Northern Exposure - The Complete Sixth Season (1990)

NE #6

I went for the later episodes thinking I may not have caught the early ones. I loved what I did see. Two problems: I could not see how to watch the '2nd disc' which is part of 1st disc. The 1st disc I had never seen and was not happy with. Although good, It was not anything like what I remembered watching, ergo, dissappointed. July 21, 2008

Sad.

I did not enjoy this season. The first five, maybe, were good, but the rest were terrible. CAUTION! SPoiLER!

JOEL GOT LONG HAIR AND THE NEW DOC IS TERRIBLE!

The first half of the fifth was the best.

ADAM ROCKS! May 7, 2008

Best Episode is in this Season

Arguably the quirky likablility of Northern Exposure reached its pinnacle in the Horns episode, one of the last. The reversal of gender roles between Maurice and Barbara was priceless, although you did have to know who they were before and my son didn't notice any difference in Barbara. I loved seeing Maurice's machismo humbled by his own water and the words out of Shelley's mouth must be preserved for posterity. "When women do it it's a disease!" I don't know if DVD players will be around for my granddaughter's children but if they are, this one is going in my Will.
April 8, 2008

Great show!!

I am so happy that I could finally buy the last season of Northern Exposure on dvd; I live about 10 miles from Roslyn, Washington where it was filmed. It's a favorite in this neck of the woods!! Roslyn has a "moose fest" every year; please come!!! March 25, 2008

Sad, a Crash Landing

Never having watched the show when it originally aired I became entirely addicted to the DVD sets, and have blissfully devoured them all. For my money Northern Exposure is the second greatest TV series in the history of the medium, second only to The Fugitive.

I avoided watching the final season due to the dreadful comments of many Amazon reviewers but I finally gave in... and I'm sorry I did.

There are many specific problems and one that's more ethereal.

First, replacing Dr. Fleischman with another doctor whose attitudes, inability to adjust and general whininess exactly mirror his predecessor was a foolish move. It's hard to imagine the creative team who gave birth to this brilliant show making this decision - it reeks of one mandated by clueless studio executives.

Second, Paul Provenza as the new doctor and whoever as his wife, under the blanket of a dead script, create characters who could put a speed freak to sleep. Dull as dishwater and at times immensely aggravating.

Third, the entire cast seems to have had the wind taken out of their sails. Many are walking through their roles. Marilyn's usual stoney simplicity which for five seasons was cleverly rendered and at time hilarious in the final season now becomes shockingly boring. Too often season six has what the others never did - BAD acting.

Fourth, the reliance on fantasy, dreams, illusions, etc. is wildly overworked. The season opener's recasting of the characters in New York is clever and it entertains. But let's drop it there, please. Watching Provenza at one point turn into a werewolf while his wife serves him dinner is beyond painful. It's not clever. It's stupid.

The harder to pin down problem is that the magic is gone. The indescribable mix of sharp writing and quirky charm that makes Northern Exposure so unique is entirely absent. One always had the feeling that the characters loved each other. There's no love in these scripts.

If you feel like I do that there was always some fairy dust sprinkled on the streets of Cicely... you'll find that every bit of that dust has blown away... March 19, 2008

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