Northern Exposure

I was just thinking tonight about how much I miss it. I have most of the series on my DVR and every once in a while, I'll sit back and watch. I've seen every episode so I know what misadventures befall poor, put upon Dr. Joel. But every time I watch I glean something new, something I hadn't noticed a bazillion times before.

There is just nothing like it. A few series over the years have rivaled its creativity but have failed to capture its quirkiness. The chemistry between the actors/characters is palpable and the writing is just pure brilliance.For the most part, there is no single scene that can be described as defining or seminal. It's the sum of the parts that makes Northern Exposure such a masterpiece. And its that performance synergy that allows it to stand the test of time.

And I still feel sad that Joel and Maggie were simply not meant to be. Countless episodes of build-up and their union was just not written in the stars. Or in their case--the Aurora Borealis.

Chris Stevens the town DJ/clergyman/philosopher (John Corbett) had his own thoughts on the matter:

Rain usually makes me feel mellow: curl up in a corner time, slow down, smell the furniture. Today... it just makes me feel wet. What is it about owning things? Why do we feel the need to own what we love, and why do we become such jerks when we do? We've all been there, you know: we want something; we own it; and by owning it we change it. When you finally win that girl of your dreams, the first thing you do is try to change her. That little thing she does with her hair, the way she wears her clothes, the way she chews her gum. Until eventually, what you like, what you don't like and what you change all merges into one. Like a watercolor in the rain.

So true Chris. So true indeed.