The frigid regions of Canada have proven to be fertile ground for television shows featuring brooding characters solving dark mysteries (think Cardinalor most recent Below). But it’s not North of the north. This Netflix comedy (a CBC original) may not be a laugh, but it imbues the frigid Nunavut environment with plenty of warmth. The show gets even nicer and more self-assured in season two – don’t mistake its tenderness for escapism. However North of the north is an ideal comfort watch whose 22-minute episodes don’t require much, it’s made up of quirky small-town residents whose stories and shenanigans are expertly woven with their Inuit history and culture.
At the center of the fictional small town of Ice Cove is spunky 27-year-old Siaja Kudlak (Anna Lambe). Think of Siaja’s go-getter attitude as Siaja’s. Parks and RecreationIt’s Leslie Knope, if Leslie took it down a few notches. In the first season, Siaja left a crummy marriage and, with her six-year-old daughter, moved in with her grumpy but caring mother, Neevee (Maika Harper). Unemployed since becoming a mother, Siaja has also found employment assisting City Manager Helen (Mary Lynn Rajskub); found the father who didn’t know she existed, Alistair (Jay Ryan); and found a new love interest in Alistair’s employee Kuuk (Braeden Clarke). Things can only go up from there, right? Fake.
Siaja, thank goodness, continues to have a knack for causing trouble despite the best intentions. Her ability to get into trouble and miraculously escape makes her a fascinating and lovable protagonist, as does her winning sincerity. Take the season two premiere, where she derails a mission to give cruise ship tourists a lay of the land, making her Ice Cove seem “boring,” rather than the next must-see vacation destination. As part of another episode’s community outreach program, Siaja accidentally poisons a few elders. And all this happens before Siaja’s quest to acquire beer for a surprise party (a Herculean task that requires placing an order in advance, to ensure prompt delivery to her isolated hometown) ends with her and two of her friends (played by Zorga Quanaq and Bailey Poching) in prison.
Once these quintessential sitcom premises are in motion, Siaja – with plenty of charm, thanks in large part to Lambe’s sparkling performance – usually finds a more realistic solution. Oh, the winter ball she spends all season planning could be snowed in – with her beloved musical guest of honor unable to attend and a power outage to boot? Don’t worry. Siaja and his trusted cohort will find out no matter what. And in doing so, Siaja will acquire new dimensions of outspokenness, independence and confidence…North of the north‘s commitment to such character development is one of its most attractive qualities.
Gn entert
