Northern Exposure - The Complete Fourth Season (DVD, 2006, 3-Disc Set)

Northern Exposure was one of my all-time favorite shows. It combined elements of comedy and drama and weaved them together unlike any other show in T.V. history. Seasons 1-3 were the best of the Series. In my opinion, Season three is one of the best seasons of any show in the history of television. If you have a chance, purchase season three.

Season Four continued to tell the story of the New York Doctor, (Rob Morrow) forced to remain in a small Alaska town to repay his student loans. But for the first time, the show began to show signs of slipping. The producers of this series were upset with Morrow, after the actor demanded more money, at the conclusion of season three. Morrow even went as far as staging a two week strike during the filming of Season four. It Seams like the producers were intent on creating more of a ensemble show by relying less on Morrow's character. I feel that this direction hurt the overall quality of the show by taking us away from the previous focus on Morrow's character.

Season Four is referred derisively to as the "Bubble Boy Year" by fans of the series. The "Bubble Boy" (Actor Anthony Edwards), was a character who's immune system was so completely vulnerable to the toxins of the industrial world, that he was forced to live in a geodesic dome. The character was never very popular with fans of the series and he seamed to take the series off on a distracting tangent. Although the attempt to warn us about the dangers of environmental hazards was admirable, presenting a character so outrageous and over-the-top, seamed to trivialize the dangers of global warming.

In an effort to create a more ensemble cast, producers began given more screen time to minor supporting characters. Characters such as Marilyn, Ruth-Anne, Ed, and Bernard were given whole episodes to themselves. One episode in particular "Learning Curve" has Marilyn going to Seattle. Who Cares? "The Bad Seed" has Ed following a bird, What? The Worst was "On your Own" with Marilyn and the "Flying Man" terrible. The Character "Bernard" made the 2500 mile, 46 hour drive from Portland to Alaska about once a Month. What was up with that?

My major complaint I have about the DVD collection is the removal of many songs because of the cost of securing the copyrights. Music was an essential component of this show and eliminating these songs hurts the overall impact of several episodes. Episodes like "The Old Tree" omitting "Turn, Turn, Turn, by the Byrds, "Heroes" omitting "A Whiter Shade of Pale" by Procol Harum, "Blowing Bubbles" omitting "Sunny Side of the Street", by Lionel Hampton, "Grosse Pointe 48230," omitting "Aint too Proud to Beg" by the Temptations, "On Your Own" omitting "That's Amore" by Dean Martin. There should have some sort of notification on the package that these songs were being deleted.

It's seams like Universal put no time or effort into releasing these DVDs. There hardly any bonus material involved. No Cast commentary, no retrospective, no interviews with the producers or cast members. Just a few deleted scenes are all that are offered.

All that being said, there are still some best episodes of the series during Season Four: "Northwest Passage," "Nothing's Perfect," "Thanksgiving," "Do the Right Thing," "Crime and Punishment," "Revelations," "Duets," "Ill Wind," "Kadish, for Uncle Manny," "Sleeping with the Enemy," and the best episode of the season, "The Big Feast."

Northern Exposure Season Four Review April 14 2006

I Love Northern Exposure, first and foremost because the characters and the show itself is so original. Everyone is quirky in their own way. I always thought of season four as my favourite. Visiting the town of Roslyn, Washington in 1994 where they filmed the show, and meeting a few of the actors definitely fuels my love for the show. In this season the audience gets to meet some loveable characters, and some not so loveable. The German clock expert for instance that Maurice was a little bit confused about was a great storyline. Maurice thought in his mind that the expert might look more like a techno geek. With slicked back hair, glasses and well dressed with a tie and vest.
Holling's gambling, cheating, chain smoking daughter that he thought he never had was a real shock and hard to watch. I was glad to see her go after one episode.
The return of The Flying Man, Adam & Eve, and Duke Wan I was glad to see.

The one character I was really glad to see was the introduction of the bubble man, Mike Monroe. He gave Dr. Joel a whole new meaning of paranoid. Along with what Dr. Joel Fleischman describes as being a paranoid delusional, Mike is also a lawyer who manages to help a citizen of Cicely, get out of deep trouble.

The introduction of Walt the Trapper about half way through the season in a small role, cements him as a reoccuring character for the rest of the series.

Dave the Cook has a lot more speaking parts in season four, than in previous seasons. I always wanted him to say something in previous seasons. I think the writers' were waiting for the right moment.

The Miller boys make an appearance in one episode. The Miller family are the arch enemy of the Stevens' from all the way back to the Civil War.

Bernard, Chris's half brother also makes a regular appearance during the season. The storyline of Chris and Bernard Stevens is one of my favourite in the show.

This season has everything. Along with interesting, quirky characters, and great stories to match, one can't beat it. There are 25 great episodes that are so different from the other. There are also deleted and extended scenes in this package, along with two gag reels. Northern Exposure is my favourite show.
Season four is a great season. Go out and buy it!

What do I LIKE about Northern Exposure? It is a FANTASTIC DVD Set, so Far, I have Season's 1,2,3 & 4, and have thoroughly enjoyed each and everyone of them. Their Drama, their subtle, strange and blatant look at life in a small Alaskan town.

Comedy that does not insult us.

Worth EVERY Penny folks, Dr. Joel is still in the series.

The fourth season is better then the last. Maybe one of the best. I like the metaphysical/philosophical overtones contained within the series. Northern Exposure is one of my all time favorites series. I love the quirky characters.

Still am a Northern Exposure junkie, have a room full of memorabilia that I have bought since my first trip to Roslyn/Cicely in 94'. Had the whole run on VHS but the future is DVD this is great. Looking forward to our annual trip to Roslyn/Cicely to party harty in the Brick waiting for all my best friends to walk through the door...come on Spring Break it is not south for us but North to Alaska!