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« Men in Trees
September 22, 2006: How Much Do You Think You're Worth?
Another fine episode. I love how everything always comes around full circle and connects to underscore the excellent lesson of the night. The Bachelor Auction was the perfect backdrop for exploring the question of self-worth, which is something that I think lots of people struggle with. Anne Heche is doing a splendid job taking us along on her journey to understanding (and appreciating) exactly how valuable she is alone. The only question that nags at the back of my mind while I watch is how problematic Jack is to Marin being alone. I really like James Tupper's character -- he plays the ruggedly handsome, slightly arrogant man well. I am torn between really rooting for Marin and Jack and wanting to join in Marin's celebration of her freedom. A truly newfound freedom — heck, she's been in a relationship since she was 14. I think we are going to have to watch her "invest in herself" for a while before she can invest in Jack, or anyone else for that matter.
I am really interested in how the subplots are developing. Patrick and Annie are adorable together; they are both so earnest and sweet. Good for Annie, standing up to the blonde in the "painted-on sweater," although, $860 is whole lot of money. I blame Celia (Cynthia Stevenson), Patrick's mother. She encouraged Patrick to take part in the auction. I was varying between somewhat liking Celia to absolutely detesting her. She is obviously a caring, if overly dependent, mother but why is she so mean to Annie? Sure, she wants to hold on to her son, but she is just plain rude at times. It is hard to be too critical of her, though; she seemed so vulnerable at dinner with Buzz. Which brings me to my favorite character in the episode: Buzz's wife. Her fake fur outfits and snazzy clothing set a huge contrast between her and all of the other female characters. And her accent is wonderfully annoying -- nasally and definitely not real. At first I wasn't sure, but I checked and, considering she was born in Chicago, I am going to go with no. If Lauren Tom looks familiar to you, you may recognize her from her recurring role as Ross's girlfriend on Friends. The story I find the most intriguing is Theresa and Ben. I want to know more about why they are really still living together and what exactly went wrong in their marriage.
One last thought: what season is it in Elmo? One minute people are in coats and the next they are wearing short sleeves. Someone pointed this out in the comments and I was also wondering the same thing. And has anyone else noticed that it always seems to be warm outside of Ben and Theresa's house? Last week, Theresa's new boyfriend was wearing boxers outside before breakfast. Just wondering.
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Sep 23, 2006 5:51 PM
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This is a very thoughtful commentary! It shows what the writers were trying to get at, although I'm not sure they were entirely successful.
Some random thoughts I had:
- Half of the wedding was only $13,000? In NYC? I have a relative who paid $10,000 on food alone, and that was in the south!
- Investing half your income? Are the people in Alaska wealthy? Hey, I'm a single, heterosexual woman- between the men and that type of money, what's half a year of darkness and subzero temperatures? I'm there.
I'm too lazy to type out the rest of my thoughts, but I put them up on my blog, EDJ's Random Thoughts on Entertainment 
http://community.tvguide.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700002362
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Sep 24, 2006 8:40 AM
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The $13000 was for her half of the wedding deposit not the whole cost of the wedding. How would you know the final cost if the wedding didn't happen?
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Sep 24, 2006 11:16 AM
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Lauren Tom played Julie on Friends. I knew I recognized her from somewhere!! Thanks for letting me know where. (I get her and Ming Na confused.) I like this show. It's cute. And it's the PERFECT show to curl up on the couch with on a Saturday night with a pint of Ben and Jerry's. It's a keeper!
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Sep 24, 2006 5:34 PM
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Woo hoo! Yay Buzz and his "mail-order bride", LOL! And he LOVES her, too. I love that.
As for the season question, I too, had the same thoughts. If it's warm enough there to spend any time outside without a coat on and even the flimsy coats they are wearing, then it is certainly not wintertime. Given everything I see with the environment and daylight/nighttime there, I'd say it is September there too, just like most shows during the beginning of the TV season. There is "day" and "night", which tells me it's almost midway between the solstices. So, I'd say what's going on there is about right for right now. Remember, only the most northern part of AK is even inside the Arctic Circle. And the show seems to be set somewhere near Juneau (from lines I've heard on the show). Juneau is only on the very southern portion of AK and their daytime high for this time of year is around 55 degrees, yet it does get cold enough for light snows. And for Alaskans, that is NOT very cold. Juneau is currently having approximately 13 hours/day of visible daylight too. So, everything I've seen on the show so far as far as climate, daylight, etc. seems pretty accurate.
What I will find interesting are the stories that are likely to occur during the wintertime when the length of visible daylight per day will be much shorter. There HAS to be at least one episode on "winter doldrums" or "SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder". Any guess as to who it will be?
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Sep 25, 2006 10:39 AM
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Kathleen, I totally agree with your view on Jack and Marin. I want them to be together but at the same time I want Marin to be alone because they both have issues.
I think we're going to have to watch her invest in herself for a while too. That's why I'm already prepared to not see them hook up this season at all.
I was glad that Patrick explained to someone that all of those women were from neighboring towns because I was wondering where they were going to get all the women for the auction when we've only seen like five women! 
I know that this is small, and the whole gesture meant a lot more than just helping out with the new lighthouse...but, it really bothered me that Marin used that whole $13,000 check to win a date with Jack. That has to be the most expensive handy man in history for the menial jobs she wanted him to do. Or, maybe I'm just mad because I will never have $13,000 to blow like that!
Does anyone know how the show is doing ratings wise?? I'm really nervous...
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Sep 25, 2006 1:26 PM
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I actually caught this show for the first time on Friday (Sep 22), and found myself loving it. I was seriously laughing out loud, and I realized that I had stumbled onto my first successful series premiere of Fall 2006. I love all of the quirky characters on the show, including Anne Heche (who I feel is a very talented actress whose personal life unfairly overshadows her work). I just hope this show doesn't get cursed by being placed on a Friday. In fact, if I was in charge of programming, I would definitely move this show to Sundays following Desperate Housewives, oh well, there is always hope..and TIVO!!!! See ya next Friday.
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Sep 25, 2006 7:28 PM
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Another enjoyable episode! About the weather, I don't know why I was oblivious to it but I guess they do flip flop on appropriate attire. Didn't the bartender's wife wear a tank top when they were out on the balcony after the auction? Maybe the costume designer decided the Alaskan characters would be used to the cooler climate.
Although I want to see Jack and Marin together too, I prefer her to be a single-but-dating-gal for this first season, if we get complete one. Men came in last on Friday, after Close to Home and Dateline respectively. Plus the Jag guy is joining Close, and his fans are loyal, Friday-watching bunch.
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Sep 25, 2006 8:27 PM
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I hope this show sticks around because I have really been enjoying it. Nice to have a show without a crime lab. It's like visting cousins of my friends over at Northern Exposure.
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Oct 1, 2006 2:20 AM
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