‘The Last Frontier’s’ Arctic setting proves to be alluring (and deadly), time after time

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The new Apple TV+ series, “The Last Frontier,” begins Friday and follows a plane crash in the Alaskan wilderness. The plane was carrying federal prisoners, and eighteen people survive, including a mysterious, highly-trained individual named Havlock (Dominic Cooper). U.S. Marshal Frank Remnick (Jason Clarke), stationed nearby, is quickly involved when intelligence agent Sidney Scofield (Haley Bennett) arrives to investigate, sent by her untrustworthy boss (played by the acclaimed Alfre Woodard).

I won’t spoil the complicated plot with too many details – there are a lot of twists and turns! The show itself is visually impressive, with exciting action sequences like a plane crash, a helicopter versus bus standoff, and fights on both a train and a dam. My main criticism is the music, which sometimes detracts from the atmosphere. The acting is strong, particularly from Simone Kessell as Frank’s wife, Sarah – whose family is just recovering from one crisis when another begins – and Dallas Goldtooth as Frank’s loyal assistant, Hutch.

As you might expect from a show about eighteen criminals running wild, it’s quite violent – which will either draw you in or turn you off. The ten-episode series has a complex plot that can be hard to follow, even for the characters themselves, who often admit things aren’t straightforward. Some character motivations feel odd, particularly when people aren’t what they appear to be. It gets pretty chaotic towards the end, but overall, it’s an engaging experience.

But that’s not what I came here to discuss. I’d like to talk about snow.

Alaska, nicknamed “The Last Frontier,” gets a lot of snow. This weather isn’t just scenery; it actively shapes the stories told there. Snow can be lovely and peaceful, like a comforting cover, or it can create problems and trap people, as seen in mysteries set in isolated, snowy locations. It influences how things look and how quickly events unfold, sometimes bringing them to a standstill. Snow can be dangerous, making it hard to see and navigate, as famously depicted in shows like “Fargo.” And the warm clothing needed to survive the cold—scarves, fur-lined coats, hats, and boots—creates a feeling of comfort while reminding us just how harsh the environment is.

Even if snow isn’t crucial to the story, it creates a distinct visual atmosphere – a bright, almost unreal whiteness rarely seen elsewhere in films, except perhaps in spaceship corridors. (At night, it shifts to a deep blue, adding to the mystery.) Having grown up in Southern California and not seeing snow until around age ten, I learned its symbolic meaning from movies and television, where white Christmases are a sign of a generous budget and a festive mood.

Television

FX’s new miniseries, “A Murder at the End of the World,” offers a fresh, modern take on the classic whodunit, taking place in a remote Icelandic hotel cut off by snow.

I was immediately drawn to “The Last Frontier” simply because it’s set in Alaska, even though it was actually filmed in Canada. This reminded me of “Alaska Daily,” a promising but short-lived 2022 show about reporters investigating missing and murdered Indigenous women. I’ve always enjoyed shows set in remote, northern locations – like “Northern Exposure,” which captured the charm of a quirky Alaskan town with a cast of outsiders. The show featured a New York doctor adjusting to life in this new setting. Similarly, “Men in Trees” followed a relationship coach from New York as she explored life in Alaska. And I particularly loved “Lilyhammer,” one of Netflix’s first original series, which told the story of an American mobster hiding out in a snowy Norwegian town.

The show also excels at portraying fantastical and otherworldly settings. I’m particularly struck by the icy landscapes of “His Dark Materials” and “Monarch: Legacy of Monsters,” and the chilling atmosphere of “Night Country,” the latest season of “True Detective,” which starts on a night where the sun sets for the last time in six months. This season creates a powerful sense of isolation, with a small town lit up against a backdrop of total darkness. On a lighter note, “North of North,” a charming comedy set amongst the Inuit people in Canada’s far north, is one of my favorite shows coming out next year.

The appeal of the North isn’t recent. Books like Jack London’s “White Fang” and “The Call of the Wild,” set in the Yukon, captivated audiences around the beginning of the 20th century and remain popular today. In fact, “The Call of the Wild” was even adapted into a TV series on Animal Planet in 2000.

Any location can feel exciting if it’s new to you. But a familiar place can easily become ordinary – even frustrating, like having to shovel snow. The setting always influences a story; even if the plot stayed the same, a mystery in Amarillo would feel very different than one in Duluth or Lafayette.

I’ll take Alaska.

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2025-10-10 04:31