Inject the Pure Optimism of 'North of North' Season Two Into Your Veins

I’ll try not to spoil any of the second season of North of North in this review. Everyone deserves to experience the quiet joys of life in Ice Cove for themselves. If you enjoyed season one, you’ll be happy to know season two is serving more of the same upbeat storytelling. And if you didn’t enjoy season one, you may need to seek medical attention.

Anna Lambe (True Detective: Night Country) returns as Siaja, still living with her mother, Neevee (Maika Harper), and raising her young daughter Bun (Keira Belle Cooper) with help from Neevee and her long-absent father, Alistair (Jay Ryan). Siaja’s two best friends, Millie (Zorga Qaunaq) and Colin (Bailey Poching), still work at the community center with her. They all report to Helen (24’s Mary Lynn Rajskub), the center’s senior administrative officer.

Siaja still struggles with feeling small and out of place in her community this season. She’s going through “pilimmaksarniq” - forging herself into what she wants to become. It means being more assertive, putting herself out there more, and connecting with the people she loves. None of that comes easy to her. While her heart is in the right place, her execution is always a little lacking.

Whether it’s planning Millie’s birthday party, a big Winter Ball at the community center, or tracking down the daughter who was stolen from Neevee earlier in life, none of Siaja’s plans work out the way she expects. But they always seem to work out the way they’re supposed to.

Stumbling through life has its advantages. You quickly learn who you can lean on, who will pick you up when you fall, and who will help you fix the things you get wrong. This sense of community is important at the top of the world, where everyone needs help just to survive.

And, as Siaja tells the community center’s visiting first aid instructor (Kids in the Hall’s Bruce McCulloch in a perfectly cast guest-starring role), “Survival isn’t about stepping over people. It’s about stepping up and helping people.”

At its heart, North of North is about accepting imperfect, but well-meaning, community building. It’s such a sweet, positive show. There is a softness and kindness in everyone, even in the town curmudgeons. Watching the stories of Ice Cove’s residents standing up for each other, sacrificing for each other, and loving each other is the perfect balm for these turbulent days. And you can choose to immerse yourself in all eight episodes at once, ration them out, or, you know, watch it multiple times.

The soundtrack this season is also very enjoyable. It introduced me to this Inuk musician, Elisapie, who has a couple of featured songs on it.

All episodes of North of North are now streaming on Netflix.