#6. Northern Exposure

This post explains how a show "Northern Exposure" got me into blogging.

Uki D. Lucas
May 05, 2024

It is Sunday, and today’s topic will be much lighter.

This post, over twenty years of blogging, and hundreds of conferences organized can be traced to an early 90s TV show, Northern Exposure

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“A compendium of letters blending technology startup management, stoic philosophy, active lifestyle ethos, and a love for culture. It aims to mentor and inspire through insightful content and practical advice, focusing on personal and professional growth for a balanced and fulfilling life.”

~ Uki D. Lucas

I do not expect many readers to know or remember the show.

The small town of Roslyn, WA, is located in the deep valley of the Cascade Mountains, only an hour from my home in Sammamish, WA.

It is a frequent destination for my family because of the beautiful settings and because it is a cult locale for my sister, her husband, some friends, and myself. The show is also fast growing on the rest of the family, though I know six seasons of the early 1990s show is much to ask to watch for someone in 2024.

I am sure now you say he is surely exaggerating his “cult” following. What would people not do to boost the excitement of their writeups?

Let me tell you that the first time we came to Washington, circa 1998, driving a minivan from Chicago, we arrived in Roslyn early in the morning. In excitement, we got out of the vehicle to take photos. My sister was so taken by the moment that she started crying and could not leave the car! This is what six seasons of this show will do to you. Epic.

Do not worry; she visited recently, twenty-six years later, and got her picture taken.

At the same time, a friend who watched the same show in Poland, “Stop Alaska,” moved to Washington. She is as excited about the place as we are. Cult.

While visiting and taking a photo, a young anthropologist, Elise, came up to talk to us. She is researching the mural in the picture above, which is the show's centerpiece.

We had a good conversation, but our excitement, or strong Polish accents, probably freaked her out. Anyway, she took notes and a phone number.

A few weeks later, today, she pinged me for more follow-up. I promised to get back to her as I had been preparing this week’s email post for several hours and was tired.

Well, I could not wait. When I dropped my kids off at a friend’s birthday party, I found a table to write at the hippest cafe in Issaquah Highlands.

I love writing. I love writing when something is burning inside of me. I love writing when I listen to good French music like Zaz or Indila. In French, so I do not understand the words.

Back to the show.

So what is so special about it?

The show is witty and very different. It is very intelligent and strangely sophisticated for its supposed Alaskan setting.

The protagonist is a total “schmuck”. I used this fitting Yiddish word on purpose, as the actor is playing Joel, a Jewish doctor from New Your City transplanted to a small village in Alaska against his will. I should say “antagonist” because the show is about him being, well, messed-up him, and the actual “protagonist,” which is the village with its peculiarities.

This Alaskan village was indeed a collection of characters.

This starts with Maggie, Joel’s landlady.

Joel and Maggie quarrel in every episode, mainly due to a lack of communication and misunderstanding of both parties’ positions, but the viewer can see their mutual attraction. Joel being contemptuous to everyone around is indeed an ass.

Maggie is absolutely lovely and intelligent, but she is also sophisticated. She comes from a wealthy family in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, a posh neighborhood on the lake. To round off her colorful character, she is also a bush pilot.

Chris, the radio host of the town’s only station, is why I am writing this. He is a “chill” multi-talented character whose calm and positive voice made me dream about broadcasting (wisdom) to a community in the age before the Internet, podcasts, or any other digital media.

In every episode, there was some off-the-cuff Chris’ comment on the radio that was a note-worthy philosophical one-liner to go by for the next 30 years of life.

There are Maurice, a retired NASA astronaut, and other bizarre characters.

One character who has a very short lifespan in the show is a patient named Joel. He was a loner with a pack of huskies—this is Alaska, after all. Joel, as usual, treated him with contempt. Only after his death did Joel learn that he was a well-published, double-doctorate retired professor with a strong following.

Most viewers dreamed of living in a town like that. Many guys like me had a crush on Maggie. We love Northern Exposure.

It's worth binge-watching on a rainy winter weekend in the Pacific Northwest (PNW).

My goal is not to rehash the whole show here. I just wanted to make a remark on this important piece of my personal history and hopefully get the reader to do some TV archeology.

I hope to see a good paper from our anthropology student, Elise. If I get a reference, I will link it here.

Good luck, and have fun watching!

Respectfully,

Uki D. Lucas

https://www.linkedin.com/in/ukidlucas/

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