'NORTH OF NORTH, Ep. 5: Walrus Dick Baseball' REVIEW [4.5/5]
The Funniest Episode Yet
[Rating 4.5/5] - dir. Aleysa Young (Not certain) - 2025 - Canada - 14A - 23m - Comedy
Free from the shackles of setting up story and character background, North of North is able to play.
In this case, “playing” means a northern version of baseball.
Things seem to be going right for everyone on North of North. “Siaja” (an ever better Anna Lambe) gained some responsibility. Familial waters are less choppy…
So if that’s the case, why not spring for greater growth? Siaja pleads with her boss (played by American actress Mary Lynn Rajksub in what must be her best role in years) to envision a greater version of their work place, and of Ice Cove as a whole. When it looks like a little help might come the town’s way, and it’s down to them and just one other nearby town “demonstrably better in every way”, Siaja resolves to win.
They decide a good old game of “Walrus Dick Baseball” (sort of a baseball-cricket-snowball fight hybrid) is in order.
Day of, the boss fumbles a meeting so badly with her outer town counterpart that the stakes of the local game are now winner-take-all.
It doesn’t look good for team Ice Cove. They’ve got a rag tag group of community members up against some very big, athletic dudes. Siaja’s only hope of winning is going to get her ex-husband “Ting” — ahem, “King Ting”.
And so it all becomes a balancing act.
The jokes in this episode are good and plenty. It briefly got up to 30 Rock levels of JPM (jokes per minute, I’ve decided).
As long as North of North sustains this episode’s high level of plot and humour for the rest of the season, and ends substantially and consequentially, it can go toe to toe with any other home grown favourite, be it Schitt’s Creek, Kim’s Convenience, or Workin’ Moms.
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P.S. I replaced my tv show quote selection down below like 20 times while watching this episode. So many good lines.
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‘North of North’ is out weekly on Tuesdays on CBC Gem and elsewhere on Netflix.
Selected TV Show Quote: “Those hooks are purely decorative.”
[Rating 4.5/5] - dir. Aleysa Young (Not certain) - 2025 - Canada - 14A - 23m - Comedy