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North of North - Review and Rec
I guess it's probably moot already, since North of North has been in the top ten shows on Netflix since it's been released there, and everyone is reccing it left and right, but... I've been meaning to write this post for a while and so here it is!
North of North: Siaja is in trouble - like always ;)
North of North is a short comedy show about Siaja, an Inuk woman, living in Ice Cove, a fictional town in the far North of Canada, populated by a wonderful mix of characters, some loving, some eccentric, some traumatized. The show's humor is always on point, and even the embarrassing foot-in-mouth moments Siaja keeps stumbling into are played with so much love and charm that they don't feel squicky.
The show is produced by Inuk women, it has a wonderfully female vibe, most of the characters and all producers are women. It was shot on location in the town of Iqaluit where the lead actress Anna Lambe grew up, and most of the actors are Inuit.
Is this a rec? Yes, very much so!
Does it have a happy ending: Depends on what you expect? It's a slice-of-life show, very character-focused, no 'important' plot arc, so the question doesn't really apply? I personally found it satisfying to watch.
Where can I watch it? Netflix. If you're in Canada, it's also on CBC Gems. There are 8 episodes each about 23 minutes long.
I hope they will get a second season The show was renewed for season 2, I would love to spend more time with those characters!
* Dang, I really wanted her and Kuuk to get together. Okay, it was obvious that he was her love interest the whole time - he was shown as desirable, so of course I'd jump on that ship. Also, he was extremely cute with those pigtails. (Is there a traditional name for that hairstyle? I couldn't find one. I tried.)
* The backstory of her mother was heartbreaking. I didn't really know anything about the Canadian First Nations' colonial trauma (the show actually contains a trauma warning in one of the episodes). I'm not surprised at what I learned (damn, colonialism, always the same shit), but I loved how the show approached it. I learned a lot. And there was never a sledgehammer or anvil in sight, different voices and different viewpoints from different characters. Very well done.
* I liked how the show played with cliches and prejudice, simply by being matter-of-fact about it. Shoot a caribou? Sure. Local football rules? Sure. White people who come to town just to fuck someone exotic? Sure. It was all in there, and the characters always made the best of the situation, going with the flow, picking what worked for them.
* I adored the goddess Siaja keeps meeting throughout the show. The goddess seems to be insulting her a lot. That's a fun way to play with religion/tradition, both of which Siaja is a bit estranged from - and none of that is ever judged. Siaja has to find her own way through that, just like through everything else.
* I loved Elder Night! I loved with how much respect the elders were shown, without them being a nondescript uniform group, while at the same time showing that Siaja doesn't speak Inuktitut (if she mentioned the actual name of the language, I missed it, sorry) well enough to really converse with all of them. Just like everything else, it was a nuanced portrayal.
* In general, how they showed life in a small community was spot on. Everyone knows everyone, and they have to help each other, and seeing that interact (I'm loathe to say clash, because that's not all it did) with Siaja's need for personal growth was great fun.
* I'm not sure what to think about the town's mayor, Helen. She seems to be white (and married to an Inuk man), and the neighboring town's mayor seems to be white, too. Is that another statement on colonialism? Both of these women were shown as power-hungry caricatures.
* We were predisposed to hate her husband, of course, but he really made it easy. :D If there's one flat character in the show, it's him. They managed to make him look good for one episode, though, and I liked that depth.
* I loved what we saw of Siaja's daughter. She doesn't have much of her own 'thing', she's mostly defined by the adults around her. But I especially liked how each of those adults brought their own unique characteristic to the way they're raising her.
and some spoiler-free screencaps here
North of North: Siaja is in trouble - like always ;)
North of North is a short comedy show about Siaja, an Inuk woman, living in Ice Cove, a fictional town in the far North of Canada, populated by a wonderful mix of characters, some loving, some eccentric, some traumatized. The show's humor is always on point, and even the embarrassing foot-in-mouth moments Siaja keeps stumbling into are played with so much love and charm that they don't feel squicky.
The show is produced by Inuk women, it has a wonderfully female vibe, most of the characters and all producers are women. It was shot on location in the town of Iqaluit where the lead actress Anna Lambe grew up, and most of the actors are Inuit.
Is this a rec? Yes, very much so!
Does it have a happy ending: Depends on what you expect? It's a slice-of-life show, very character-focused, no 'important' plot arc, so the question doesn't really apply? I personally found it satisfying to watch.
Where can I watch it? Netflix. If you're in Canada, it's also on CBC Gems. There are 8 episodes each about 23 minutes long.
more thoughts - with some spoilers
* Dang, I really wanted her and Kuuk to get together. Okay, it was obvious that he was her love interest the whole time - he was shown as desirable, so of course I'd jump on that ship. Also, he was extremely cute with those pigtails. (Is there a traditional name for that hairstyle? I couldn't find one. I tried.)
* The backstory of her mother was heartbreaking. I didn't really know anything about the Canadian First Nations' colonial trauma (the show actually contains a trauma warning in one of the episodes). I'm not surprised at what I learned (damn, colonialism, always the same shit), but I loved how the show approached it. I learned a lot. And there was never a sledgehammer or anvil in sight, different voices and different viewpoints from different characters. Very well done.
* I liked how the show played with cliches and prejudice, simply by being matter-of-fact about it. Shoot a caribou? Sure. Local football rules? Sure. White people who come to town just to fuck someone exotic? Sure. It was all in there, and the characters always made the best of the situation, going with the flow, picking what worked for them.
* I adored the goddess Siaja keeps meeting throughout the show. The goddess seems to be insulting her a lot. That's a fun way to play with religion/tradition, both of which Siaja is a bit estranged from - and none of that is ever judged. Siaja has to find her own way through that, just like through everything else.
* I loved Elder Night! I loved with how much respect the elders were shown, without them being a nondescript uniform group, while at the same time showing that Siaja doesn't speak Inuktitut (if she mentioned the actual name of the language, I missed it, sorry) well enough to really converse with all of them. Just like everything else, it was a nuanced portrayal.
* In general, how they showed life in a small community was spot on. Everyone knows everyone, and they have to help each other, and seeing that interact (I'm loathe to say clash, because that's not all it did) with Siaja's need for personal growth was great fun.
* I'm not sure what to think about the town's mayor, Helen. She seems to be white (and married to an Inuk man), and the neighboring town's mayor seems to be white, too. Is that another statement on colonialism? Both of these women were shown as power-hungry caricatures.
* We were predisposed to hate her husband, of course, but he really made it easy. :D If there's one flat character in the show, it's him. They managed to make him look good for one episode, though, and I liked that depth.
* I loved what we saw of Siaja's daughter. She doesn't have much of her own 'thing', she's mostly defined by the adults around her. But I especially liked how each of those adults brought their own unique characteristic to the way they're raising her.
and some spoiler-free screencaps here
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I saw so many people talking about this I decided to check it out but have to say that it did nothing for me and gave up after a couple of episodes. I find that about most CBC productions, to be fair -- they're just a bit too tame for me. But that's on me -- I like my stuff darker and heavier and my humour more hard-hitting/sarcastic, etc. The poor old CBC has to work so hard to not offend anyone, their stuff ends up just being a bit too twee for my tastes.
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just a bit too tame for me
That is fair! I tend to shy away from the dark stuff, so I found North of North exactly the right level of not too bad. :D
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I saw some comments in other places that said they really hoped she would get back together with her husband, and I noticed in the show she gets a lot of comments like that too. But personally I found him very controlling and emotionally abusive and I hope she never gets back with him.
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What wtf whyyy? He's a conceited asshole who doesn't respect her.
I found him very controlling and emotionally abusive and I hope she never gets back with him.
Yes!
I debated going into what I wasn't sure might be a difficult upbringing for their daughter. Ting would be the type to trashtalk Siaja when he's with their daughter, and that's another important argument against him, imho. I then decided not to, because she has her grandparents as identification figures, too, and I think between the four of them, they'll do a good job raising her. I hope.
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- I think Helen is very much a white lady who thinks she's more informed than she really is, and who has a White Savior complex. I don't think she's malicious, but she could benefit from some deeper consideration.
- Neevee's story broke my heart. I did appreciate how they handled the trauma on the show.
- I expect Kuuk and Siaja will end up together, but I agree, I wanted it this season. I'm not a huge fan of will they/won't they.
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I found Kuuk's girlfriend to be super annoying (in fact, most of the white people on the show were annoying, Alistair being the only exception), and I really could have done without her. If they have to do will they / won't they, at least make the competition a person I can identify with. Oh, well.
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But I've actually never really liked the annoying female rival trope. To be fair, I'm not big on romantic tension in general. I prefer watching/reading how couples make their relationship work once they're together.
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I was wondering about that, but I have too little experience to confidently say it. It was striking though, that both political leaders were white.
Alistair isn't there to "help" or "make a point"
Yes, and I liked that nothing on this show was "all X are like this". That's one of the things I loved most about it. For all that it was comedy and ott sometimes, it was still nuanced.
To be fair, I'm not big on romantic tension in general. I prefer watching/reading how couples make their relationship work once they're together.
I'm into romance in all forms, before and after a relationship forms. I do think that tv shows tend to ignore the latter, and I would absolutely love to see more of that, too. Maintaining a relationship isn't easy, and can be shown in interesting ways, I think. Sadly most writers don't seem to think that is the case.
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I saw so many people on my flist rec it when it came out two weeks ago, and Netflix kept recommending it to me, too, that I jumped to the conclusion that everyone must have seen it already. :D
I'm happy my post was worth it, and that you liked the show, too! \o/
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https://tvline.com/news/north-of-north-season-2-renewed-netflix-1235441331/
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Helen is very much not mayor of Ice Cove. She runs the community center, as does Ellen in the neighboring town. Random beaurocrat, not an elected official. Her husband appears in "Elders Night" rubbing her shoulder, probably French Canadian. For me, Helen reads as well meaning but happier to call herself an ally than try to be one rather than power hungry per se.
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Oh, thank you for clearing that up! I didn't get that distinction.