Preview
When pet-sitting eagle Moon escapes, he asks Beef and Wolf to go looking for him; Honeybee and Beef bond on an ice-fishing trip and try to find a compromise between leisurely fishing and fun games.
Our opinion
After a few weeks of episodes featuring Judy (Jenny Slate), The Great North ends the show's fourth season with a double helping of Honeybee (Dulce Sloan) episodes that sees Wolf's wife become a more integral part of the show. Personally, I'm a fan of this evolution of the character and with it, her brother Jerry (Ron Funches) making more appearances. As much as I love Will Forte (the voice of Beef), there was a time when THIS guy was just up and down the Animation Domination lineup after being on other animated shows like Potty Trained, The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, and even an occasional stop at Krapopolis, So I'm totally happy that Honeybee found her groove trying to fit into Alaskan society and that it's a reference for the show.
I also appreciate Moon's (Aparna Nancherla) growth as a character with her love of the local wildlife, but I'm still waiting to see a real separation between him and Bob's Hamburgers Louise (voiced by Kristen Schaal) So far, I think the two characters are almost identical in terms of assertiveness and even that many of their respective stories unfold and end in the same way, usually with the adults understanding the struggles the children face.
Another area I would like to see some development in is Ham (voiced by Paul Rust). To me, he really acts like a young wolf except for his sexual orientation, which I would like to see explored more instead of just being a cute trait. Otherwise, we pretty much have two identical brothers and when the focus is on Wolf, Ham usually stays quiet and tries to throw out one-liners almost like a Tina (Dan Mintz) but because The Great North sees their characters traveling in larger groups, it can be difficult for each person's lines to really hit the mark. I'm enjoying seeing Aunt Dirt (Jane Lynch) become a bigger part of the show, I think she needs to be upgraded from “recurring” to “main” now.
When he wants to be, Beef Tobin (Nick Offerman) is the show's mainstay and by far its most complex, which I think really came across in both of this week's episodes. Whether it's perhaps trying to sabotage Moon's growth as an individual or his attempt to bond with Honeybee over an ice fishing trip, Beef is constantly struggling with being alone (which he rarely is) due to his divorce from his wife. Offerman's warm voice during these moments helps melt the ice that is the show's backdrop and is presented very differently than his much more famous mustachioed roles on shows like Parks and recreation where the rendering is more poignant and more incisive.
As we prepare for a fifth season of The Great North, It will be interesting to see if the series continues to grow and take risks. So far, I think the tables are set for that, but the execution isn't always there, and I don't know how much longer this series will have to really stand out from the rest. Bob's Hamburgers Comparisons. Setting alone won't be enough, it will have to come from continued character growth and greater assertiveness in the writing department.
