Roswell, New Mexico Season 3 Episode 5 Review: Killing Me Softly With His Song

If that’s the way these episodes will keep ending from now on, I am not a fan.

Roswell, New Mexico Season 3 Episode 5 ended much like its predecessor, with chaos and someone in danger again because of a run-in with someone in the Roswell Regime. Except for this time, it wasn’t Kyle at death’s door (although where exactly IS our favorite doctor?).

Maria is in danger now, putting herself in harm’s way to protect the people she loves. Where have I seen this story before?

One thing about Maria, she’s going to do what she’s going to do.

Deciding to lean into the visions and not suppress them has meant that Maria will do her part to help in any way she came. If that means babysitting Kyle for the day and sticking him in a bulletproof vest, then strap up, Kyle!

But she’s continuing to put herself in these life or death situations almost routinely at this point.

The whole funeral vision is getting more confusing by the episode, but it appears at this point we’re not out of the woods in terms of a Valenti ending up dead because there’s still ash in the air.

The vision storyline has been an exciting aspect of these first few hours, but will it be wrapping up anytime soon?

For starters, until it’s over, there’s no way to speed up the timeline. So here we travel forward just another day, which means from the start of the season, a whole week hasn’t even passed yet.

It also risks becoming a bit redundant, a la the episode ending again with Kyle potentially in danger.

One of the best things about Roswell, New Mexico Season 3 has been Kyle and the show acknowledging his brilliance. He has interactions with everyone, and he’s smart, often the voice of reason, and just an all-around solid guy, who the show has short-changed in the past.

No one is interested in seeing his life hang in the balance week after week.

It seemed that things would be smooth sailing with Jordan behind bars, but even with the Roswell bigot clubs leader behind bars, there was still someone who wanted to harm Kyle.

Listen, I will always commend Roswell for being much more than just a silly show about aliens. It’s much deeper and more nuanced than that, and it has been since the first few minutes of the pilot when Liz and Max link up at that checkpoint.

They don’t shy away from the serious topics and the necessary conversations, which is admirable, especially in the year we’re currently all living in.

You have a show with a lead character who is Latina and another lead who’s a white male and a cop, and disregarding those dynamics would be suspect at best.

With the rise of hate crime hitting Roswell, the residents took it upon themselves to exercise their right to protest peacefully. It was powerful to see the town square filled with people fighting for the Lopez’s and, even more than that, just fighting for people’s rights to exist without fear just because they are seen as “other.”

Max was put into a situation where he had an obligation to his job, but he was actively fighting back against it as much as he could, I guess. He didn’t want to arrest men he saw as friends, but his job demanded it, so he did.

He sympathizes with the protestors and understands them much more than any of his contemporaries, but at the same time, he is one of them. His badge comes before his personal feelings.

Anatsa: Most cops don’t have such compassion? What is it that keeps yours so open?
Max: You know, I grew up watching the Valenti’s. They listened to all sides. They maintained the dignity.
Anatsa: You wanted to be a hero?
Max: I just want to keep what they had going alive, you know. They cared about everyone in Roswell. They didn’t pick and choose.
Anatsa: That should be the bare minimum. But it sounds like another planet to me.
Max: There’s more of us then you think.
Anatsa: But definitely not enough. So, I see where these protestors are coming from.

That’s what makes his conversation with Anatsa so interesting because it’s one of the first times we get a chance to hear Max talk about what made him want to be a cop and why he continues to do so when he seems conflicted at best.

Seeing as how he was literally dropped on this planet and forced to assimilate overnight, he saw good people like the Valenti’s, and he wanted that for himself. So it makes sense why he wanted to join the force and be that good person for others.

But he works in a broken system, and that’s something he can’t ignore.

Over this past year, countless series dealt with the BLM movement, the protests, police brutality, systemic racism, and so many other social justice issues and did it with grace while making an impact on the audience at large.

I’m not saying Roswell missed the mark, but the whole story felt a bit rushed. And that’s an issue that constantly plagues the show because so many things are happening at once.

Maria and Rosa, two women of color, are being held at gunpoint by a group of trigger-happy white men, and the scene is tense and terrifying, but it’s over in the blink of an eye.

I love Roswell for trying here because to skip out on approaching these kinds of stories is just not something you can do, but I’m not sure how impactful the story ends up being.

Jordan gets arrested, but his privilege will find a way to absolve him of his crimes yet again.

The problems of our world and the realities of this world, especially those of minorities in this country, can’t be fixed in a single hour of television. I understand that. But seeing these stories on television and talking about them is crucial.

There’s only so much you can sweep under the rug before that dust starts to seep back out.

Zeke’s murder was the catalyst for the storyline with the racists of Roswell, but it came full circle when we found out who murdered Zeke and why.

It wasn’t a random attack or some payback. It was Jones himself, pulling a Noah Bracken and killing someone as a means to gather energy.

But Jones was doing it to save Max if you’re to believe him. And that brings about a fascinating question; is killing an evil man okay if it’s done to help save a good one?

It’s a tricky question with an answer that probably isn’t as clear-cut as you would think on the surface. Jones isn’t God; he doesn’t get to decide who lives and who dies. That’s not his job.

But, actually, it’s not that tricky. Jones should not have done it, even if the result was to do something good. And once Zeke was killed, it’s not as if anyone could bring him back, so deciding not to let Jones heal Max didn’t make any sense.

Especially as Liz was dying nearby.

It’s not just Liz! You’re tethered to Kyle, too. It’s like your life forces are tied together. If you heal her, it’s gonna kill him.

Michael [to Max]

The handprint creating a tether between people is a new and exciting twist to add to alien folklore! And it makes total sense when you think about it.

There’s a bond and absorption of energy that occurs when you leave a handprint. And it makes sense that the person you’re tethered to would give you power that in turn could be catastrophic if you then try to heal someone else when you barely have enough energy to change a lightbulb.

The only thing that’s still unclear is when Max gave Liz the handprint. Of course, there was that moment he touched her chest at the drive-in during Roswell, New Mexico Season 3 Episode 3, but that hardly seemed like the handprints we’ve seen administered throughout the show.

If they have genuinely been connected since that first handprint, that would be wild. And it would lead you to assume that the handprint has now bonded them for life.

But even with Max saving her and Liz now back in Roswell for good, Echo is still miles apart from each other.

Liz wasn’t lying when she said they’ve been hurting each other, and even with the pull between them greater than ever, they still have some growing to do before they can be the supportive partnership they need to be. But all signs point towards that being the case one day.

Heath is still in the picture, albeit with one foot out the door after the shenanigans of watching the girl you like almost die on you and then get saved by her ex-boyfriend all within 24 hours.

He’s a stepping stone, a placeholder, and we all know it. But he and Liz are cut from the same cloth, and he’s experienced enough weirdness in a short amount of time to be intrigued, I’m sure. So, while it would seem like the obvious time to say our Heath goodbyes, he’s probably not going anywhere.

Amidst all the chaos, there was a tender moment between two characters who are hardly ever in the same room, and it’s worth mentioning because it sets up what I hope will be an amazing character arc for one of them.

Michael has been all over the place so far this season. From hopeful, to vengeful, to self-deprecating and back again. He’s been in desperate need of growth for about two seasons now, and it feels like we’re on that path now, first, with his decision to put down the tequila. And second with his conversation with Rosa.

Michael: We were scared. And we were stupid. And we should have known what putting you in that driver’s seat would do. And I wish, I wish I could give you some kind of justice, but this is sadly the best that I can do.
Rosa: I’ve never heard you say this many words at once. It’s freaky.
Michael: Not a lot of people get a second chance to make things right. You did though. Makes me think there’s hope for me yet.
Rosa: Maybe there is.

Michael’s apology was long overdue. And I’m not giving him props for doing the bare minimum of scrubbing off the hateful words that have littered the Crashdown for years, but he finally seems to be at a place where he gets it, and that gives his words more meaning.

He is sorry, and he does know he should have done better. Yet, he’s been given this crazy, unreal, once in an alien lifetime opportunity to not only express his remorse but be deserving of Rosa’s forgiveness, should she chose to extend it.

Rosa is trying her hardest every damn day to make the best of her second chance, and Michael is finally starting to see the good things in his life for what they are; good. It was a lovely chat between two people who may not have much in common but could learn from one another.

This pairing worked, and Roswell should continue to tap into the dynamics well and pull some more unlikely pairings out because the series is ALL the better for it.

Loose Ends

• 
  Was there a little bit of tension between Kyle and Greg? Or did I make it up? I’m still firmly aboard the train of Maria and Greg, but much like the rest of this season, it’s moving at a snail’s pace.

• 
  Are Anatsa and Isobel becoming BFF? Here for it.

• 
  The sheriff is terrible, and hopefully, the next move will be figuring out a way to get her out of town because things are bound to only worsen with someone like her in charge of local law enforcement.

• 
  I’ve missed Arturo! He’s such a bright spot on this show. And he always drops in with the perfect little piece of advice when it’s needed the most.

• 
  This aura thing is pretty damn cool, and by the end of the season, I hope we get a chance to see everyone’s at different stages.

• 
  Jones is still likable in many ways, but the way he tried to manipulate Isobel was disarming. Using Noah to try and make her doubt herself and what she was seeing and feeling was cruel and scary. You have to wonder if it would have been effective had Isobel not recently been able to tap into her abilities.

• 
  We all saw that explosion when Max was leaving the caves, right? DID HE BLOW UP JONES?

• 
  Alex’s absence was very noticeable during this hour, and he better be back soon because the Deep Sky mystery was starting to get really good, and then poof! It disappeared for two weeks.

While not the best this season has given us, this was still solid on many fronts.

And I am dying to hear what you guys thought about the hour.

What did you think about the Roswell Regime story?

What happened to Kyle?

Are you ready for a time jump? Do you like the slow pace?

Are you excited for Liz to finally be back in Roswell?

As always, leave your comments down below so we can chat! And remember that you can watch Roswell, New Mexico online anytime via TV Fanatic! 

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Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.

You can view the original article HERE.