:: Tears of the Moon ::

:: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 ::

Northern Exposure.

I've been trying to understand what makes Northern Exposure so appealing to me. I watched this show when I was in high school, late at night on Channel 2. I remember watching it with the long lens of someone more than ten years older, and I still don't have the answer.

The location is boring.
It's set in the middle of Alaska, for Pete's sake. I live in the middle of the tropics. How else can I relate to their four-layer attire, the constant snow/ice on the screen, and these weird made-for-snow vehicles they have? I can't live further from their setting than if I spun the globe around, closed my eyes and stuck a pin on the other end. The actual scenes hardly ever change, the pace of the town is slow and sleepy. What the hell am I doing, staying on the channel?

The characters are simple people.
As simple, regular, and unglamorous as can be. They don't live sordid lives, they don't have dirty secrets. They actually as normal a life that people can possibly hope for. Why am I still glued?

The story pace is slow.
As slow as watching grass grow. Days roll by in eternal grayness of winter. The camera angles are steady, normally keeping the characters balanced on the screen. Nothing too dramatic or funky with the camera shots. I should've been asleep by now.

So what is it?

The location is boring.
It makes you focused on the characters, their relationships, their dialogue. While we're used to the snazzy, flashy TV locations to keep us entertained, sometimes it's in the mundane that we'd find something to appreciate. For me, since the location was completely alien to what I grew up in, all the double/triple-layered clothes, the snow shots were very interesting.

The characters are simple people.
They're quirky. They have their own little idiosyncracies. Beyond the apparent simplicity and nondescript features, they actually have something to say. They are actually invaluable people to know. And very interesting to watch. The dialogue is smart, the back-and-forth between characters very sharp. They're not Josh Lyman and Sam Seaborn, but the characters relish their lives. They're funny, and they're oblivious to it.

The story pace is slow.
It reminds me of life in my village. Every time we have a celebration in the neighborhood (Christmas, New Year, St Francis Day, Valentine's), it's the same people, same stories, same petty little jealousies ("My daughter's more successful than yours!", "I have grandchildren! Your children are too career-oriented!"). It's the same stories over and over, year after year. But there's comfort in waiting for stories to develop. In watching the grass grow. You have a better sense of appreciation for the minute changes, and slow development of people.

Maybe that's why I got hooked on it. Young as I had been, I didn't understand the intricacies of whatever social commentary the show was supposed to be about. I didn't know how good/bad the actors were. I knew that the dialogue was surprisingly witty for a show like that. I knew that I'd stay up late every Tuesday night (school nights, no less), with the TV volume waay down low (so I won't wake the parents up), and I'd be watching. I didn't get to rabidly follow the storylines (not with as much detail as I did with say, Roswell or BSG.. and since it was late, I'd be ready for sleep right after). But I stayed hooked. I was tuned in.

Now they're airing reruns every 10am on our local cable network. I can catch up!

:: D said @ 7:41 PM [+] ::
...

Today's horoscope is horribly apt:

You base your emotions on your experiences, so you don't have to give anyone the power to talk you out of your own reality. Ultimately it's going to be your choice and no one else's. If you trust your feelings, then act on them! If you are uncertain, carefully consider the alternatives, which could be even scarier.

Hmm.

:: D said @ 10:26 AM [+] ::
...

I'm incredibly happy for my friend. I'm just wary that she falls in love too far, too fast.

Maybe I'm just jaded?

Maybe I'm pihikan? I don't think so, though. I'm just.. surprised at how fast things developed from sort-of-dating, not-really-exclusive, to full-blown "We're together".

Maybe it's the sex?

So, when he went to the washroom for a little bit, she was like "So, what do you think?". She wiggled her eyes, and I smiled. I shrugged, somewhat nonchalantly.

"Well?"

"You see, sweetie. When that rat bastard your ex-boyfriend left you, I was there. I saw you pick up the pieces of your heart. So, I'm kinda wary. But, he's a good guy." I smiled encouragingly at her. Because he was a good guy. He seemed eager to please. I knew the guy, he seemed like a nice guy. I'm sure he is.

I was just kinda surprised at the speed - I thought they were 'taking it slow'? I thought they were just 'going steady'? And then in two weeks, here you go.

Is this the pace that these young'uns take now?

It doesn't compute.

:: D said @ 1:27 PM [+] ::
...