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Sitting in a small cabin on top of a mountain watching a storm pass can get your mind thinking about all sorts of things. And for lack of anything better to do, I decided to write down some of my thoughts.

I’ve read a lot of posts lately in my Facebook group dedicated to the TV show Northern Exposure where people complain  about the 6th season (rightfully so, in a lot of cases) and comment that because of some unfortunate stuff going on behind the scenes of the production, the show went downhill and characters frequently acted in ways that didn’t match up with the previous seasons. One of the least favorite moments was when Marilyn Whirlwind looked at her husky dog and uttered the words, “I hate you.”

I hadn’t seen that episode for a long while, so when I finally did, I found it interesting (Season 6, Episode 10, “Realpolitik”). From the comments it had sounded like a moment of high drama, rather than a very quiet and private scene. Marilyn is sitting alone in her house except for the dog, who is curled at her feet. As she knits, she glances down, sees the dog, and in a calm and measured tone says those infamous words.

I have some thoughts. But first let’s get this out of the way: it’s just a TV show. The people aren’t real, the situations and words are all scripted, the town doesn’t exist. Let’s not take it all so seriously.

But for a few minutes, let’s pretennd that it IS real, that it did happen that way. Why are people online so upset about Marilyn’s remark?

First of all, I don’t believe she actually hates the dog. If she hated the dog, it wouldn’t be in the warm house, curled up at her feet; it would be outside in the cold without even a dog house for shelter. It would be dumped somewhere by the side of the road far from her home. Yes, I know she paid a lot of money for the dog, but people in the real world do dump all sorts of dogs, not just “worthless” mutts.

And people seem so undone by the fact that she said “I hate you,” aloud to the dog. Well, dogs may be smart, but they normally don’t understand every word you say. Saying those words did not hurt the dog’s feelings. Not to mention the fact that if she truly hated the dog, the words would be completely unnecessary; the dog would already know precisely how she felt, through her behavior and her tone of voice whenever she spoke to it.

Folks have argued that it was completely contrary to the character to say such a thing — this was not the Marilyn they knew and loved. She would never say or even think those words! Well, let me remind you: Marilyn, if she were a real human being, would be exactly that, human. And all humans have their not-so-great moments. Even indigenous humans, I venture to presume. I love Marilyn for her often enigmatic silences and her apparent wisdom, but let’s not forget that in order to see her as a realistic, three-dimensional character, we have to accept all her faults as well as her virtues.

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I don’t believe she truly hated that dog, not even for one moment. Okay, she was disappointed, she was maybe even angry and frustrated — totally understandable. Marilyn is a “cat person.” She bought the dog as an investment, and it failed to pay off the way she planned. There would be no money coming in from this “prize” Husky stud; she was out $5000 and everyone in town knew about the dog’s (and Marilyn’s) failure. Embarrasing, sure. Annoying, definitely.

So the words came out of her mouth. But I love this storyline because it demonstrates that 1) Marilyn is just as imperfect as the rest of us; and 2) sometimes you get what you need instead of what you think you want. (I really tried hard not to quote the Rolling Stones here.)

In the end, Marilyn realized that despite her deep disappointment in the dog, she did care for him. She couldn’t mistreat him just because he failed to fulfill her wishes. Rather than leave him outside soaking in the rain, she opened the door for him and allowed him to curl up beside the fire. Sure, she was still reluctant — it was going to take her awhile to warm to this new presence in her life. Yet there he was. He was her unasked-for companion, and one who would most likely continue to teach her a few unexpected lessons as their life together went on.

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