Northern Exposure (TV Series) Old Tree (1993) User Reviews

Some people just can't understand entertainment

[sjmills1 · 9/10 · 14 January 2024]

If Northern Exposure is anything, it's quirky. If it's something else, it's unexpected. Fans should know that. Those qualities are what draw us to it. So when Shelly gets an odd symptom during pregnancy-like most women do-we shouldn't be at all surprised that it's something *very* quirky and unexpected.

But that's just one sub-story in this episode. The real story is the sick tree. Cicely's love of this tree is so very, very "Northern Exposure". Of course, Ed is the first to notice the problem and is one of those most distressed about it.

The other sub-story is the yin and yang of Joel and Maggie's emotional battlefield, which is a fairly common go-to, being that it's what feeds the fire of their relationship.

So don't let a few musical numbers (that are really part of a very plausible plot) bug you. They only make this episode even *more* "Northern Exposure". To give the entire episode a poor rating is just lazy and over-reactionary.

I loved Shelly's singing!

[pmumby · 9/10 · 25 January 2024]

I'm rewatching on Prime after 30 years! Loved this episode, especially the duet with Holling. The old tree part was great too.

I loved this show back in the early 90's. I often rewatch old shows I liked, and usually I find I don't like them so much anymore.

Comedies are often dated, or just not as good as I remembered them to be. I have thought of this show often over the years. I always wanted to live in a place like Cicely, with that great group of characters.

Shelly was really a talented singer. I was lucky enough to see John Cullen, Holling, in Urinetown on Broadway. He was great.

I like every member of this cast, they are all so interesting and unique.

Maurice's growth and Holling's singing

[jlm110108 · 10/10 · 29 February 2024]

As another reviewer said, Cynthia Geary's singing wasn't great. But it was a relief to hear her singing with her own voice, and not being dubbed by a professional singer. It's also a treat to hear John Cullum sing! Their duet was beautiful.

It was sad to see Old Vicky cut down, but I liked the fact that Maurice regretted it in the end. In the last couple of episodes, ol' Maurice is really growing.

This series is old, but it has aged well. The surrealism and humanity in every episode is wonderful. Chris's speeches bring a sense of wonder to the show. And the quirky townspeople are a lot of fun.

Strange Ending Episode

[Hitchcoc · 6/10 · 12 March 2024]

Let's see. There is this old tree that has been around for over a century. It is showing signs of decay. Unfortunately, Ed notices this and soon it becomes a community issue. Maurice, naturally, wants the space and decides to have it cut down. Joel is roped into some decision making for which he is not qualified. That's interesting. Maurice getting his way. Barry Corbin does a great job of portraying this awful person. Now in the most absurd, we have Shelly suddenly singing all her lines. It is the most tedious stretch in this entire serie (in my opinion). As an addendum, we have Fleischman slowly demolishing himself while McConnel is present. I just did not enjoy this Season 4 conclusion.

The Singing Drove Me CRAZY!!!!!

[kimsher · 1/10 · 20 August 2017]

This is not a spoiler as it easily could have been included in the 2- sentence description of the episode. The Shelley character sings through the entire episode & it drove me crazy. It has nothing to do with her singing voice ... just that she talk-sang every single line of her dialogue in this episode & many of her scenes were LONG. My 9-star rating for this series as a whole plummeted to a 1-star for this episode. Probably just an opinion that is not shared by all. Or maybe others agree but seeing as it was filmed 25 years ago or so, I think I can let it go :)

Painful

[zombiemockingbird · 1/10 · 14 January 2024]

I love this show, and yes, it's because of its unexpected "quirky" plot lines; but this episode was painful to watch. Shelly is already one of my least favorite characters. She acts like mentally challenged sixteen-year-old, and although it's mildly entertaining, it borders on being disturbing. All that aside, the whole singing all of her dialog was just annoying. A little of it might have been funny, but there was way, way too much of it. The scenes went on way too long, the songs were weird, and no offence to Cynthia Geary, but I'm not a fan of her singing voice. The rest of the story line was good, but I just didn't find the Shelly story the least bit entertaining.

Bad Episode, Bad

[dickbfield-1 · 1/10 · 7 March 2020]

The centerpiece of the episode was Shelly singing her lines. Bad idea. Worst episode of the series. Can't win them all.