There was a lot to unpack from this week’s episode of Roswell, New Mexico, but then again, it feels like there always is. But that’s why we’re here, to unpack it all for you, to discuss, to give this show the love it deserves, not just for telling compelling stories, not just for giving us not one, or two, but three OTPS to root for, but for doing so while staying rooted in a world that feels real.
One we can see ourselves in.
So let’s take a moment to talk about the highlights of episode four, titled “Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?”, the good, the bad, the things we can’t stop thinking about and discussing. Here we go!
Family is a choice
A choice you make, not just once, but over and over again. And that’s what Max, Michael and Isobel are, above all things, a family not just because they found themselves on Earth together, not just because the Evans picked two of them and raised them as siblings, but a family because they love each other, a family because they protect each other, a family because they’ve chosen to be, through good times, and bad times.
Sometimes sex is just sex
For both men and women. As long as there’s consent, then hey, who says true love is needed? Kudos to the show for allowing Liz to have sex just to have sex (though I’m not so sure Kyle isn’t going to get emotionally involved here, but that’s a story for another day), because Max is having it, and women don’t have to wait and remain pure, or some backwards bullshit like that. Women can do whatever they want with their bodies.
Bisexual King (& Queen?)
I’m all in for the Malex train, chochooo, but I can’t say I didn’t get a thrill from watching Michael and Maria flirt. There’s chemistry there, and though I don’t need them to even go this way, or to make it endgame, it was a nice nod to people like me, who watched the original Roswell and fell in love not with Max and Liz, but with Michael and Maria. And hey, these two seem to have chemistry with absolutely everyone, so I’m looking forward to all the twists and turns coming our way.
Lies of Omission
I know that, in many ways, it’s just too easy for Isobel to tell Max how Liz feels, and I know she thinks she’s protecting him by keeping this secret from him, but you don’t protect the people you love by lying. Max is making decisions based on what he thinks Liz feels, and he is wrong, and Isobel knows he is, but she’s still letting him make decisions based on erroneous information. Even if she’s doing it to protect herself, or him, that’s incredibly selfish of her, not to mention misguided.
What being an Illegal Immigrant Means
Kudos to Roswell, New Mexico for not using Liz’s father as just a token latino, for not just throwing his immigration status at us as a way to garner sympathy and nothing else. The show is going full in with this story-line, by explaining what it means for him to be an illegal immigrant, how that dictates every decision he and the people around him make, from going to the cops to even seeking medical assistance. These are the kind of stories we need on TV, and the kind of care shows should take with these stories, and it makes my heart grow three sizes every week to see this show doing it right.
Not taking it back
I absolutely adore Max ‘I wear my heart on my sleeve’ Evans, and the way he isn’t taking back how he feels about Liz, and he isn’t macho posturing, and he isn’t really mad about her and Kyle, even if he is sad. Because Max loves Liz, and the kind of love he feels isn’t the selfish kind of love that wants to own, but the real kind, the one that makes you want the other person’s happiness.
What happened the night Rosa Ortecho died?
The show is trying to make us think Michael lost control, or something, and that he’s responsible for killing “those girls,” which we’re assuming includes Rosa. But it’s episode four, and that’s just too simple an answer. It doesn’t really fit with the marks found on Rosa, either. Can Michael even do that? Was it Max trying to heal her? What really happened that night? We have some answers, but those are only half answers, the ones that invite more questions. One thing is for sure, whatever happened, it’s likely not what we think happened right now. This is TV, after all. They’re going to throw a twist or three our way.
Agree? Disagree? Share with us in the comments below!
Roswell, New Mexico airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on the CW.
