A Kodiak Moment

Summary
After his brother dies, Maurice realizes he has no heir to the Minnifield empire and asks Chris to become his son. Meanwhile, Shelly tags along when Holling and Ed go after an elusive brown bear, and Joel is not amused when Maggie takes over his out-of-town childbirthing classes.

Plot
As the morning starts off, Maggie is making her mail rounds and enters Joel's office with a shipment that happens to be of s form (where Joel is from). She is irritated because she had to make a long flight just to pick them up but Joel tells her she has been well paid and even gives her a bagel (which she promptly throws back at him). Joel's assistant, Marilyn, tells him he has a phone call from Pete Gilliam (the man in charge of his contract with the State of Alaska) "on line 1" (the office only has one phone line). Pete informs Joel he will be teaching a class in. Joel asks Marilyn to go with him to assist him in teaching the class but she refuses, prompting Joel to take back the bagels she has been hoarding.

Next, two military men arrive at Maurice's office to inform him that his brother Malcolm is dead. Maurice accepts the news with a quiet sadness. In The Brick, at about mid-morning, Joel asks Maggie to fly him to Boswell to teach the hygiene class. Suddenly, Ed enters, and tells Holling that Jessie's back. Shelly discovers that Jessie is a that attacked Holling years earlier, and they've had a  ever since. Holling leaves to begin packing his gear for the hunt, and Ed follows.

In Boswell, Joel and Maggie show up to the hygiene class, only to discover that it is actually a prepared class. Joel gives them four words that they need to know to prepare themselves: "I want my ." Back in Cicely, Maggie tells Joel that he is teaching the class wrong, they they should be preparing for childbirth instead of resorting to risky drugs. As a result, Maggie teaches the next childbirth class, while Joel sits cynically by.

As Holling finishes packing, Shelly decides that she wants to come along. Holling warns her of the risks, but she is willing to accompany them anyway. When they arrive and set up, Shelly and Holling immedaitely begin in the tent while Ed cooks a.

In his office, Maurice decides that he needs an to his fortune, and offers Chris the opportunity, since both of his parents are dead. Chris decides to give it a try, and has dinner at Maurice's that night. However, the distance of the table reflects the difference in the personalities; Maurice is a military man, while Chris is an ex-convict. Maurice tries to warm Chris to him, and gives him money to go out with, but Chris is uncomfortable with the whole situation, and even suffers as a result. Finally, as Maurice is trying to teach Chris, Chris becomes frustrated and walks off, relinquishing his place in Maurice's.

In the woods the next morning, Ed is preparing to pack up camp and go after Jessie, but Holling and Shelly are still messing around in the tent. Ed finally sits back down and waits for them. Once, Holling comes out of the tent and acts like he is preparing to leave, but he ends up back in the tent with Shelly. Ed reads a and, later, Shelly comes out and tells him to get ready to go. Eventually, Ed discovers that Jessie has left the area, and Holling is upset at having missed his chance, but it is too late.

At the childbirth class, one of the women starts going into, and Joel is forced to deliver a baby. On the flight back, Joel and Maggie talk about the experience and their thoughts about kids. The entire experience ends up bringing them closer together.

Driving back from the woods, Holling and Shelly are asleep, and as Ed stops to, he spots Jessie out in the woods. Ed tries to wake Holling up, but he and Shelly are sound asleep. However, Ed does manage to get a of Jessie before he leaves.

That night, Maurice shows up to Joel's cabin to compliment him on the delivery and also tell him about what happened between he and Chris. Maurice informs Joel of his plans for the future: he plans to. Joel laughs, but Maurice is dead serious. Maurice drives away and Joel looks up as it begins to.

Quotes
Joel: There are four words you need to know to adequately prepare yourself for childbirth. Take notes here, ladies: I...want...my...epidural.



Maurice: Do you know what the motto of the state of Alaska is, Joel? Joel: "'? Maurice: No. "North to the future." That's my motto too. The compass point to opportunity. The direction for tomorrow. Joel: A in every pot; a  in every garage. Maurice: Space, son......room to build, room to grow. Joel: You are the man for the job, Maurice; a  on the battlefield of history. If anyone can  Alaska, it's you. Maurice (chuckles): Kind words, son. But the Minnifield empire will not bear fruit in one man's lifetime. Joel: Yeah, I hear it didn't work out with you and Chris. I'm sorry. You know, maybe you could start a : The Minnifield Foundation. It worked for ; . Maurice: No...I've come up with something else, Joel. Joel: Really? What's that? Maurice: I've decided to . (Joel laughs)

Music

 * "" by
 * "" by Glen Campbell
 * "" by Verdi
 * "Daddy's Home" by

Trivia

 * The episode name is on the  "a  moment" because Ed photographs of a.
 * Chris is temporarily after a tree falls through his trailer. He lives in KBHR until the "spring thaw".
 * Chris is originally from (revealed when he's in the Caddie with his date Kerry).
 * Maurice's Cadillac was a gift from a in  (age established as 52 before final version).
 * Holling has not shot anything with a gun since 1988. He put down his gun after he shot off two of Jesse's toes and dreamt every animal he ever killed was coming after him, packing heat. Jesse first appeared in the summer of 1984 and tangled with Holling, leaving 133 down his back. Now he just takes photographs of animals.
 * Alaska's state motto is "".
 * Shelly's earrings: (when she offers bagels to Maggie).
 * Boswell is about a 6-hour drive from Cicely.
 * In the scene where Maggie is teaching the class on birthing techniques and one of the helpers goes into labor, Joel is reading a news magazine which he takes over and kneels down with next to the woman. She says "It's time." Joel says, holding up the magazine, "No, it's '." In that very issue of Newsweek that Joel is reading and displaying (July 18, 1990, page 64), Northern Exposure got a very, very favorable review, while ' never even paid attention to the show. When Time finally reviewed the show ("A little too flaky in Alaska", May 20, 1991, page 64), it wasn't as positive as Newsweek.