Chris (John Corbett) finds a body in a block of ice during one of his fishing trips, and the entire town gets swept up into who it may be. He looks like a French soldier from the Revolutionary War, and his accouterments, and journal seem to support that belief.

The Body in Question was written by Henry Bromell and was first aired on 4 November, 1991.

Joel (Rob Morrow) is reticent to believe that the body is authentic, especially when the journal suggests that Napoleon wasn’t at Waterloo. He gets trapped up in thinking of history, and his own history as he begins exploring his Jewish roots.

The rest of the town is ready to accept the body for what it appears to be, and Maurice (Barry Corbin) sees a business opportunity for Cicely in his frozen form.

Shelley (Cynthia Geary) begins to worry she may be barren, but actually learns more of Holling’s (John Cullum) past, and why he doesn’t want children, something she’s happy to accept, as their journey together continues.

As plans for the French Man begin to build, and characters plan, a group of Native Americans lay claim to it, much to Maurice’s chagrin.

And finally, a shaken Ed (Darren E. Burrows), reeling from a script rejection, thinks about working in Ruth-Anne’s (Peg Phillips) store, until he is able to get his cinematic aspirations back.

There’s wonderful exploration of characters, our histories, and the things that shape us as we go forward. And, as always, its delivered in that charming and eccentric way that we could only find in Cicely, Alaksa.

Roots was written by Dennis Koenig and first debuted on 11 November, 1991. Relationships are front and center in this episode as Chris finds himself dreaming of Africa, just as his brother Bernard (Richard Cummings Jr.) arrives in town.

Joel is dealt a shock when his ex, Elaine (Jessica Lundy) shows up unannounced when the man she left Joel for died. Maggie (Janine Turner) chastises Joel for not welcoming her, reminding him that he and Elaine have a long standing relationship that isn’t just romantic.

Of course, this causes the two of them to find their way back to a bit of a romance, or at least a bit of lust. This causes some jealousy in Maggie. And will Joel realize that the relationship is over, and this is just a last moment together?

And offering commentary on all of it is Adam (Adam Arkin) who has come into town because he needs money for his insurance premium. Joel refuses to give it to him, but Holling, who is infuriated by the way Adam describes the food offers a bet; Adam cooks and proves he knows what he’s talking about with the price of Adam’s insurance in the balance.

The stuff with Chris and Bernard is great because it becomes apparent that their psychic wires are crossed, not only do they say and do a lot of the same things at the same time, but it seems Chris is having Bernard’s dreams.

I really liked this one, as it forces Maggie to confront her growing feelings for Joel, as well as recognizing his flaws. There’s also some great music!

And Adam is in town, and yet Joel doesn’t point him out as the bigfoot type character that everyone believes lives in the wilds around the town. Missed opportunity?

Still, it’s lots of fun.