Let’s Dance is the penultimate episode of Northern Exposure. It’s almost over, so they must be wrapping up character and narrative arcs. After a fashion, anyway.

Written by Sam Egan, this episode was first broadcast on 19 July, 1995.

It gets underway with Cal (Simon Templeman), you remember the violinist with mental issues?, who has decided to turn himself in with some help from Maurice (Barry Corbin). And this brings Officer Barbara Semanski (Diane Delano) back into things. and there’s some nice banter and flirtation going on there, but all of a sudden Semanski finds herself quite taken by Cal and his playing. Will it sort itself out?

Dr. Capra (Paul Provenza) makes a social gaffe with Marilyn’s (Elaine Miles) mother, and then makes it worth by trying to apologize.

Oh, and Chris (John Corbett) gets some dance lessons from Marilyn so that he can dance with Maggie (Janine Turner). It seems Maggie runs Cotillion, which helps not only with dancing, but manners, so perhaps Dr. Capra will get something out of it too.

Even Michelle (Teri Polo) thinks he could use some refinement when it comes to his manners – and he consequently has a Universal Monsters dream that makes the point.

I like a good Marilyn story, and pairing her with Chris is always good. And that is kind of the highlight of the episode. I will miss them when the series closes out.

Still, it’s not as strong an episode as it could have been. But the series is fizzling out, and sadly, it’s really showing this season.

Tranquility Base ended the series on 26 July, 1995. It was written by Robin Green, Mitchell Burgess and Jeff Melvoin.

So how does it end?

Everyone has been invited up to Maurice’s place, Tranquility Base, for an extended stay together. While there, Maurice is planning to ask Semanski to marry him. He’s trying to find the right moment, but everyone keeps interrupting, and he begins to reconsider after she hits him. The pair are clashing a little over the running of the weekend. She abides by the rules, even when off-duty, and he’s just trying to be a congenial host.

Well, it seems Chris is finally ready to admit to his feelings for Maggie. He’s trying to party and enjoy the time at Maurice’s, but it’s not like it used to be. No one wants to stay up all night and drink, he can’t find any single ladies out in his wanderings, and it’s all because he’s focused on Maggie, even if he doesn’t know it. So how will that play out for the couple? Well, we’ll find out, no doubt through the course of the episode.

Holling (John Cullum) seems to be in some kind of heat. He’s picked up the bio-rhythm of the caribou, and he and Shelly (Cynthia Geary) need to have lots of time apart from everyone else.

Dr. Capra and Michelle have a hard time relating and getting on the same romantic page. It’s augmented by Michelle’s increase of indecisiveness. Ed (Darren E. Burrows) attempts to counsel Capra, advising him to let her make some of her own decisions, instead of him. When Michelle goes for a walk, she gets lost in the woods and bumps into Rabbi Schulman (Jerry Adler).

This allows the couple, eventually, to sort things out, and brings the town together for one big final moment.

I guess it’s time to bid farewell to Cicely, Alaska, turn off K-Bear, and move on.

It’s not a terrible ending, and I do love how the episode closes out with little moments with everyone as we bid farewell. It’s all over now, we’ll leave the characters to their lives, loves and dreams, and we’ll always remember our times amongst the eccentric residents of Northern Exposure.