[alexyoung]

There's a conversation Chris has in an episode called Heal Thyself, I think, where Maggie buys a washer dryer and won't need to go to the laundromat anymore.

Chris reflects that in the future we won't need a lot of things that are part of society, due to technology like fibre optics. We'll watch cinema at home, and he wonders what will happen to these accidental social moments we have in places like cinemas and laundromats.

It was prescient, but the other part of Northern Exposure that sticks with me is the viewer is expected to sit through Chris's other conversations on the radio about Whitman, Jung, mythology, the nature of death, and other philosophical and artistic references.

I enjoy rewatching Northern Exposure, but it's sometimes disturbing how alien it feels today.

[NoSalt]

> "the viewer is expected to sit through Chris's other conversations on the radio about Whitman, Jung, mythology, the nature of death, and other philosophical and artistic references"

These scenes were some of my favorite; which makes Chris [probably] my favorite character of the series. Probably, more than likely, it is due Chris's ability to describe "life, the universe, and everything" more eloquently than I ever could.

[martijn_himself]

It just feels like there are so many (life) lessons to be learned from the characters and especially from Chris. From his readings and interpretations, but also from his interactions with other characters.

I remember his patience with Maurice and others was exemplary, almost to a fault. Maybe he was more forgiving of others because he was incarcerated earlier in life, I don't know. In one episode he finally loses his cool with a builder who has completely bodged the decking and plumbing outside his caravan in a hilarious way, but even then he manages to stay calm and polite when firing him.

[martijn_himself]

This episode is just one of the gems and if I remember correctly Maggie eventually returns the washer because she misses the social interaction.

I'd have to respectfully disagree and feel the show holds up surprisingly well when you stick with it and forgive it the sort of things you would find in shows of that time. It's like a refuge from the dark and gritty stuff that you can't escape on streaming platforms these days.