Northern Exposure: The Complete Second Season

Universal's lackluster packaging of this beloved series continues with this sophomore set: double-sided discs, paltry special features (inconsequential deleted scenes and bloopers), no episode guide, and a disposable parka slip cover (it was cute the first time). But in the case of Northern Exposure, as with Freaks and Geeks, it turns out the exorbitant purchase price (for a total of seven episodes here!) is justified to preserve the series' signature eclectic soundtrack, so vital in establishing the show's off-center charm. In the second season, New Yorker and self-professed "man of science" Dr. Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow) continues to have his beliefs tested by the tradition-bound locals. In one episode, disc jockey Chris (John Corbett) loses his voice and is convinced he must sleep with small-town Cicely, Alaska's most beautiful resident, Maggie (Janine Turner) to get it back. In another, Maggie's boyfriend is struck by a falling satellite ("You think they teach this in medical school?" asks a flustered Joel). "Spring Break," one of the series' best episodes, charts bizarre behavior brought on by the spring thaw, and heats up the sexual tension between Joel and Maggie, while "Slow Dance" is Northern Exposure at its humanistic best, as former astronaut and town bigwig Maurice (Barry Corbin) comes to terms with a gay couple who want to open a local bed and breakfast. It takes a village to make a great TV series, and for most of its run, Northern Exposure lived a charmed life; the warm glow from these 1991 early episodes has not diminished. Highly recommended. (D. Liebenson)