The Misunderstood Bridge
On Northern Exposure, dreams and popular culture
There are two television shows from my childhood that stand out. Both were set in the wild reaches of America’s West. Both were exceptionally strange. The two shows were Twin Peaks and Northern Exposure. I don’t remember watching either show closely because I was too young, but bits stick out. I recall accidentally watching parts of Twin Peaks and being terrified by the character of Bob. Who could forget the Graceland-esque opening theme song of Northern Exposure?
Last week, I stumbled across a podcast about the Jungian influence of Northern Exposure. It was an epiphany. This show from my childhood was actually an elaborate exploration of Jungian themes. And it was on primetime American television!
The power of mythology, as expressed in the work of Joseph Campbell, and the motif of dream as spirit are equally prominent themes throughout the series, which takes place in a fictional Alaskan town. The local radio DJ, Chris Steves, regularly shares passages from Jung and Campbell on air. Having Steves play the role of town intellectual allows the show’s writers to call attention to certain themes in a discursive fashion that, according to scholar Rhonda Wilcox, “is nevertheless not pompously didactic because the philosophizing is the fruit of the character.”
Just as I started rewatching Northern Exposure on Friday, I got the news that a family member was ill and approaching death. Over the weekend, he died. Without going into detail, this man was incredibly good to me as a child. When I was going through the trauma of an unhappy home, I remember him as a supportive figure. We had lost touch for many years but reconnected when I was in my 20s.
I can’t help but see the connection in these events. Out of nowhere, I rediscover a television show from the darkest part of my childhood. To my utter surprise, that relic of the past contains several positive themes that define my present headspace. And then two days later, an important figure from that period dies somewhat abruptly.
As I have been rewatching episodes of Northern Exposure late at night (my only opportunity with two small children), the process feels like dreaming itself. The episodes are familiar but come from another time. The pace is slow, and there is a refreshing lack of technology. I feel pangs of nostalgia in little set items like Pepsi cans and car styles. On top of everything, the show dives into fantastic depictions of Jungian themes and character development. If you remember watching Northern Exposure, do yourself a favor and rewatch episodes Aurora Borealis or Spring Break (It’s on streaming platforms now). You will be shocked at how good it is.
Dreams and AI
I have been using Dall-E to create images from my dreams. It’s mostly a party trick, but I find the possibility of transforming faint dream memories into images with an algorithm exciting and terrifying. What would James Hillman have to say about the use of these technologies and dreams? Hillman, who founded a movement based on archetypal psychology, was militant in his approach to dreams.
The dream is not yours, he would argue. It has nothing to do with your individuality. Our role is to invite the dream and participate in it. Rather than cut the dream into pieces and attempt to find personal meaning, we should understand the dream as one whole piece. The dream is a mosaic that demands participation, not interpretation.
Hillman’s approach opens up much deeper avenues for exploration in the collective unconscious since he likes to remove the individual and their baggage to a great degree. I see a parallel here with Nicholas Cage’s new film Dream Scenario. While the film doesn’t dive deeply into the theory behind the collective unconscious, its plot follows a middle-aged university professor who begins appearing in the dreams of thousands of people worldwide.
The film ends – spoiler alert – with a technology company figuring out what is happening and using that knowledge to place advertisements in people’s dreams. The nefarious role of capital in invading such a space feels similar to entering your dreams into Dall-E and asking for an image. Maybe that’s too large a jump, but giving an AI notes from a dream to see what it produces is an uneasy process.
Moreover
"As unlikely as it may sound in this rational age, I emerged on the side of those who put their faith in that which cannot be easily explained. Could dreams, in fact, be our souls … aloft? Be open to your dreams, people.”
-Chris Steves in Northern Exposure