“Alaska Daily” gives us two wonderful female characters who lead the plot. While their behavior is what separates them, it is their sheer will to strive for the truth that strengthens their bond. As the story proceeds, we see Eileen Fitzgerald and Rosalind “Roz” Friendly adapting to each other’s methods while working on the same case.
Spoilers Ahead
Eileen Fitzgerald
Eileen Fitzgerald has joined The Daily Alaskan after quitting her job at a reputed New York newspaper agency. She is proud, and her pride is justified. After all, she dared to take on a US Secretary of Defense candidate. She is bent on exposing the man, even at the cost of her own illustrious career, because that’s all that matters to her. But in the gap between quitting her job and deciding to leave her world behind to make a new one in Alaska, she develops anxiety. This is probably because she never imagined having to quit her job only to let facts remain hidden. She was even writing a book based on the story she was working on about the Secretary of Defense candidate. This was her way of coping with her loss. Thankfully, Stanley pulled her out of her misery and brought her back to where he knew she would get hold of herself. But this happens only after Stanley hands her documents related to numerous missing indigenous women in Alaska. He knew she needed a thrust, and that could only come in the form of a strong story. So, he does the needful, and Eileen agrees.
After arriving at The Daily Alaskan, it takes some time for the natives at the office to adapt to Eileen and her indifferent attitude, especially Roz, who Stanley has teamed Eileen with. Eileen works alone and thinks that she is enough and that whatever she says has to be done. But Roz makes it very clear very soon that at The Daily Alaskan, everyone is a part of the same team, despite the stories each of them may be working on. And because Eileen is following up on the death of Gloria Nanmac, an indigenous woman, she needs to admit that she needs helps from Roz, who is also an indigenous woman, if she wants to dig deeper into the incident. Eileen slowly gets the hang of this new way of working, or, to speak more casually, teamwork.
As we move from one episode to the next, Eileen’s panic attacks lessen until they finally disappear. However, they return after she is held hostage by Eric Barry, aka the “concerned citizen.” After he is shot by the cops, the situation is over, and Stanley suggests Eileen see a counselor. The fact that she listens to Stanley proves that she has indeed changed. She isn’t the stubborn Eileen Fitzgerald who listened only to herself and spoke to people only when needed. It is the people at The Daily Alaskan i.e. Stanley, Roz, Gabriel, Austin, Yuna, Claire, and Bob—all these people who, in their own way, made her feel like home.
After coming to Alaska, she falls in love too. This is a big thing for Eileen. Eventually, she and Roz do find out who killed Gloria Nanmac. But it’s the decision that she takes afterward that matters. She decides not to join The New York Times, and to stay back in Alaska and work at The Daily Alaskan. She came to Alaska after quitting her dream job and had absolutely nothing to look forward to. But after spending all this time with her new friends in Anchorage, she finds something that she didn’t have in New York: peace. Her journey from the moment she landed in Alaska to find out the truth about Gloria Nanmac’s murder and publishing the story, addressing a corrupt system, is not a journey of her as a journalist but as a person. She had always been a great journalist, but Alaska taught her how to be better toward those around her as well as toward herself.
Rosalind ‘Roz’ Friendly
Rosalind Friendly had been struggling with Gloria Nanmac’s murder case when Stanley introduced her to Eileen Fitzgerald. And she wasn’t willing to compromise her research for a know-it-all journalist just because she has a reputation. This is why we see friction between them, as Eileen’s way of working is different from Rosalind’s. Coming back to Rosalind, she is as fearless as Eileen, but her advantage is that she has her finger on the pulse of Alaskan natives. This allows her to speak to the indigenous people without making them feel uncomfortable. This is because they know that they can trust her and that she will understand their pain. Had it not been for her, Eileen wouldn’t have been able to speak to Gloria’s mother, Sylvie Nanmac, and their investigation wouldn’t have proceeded. We can say that Rosalind brings her heart to the investigation, which is essential when addressing such a sensitive issue.
It wouldn’t be wrong to say that without Rosalind, Eileen wouldn’t have been able to achieve half of what she could while working on the case. This makes us think that if only she had someone like Rosalind back in New York, she wouldn’t have quit her previous job. It is with Rosalind’s help that she manages to charge US Defense Secretary Raymond Green and the Pentagon with the death of fighter pilot Greg Choi. So maybe it is a good thing that Eileen quit her job and came to Alaska because that’s where she met Rosalind, who is perhaps her new best friend. And as long as they are working together, no truth can hide from them.
While there are many other characters in “Alaska Daily,” they act as links that help Eileen and Roz solve the different cases. Each of them [Austin, Yuna, Claire, Bob, Gabriel, and even Stanley] contributes in his or her own way to help the ladies solve the case, which is part of a larger issue that spans all across Alaska and thus needs to be addressed as soon as possible. For example, Austin pulls his stories about Denali Broadband taking the ladies to Tuxedo, where they trace Ezra Fisher (Episode 9).
Yuna was the one who spoke to Greg Choi’s parents and brought in crucial evidence (Episode 5). Claire was the one who came across a profile namedoyoman223, who eventually turned out to be “concerned citizen” Eric Barry (Episode 7). Bob managed to persuade his friend at Teletrove Cellular to give him the call records for the unknown number from which Gloria sent Toby the voicemail (Episode 10). We are giving just one example for each of them, although they have contributed in many more ways. Finally, we have Stanley, who has been with Eileen and Roz from the very beginning to the end, keeping them in check as well as maneuvering them in the right direction now and then. But it is the conviction of Rosalind and Eileen that brings Gloria Nanmac’s killer to justice.
