4.20 Homesick

Ed: Thanks for showing me the outside of your house, Maurice. I especially enjoyed the imaginary flower garden.

Original Air Date(1): March 15, 1993

Production Number (7): 77621

Written by(1): Jeffrey Vlaming

Directed by(1): Nick Marck

Log line(1): When Mike (guest star Anthony Edwards) gets test results showing he is completely healthy, he feels obligated to leave Cicely and Maggie behind to continue his environmental crusade.

Synopsis(1): Mike is in a quandary when his test results show he is perfectly healthy. Excited by his newfound fitness, he feels obliged to get out and fight in the battle for a better environment. Without much discussion or drawn-out contemplation, Mike leaves for Russia to help Greenpeace investigate unsafe nuclear reactors.

While Maggie is dealing with the shock that Mike is leaving, Holling is dealing with the invasion of pastels in his apartment. Shelly decides to play the happy homemaker and redecorate Holling's mismatched apartment. When the onslaught of pastels, canopy beds, and miniature glass unicorns arrives, Holling is so affected that he becomes constipated for the first time in his life.

Meanwhile, Maurice confronts ghosts from his youth when he transports his childhood home to Cicely to avoid its destruction. Rediscovering secret hiding places and dusting off old regrets, Maurice copes with the paradox of "going home again" without being able to go home.

Guest Stars(7):
Mike Monroe - Anthony Edwards
Dan the Contractor - Mykol Hazen
Malcolm - David Hrdlicka
Patient - Julian Schempi

Details (2): Break out the hankies, Bubblehead is leaving!

Quirky tavern owner Holling has had a regualr "evacuation" every day since he can remember, right after his morning cup of coffee (do we really need to know this?!!)

Ruth-Anne sells green victory ribbons, which the town wears in honor of Mike's heroics.

Music: (3) [Note: there is no music listed on the Moose's Guide and the NX Book 1st Edition ends at 4.10 Crime & Punishment for its music listings.]
email me if you know the music in this episode.

• Coolin Medley - The Cheiftans
[Ending when Mike leaves and Joel pats Maggie.]

Shelly's Earrings:
Globes [Directs the designers to her apartment.]

Additional Notes:

Joel (to Holling): Tell her you want your stool back. [Shelly gave away Holling's Athabascan footstool and he is also constipated.]

There was a dedication at the end of this episode for John "Yomi" Rothlisberger (1919-1993), but no explanation about him. Rothlisberger was an elderly farmer who lived in Roslyn, Wash.,where the show is filmed, and he appeared in virtually every episode as an extra. When he died, the producers and crew felt as if they had lost an adopted cast member. (From the original alt.tv.northern-exposure FAQ)

Footnotes and additional research:
1. The Revised and Updated Northern Exposure Book, 2nd Ed. by Louis Chunovic (1995)
2. Revised NE Bible: New and Improved fro 94-95 season! Memo from: Ursula Wendel and Cynthia Cohen- Gugisch
3. Print-out of Jude Shabry's music list from the Moose's Guide to Northern Exposure.
4. Intertain 2000 collection of NX music online
5. Geoff's Miscellany
6. Kevin Wright's Culture NX Quotes for Season 4.


Created 1/29/02

Previous EpisodeEpisodes HomeMoosechick Notes Main PageNext Episode

Northern Exposure is Copyright © Universal City Studios. All Rights Reserved.