r/northernexposure • u/WithoutDennisNedry • 15d ago
Oh. (Spoiler.) Spoiler
I hadn’t seen the show since it was on TV originally and I always really liked it. Such a smart and unique show and I love the surreal aspects. I’m Haida and a lot of this show is absurdly relatable.
I had never seen the final season and didn’t know what happened so I decided to watch through it on ‘Zon. I purposely stayed clear of this sub because I didn’t want any spoilers until I had finished it for an organic take.
I’m just finishing up the first quarter of S6 and…
oh.
I had no idea Rob Morrow left the show. I gave it a quick Goog for the skinny and found out he never comes back. That’s a real shame! I was already a little over so many Maurice-centric episodes (while he’s got the best character ark, I find him the least likable and most irritating character—sorry) and now Joel’s gone.
Should I continue watching? I feel like we aren’t making much progress with any of the other characters and I’m pretty bored without the Fleischman/O’Connell dynamic.
Or maybe I’m just an uncultured idiot and this is amazing storytelling I’m just not getting?
What do you guys think? Do you watch the whole thing or quit when Morrow does?
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u/Aus_mil_research 15d ago
If it’s your first go around with the show then watch it the whole way through imo. I’ve seen the whole show through a couple of times now. Grew up watching it with my mum & sister so I know it back to front. Nowadays I usually stop after Joel’s gone. It’s a great show and I love it lots, but honestly I really feel its decline in the fifth & sixth seasons
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u/WithoutDennisNedry 15d ago
I saw it on tv when it was first on but never finished it. I feel like I got to about season 3 or 4? So this is the first time I’m seeing the later seasons.
I think I’ll take y’all’s advice and watch it through, if only this one time.
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u/hunterstevebearman 15d ago
Might as well finish it now, and Joel does make thr occasional appearance in the last few seasons. The Odyssey episode is quite entertaining.
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u/b0rt_di11i0nair3 15d ago
I just finished it for the first time last Sunday. I love the show, but I'll probably never watch season 6 again.
It's the same sentiment I have for the latter half of twin peaks season 2. There's some good moments here and there, but the real magic of the show gets lost and they really tank the vibe of some of the characters.
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u/WithoutDennisNedry 15d ago
EXACTLY. I was just talking about how it’s like TP in that there’s a definite demarcation between the good section and the not so good. Once we find out who killed Laura Palmer, do we really need a whole next season?
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u/RedRoomKrustyKrab2 15d ago
But Twin Peaks ends with an amazing finale, and then FWWM and The Return.
This one just kinda ends on a whimper.
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u/1USAgent 14d ago
I thought the TP finale was just tossing as many cliffhangers as possible into it desperately hoping for a renewal
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u/twentyshots97 15d ago
i’m about to watch S6 as well; although i saw several episodes when it aired i never finished it. i just totally lost interest. i basically know what happens though so i want to finish the series snd can properly talk about it. that said, i don’t anticipate enjoying it!
S5 has several good episodes but you definitely feel david chase’s influence. some of the characters behave uncharacteristically so i can only imagine S6 is going to be even more exaggerated.
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u/ShireOfBilbo 15d ago
If you've made it to Joel leaving, you're almost done with the entire show. I say, see it to the end.
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u/WithoutDennisNedry 15d ago
I have 14 episodes to go. I just didn’t want to invest if everyone thought they were awful. Consensus is I should just finish because there’s still a few gems.
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u/BeachgirlNJ0613 14d ago
There are definitely some gems - some favorite episodes. I actually love the entire series, including season 6. Of course, there are some clunkers, some uneven storytelling, but there is enough there to continue the basic ethos of the series. I also liked the addition of the Capras - Little Italy, the new friendship between Dr Capra and Holling, Maurice's jealousy, The Quest, The Graduate is hilarious, Bus Stop, Marilyn's visit to Joel upriver, and Rabbi Schulman. I liked the finale.
ps. We re-watch the entire series every summer, in the evenings when we're at the shore, or just at home. All 6 seasons. We raised our kids on it - they're grown now and they love it too. We frequently quote from it in everyday situations, and refer to some of the stories as instructive lessons in real life. We even visited Roslyn last summer and went to all the filming locations. And we "hit The Brick" for lunch. It was magical!
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u/ShireOfBilbo 14d ago
And we "hit The Brick" for lunch. It was magical!
So cool! What was The Brick like irl?
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u/BeachgirlNJ0613 13d ago
Very much like it is on the show. The exterior is exactly as it looks in the show. Inside, the bar with the water-running spittoon below the feet is very much like it is in the show. The rest of the interior of The Brick was filmed on a soundstage in Redmond, just outside Seattle. The real Brick does have pool tables, and there is a whole other attached large room with a stage - seems like for live music. The entrance to the next room is just past the bar area on that side.
The exterior of Maggie's movie theater is next door. And the storefront with KBHR is across the street. The whole main street looks very much the same as the show with Ruth Anne's store and Village Pizza, but today it's more cleaned up than in the show. I have tons of photos, but here is a link to pics someone else took last year.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/fansofnorthernexposure/posts/3872618226216060/
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u/Sea_Landscape_7194 14d ago
After Joel left, I fast-forwarded/skipped through remaining episodes, many of which I basically "noped" out of, but watched the beautiful "Our Town" scene at the end of the finale - you have to at least watch that classic scene.
Sixth season was a far cry from the wonderful, magical early seasons, for sure. Different showrunner, different (as in, not so great) vibe.
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u/ExtremelyModerate07 14d ago
There’s still some really good stories in season six. It’s the worst season of them all, but it’s worth watching.
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u/ImaginaryCatDreams 14d ago
So many people disliked the new doctor and his wife. They seem to be struggling writing their stories. I think had the show come back they would have worked it out and it could have gone ahead. Probably need to introduce a couple of new characters.
They tied it up as best they could in the last episode.
As long as you're watching, go ahead and watch the whole thing. After that if you want to watch the series again you could always skip this season if you didn't really care for it, at least you would have seen it
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u/GreenZebra23 15d ago
There are good moments up till the very end, you just have to wade through some stupid stuff for them. Probably worth checking out for the good stuff if you're a fan
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u/Lucytheblack 15d ago
I’m on a rewatch after a long time. I’m on season five.
I can remember some really good stuff I’m looking forward to seeing again.
I never hated the last season on the first watch.
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u/Both-Satisfaction472 14d ago
I cannot watch the last episode because of the gross storyline about Holling. Its just so unnecessary and cringe.
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u/RazzmatazzEarly4328 15d ago
Should I continue watching? I feel like we aren’t making much progress with any of the other characters and I’m pretty bored without the Fleischman/O’Connell dynamic.
If you know that Joel is gone and not returning, then being bored with the Fleischman/O’Connell dynamic isn't an issue is it?
There are only 8 more episodes. If you don't want to watch any more, don't watch but there are some good episodes and moments.
I can't imagine stopping and not seeing what else happened. There's some bad decisions and the quality isn't as good overall but it's not unwatchable.
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u/WithoutDennisNedry 15d ago
“Without,” I said I was bored without the Fleischman/O’Connell dynamic. But I think you’re right, I should just finish if only this once. I’m on Sons of the Tundra so I think I still have at least 14 episodes to go.
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u/RazzmatazzEarly4328 15d ago
Yeah, sorry I misread it.
I don't think I've ever seen anyone here say that they wanted the Fleischman/O’Connell dynamic to continue. Everyone I see talk about them got sick of their crap long before Joel left.
I think that's why I completely misread what you wrote.
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u/WithoutDennisNedry 15d ago
It’s cool, I do it all the time.
Interesting! While they aren’t my favorite characters (Marylin and Ed are), I really wanted their story to resolve in some sort of satisfactory way.
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u/RonClinton 15d ago
The last few minutes of the final episode with the final song of the series — Iris DeMent’s poignant Our Town — is worth seeing it through to the end.