Roswell Re-Watch: Season Two (11-21)

Monday 22 October 2012 10:22 by Avery Olive

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!

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.

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.”


 
At the Crashdown I’m sure there are things that should be Off the Menu. Hehe. Okay, so right away I’m going to say I’m not a huge fan of this episode. Or rather, not it’s placement. We jump back in time. Maria opens the episode at her chalkboard and says that she forgot to mention this but it’s key to everything. And sure, if you know what you are looking for coupled with everything that’s happened (and will happen) sure there’s a hint of something. But I think it would have been better suited somewhere else. In the last episode we end on this “OMG the aliens can go home” and then the excitement wears right off when we realize they aint going anywhere, or at least no it this episode. But anyways. Brody, we’ve mentioned him before. He owns the UFO Center, he’s a vessel for one of the aliens from the “home planet” Larek and in this episode as he tries to replay his memories of what happened in New York at the Summit with a machine, it breaks and gives Brody a shock that releases his memories. So much so that he takes Tess, Max, Maria, Maria’s Mom and Sean hostage to try and figure things out. The other aliens try to work on getting them out. It was good to learn a bit more about the home planet and a few of the things that happened but like I said, it took away from the momentum the last episode had. Liz gets involved and becomes a hostage too when she delivers food to Brody and the group. Sean tries to be the knight in the episode but fails. Tess confronts Max about him still having feelings for Liz and Maria tries to convince Brody to give up his gun and let everyone go. They figure out how to fix Brody, Tess mind warps Maria’s mom into forgetting everything and Sean agrees not to saying anything when Liz agrees to go out on a date with him. And all is well lol

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.

 

1 Response to "Roswell Re-Watch: Season Two (11-21)"

  1. Bryan Says:

    I understand where you are coming from. But for me even the "fill in episodes" were different and important and added to the show.