloquently than I ever…
It just feels like there are so many (life) lessons to be learned from the characters and especially from Chris. From his readings and interpretations, but also from his interactions with other characters.
I remember his patience with Maurice and others was exemplary, almost to a fault. Maybe he was more forgiving of others because he was incarcerated earlier in life, I don't know. In one episode he finally loses his cool with a builder who has completely bodged the decking and plumbing outside his caravan in a hilarious way, but even then he manages to stay calm and polite when firing him.
Re: Magical Realism: “Northern Exposure” 25 Years Later (2015)
#83Earlier quoted context omitted.
In Finland it was Villi pohjola - "The Wild North"
Hmmm, did that hit a bit different in Finland? A country which is actually just as north / further north than Alaska?
In some ways I would think so, even though culturally we’re rather different. Finland has its own sparsely populated "northern wilderness" – the Lapland region with its indigenous Sami peoples – that’s also somewhat mysticised and romanticized by the majority of the population living in the larger southern cities.
Re: Magical Realism: “Northern Exposure” 25 Years Later (2015)
#84Re: Magical Realism: “Northern Exposure” 25 Years Later (2015)
#85Filmed in Roslyn, WA - https://movielandmarks.com/#lm-1003
Just drove past The Brick yesterday. Roslyn's just a bit less rustic these days, e.g., a 2-bedroom 2000sqft house is going to set you back at about $600K.
Re: Magical Realism: “Northern Exposure” 25 Years Later (2015)
#86A film made in Scotland, using mostly Scottish actors, with barely a trace of tartan shortbread tin.
We need more like this please, and less of the Outlander shite.
Re: Magical Realism: “Northern Exposure” 25 Years Later (2015)
#87Such a great show, but difficult to classify. No drama, action or nailbites, no big belly laughs, more like smiles and chuckles. I was just a little happier after having watched most episodes. Very few shows like that, but Ted Lasso actually reminded me a lot of NEX in how it made me feel.
Agree. It's so wholesome, uncontroversially values driven but doesn't feel shoved down your throat like a recent episode of Law & Order might.
If you like Northern Exposure I recommend the other shows that were basically reboots of it: Hart of Dixie (which I prefer to the next) and Virgin River
Re: Magical Realism: “Northern Exposure” 25 Years Later (2015)
#88Earlier quoted context omitted.
This one always stood out to me on Marilyn's trip to Seattle: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylkbjjykgG4&list=RDylkbjjykg...
Seeing Seattle from the 90s reminds me of how much the city I knew growing up had already disappeared by the time I left as an adult
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Re: Magical Realism: “Northern Exposure” 25 Years Later (2015)
#89Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not so sure about that assessment of Twin Peaks. Look at the back half of season 2, where the "weird and wonderful characters" become the focus of the show. It's barely watchable. When Lynch came back for the final episode of that season he refocused it on Laura Palmer and brought back characters that hadn't been seen for many episodes, like Laura's mum or Audrey's brother. They weren't much fun, one being wracke…
Series 2 did overfocus on the characters, but the eccentric characters were there at the beginning. Log Lady was the most outlandish but Pete Martell and Audrey Horne get introduced early on and are quirky. Dale Cooper himself is pretty strange. I always thought the most boring major character in Twin Peaks was James Hurley, the would be biker. I never watched the third series. I think I got part way through the firs…
Log Lady is weird but not quirky. The back half of season two had Nadine mentally regressing to a high-schooler but with superhuman strength (played for laughs); Dick Tremayne, a pompous menswear salesman wooing Lucy (played for laughs); and Benjamin Horne reenacting the Civil War (played for laughs). It's all very cartoonish.
If you watch season three, Log Lady gets quite an emotional farewell as the actress was dying of cancer. It's Lynch's insistence on treating even the quirky characters as real human beings that makes all the difference.
Re: Magical Realism: “Northern Exposure” 25 Years Later (2015)
#90Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not so sure about that assessment of Twin Peaks. Look at the back half of season 2, where the "weird and wonderful characters" become the focus of the show. It's barely watchable. When Lynch came back for the final episode of that season he refocused it on Laura Palmer and brought back characters that hadn't been seen for many episodes, like Laura's mum or Audrey's brother. They weren't much fun, one being wracke…
I got the impression at the time that Lynch was figuring it out as he went along. Some days that worked; some days it really didn't but mostly carried through on the strength of its performances. I admit I haven't seen it since the original airing. I would likely evaluate it differently now.
He was, but his instincts didn't lead him astray. He still understood the heart of the show.