FREE ALEX FROM THE UNDERGROUND!
I will be shouting that until we actually see Alex freed from the underground, which doesn’t happen on Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 Episode 8. Though at least everyone knows he’s missing now, and they even have a lead on his whereabouts.
Small victories, guys. Small victories.
This hour is a little up and down because the forward momentum stalls again in favor of more character work versus plot work, which isn’t bad. It never feels wrong for Roswell to step back from the sci-fi and focus on the relationships, especially when one of the epic pairings of the season hasn’t been as prevalent this season.
Malex were due this episode.
Alex’s disappearance at the end of Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 Episode 2 feels like a long time ago, though in the show’s storyline, it’s only been a few days. And in that time, they’ve been dealing with so many things that you can understand why no one’s spidey senses were tingling when it came to Alex.
They’ve been trying to call him, but it’s clear that they assumed he might not have cell service, and then before they could dwell too long on anything, the next big thing came along to take their focus.
But once Maria and Liz realized that something was wrong, they owed it to Michael to let him know. While a lot of Michael’s anger falls on Max (and rightfully so), it sucks knowing everyone is having these conversations about Michael’s boyfriend and keeping it from him.
And the idea of being afraid of Michael’s reaction is weak at best. Michael only freaks out AFTER he finds out he’s the last one in the know about his boyfriend. Had you perhaps told him right away after what happened at the Crashdown, he would probably be less likely to unload on you all.
Michael’s tendency to push back and push away is a defense mechanism they all know very well. But they should also know that he doesn’t want to be lied to or treated with kids’ gloves.
I adore Liz but hated what she did here, and even more after she justified it by wanting to save Michael from pain. Unfortunately, there is no good time for bad news. Whenever you told Michael, it would hurt, and he would feel like someone ripped his heart and soul out of his body.
But he deserved to know more than anyone else.
All that aside, the actual quest to find Alex starts really strong, giving Michael Vlamis the room to explore so many facets of Guerin over the hour. And he kills every single one.
From the anger directed at everyone from Max to himself that slides into the sadness coupled with relief that comes with feeling Alex communicating with him through song and then the utter devastation that comes with realizing the path to getting your love back means more time apart is played beautifully by Vlamis.
His face can take you on a whole journey in just a few quick beats.
Those big, sweeping emotional moments are somewhat lacking in Roswell, New Mexico Season 4, but they’re everywhere here.
Even though Michael is probably tougher on himself than he needs to be, it’s always nice to hear the acknowledgment regarding what Alex means to him. We know, but it never hurts to remind us. Especially during a season when we haven’t seen one-half of the pairing very much.
Michael: I have to help him! I wasn’t listening to him! I wasn’t paying attention!
Max: You wanna get him back? I need your head and your heart here. Now! Okay? Be the thing that pulls Alex back.
What’s next with the search for Alex (and Dallas and Bonnie) remains to be seen, but at least they have a starting point. They know about the quicksand, and they know there’s something beneath it, but that’s about it.
Traveling down there seems unwise, and Max was right to stop Michael at that moment from leaping because it’s obvious how far out of their depth they are right now. Considering how close we are to the finale, the squad feels woefully unprepared and ignorant of what they’re up against.
It’s feeling like it’s ultimately going to take a combination of those in the underground and everyone else (including potentially reformed Tezca) working in tandem to find a way out.
This doesn’t feel like a scenario where you can go down there and just come back up on some rescue mission. But either way, we’ve got to be close to finding them, right?
I want to say yes, but you can never tell on Roswell how quickly or how long they’ll get to a resolution.
The crew will also probably be dealing with whatever happens to Liz, as she finds herself knocked out by the end of the installment.
But before we get there, let’s back up to everything Liz and Max, which was a hot mess.
For starters, what in the world has happened to them in such a short amount of time? These two went from very in sync to acting like they didn’t know one another on a fundamental level within the blink of an eye.
Is it news that Max is a stubborn person who sometimes has a superiority complex? No. So, why was Liz suddenly so confused by him doubling down on a decision he made and has proclaimed more than once was done to protect her?
Max has shown time and time again this season that all he really wants is to be Liz’s partner in every single way. And he’s pretty much willing to do anything to protect that. It’s why he goes along with Liz’s terrible plan of keeping Alex’s disappearance from Michael because he literally doesn’t want her to be mad at him.
Really think about what that means and what that says about Max, Liz, and their relationship status at that second. Think about what he would do if the roles were reversed and everyone hid something that major about Liz from him while in a committed relationship.
I dare say Max would have reacted just as bad if not worse than Michael!
But he’s not even able to think outside of himself because he’s so committed to the idea of Liz and getting to live that normal life he so often waxes poetic about.
The backslide these two were doing was getting rather nasty, but I can appreciate that they both saw that and decided to talk instead of running away from it. Roswell, New Mexico Season 3 Max and Liz might have done just that. But here, they get honest with one another.
Max’s admitting how lost he feels was a great moment. Max can be very robotic at times, and when he gets a moment of vulnerability, it reminds you that underneath the Max of it all, he’s just trying to find his way like everyone else. Max has a lot of pressure constantly pressing down on him, and he believes he has to have it all together all the time.
But that’s not reality.
The idea of stripping away expectations makes a lot of sense in this scenario, and it takes a burden off Max’s chest for at least the time being.
That burden may come back once he discovers what’s happened to Liz though.
Liz has been playing with fire throughout this whole plot with Shivani. She’s put a lot of trust into a woman she’s only known a few days, and even though their interests have lined up so far, she was incredibly naive to put so much belief and trust in Shivani.
She knows enough to relate to Shivani and sympathizes with her, but she doesn’t know her. Not really. She doesn’t know what motivates her and what makes her tick, and that’s why that final scene between the two seems so inevitable.
Shivani reminds me a lot of old Liz. She sees the vision and the possibilities, and she sees the good that alien science can do, and that’s not unlike something old Liz would have said. Don’t we all remember old Liz using alien science to cure Steph and Kyle telling HER that she was reckless and unethical?
Oh my, how the times have changed.
The bottom line is that Liz pulled Shivani further in, and now she’s got a taste of what this advanced science can do, and she wants more. Now the alien mist was clearly clouding her judgment, but it also felt like a lot of it was from the heart. Why does Liz get to use the alien science when it’s convenient for her, but no one else can?
It’s a fascinating dilemma, and this idea of ethics and what that means has been a pervading theme for Liz, and I like that it’s all coming full circle for her. Inhaling all that mist will probably alter Liz’s brain, assuming she wakes up anytime soon. We could be looking at an unconscious Liz here or maybe even a delusional state.
There are some cool possibilities for where things go next.
The C-plot involved Tezca and Isobel, and what a turn of events! Tezca is still a villain, don’t get me wrong, but you have to see things in a different light. You can’t take away the destruction Tezca left in her wake, but that Tezca was the product of a deranged man.
Isobel: When we were fighting, Tezca told me no matter where in the universe you are, my blade will find you.
Michael: Cause that’s not unsettling at all.
Learning that Tezca was an ally spins things on its head a bit, and it once again positions Jones as forever and always the true villain of this tale. And what’s more intriguing is what Tezca does next, not so much what came before.
It will be all hands on deck to defeat Clyde, who’s multiple steps ahead right now. He has more tools than Tezca ever did and knows what he needs to fulfill Jones’s wishes. So, what does Tezca do next? She helps Isobel here, but how do you unlearn your entire identity?
We went from the dark triad being the main villain to commiserating with Bonnie and Clyde and hating Tezca to now feeling some type of way about Bonnie and Tezca and hating Clyde. In a time where we’re obsessed with good guys and bad guys, it’s cool to see that gray area with characters.
It makes for a much more exciting experience.
Loose Ends
- I want to call the underground the Upside Down SO bad.
- Another week without Kyle Valenti! He confessed his love to Isobel and then bounced! Are he and Eduardo STILL road tripping? Or have they made it to their destination? What kind of snack did they bring for the road?
- I’ve loathed how Mimi’s death has been glossed over, so any time she gets discussed and remembered makes me happy. I loved that Maria followed in her footsteps to help center herself.
- Would You Come Home making a comeback here in the saddest way possible. Alex making contact with his love via the song he wrote for him was probably one of the most romantic things this show has ever done. We didn’t get Michael and Alex together physically, but that moment was incredibly heartbreaking and beautiful.
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Speaking of coming home, please come back to
meus, Dallas.
- Speaking of the song, that single tear sliding down Vlamis’s face should be in a museum.
- Did I miss when Rosa became so knowledgeable in science and alien information?
- We’ve established that Max shouldn’t have kept the Alex news from Michael, but I’m a sucker for a good brother moment. And Michael breaking down in Max’s arms in front of the quicksand was another moment that stuck you right in the feels.
Alright, we’ve got another cliffhanger here with Liz in danger! What does it mean, and what could happen next?
Let me know what you think is coming up in the comments, along with your feelings about all things Malex and Echo and everything in between!
We only have five more episodes to enjoy before it ends, so please share all your thoughts and watch Roswell, New Mexico online so you can join the conversation!
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.