‘Roswell’ 1×05 Roundtable: “Don’t Speak”

As always, Roswell, New Mexico made us feel all the things in its fifth episode of the season, titled “Don’t Speak.” Will there ever be a time when this show doesn’t throw a twist or five our way? Honestly, we kinda hope the answer is no. We like when they keep us on our toes.

Joining me talk the latest episode are Fangirlish writers Lizzie, Lily, Shelby and Jasmine. Here we go!

1. Use a gif to describe how “Don’t Speak” made you feel.

Lyra:

Lizzie:

Lily:

Shelby:

Jasmine:

2. Where do Liz and Max go from here?

Lyra: Up until this point, Liz and Max have been living in the past when it comes to the way that they look and act around each other. Shit isn’t going to get easier for these two, but I think Max telling Liz the truth will clear any secrets between them, enabling them to change. Now they’ll be able to see the other for what they truly are, broken individuals who genuinely care for each other and that want to solve the death of Rosa as soon as possible.

Lizzie: They go towards a place where there are finally, no secrets between them. Their relationship was never going to be what it could be as long as Max was keeping such a big secret from Liz, and I think now it’s also time for Liz to put on the table how she feels about Max, even if she doesn’t have the right words to explain that. It’s all or nothing.

Lily: I hate that this one secret has kept them apart all these years. But now that it’s all in the open, hopefully this means they can be partners. I don’t know if romance is in the cards just yet but eventually. For right now, I just need there to be trust between them. In order for them to get to that level, they need to work on their friendship first.

Shelby: I don’t see them going anywhere right now, romantic or otherwise, because any semblance of trust that did exist between them is gone now. Liz gave Max numerous chances to be honest with her and he chose to lie to her. This revelation was the digusting icing on top of an already terrible cake. At this point, space can only do them good.

Erin: I don’t see them going anywhere and yet I see them going everywhere. I feel like they are getting to that place where there are no secrets which will propel them forward, but they are also getting to that place where the secrets they keep may destroy everything. I don’t know – sometimes I think that the pain that comes from the truth – while better than the pain from a lie – is a hard thing to live with. How do you look at someone that you know has done nothing but lie to you?

Jasmine: I agree with everyone on this. Although all the secrets are finally out in the open, the wounds are too fresh for both Liz and Max. They are both hurting right now so trying to begin a relationship right now wouldn’t be a good idea. They have a lot to work through before they even cross that bridge.

3. Do you think Isobel killed Rosa?

Lyra: Nah. It’s too easy. Plus, before we were led to believe it might be Max. Then two seconds later we were led to l believe Michael was responsible. Now you’re telling me that Isobel did it? WHATTTT?! I’m a jump and skip away from going fuck it and throwing all my theories on Rosa into the air. Alex is probably going to be the next suspect!

Lizzie: I absolutely do not think Isobel killed Rosa, no. Not during a blackout, not without meaning to, no. I think Isobel was involved in how Rosa died, but I don’t think she actually killed her. Now, Alex’s dad and the whole of Project Shepherd? I won’t put my hands on the fire for them.

Lily: Not at all. I think Isobel was there that night. I think Max and Michael totally believe that she did. But I don’t think she did. I think she witnessed their murders and I think she’s been blocking the memory of that traumatic event. The irony is that she’s the only one with the powers to get inside her own head to bring those memories to light. If Max or Michael had her powers, they probably would’ve gotten inside her head already to get the truth.

Shelby: Maybe. I don’t want to villanize Isobel without knowing the full truth, and there are clearly many aspects of this story that we still don’t know about. If anything, I think Isobel played some role in Rosa’s death, but I do not believe that she is the only one to blame. I also like not knowing if Isobel did kill Rosa for sure or not. It makes me watch all of the characters closer to catch all of the details. I like playing detective alongside Liz as I watch the show.

Erin: I don’t like her – so I am not putting anything past her. But honestly, I don’t think it was any of them. I think there are more aliens out there that we aren’t aware of. I think that we have yet to learn about them. I think there is something more there. And that’s the great thing about Roswell. Shit keeps unfolding and I am here for it.

Jasmine: I’m with Lily on this one. I think Isobel was there the night Rosa died but I don’t think she killed her. She may very well have been a witness to her death, but was she the actual murderer? I don’t think so.

4. Isobel is hiding who she is from everyone in her life, including her husband. How do you feel about what he did when he confronted Isobel with an overnight bag? How can Isobel fix this?

Lyra: Marriage isn’t easy, not by a long shot. But Isobel’s hubby, he’s patient AF and has been giving Isobel chances left and right because he knows how close Isobel is to Max and Michael and that she’s had a crazy upbringing. What her hubby did was an act of self care for himself because he believes Isobel is suffering like his dad did. And it’s a signal to Isobel that he is finally drawing a line in the sand. Which isn’t bad, by the way. A marriage is a partnership and Isobel is absent from it. That’s why she breaks down like this while talking to Michael. She knows what she’s done and how the distance between them is largely her fault. But Isobel is determined AF. She’ll fix this. She just has to take the first step and possibly tell her hubby that she’s an alien. That or tell him you have a drinking problem before that was A LOT of nail polish remover!

Lizzie: It was a little heartbreaking, but totally understandable. In his eyes she’s lying about everything, and is she even really the person he married if she can’t trust him? Does he want to be with a woman who doesn’t? The answer is clearly no, and I think the only way forward is for Iz to actually give something of herself, to confide in him, at least a little bit. He isn’t asking for everything all at once, he just wants to be part of her life, and that’s really not too much to ask.

Lily: It’s definitely heartbreaking but it’s also justified. I think she’s going to have to come clean. It’s not fair that Max can tell Liz about them but Isobel can’t tell her husband. She’s going to have to bring him in the loop like in the original series run if she wants to fix this.

Shelby: From what we’ve seen, I am convinced Noah may be the best husband ever. He has been so understanding and giving for who knows how long. Everyone has a breaking point and this episode was his. Of course this scene broke my heart for both of them. It was clearly something Noah didn’t want to have to do but did so for the betterment of himself and hopefully Isobel. I’m not sure I have an answer for how Isobel can fix this. It’s not going to be easy but I do hope they find a way to work things out. I’m rooting for them.

Erin: This is the point where I feel the worst for Izzy. Why? Because she’s in between a rock and a hard place. She can’t be true about who she is and she can’t hide who she is if she wants the man that she loves. I feel like Izzy doesn’t deserve that pain. She doesn’t want to put her brothers at risk. However, I think that she needs to let her walls down a little bit and give him an inch. There is nothing wrong with giving an inch.

Jasmine: Noah seems like a calm and understanding person but there’s only so much a person can take. I know Isobel is scared about revealing her true self to him but I feel that if she doesn’t, they will not be able to come back from this. When he brought the bag, you could see how much it hurt him because he really loves her. I hope at some point she finally decides to trust in the strength of their relationship and tell him the truth.

5. Use a gif to describe how badass Liz was when she was in that wooden box lit on fire.

Lyra:

Lizzie:

Lily:

Shelby:

Jasmine:

6. Kyle and Alex spent time together and proved that everybody on this show has chemistry. What did you think about their team-up? What do you make out of everything they found underneath the cabin?

Lyra: I don’t know how they do it but they’ve hit a LANDMINE of talent on Roswell, New Mexico. I honestly didn’t know if I would get scenes of Alex without Michael there. But here we are. No Michael in site! Just two guys trying to figure out if their dad/mentor had a young girl under lock and key under the floorboards of his cabin.

Lizzie: I really, really hope we get to see more of these two, because it was a nice look at Alex outside of his relationship with Michael and with his dad, and also because it humanized both him and Kyle to be more than their respective love lives. We all need friends, and Roswell, New Mexico has done a really good job of making us feel like all these characters are real people because it’s paid attention to things like that.

Lily: I know I might be in the minority but I just don’t like Alex at all. I couldn’t care less about him. I admit I enjoyed finding out more about his childhood friendship with Kyle. But I still can’t bring myself to care about him or his storyline. Maybe that’ll change as the season progresses but right now, he’s the show’s weakest link. It could survive with or without him.

Shelby: I am obsessed with this team-up. It was fun to learn that they used to be quite close before Kyle became the worst in high school. That being said, it’s interesting to reflect on who Kyle was in high school from the context clues Alex provided to better understand how much Kyle really has changed and grown up. I am endlessly interested in Alex Manes and to hear portions of his story directly from him really moved me. Basically, I want to see more of Kyle and Alex together. As for what they found underneath the cabin, every family has drama. I am interested to see how Kyle handles this dismantling of the man he thought he knew his father to be.

Erin: For the first time, I felt bad for Kyle. I felt like I needed to reach out to him, hug him, and tell him that everything would be okay. Even though I can’t guarantee everything will be. It’s hard when you find out the person that you have idolized forever isn’t the person that you knew at all. I can’t even imagine what it’s like for him to find out that his father is not the man that he knew. BUT – what pissed me off about this entire thing was that I lost faith in Alex. I always had faith in Alex, but now that is gone. He saw a clue, he didn’t say anything, and it makes me think he is involved with Project Shepard.

Jasmine: Seeing Kyle and Alex work together was interesting. I find myself agreeing with Lily about Alex after that last episode. Alex is slightly getting on my nerves, I felt like he spent the episode just repeating himself about his relationship with Kyle’s dad. Like ok, he was your savior we get it! I thought the team up worked out ok until Alex found a clue and didn’t say anything to Kyle. I’m hoping in the next episode he lets him know what he found when he left. As for the stuff they found under the Cabin? Holy crap what a revelation!!

7. There’s a shadowy force out there in Roswell, New Mexico that will do anything to keep the truth about Rosa’s death. With this in mind, who do you think killed Rosa and why are they trying to hide it?

Lyra: I was going to say something wise and crazy but Lizzie caught me with her response. I love it. I want it. Dat drama tho!

Lizzie: Right now, I’m going to say Rosa knew more than she should have and Project Shepherd had her killed, and then somehow, convinced Isobel that she was responsible.

Lily: I think they’re trying to make it really obvious that Alex’s dad is the villain of this story but that’s just way too easy in my opinion. I also remember that the original series had a murder mystery when Alex also died. We eventually found out who that killer was and it was a doozy that I remember being shocked about. This new show could go that route again (which would be awesome) or it could go the very obvious route. Either way, I’m in it for the long haul. I can’t wait to find out what happened to Rosa.

Shelby: I’m going to go ahead and blame the government. It seems to be one of the main shadowy forces hanging over Roswell, New Mexico. Like Lizzie, I wouldn’t put it past the people involved with Project Shepherd killing someone who knew too much about the things they were doing everything they could to keep secret.

Erin: I am gonna blame Project Shepherd.

Jasmine: I’m definitely with you Erin. I’m saying it was all project Shepherd. I don’t see Rosa’s death being linked to anything else but that.