Well, hello there, nice to see you all again! You’re
probably thinking, my god, more Roswell! Or Yay, more Roswell, or perhaps,
what, she’s doing yet another post on Roswell...
I trust that you know it’s almost over, only two more posts after this one!
I trust that you know it’s almost over, only two more posts after this one!
So, continuing where we left off...
I decided I’d do the next four episodes together since they
all pretty much are continuations of each other and because, I don’t like them.
You’ve noticed already, there are several episodes in this season I do not
like. I think for most others, they feel the same way. This season was off to a
decent start, but then... the train derailed for several episodes, and then, it
sort of got back on its tracks, to only derail again.
To Serve &
Protect, We are Family, Disturbing Behavior, and How the Other Half Lives are all
centered around a few plot points. One being the disappearance of a girl, and a
strange alien parasite that leaked into the ecosystem when the alien’s
spaceship crashed. I think this was a desperate attempt at giving the aliens
another threat, but for me, it just didn’t work, especially since it was
dragged out for four episodes. Valenti puts his career on the line for the
kids, which, in the end costs him his job. They find the girl, sure, and she’s
special, but it’s a plot point I don’t like. Michael looks like a striking
resemblance to the girl’s grandfather and they uncover mean relatives trying to
squander fortunes from the girl. Max, Tess, Liz, Kyle and Alex work to try and
uncover more of the parasites and figure out how to destroy them. Most of the
romantic elements of the show are put on hold, except Michael and Maria who
bicker constantly. We see Grant Sorenson again, and he’s the only suspect in
the case of the missing, returned, missing again... girl. Again I feel for
Isabel, she’s had a bad run when it comes to trying to have anything normal.
Brody gets taken over by one of the aliens from the home planet to rely a few
messages and sure, there are a few sweet or tensioned filled moments between
everyone, for me, it just doesn’t work. So, I’m capping things off here.
Favourite Line: Max, “I'll be watching you, Liz Parker.
Wherever you go...and I'll be here when you get back.” This kind of acts as a
moment for a few different things to come, a little foreshadowing in my
opinion. But... it’s sad because I know what’s coming really quick!
Viva Las Vegas...
This is a sort of fun episode. Michael is taking things pretty hard these days,
and decides on a whim to use the money he got from the Dupree’s to go to Vegas.
He thinks the money is haunting him, so what better way to get rid of
nightmares and shaky hands then to blow it all on a trip. A simple trip
that was only supposed to include Max and Michael blows up. Everyone involved
finds out about the trip one way or another until the whole group is invited or tags along. Maria of course plans
everything. They each get fake names (named after popular drinks) a wad of cash
and off they go. The day and night turns out different, sort of leading each the group in
different directions. Kyle plays Blackjack, Alex blows all his money on one
hand, Maria takes in the spa and then auditions for a signing part that turns
out to be more about stripping than singing with Alex. Tess and Liz find their
fake ideas failing them and spend their time in the arcade. Max and Michael
play Craps (where Michael cheats using his powers) and Isabel finds herself alone, but quickly signs up to be a
bridesmaid for a total strangers wedding. All seems good, right? I think this
episode shows us more about everyone’s personalities. It’s fun to watch them go
their separate ways only to end up back together at the end of the night. Max
and Liz have a beautiful dance. Alex and Isabel do too. As does Kyle and Tess.
Maria realizes Michael isn’t a complete idiot and Maria gets to sing on a real
stage. For me this is episode shows the aliens blowing off steam and gets them
and us ready for what’s to come. A calm before the storm type episode. I love how Valenti catches them all in the end and sends them home. His bit about dealing with alien stuff or saving the world are okay reasons to skip school, but to underage gamble and party isn't a good reason. He turns into the parent figure for all of them. I liked seeing him take on that role.
Favourite Line:
Michael, “You're gonna love it. It's a place without rules,
without responsibilities, a place where we can forget about our troubles, it's
a city of dreams.” Max, “Which would be...”
Michael, “Vegas... we're going to Vegas baby”
In Canada we don’t really have the whole Prom thing, so it’s
always fun to watch shows that have them and in Heart of Mine the Roswellian team is hitting the dance floor. It’s
great to see how everyone makes it to prom and who their dates are. Kyle asks
Tess to go. It’s a fun and awkward conversation and it’s great to see that he
wants to know if there can be anything more between him and Tess. I continue to
feel bad for Isabel, she’s got no one but then again, only asks Alex to go with
her because she just wants to go and not alone. However we do see her opinions
of Alex change over the course of the episode and she realizes all too soon that
maybe Alex is the guy for her. Liz and Max decide to go as friends. They’ve
pushed enough of their differences aside and you truly believe that this is the
starting point for them to continue their relationship forward. And though
Maria desperately wants to go, Michael as usual finds an excuse not to be
there. However, we see how something so great can still turn into a disaster.
Kyle realizes the chemistry between him and Tess is more on a sibling level.
Maria thinks Michael is cheating when in reality he’s taken dance lessons to
impress her. And just when you think Max and Liz are finally going to be
together again, they end up doing a one eighty. She pours her heart out but
says maybe they need to let go and give up. Max takes off, upset and hurt and
finds himself in the comfort of Tess’ arms. The two share a very intimate kiss
which Liz sees. I’m not a huge fan of the character Shawn--Maria's ex-con cousin. I haven’t mentioned
him yet, but he’s been thrown in to the mix merely for Liz so she can have a
fall back guy to comfort her when things go wrong. I would have liked to see
her deal with the fallout from this episode and what’s to come on her own.
Favourite Line: Liz monologue, “And there we were. All
together, with everything we'd all been through over the last two years. The
battles we'd fought, the relationships that were formed, the feelings for each
other, stronger than any feelings we'd ever known could exist. And somehow in
this moment I had this really strong, really upsetting feeling, that this was
the last time we'd all be standing together.”
Get the Kleenex ready because in Cry Your Name a much loved Roswell resident isn’t going to come out
of this episode alive. I hate to say the name, but I’m going to assume you’ve
watched the episode...
So if you haven’t SPOILER!!!!! DO NOT READ PAST THIS POINT!
Okay, last chance to close the window, run to your TV and watch the episode.
No? You’re good, are you sure?
Alright, I’ve given you fair warning.
There’s no easy way to say this. Alex dies. It’s sad. Sniffle and cry and be angry all you want. I hate to say it, but we sort of saw some sort of tragedy coming based on last episodes Liz monologue. The problem is that it’s sudden, the group is at a loss but what if Aliens are responsible for Alex’s death? Liz doesn’t point fingers (not right away) but she’s so distraught that she assumes there is no way that Alex would have taken his own life. I think a lot of us, sadly, can relate to this. It’s sad to lose someone, yet somehow it’s sadder when you don’t want to believe the truth and in this case, all evidence is pointing towards Alex crashing his car on purpose. I loved how Michael stepped up and was there for Maria and her mother. That Kyle was there for Tess and Max was there for Isabel. But no one was really there for Liz and she seems to be okay with that. She’s walking this journey alone. Isabel feels responsible. She realized too late that she loved Alex and wanted him to travel that night even though he said he didn’t want to. And in an effort to console herself she creates the vision of Alex in her dreams. The funeral scene is beautiful. Maria sings (she’s got a great voice and we’ve seen her sing before) and the group tries to hold it together. But when Liz starts to find what she believes are clues into Alex’s “murder” a giant rift forms between the aliens and the humans.
Favourite Line: I had a hard time picking something from
this episode so I went with this. Liz, “I really need your help. I know
something's wrong. I know what they're saying about you isn't true. But I don't
know where to go from here. I really wish you could give me some advice, point
me in a direction.”
The fallout of Alex’s death is shown in It’s Too Late & It’s Too Bad. Everyone is still trying to cope with the loss of the beloved character but as I mentioned before the aliens are separate from the humans since Liz finally pointed the finger and blames aliens—not the group themselves, but other aliens, if there are any. Maria throws herself into a project for the yearbook. I love seeing Michael and Maria’s relationship, even though they hit a few snags in this episode. They seem to be heading towards a path of actual serious relationshipness. Isabel made an announcement last episode about graduating early and going to college (I didn’t mention it because it’s better suited here) but again poor Isabel doesn’t get treated with the same courtesy as everyone else in the group. Max, pulling his king status (which he seems to only implement when it suits him, which is not very nice) tells her she’s not leaving. I didn’t like seeing this side of Max. He was mean and callous, threatening to ruin Isabel’s life if she leaves. I think Max is scared but it doesn’t come off quite that way. We also see him and Tess getting closer. They talk about the kiss they shared at prom. And Liz. Liz has continued her quest to find the truth about Alex. She brings Sean down with her sort of, when she breaks into the school and gets caught. She also puts distance between herself and Maria. Suddenly Maria isn’t so sure Liz is doing the right thing. But she finds out information and we see at the end of the episode two major things happening. Liz is about to get on a plane to Sweden after Max told her not to go and that if she did their friendship is over and we see Max at Tess’ side as he tries to deal with Liz’s departure. In the final moments Tess and Max make love and Liz get’s a phone call that tells her Alex never went to Sweden. That he might have been in Roswell the whole time. These last few minutes are hard to watch. So much happens and in a way they might never be able to go back and make things right.
The fallout of Alex’s death is shown in It’s Too Late & It’s Too Bad. Everyone is still trying to cope with the loss of the beloved character but as I mentioned before the aliens are separate from the humans since Liz finally pointed the finger and blames aliens—not the group themselves, but other aliens, if there are any. Maria throws herself into a project for the yearbook. I love seeing Michael and Maria’s relationship, even though they hit a few snags in this episode. They seem to be heading towards a path of actual serious relationshipness. Isabel made an announcement last episode about graduating early and going to college (I didn’t mention it because it’s better suited here) but again poor Isabel doesn’t get treated with the same courtesy as everyone else in the group. Max, pulling his king status (which he seems to only implement when it suits him, which is not very nice) tells her she’s not leaving. I didn’t like seeing this side of Max. He was mean and callous, threatening to ruin Isabel’s life if she leaves. I think Max is scared but it doesn’t come off quite that way. We also see him and Tess getting closer. They talk about the kiss they shared at prom. And Liz. Liz has continued her quest to find the truth about Alex. She brings Sean down with her sort of, when she breaks into the school and gets caught. She also puts distance between herself and Maria. Suddenly Maria isn’t so sure Liz is doing the right thing. But she finds out information and we see at the end of the episode two major things happening. Liz is about to get on a plane to Sweden after Max told her not to go and that if she did their friendship is over and we see Max at Tess’ side as he tries to deal with Liz’s departure. In the final moments Tess and Max make love and Liz get’s a phone call that tells her Alex never went to Sweden. That he might have been in Roswell the whole time. These last few minutes are hard to watch. So much happens and in a way they might never be able to go back and make things right.
Favourite Line: Michael, “We've been through some rough
stuff lately. The thing is, you're right. I can't really imagine it happening,
but I am gonna leave someday. It could be a year, or 2, or 50. But I'm gonna
leave. It sucks. It's the choice we made to be together. But there is one thing
that I can promise you, and that is that I can give you now.”
I might have been the only one to see this but, in the
opening scenes of Baby, It’s You when
Max wakes with Tess in his arms, there is this moment, it’s only a second or
two but Max looks truly upset, conflicted, even a little tortured. Like he
can’t believe what he’s just done. I know as a watcher, I don’t think we could
quite believe it either. But... it’s done. Max tries to talk to Isabel about
what happened but she’s not having it. In the end, he sort of decides and I
think it’s not obviously for the right reasons to just jump into his relationship with Tess with both feet.
He’s being selfish and petty. Since everyone is mad at him (and Tess is the
only one that seems to care) he just grabs a hold of her for comfort. They walk
into the school holding hands, sort of cementing their relationship, even
though again, you can see it within Max that he’s not quite all in. But it
doesn’t matter because... Tess is Pregnant. That’s right. Pregnant. Liz finally has enough information to
convince Maria that she has been right and that Alex didn’t go to Sweden and
that an Alien was responsible. Maria even does some researching herself and
together they learn he was at a college in Las Cruces. The two, against the good
of the group, decide to go. And we think Michael is going to tattle on them but
instead he helps them. In an effort to get even with Max Isabel and Kyle play
numerous pranks. I think it’s really great to see Kyle as even more part of the
group, he is one funny guy! But not everything is all good. Tess’ rapidly
growing baby isn’t doing so well, and she believes the baby will die if they
don’t find a way to their home planet. And magically enough, while Maria, Liz
and Michael are chasing down leads they find the very thing that will get the
aliens home. A lot happens in this episode and is a set up for the season
coming to an end. And I must say, I never believed Tess was the innocent little
alien. I never believed that her baby was in danger. I think she saw Max
slipping away among other things and did whatever she could to keep him because
Max, though not always the best character is loyal beyond anything.
Favourite Line:
Max, “What's
this?” Michael, “It's everything we've been looking for. It's a translation to the book. You know - the book.”
Isabel, “You're kidding!”
Michael, “Not even a little.”
Isabel, “Well what does it say?”
Max, “It's the way home. We can go home.”
Favourite Line: Amy, “Oh! I have had enough out of you
for one day, Max Evans. OK. My nephew is gonna get us out of here so I can save
my precious daughter. And what is taking you so long? Are you a criminal or
not?” This one is just purely funny.
Alright, the episode we’ve been waiting for, sort of, The Departure, the second season
finale. The aliens take what the learned in Baby, It’s You about the granilith
being their way home and start the clock. They have a short amount of time to
say their goodbyes before they leave earth. This is one of the best, saddest
episodes. Isabel spends time with Alex. He’s popped up a few times because
Isabel still isn’t ready to let go of him. Of all of the aliens, she’s the one
that’s most apprehensive about leaving earth and going back home. She doesn’t
like who she was and fears that she’ll betray Max again. She’s happy with her
life, even though Alex is gone and she loves her parents. Michael gives Maria the
night of a lifetime. Everything she’s ever wanted. He lets her see him for the
first time allowing flashes to pass through him, into her. They spend the night
together but only at the last minute explains that he’s leaving. Max is set on
destroying the alien they believe to be the one that killed Alex and because
Liz is desperate to see it through to the end, they travel together to Las
Cruces, only Liz realizes almost too late that Alex’s made up girlfriend
couldn’t be the killer. Liz tries to get Max to see that he needs to help her
more in order to find the killer and in an emotional scene he tells her he’s
leaving and that Tess is pregnant. Outside the Crashdown we see them say their
final goodbye. It’s gut wrenching to watch, and we see Max admit that Tess
could never really replace her and as Liz walks away from him he breaks down. I
thought it was great that Max and Isabel leave a message for their parents.
They’ve done so much for the two and they mean so much to them, it’s nice that
they’ve decided to give them some closure. Valenti helps the aliens in their
final efforts to leave without a trace. I loved the goodbye they shared.
But it’s not all good. We see the small pieces falling into
place pointing us into the real direction of Alex’s killer. Several things over
the last few episodes come into play and when Kyle is put at the scene of the
crime he’s able to tap into memories that were supposed to be lost forever and
shows us the final minutes of Alex’s life and what happened, how Kyle was
involved and who the killer is. Tess. Though I must say we don’t fully know why
Tess decided to send Alex away and decode the book or how that all came into
play, we know why she killed him.
You almost think it’s too late as Kyle, Liz and Maria rush
to the Pod Chamber in hopes of telling Max who really killed Alex. I loved how
we saw those last few moments before the aliens are set to leave and who decides
they can’t go. Michael has always been a hard to read character. You’re never
really sure what he's thinking or how he feels, especially when it comes to
Maria, so it comes as a huge surprise when he tells everyone his life is on
earth. He was the one that pushed so hard to discover the truth about
themselves and always looking for more, it was sweet to see that everything he needed or wanted was actually here, on earth. And though Isabel doesn’t want to leave, she decides to stick with
Max. They are family, she is loyal and she makes the choice, maybe for the wrong
reasons. And Tess is agitated about hurrying up and leaving. But when Michael
leaves the chamber he finds Maria, Kyle and Tess. There is a blow out, we learn
why Tess was so eager to be with Max and I have to say I was surprised. It’s
something that I never would have guessed in a million years. I knew I didn’t
like her but wow. In the final moments of the episode Max suffers. He realizes
he can’t kill her, not with his child still within Tess, he has compassion when
maybe he shouldn’t and allows her to leave earth but of course says, this isn’t
over.
Though I must say that I was a little surprised by the quick
change in Max, going from “loving” Tess to wow, okay, now that she’s out of the
picture, Liz, I really do love you... And Liz, she just takes him back like
it’s no big deal...
Favourite Line: Max, “I've been really wrong about a lot.
But I was right about one thing: To get you into my life, to be around you, to
love you.” It’s still a good line even if I don’t like the circumstances around
it.
24 October 2012 at 01:45
I understand where you are coming from. But for me even the "fill in episodes" were different and important and added to the show.