The Alaskan Riviera

In this episode, we discuss the Northern Exposure and its oft compared counterpart, Twin Peaks. 

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In this wrap up of season one, we discuss common themes, favourites and least favourites.

Episode: 1.8

Title: Aurora Borealis

Written by:  Charles Rosin

Directed by:  Peter O'Fallon

Aired:  August 30, 1990

Plot Summary:  The whole town is troubled by the full moon. Joel is stranded in the wilderness at night and encounters a surprising figure, while Chris finds a surprising connection with a visiting stranger from Portland.

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Episode: 1.7

Title: A Kodiak Moment

Written by:  Steve Wasserman and Jessica Klein

Directed by:  Max Tash

Aired:  August 23, 1990

Plot Summary: Maurice contemplates his own mortality, Holling is on the hunt for Jesse the Bear, and Maggie and Joel lead a childbirth class.

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Episode: 1.6

Title: "Sex, Lies and Ed's Tapes"

Written by: Joshua Brand and John Falsey

Directed by: Sandy Smolan

Date Aired: August 16, 1990

Plot Summary:  Shelly's hockey-playing husband makes a surprise visit, Rick thinks he might be the next victim of Maggie's curse, and Ed has writer's block.

Show Notes: Elaine Miles talks about her dancing scene in Radiance Magazine here.

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Episode: 1.5

Title:  “Russian Flu”

Written by: David Assael

Directed by: David Carson

Date Aired: August 9, 1990

Plot Summary:  A mysterious flu takes over the whole town, while Joel tries to have a romantic weekend with his fiancé Elaine, who is visiting from New York.

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Episode: 1.4

Title:  “Dreams, Schemes and Putting Greens”

Written by: Sean Clark

Directed by: Dan Lerner

Date Aired: August 2, 1990

Plot Summary:  Holling and Shelly decide to get married, while Maurice and Joel try to seal a business deal.

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In this episode of The Alaskan Riviera, we discuss the third episode of Northern Exposure.

Episode: 1.3

Title: "Soapy Sanderson"

Written by: Karen Hall (from a story by Karen Hall and Jerry Stahl)

Directed by: Steve Cragg

Date Aired: July 26, 1990

Plot Summary:  Maggie and Joel are recipients of a generous inheritance, while Ed discovers the wonders of filmmaking.

In this episode of The Alaskan Riviera, we discuss the second episode of Northern Exposure.

Episode: 1.2

Title: "Brains, Know-How and Native Intelligence"

Written by: Stuart Stevens

Directed by: Peter O'Fallon

Date Aired: July 19, 1990

Plot Summary:  Ed asks Joel to help his ailing uncle, while Chris is fired from his radio show because of an American poet. Meanwhile, Joel has plumbing trouble and has to ask for Maggie's help.

Show Notes: Archived articles about Northern Exposure can be read at Moosechick's website, and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd" by Walt Whitman can be read in its entirety from the Poetry Foundation.

In the premiere podcast episode of The Alaskan Riviera, we discuss the first episode of Northern Exposure.

Episode: 1.1

Title: "The Pilot"

Written by: Joshua Brand and John Falsey

Directed by: Joshua Brand

Date Aired: July 12, 1990

Plot Summary:  Joel Fleischman, a doctor from New York, arrives in Alaska to fulfill his medical school financial obligation by working as a doctor in Anchorage, Alaska, for four years. However, upon arrival, he is quickly sent to the small town of Cicely, on the 'Alaskan Riviera'.