Customer Reviews

Northern Exposure: Spring Break [VHS]

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This is one of my favorite episodes because it first introduces Officer Barbara Semanski to Cicely, the future bride of Maurice Minnefield. The whole town is struck with "Spring Fever"in anticipation of the ice breaking and to go along with that is a healthy dose of mass "horniness". Joel and Maggie go at it for the first time and Holling gets his horns clipped when Officer Semanski, played brilliantly by Diane Delano, lands a TKO in the boxing ring before the whole town. Chris has his own scheme for reminding people about "chaos" by ripping off stereos and Ed tracks him down. A quote by Chris "Sometimes you gotta do something bad just to know you're alive"..Excellent episode!

Excellent episode from this great show. The ending makes this one memorable. After the ice breaks, all of the men in town gather together for their traditional "running of the bulls"- in the buff. The music is perfect' "Where the Wild Things Are"- about everyone's need to go a little crazy, and we'll go there together.

"Northern Exposure" was the quirky television program about Dr. Joel Fleischman (Rob Morrow), who graduates from medical school in New York and shows up in Anchorage to work for four years because the state of Alaska paid for his education. However, Joel ends up in the tiny town of Cicely in the Alaskan interior instead, setting up one of the best "fish out of water" television series of all-time as the young doctor has to deal with the strange characters of his new home.

"Spring Break" (Written by David Assael, First aired May 6, 1991) is a second season episode in which the long hard winter has the citizens of Cicely on edge. The title refers to the much anticipated moment when the ice of the frozen record breaks and heralds the coming of spring. But there are other telltale signs that spring is coming in. Holling is looking for somebody to fight, but cannot find anybody willing. That is, until Sergeant Barbara Semanski comes to town to investigate the minor thefts that are taking place all over town. But Ed is already on the case trying to figure out who is the kleptomaniac who commits a rash of break-ins during the meltdown each year, and Sergeant Semanski has to deal with catching Maurice's eye.

Meanwhile, Shelly is reading classical literature, Maggie is having sexual fantasies about Joel, and Joel is desperately looking for female companionship. A solid enough episode, but "Spring Break" strikes gold at the end when we get to Cicely's annual Meltdown Dance and then the glorious Running of the Bulls. The latter involves the men of Cicely running naked through the town and if you want to point to a moment where you can saw Joel becomes a real member of the town, this could well be it. Besides, the execution of the Running of the Bulls is almost as good as the idea itself.

Final Note: Apparently if you like to pay attention to tiny details and want something to look for when you rewatch a favorite "Northern Exposure" episode, then keep track of Shelly's earrings (no, you are not required to make this a drinking game). In this episode Shelly wears watermelon halves, blue vinyl records, globes, and a bowling pin & ball. I never knew this was a running gag on the show (obviously not interested in jewelry), but now that I now about this every time I see Shelly on the show now I have to punch pause and see what is dangling from her ears.

This is a gem of postmodern television. Spring is approaching, and along with it, the annual breaking of the ice. The stress of the ice manifests itself in many of the townspeople. See MTV, the Garden of Eden, the impermanence of material goods, boxing, and zen all come together for a rousing running of the bulls.

Great ensemble, hilarious storyline, funny dialogue, what more can you ask for? This is a must buy for all Northern Exposure fans!

Just another great episode of NE, with all the fun and quirky characters. With the spring break (of ice) coming, everyone is on edge, cranky, drinking, ready to fight, etc. Wonderful entertainment - too bad the series ended so soon. I visited the actual set in Washington several times, and it was fun to see Joel's office, the main drag, the old historic buildings, etc. Well worth the cost and it arrived in perfect condition.

Still using my VCR and wanted this particular episode of Northern Exposure. It has a small glitch or two in the latter part, but is quite acceptable.

This episode has everything that makes northern exposure good. If you have never seen northern exposure than this is a great one to start with.