Roswell, New Mexico‘s “Barely Breathing” saw the rise of the MVP known as Michael Guerin, Alex standing up to the dumpster fire that is his father, and a race against time to save Isobel from a body that has turned against her. Let’s dive into “Barely Breathing” aka an episode that continues to prove how much we love this show!
Michael is the MVP of This Episode
I know I’m not supposed to have favorites, that I’m supposed to give everyone a fair chance, but I LOVE MICHAEL GUERIN! He was the true MVP of this episode and is proving week after week that he is one of the most caring and intelligent people in Roswell, New Mexico.
Let’s start off with Isobel and Max. Michael has always been the black sheep when it comes to his “siblings.” He knows that they love him, but he also knows that there is a connection between Isobel and Max that he can’t even begin to touch or understand. And instead of sitting there and brooding his ass off until the cows come home, Michael supported them.
Michael was there for the hard head that is Max when he kept trying over and over to heal Isobel and swore that he wasn’t going to throw up. Michael was there for Isobel when he sought out Liz on that rough top and was like, “What the hell are you doing?” And he was there for EVERYONE when he put on his big boy cowboy pants and entered into a partnership with Liz out of a positive understanding that they could do this.
See, MVP. All the way.
All this love for Michael and the kind of young man he is also leads me to HATE Max and Isobel’s parents. They saw Michael as being broken and useless. He wasn’t worth adopting. He wasn’t worth knowing. He wasn’t worth being given a chance. Michael was forgotten and left behind and I feel like Julia Roberts when she enters that clothing shop in Pretty Woman and calls out the lady for making A HUGE MISTAKE not helping her.
Max and Isobel’s mom made a huge mistake. Michael, my sweet alien child, is and will forever be WORTH IT. He deserves all the love, attention, and connection. And I hope that he continues building these bonds with the people of Roswell, New Mexico, be it a romantic bond with Alex or a friendship with Maria or Liz. Michael deserves it all and I’ll be damned if anyone brushes him off ever again.
Alex Standing Up to His Dad
One of my favorite things about Roswell, New Mexico is that Alex doesn’t just live for the romance. He isn’t there, on screen, to be Michael’s love interest when said alien isn’t dealing with alien/family drama. Alex is a fully developed character that lives beyond Michael and doesn’t need him to exist.
Now, this isn’t me saying that I don’t want romance for Alex and Michael. I do. The chemistry is real and alive between those two.This is me saying I don’t need to see Alex with Michael every single time we’re going to talk about either of these men. They are bigger than each other and the fact that Roswell, New Mexico is taking the time to flesh out EVERYONE on the show, speaks of their understanding of creating rich worlds where even the smallest person matters.
This week we saw Alex dealing with the bane of his existence and the man who crushed Alex’s future, his self esteem, and whatever could’ve been when it came to his relationship with Michael. His father, who we shall be calling the “Turd” from here on out, thought that he had his son figured out. Poor Alex, came back from war and is still the spineless son who fell for the “perversion” that is Michael. WRONG.
Alex didn’t just survive war. He grew and thrived as a man, friend, confidant, and person. He’s more sure of himself, better trained, and fully capable of throwing it down even if he needs a crutch to get around sometimes. So when he comforted his dad, smacked him up, and laid it all out in the secret bunker, I was proud of Alex. This was him taking on the Turd and every little bit of life that he had taken away from Alex.
It’s not going to be easy from here on out when it comes to Alex. (When will it ever be on a show?) He’s confronted his dad but opened up a whole can of worms when it comes to what the hell is going on in Roswell, New Mexico. Michael, the man he cares deeply about, was warned to be dangerous and of high interest. And Alex, he’s not going to let this go or pretend like he didn’t see anything. He’s going to get to the bottom of this and will probably be brought into the circle of people that know about our alien trio.
We Need to Talk About Kyle the Dumbass
If there was anybody that should’ve been angry this episode, it should’ve been Liz. The woman who “killed” her sister was dying and she was being pulled left and right to find a cure for Isobel. That would drive anybody to go al grrrrr. But Liz isn’t the one who went all grrr. Kyle was. And it ANNOYED THE HELL OUT OF ME!
Kyle was acting like he had a right to this fury inside of him when it came to Isobel. And I’m not talking about when Isobel controlled him and got him to stab her with the formula Liz made. I’m talking about every moment after and when he found out the truth from Liz. Kyle was acting like a spoiled brat who had a claim or monopoly on angst and pain when it came to Rosa and Isobel.
Sorry to tell you this Kyle, but you’re not the center of the universe. Not even a tiny bit. And like I said earlier, if there’s anyone that should be angry, it’s Liz. So you take your self righteous mess and get the hell out of Roswell, New Mexico. Don’t want to or can’t? Then work with the people around you, listen more, and support the people who are REALLY hurting.
And this is not say that Kyle’s feelings aren’t worthy or valid. They are. It’s just that I’m sick and tired of him this episode and the manner he carried himself. It was a different Kyle and I didn’t like him at all.
Other Random Notes and Thoughts:
- Why was Michael trying to rebuild their spaceship? Does he want to go home because he doesn’t think he belongs anywhere in this world? FEELS. I HAVE THEM.
- Cameron, girl. I understand why you’re doing what you’re doing. Doesn’t mean I have to like it. You’re stirring the pot and going to lead everyone into dangerous and life threatening territory.
- Max trying to save Isobel and then giving her the speech about not being able to live without her. Damn. More feels that make me want to wrap them all up in blankets and protect them from the world.
- I see you Maria and Michael. That chemistry is on point and I can’t wait to see more of them together this season on Roswell, New Mexico. And this isn’t me saying I necessary want to see them bone. If it happens, cool. If it doesn’t happen, that’s cool too. There’s just chemistry there and I love ittttt!
- Max and Isobel’s mom was from Containment! *le gasp*
- That scene at the end where Isobel is covered in silver. Girl is looking like an art piece straight out of Velvet Buzzsaw.
- Never knew I needed a team up between Michael and Liz but here we are!
Favorite Moment from Roswell, New Mexico’s “Barely Breathing”:
Kudos to Michael for laying it all out before Liz gets deeper into this mess.
http://bichaelguerin.tumblr.com/post/183429129850
Roswell, New Mexico airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.