Review: Alaska Daily, Season One – Episode 6: ‘You Can’t Put a Price on a Life’

(Warning: this text accommodates spoilers about Season One in every of ABC’s Alaska Every day)

The present opens at sundown within the waters within the Gulf of Alaska. A fairly, younger ladies is doing an Instagram Dwell on a big cruise ship. “Final evening was insane,” Henley Madison Scott tells the digicam. “Let’s simply say I had one too many Glacier-tinis ha ha ha!” She climbs the rail of her balcony so viewers can get a greater have a look at the attractive Alaska dawn. “Alaska is fairly lit, y’all” are her final phrases earlier than she drunkenly slips and falls to her presumed loss of life within the frigid water under. Splash! The tragic video goes viral.

Eileen and Roz are doing a spot on a neighborhood radio call-in present. After Eileen and Roz clarify how their work bought Meade Police Chief Durken and Assistant District Lawyer Barnett fired, they transfer on to callers. The primary caller is the notorious Involved Citizen. He instantly goes on a nasty tirade in opposition to Eileen, calling her a “carpetbagging meddler” and says she must be stopped. The host cuts to a break. Pam from Wasilla might be up subsequent, hopefully with a extra well mannered query. I wouldn’t maintain my breath on that one.

Stanley tries to assign Claire to the lady gone overboard story. Claire is already slammed masking: a flood in Eagle Village, a truck that flipped into the Matanuska River, a Fish and Sport captain with eight looking violations, overflow at a homeless shelter and the Governor’s Arts Gala. The Alaska writers are working time beyond regulation on this episode. Stanley then asks Roz. No go. Roz is trying into Jade Jacobs, a Yup’ik girl who went lacking at Russian Pratatsky Park two days in the past. (They couldn’t simply say Russian Jack?) Eileen rebuffs Stanley earlier than he even asks the query — Eileen doesn’t do human-interest click-bait. Stanley pleads along with her to no less than go cowl the governor’s press convention on the matter. She agrees.

Governor Thacker’s Anchorage press convention is packed and kicks off with questions from the Juneau Empire, Ketchikan Every day Information and Eileen with the Every day Alaskan. The search is in depth: a number of Jayhawk helicopters have been deployed, a response boat from Station Valdez and the Coast Guard cutter Endurance are all concerned. The governor is personally dedicated to bringing Henley dwelling, and no expense might be spared. Public Security Commissioner Haynes estimates the price of the search at over one million {dollars}. Did I point out Henley is white? I’ve a sense I do know what’s about to occur.

Stanley and the Every day Alaskan journalists have an impromptu assembly about Henley. Reporters from exterior are about to descend into Alaska and sensationalize this story, milking it for each penny. Stanley desires the Every day Alaskan to inform it first and greatest. The story reeks of lacking white girl syndrome notes Roz, seething over the stark variations between the seek for Henley verses Jade. Claire has the concept to spotlight this disparity in a comparability piece of the 2 lacking ladies.

Stanley remains to be making an attempt to dig up filth on the Pritchard household. He meets a supply at Tolstoy’s Beard, which is rapidly turning into a supporting character, and is knowledgeable the household personal a number of parcels of land that join to 1 one other. On the far boarder of the Pritchard’s undeveloped land is a big swath of protected land. Stanley wonders aloud how a lot the household’s property could be price if the adjoining land misplaced its protected standing. The scene abruptly modifications to Aaron Pritchard sitting throughout from Stanley in his Every day Alaskan workplace. They focus on the paper’s falling subscription numbers and it’s not fairly. Aaron then activates the appeal and invitations Eileen to the Governor’s Arts Gala. Strictly enterprise, natch. Bear in mind – HE JUST KISSED HER within the door of her lodge room like two days in the past. Eileen says hell no.

BREAKING: we’ve got our first main fake pas of the evening! Bob goes UP to Seward to cowl the Henley search. Oops. DOWN in Seward, Bob grills his supply on the harbor. Henley was in an off-limits spot when she fell, there’s no safety footage, and the mandatory-by-law man overboard system on the ship was by no means put in. Fortunate for the cruise firm, the ship’s flag state is Panama. They don’t must observe U.S. regulation or reimburse the Coast Guard for the million-dollar search. And who has to pay for it?  “We do, says Bob. “Taxpayers.” That’s strike two for Bob. Alaskans don’t pay taxes!!!

Bob and Roz are fired up and head all the way down to one more Henley press convention. Bob asks if the state is conscious it’s on the hook for the one-million-dollar search, whereas Roz brings up Henley’s just lately uncovered previous felony report. When Roz is accused of sufferer blaming, she turns the warmth up on the press convention and reminds the room that the felony data of Native ladies are sometimes included within the state’s lacking individuals protection. The state official deflects – Governor Thacker just lately appointed a activity pressure particularly designed to fight the Lacking Murdered and Indigenous Ladies disaster. Eileen, with the assistance of her ex-accountant now Tolstoy’s Beard bartender bestie, peruse the financials of stated activity pressure. A lot of the cash goes in direction of an consciousness marketing campaign headed up by Concordia Public Relations. And who owns Concordia PR? The Pritchard’s. “Anchorage is a small city.” Eileen remarks. Reality verify: true. Eileen desires a remark from the governor. Guess she’s going to his gala in spite of everything.

Roz alongside along with her boyfriend spend time at Russian Pratatsky Park conducting interviews, taking photographs, and even becoming a member of the search crew for Jade. There may be zero police presence, and no MMIW taskforce. A lot to her shock, Stanley exhibits as much as assist search. Jade’s bracelet is discovered, however no different leads are found. The 72-hour mark ticks by. Issues aren’t trying good.

The Dena’ina Conference Middle makes her Alaska Every day debut (brief and candy as a result of they positive didn’t movie inside). The skin shot will need to have been pretty current– I spied the brand new Crystal Worl mural within the background. Eileen and Aaron Pritchard stroll into the Governor’s Artwork Gala collectively. Claire notices Aaron’s hand lingering on Eileen’s again. I can nearly scent the notorious Dena’ina hen as they go seize a glass of champagne and OH MY GOSH IT’S THE PILOT POET!!! He received an award and he’s doing a studying on the occasion. Swoon. Eileen introduces Aaron to Jamie. Awkward. Aaron introduces Eileen to his wealthy and doubtless villainous father, Conrad. Mid-handshake Eileen launches right into a direct line of questioning concerning Concordia PR that leaves Conrad scrambling. Aaron is livid Eileen used him to get to his dad. Are they even now?

Jamie Pilot Poet is jealous of Aaron and misses Eileen. They take a look at the waters with a mini DTR proper earlier than he takes the stage for the studying of his latest poem. Eileen stays to look at.

“Her face, open just like the neck of candy August nettle.” Pilot poet recites, watching Eileen. “Like a chicken I selected sky. She selected evening.”

Max pressure between these two and I’m right here for it. Alas, work comes first for Eileen. She spies the Governor and makes a beeline in direction of him. She informs him The Every day Alaskan is publishing a narrative on the disparity between the search and rescue efforts of the 2 lacking ladies: one white and one Alaska Native. Would the Governor care to remark? After a pair flubbed strains, Thacker rushes off. The previous disgruntled Every day Alaskan worker turned blogger will get a shot of Eileen ambushing Governor Thacker on the Gala and posts it on-line ASAP. The character’s title is Dennis, his weblog is the Anchorage Eagle, and I’m crossing my fingers he turns into a sequence common. (At first I assumed this character needs to be Craig Medred, proper? However the entire crashing a gala, hitting on Claire after which posting Eileen’s unfastened alternate with the governor has some main Jeff Landfield vibes.)

The Every day Alaskan goes to print with the comparability piece: The Worth of a Life. On one facet, Officers spend over a million for search of overboard Texan girl. The opposite, The highway to nowhere: Contained in the unfunded seek for a lacking Alaskan Native girl. The message is obvious. Cue the montage of the paper flying off cabinets and shut ups of the commissioner, press secretary, Aaron Pritchard and different background characters pensively studying the story. The Occasions and the Submit are selecting up the piece and Stanley is so happy he’s shopping for everybody a spherical at “the Beard” after work.

Eileen and Roz have hit a severe roadblock on the Gloria Nanmac case. Their lead suspect, Rega Horn, can’t be discovered. It’s nearly like he doesn’t exist. Bob tentatively approaches. He may need one thing on the Gloria case. He wrote an article on her disappearance and a contact from Gloria’s church, Alice Porter, might have further data. Bob is ashamed to confess he by no means adopted up along with her. Roz speaks with Alice and he or she reveals Gloria’s pastor is known as Reed Gallahorn. Kinda appears like Rega Horn, proper? Roz is satisfied that is the break they’ve been ready for.

Everybody besides Eileen heads towards the Beard. I suppose that’s what we’re calling it now. A door opens within the newsroom. An unknown white man seems within the door of Eileen’s workplace. It’s Involved Citizen and he has a gun. Eileen is now his hostage. The display fades to black and Alaska Every day is formally on hiatus till late February.

Despite the fact that this episode had nearly nothing to do with the Gloria Nanmac case, it was full of motion and my favourite varieties of Alaska centric cameos and Easter eggs. The reporters have gotten more and more aggressive with native authorities. After a police chief and ADA have been fired for flagrant and even felony misconduct, it’s onerous to argue in opposition to their strategies. There have been a number of instances the place the plot felt a bit like journalists patting themselves on the again. However. if I’m being trustworthy, that’s an underlying theme of all the present. I discovered it fascinating the writers assigned among the “lacking white ladies syndrome” blame to native media. I anticipated that focus to be on nationwide media, authorities, regulation enforcement, and many others. I additionally thought it was sensible they selected Henley, a lady who fell to her loss of life unintentionally, to match to a lacking Alaska Native girl. It labored as a result of her loss of life was unintended. It could have missed the mark if Henley was murdered. At this level I’m extra invested within the Jade storyline than the entire Involved Citizen taking Eileen hostage debacle. Who is that this man? May he be Rega Horn/Reed Gallahorn? I hope Jade remains to be alive. However largely, I hope I nonetheless care about any of the characters in any respect when the present returns in late February.. Blissful fall finale! See ya’ll in 2023.

Allison Hovanec was born and raised in Alaska. She and her husband are elevating three younger youngsters in South Anchorage. She is a co-owner of the Alaska Landmine, author for the Alaska Political Report and customarily competent.