Reviews By LSS
Season 1
#106 285 South – Review
#106 Blood Brother – Review
#112 Into The Woods – Review
#113 The Convention – Review
#114 Blind Date – Review
#115 Independance Day – Review
#116 Sexual Healing – Review
#117 Crazy – Review
#118 Tess, Lies and Videotape – Review
#120 Max To The Max – Review
#122 Destiny – Review
Season 2
#106 285 South – Review
Written by LSS
285 South is part one of a two-part story that finds our teens leaving Roswell, NM and going south to Marathon,TX. Aside from being an important episode in developing the Michael/Maria relationship, this episode focuses on Michael and his desire to know more about his alien background.
MICHAEL AND HIS ALIEN HERITAGE.
As early as The Morning After, viewers are introduced to a mysterious key that Michael finds hidden in the top part of Sheriff Valenti’s thermos bottle. When Michael touches it he has a flash that continues to haunt him throughout the succeeding episodes (in Missing it becomes the subject of numerous artistic endeavors much like the “tower” in Close Encounters of the Third Kind). In Monsters Michael insists to Max and Michael that the key has “got to be something important” and suggests it belongs to the 1959 corpse that Valenti showed Liz in Pilot. His suggestion? That they “follow where it takes us” which, of course, is precisely the impetus for his trek south in 285 South! 285 South is Michael following HIS heart–going on his personal quest for the alien heritage he so desperately wants and that he thinks will make him “whole.” Yet we would be remiss to assign interest in this quest solely to Michael, for Liz’ quiet question to Max in the jeep concerning the importance of Marathon reveals that Max is not as disinterested as he seems!
MICHAEL’S POWERS.
In 285 South we see Michael’s powers at their worst (fried Jetta engines) and at their best (Kyle flying across the motel room). But perhaps the most perplexing lack of/use of power revolves around the key and the mysterious room in Atherton’s home.
Once inside Atherton’s home, Michael runs into a dead end. He concentrates on the key (which did NOT open the front door) but nothing happens. It is only when Maria goes over to his side and urges him to try again that Michael gets a flash and successfully locates the key’s intended lock (and ultimately the hidden room under the floor). Why was Michael unsuccessful the first time, but successful the second? Did being next to Maria somehow help his focus? Or is there some significance to Maria that we have yet to find out?
Although there are not a lot of new Science Fiction elements in 285 South, as part one of a two- part series, it sets the stage for some interesting revelations when the story continues in River Dog.
#106 Blood Brother – Review
Written by LSS
Blood Brothers highlights both Alex’s loyalty to his friends and his growing unease with their guardedness and secrecy. It also makes some interesting statements (while raising some intriguing questions) about alien physiology
and biology.
SICKNESS AND THE ALIEN CONSTITUTION.
Viewing Blood Brothers reminds us of how little we really know about our alien teens’ physical constitutions. Isabel tells her human companions that “we” don’t get sick. Should the viewing audience understand by this proclamation simply that our podsters have never been ill–that they’ve never needed a doctor? Or does her
statement have more far reaching implications? Is she saying that, by their nature, their alien bodies are impervious to all earthly disease? If the latter, then hopefully the source of such immunity will be explained in the coming episodes, for it is not at all self-explanatory given the world of Science Fiction.
Aliens in human environments have not always faired as well as our podsters. In H.G. Well’s classic War of the Worlds, for example, it is precisely terrestrial germs that do what the United States military fail to accomplish–they bring down the Martians!! To be alien and be impervious to human germs requires either a natural or engineered immunity or a physical constitution so different from that of humankind that germs, etc. can’t live in it. Are our alien’s internal systems designed to ward off earthly sicknesses? Or are earthly diseases too “alien” to affect their “not-of-this-earth bodies?
Of course, even if our aliens can’t get “sick” they can be hurt–as our episode so poignantly reveals. Immunity to disease does not make Max invulnerable to injury or trauma. (It should also be remembered that in River Dog, Max reports that Isabel had sunstroke all of August [while they were on vacation] and that Max himself had sprained his ankle on the shuffleboard court [hard to imagine shuffleboard being that dangerous of a sport, isn’t it?]) Thus, if even our aliens don’t get colds, they are susceptible to the bruises / cuts (see Leaving Normal where poor Max gets
beaten up) and the sprains / injuries that befall us lesser humans!
ALIEN BIOLOGY.
Prior to this episode, our knowledge of alien biology is limited to Liz’s discovery in the Pilot episode–that Max’s cells on his pencil do not match the cells she took from her own mouth. Our gang’s concern with Max’s blood sample in Blood Brothers, reminds us once again that, although our aliens look “human,” there are real biological
differences. Curiously these differences center in the blood rather than our teens’ vital organs/life signs. At various times in this episode, for instance, the Paramedics report blood pressure, pulse, respiratory rate, etc. without causing undo alarm (undo, that is, for a trauma victim). It is only the request for blood tests that causes panic among our teens–and result in Alex’s “donation” to the hospital’s blood vials! Admittedly, Max is not too keen on staying for the MRI the next day, but it is unclear as to whether it is the examination or spending the night in the hospital that he wants to avoid.
From a Science Fiction point of view the similarity between the external/internal make-up of our aliens and that of humankind in general is perplexing. The aliens that inhabit the fantastic worlds of Science Fiction come in all different shapes, colors, and constitutions (i.e., non-carbon based entities [silicon based beings], aliens of pure energy, interdimensional aliens). But rarely do we encounter “human” aliens. To posit that the evolutionary direction on two different planets (with their ecological and cultural differences) would evolve along almost identical lines strains the imagination.
In Science Fiction when humans make contact with aliens who are basically human, it can mean that: 1) in the past, earth was an colony (or the center) of a civilization that somehow got cut off from the rest due to some natural catastrophe or intergalactic conflict (the colony [or center] then forgets their origins and technology and seeds a new civilization on earth); or 2) the human looking aliens chosen for first contact are genetically altered to look human because humankind is earth’s highest and most successful life form; or 3) the aliens only appear to be like humans–in fact, the form that human see is either (a) a mental projection, or (b) is a form into which the
alien morphs to allay the fears/apprehensions of (or simply to deceive) the humans with whom they come into contact. There are other plot solutions, of course, but these give you a sample of how Science Fiction writers deal with
humans coming into contact with “human” aliens.
Why is Max so human? Why are his life signs normal? And why isn’t his blood? If Max’s human form functions as camouflage (allowing him to mix with earth’s population) then why is it so incomplete? Why is his blood–a fairly easy indicator of his alien identity, left so–“alien”? So susceptible to discovery?
And what about that record recovery time Max experiences? Are we to think some kind of regenerative powers at work on a non-voluntary level? Does Max “heal himself” as he lays in the hospital? Or was his head injury not that
serious?
Blood Brothers alerts us, on a physiological level as well as a biological one, of what we have known all along–that while Max looks human and experiences human emotions–he is also different. Just what part of Max (besides his blood) is truly “alien” and what that ultimately will signify for the human relationships in our story, has yet to be seen.
#112 Into The Woods – Review
Written by LSS
The opening scene of Into the Woods, with images of lightening laced clouds and flashes of light, heralds the theme of alien encounters–a Science Fiction theme frequently associated with Roswell, NM. This theme becomes the episodes framing device when, in its closing scene, we find Sheriff Valenti admitting to his aged father that maybe -just maybe – his father was right all along concerning aliens and Roswell. Sandwiched between the opening visual sighting and the concluding verbal affirmation of alien existence, lay several interesting ideas drawn from both the real world of UFOology and the speculative world of Science Fiction.
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS.
Milton, the owner/proprietor of Roswell’s UFO Museum, tells Max that Frazier Woods is the site of a newly reported close encounter. Milton’s use of this term propels us into the real world of UFO investigations.
The term close encounter was coined by Dr. J. Allen Hynek in his 1972 book, The UFO Experience: A Scientific Study. (Hynek, a professor of astronomy, also served as a consultant to the United States Air Force’s Project Blue Book.) In The UFO Experience, Hynek developed a classification system to catalogue UFO sightings:
Close Encounters of the First Kind (CEI) = A UFO in close proximity of witness (about 500 feet).
Close Encounters of the Second Kind (CEII) = Encounters that leave physical evidence.
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (CEIII) = CEI and CEII that have visible occupants.
Although Hynek’s system utilized only three categories, it was later expanded to include two more:
Close Encounters of the Fourth Kind (CEIV) = Abduction cases.
Close Encounters of the Fifth Kind (CEV) = Communication between a human and an alien.
So, although Milton simply employs the term close encounter in his conversation with Max, the sighting described in this episode falls more into the real world category of a CEII, since it leaves behind physical evidence (the symbol on the ground). Of course, the audience knows what Milton has yet to find out–that Milton himself has a CEV daily by simply employing and talking to Max at the museum!!!
ALIENS AS ENEMY.
Previous episodes of Roswell have explored/alluded to the human fear of aliens as ‘the other’. One has only to think of Maria’s dream in Monsters where the handsome, tuxedoed Michael is transformed into Science Fiction’s traditional BEM (Bug Eyed Monster) to see this fear in its most common form. In Into the Woods, this fear is implied in Kyle’s campfire storytelling. Kyle relates the case of one Haddie Wexler, whose cows were not only mutilated with surgical precision, but who claimed to have been abducted, and whose skull later was allegedly found to have perfectly bored holes in it and subsequently buried in Area 51 (NOTE: Area 51 = the super-secret installation in Nevada that is the target of real world UFO conspiracy theorists; also the subject of a special section in the Roswell’s [the TV series] UFO Museum). The irony of this scene is significant, for Kyle’s audience is Liz and Maria, whose first hand knowledge of aliens not only exceeds Kyle’s, but who both know that aliens in Roswell (thus far, that is) are handsome and charming–far from the BEM’s of Science Fiction legend!
ALIENS AND THEIR POWERS.
This episode highlights Michael’s effective use of his powers in a way not previously seen. Not only does Michael join with Max and Isabel in activating the symbol near the episode’s end, but he also heals River Dog’s broken ankle. The subject of alien powers is a resurfacing story element woven throughout Roswell’s storyline. To date we have seen: 1) healing, 2) telekinesis, 3) the power to connect, 4) dreamwalking, and, 5) the ability to manipulate matter. Whether or not all of our alien trio have the same powers, however, remains to be seen (for example, only Isabel has dreamwalked). Both Max and Isabel’s powers seem to be under control and are consistent. But Michael has difficulty controlling his powers. Thus when Michael heals River Dog (and in the process ‘connects’ with him) it comes as a bit of a surprise to the viewing audience. True to the pattern we saw established when Max heals Liz, Michael gets flashbacks of River Dog from Balance.
NASEDO: THE ALIEN OFF STAGE
The elusive fourth alien, referred to by River Dog as Nasedo visitor), remains unseen throughout this episode. Nevertheless, the flashing light in the clouds–the ‘sighting’ as it is called–announces his presence in Roswell. This is affirmed by River Dog’s exchange with Michael (River Dog: “Did you see it? It was real; Michael:”How do you know?”; River Dog: “I’ve seen it before.”). Indeed, much of the episode’s action is directed toward finding physical proof of the sighting’s significance. When our trio finds a symbol (a whirlwind figure or stylized galaxy?) they activate it with their powers (by making it glow). Exactly what this activation implies–whether communication, or some other function–remains a mystery at this point in the series. Although the significance/translation of the symbol remains unclear to the audience, Michael furnishes an explanation to both characters and audience alike–Nasedo is back!
#113 The Convention – Review
Written by LSS
Set against the backdrop of a UFO convention, this episode employs an engaging mixture of fiction set against the backdrop of reality. It is a mixture that takes place not only within the show’s narrative structure (which mixes ‘real’ aliens and alien hunters with their pseudo-counterparts) but also between the TV series and the real Roswell, NM. Like the previous episode, it contains themes and images taken from both the worlds of UfOlogy and of Science Fiction.
UFO Conventions. Contrary to what some might think, UFO conventions are not staple fare for most science fiction writers–for precisely the reasons implied in this episode. Isabel’s remark that the convention is ‘psychologically damaging’ applies to more than just the aliens attending. “Zinaplex’s” words to Liz, along with his claim to be from the planet Zedagon, symbolizes the fringe element such gatherings sometimes attract.
Of course, what the audience may not know is that Roswell, NW does indeed have a UFO museum and, in fact, that museum does hold an annual convention. Moreover, Roswell, NM is also the site of a UFO festival. At one such gathering in 1999, it even featured a guest appearance from a Star Trek celebrity. Art imitating life? Perhaps! It would be intriguing to know if Katims’ writers knew about this before they wrote this episode.
On a literary level, Milton hails the convention as one of the most important gatherings of the paranormal in history’ while Max tells Michael it is simply “a freak show”. Neither Milton nor Max is correct, but for different reasons. Max, of course, is well aware of Hubble and suspects he might indeed know something–but lies to Michael about it (perhaps to remain in control of this possible information or else to shield Michael from the consequences of approaching Hubble). Milton’s mistake, however, must be credited to Roswell’s writers. Milton identifies the convention as dealing with the’paranormal’. Although the paranormal is often found juxtaposed to the mention of aliens in lists of fringe topics, it is debatable as to whether it is to be understood as synonymous with aliens. Whereas ‘paranormal’ usually conjures up images of terrestrial powers (telepathy, telekinesis, etc.) or of the supernatural (ghosts) it does not have to evoke the specter of extraterrestrials!
The scene involving the panel discussion displays a good example of the ironic blurring of narrative reality and fiction. The speaker blithely refers to smooth skinned ovoid E.B.E.s (= Extraterrestrial Biological Entities) while the ‘real’ aliens (in the form of handsome teenage males) stand by and listen. Moreover when Larry begins to describe his own alien encounter (which the audience knows is ‘real’) the so-called alien experts discredit him. Ultimately, these’ experts’ remain in the room, while Larry, the one person who we know actually had an alien encounter, gets escorted out by Max, the very alien he encountered.
Alien Types. The mention of the ‘smooth skinned ovoid E.B.E raises the issue of alien typologies often encountered in UFO terminology. Although there is no one standardized classification, such systems usually distinguish between grays, reptilians, humanoids, etc. One wonders, however, as to the purpose of this narrative mention within Roswell’s larger storyline. Are we, as viewers, being alerted to smooth skilled ovoid E.B.E.s as an image we will encounter in future episodes? Or are the writers simply using a stereotypical image we will all recognize?
Aliens and Alienation. One of the most humorous (but poignant) moments in the episode’s beginning centers on Max as he descends the museum’s stairs struggling to take off part of his ‘alien’ costume. His words, “Help, I’m a human trapped in an alien body” speak volumes of both Max’s dilemma in Roswell’s story line, as well as to the way aliens function as metaphor in Science Fiction. Max, we have been told, is an alien (who appears on our screen in human form). Max struggles to come to terms with how his form (human) and his nature (alien) can coexist. When he is in the alien costume, and struggles to get out of it, we have a truly surreal moment in the episode (alien / human form in / alien costume / human trapped in / alien costume). Max’s struggle, of course, takes place on two levels–the physical (the costume) and the social/psychological (the alienation he feels from both alien and human societies). This latter struggle epitomizes one aspect of “alien as metaphor”. Aliens often function in Science Fiction to explore the feelings of otherness and alienation that humans feel within and between their own communities. Thus some alien struggles have more to do with humanity than they ever have to do with extraterrestrials! While this theme is an undercurrent throughout the Roswell TV series, it is implied in a somewhat humorous way in this episode’s costume scenes.
Aliens as Menace. Because the aliens in Roswell are so attractive and charming, it is easy to forget that Science Fiction has a tradition of imaging aliens that is far from the ‘eye candy’ and charm our Roswell cast presents. Throughout this episode we are reminded of this more nefarious image at various junctures. One so-called alien expert, for example, remarks to Michael that aliens are “brutal, dangerous killers, and must be stopped at any cost.” The brutality of this statement (delivered ironically to one of the ‘real’ aliens in the room) is echoed by the young boy’s question to Max as Max staffs the information booth: “Why did they kill the aliens from the 1947 cras?” Such references stand as warning to both the aliens in the storyline and to the viewing audience. Exposure is dangerous. And although such exposure has thus far resulted in friendship and in some cases love (Liz, Maria, Alex) disaster may await around the turn of a narrative corner. Inevitably, one suspects, our story will ‘go there’. The question is not if, but simply when. And when it does we may find out that, while humans fear aliens, our alien teens may have every right to fear humans as well!
The Fourth Alien. In the dramatic conclusion to this episode, Hubble confronts Max with the accusation that he is a shapeshifter who has killed before. Unlike Max, we the audience have been made privy to the pictures of various bodies boldly imprinted with fatal silver handprints. Such references raise the issue, not only of the presence of a fourth alien, but also of whether or not the alien is good or evil (this issue may revolve around the motivation behind the deaths, though it is difficult to imagine just motivation for killing a pregnant woman). And, of course, it raises the issue of how many aliens are on earth outside Roswell. Is the alien responsible for the symbol at the end of Into the Woods the one who left this trail of dead bodies? Or are we talking about a fifth alien? Either way, it looks like the world outside Roswell may be far more complicated that either our alien trio, or we as an audience, have thus far been led to believe.
#114 Blind Date – Review
Written by LSS
In a case of art imitating (or at least anticipating) life, Blind Date, with its framework of a Valentine’s Day’s contest, originally aired during the week of February 6-12, 2000–one week before Valentine’s Day. Although the show obviously centered on the Max / Liz romantic storyline, it also incorporated new information concerning our three teen aliens as well as giving the audience their first glimpse (although fleeting) of a new alien character.
ALIEN BIOLOGY.
So far we have learned little about the alien physiology of our teens. What information we have comes from three episodes: 1) The Pilot gives us a microscopic view of Max’s cells, the purpose of which is to clue Liz (and the audience) to the fact that, whatever else Max is, he is not of this earth, The Balance presents us with a Michael who, after leaving the sweat lodge, has a reaction inducing a cocooned state (and who remains this way until his friends and River Dog intervene with the stones); and finally 3) Blood Brothers reveals that aliens–when traumatized–can heal themselves (although it may it take a bit of time for their regenerative powers to kick in). With Blind Date, we add another precious snippet of information to our compendium of alien physiology–the fact that aliens have zero tolerance for alcohol (not to mention their amnesia concerning their drunken activities, but don’t get me started on that topic). Apparently alien drunkenness is both similar (blurred speech and vision) and different (amount necessary to induce intoxication and the resulting amnesia that follows) to its human counterpart. Of course, what is most striking about Max’s condition (apart from that blasted amnesia–can you tell I really didn’t like that?) is his total loss of inhibitions. It is a real treat (as I am sure the writers intend) to see the ‘secret-keeping Max’ morph into the real Max who will tell you what he thinks. One suspects this glimpse into alien biology (with its accompanying interior view into Max’s true feelings), however, is less driven by Roswell’s Science Fiction framework, then its romantic one. Nevertheless, what the writers give the romantics in the audience with one stroke of their pen, they take away with another when an instantly sober Max conveniently forgets much of what happened that evening. Thus, the viewing audience is left with an interesting, if somewhat useless (beyond this episode that is), piece of knowledge about Roswell’s aliens. If ever one becomes inebriated, one kiss from their soulmate guarantees instant sobriety!
ALIEN POWERS.
This episode gives viewers a veritable cornucopia of incidents illustrating our aliens’ powers. Glowing hearts, altered photos, lamp posts converted into strobe lights, parking meters bursting into sparklers at the touch of an alien hand, car alarm systems turned music boxes–all of which we can categorize into roughly two types: incidents involving the manipulation of matter and incidents that seem to involve its creation. The issue is whether or not Max simply rearranges the materials he touches (i.e., photos), or whether he creates something that more than the sum of the parts he finds (i.e., sparklers out of parking meters). Truthfully, I think this point is left purposefully vague in the series and should remain so–that way both the show’s audience and its writers’ scientific expertise can remain untaxed! Science Fiction does not have to mirror real science nor is it accountable to its audience for real explanations. What is key, however, is that the actions it describes appear plausible to its readers/viewers, and that that plausibility is based on science not fantasy. In The Pilot we learned that our teen aliens can manipulate matter. For most viewers, that is explanation enough.
Another alien power/ability in Blind Date can be seen in Max and Liz’s kiss. In The Pilot Max and Liz connect when he heals her and Max experiences visions of Liz somewhat involuntarily. Later he connects with Liz and reverses the flow, and voluntarily allows Liz to see into his soul. Each time it appears that the connective flow is one way (healing–Liz to Max; Max’s hand on Liz’s face — Max to Liz).
In Blind Date, the audience sees a series of visions highlighting key moments of Max and Liz’s relationship. These visions resemble those imaged in The Pilot and appear a type of telepathic flashback or projection. Whether or not this is voluntary on Max’s part is not clear. But at the end of the kiss, the audience sees alien symbols and a v-shaped constellation. While the images of Liz and Max can be likened to mental flashbacks or perhaps mental projections (is Max intentionally projecting these images as part of his attempt to convince Liz?), the second type seems to fall into a different category. Whether these represent species’ racial memories, or memories buried deep within Max and subsequently forgotten, is not yet clear. Nor is it clear, at this point in the storyline, who (besides the viewing audience) sees these images. Does Liz? Or Max? Or do they both?
ALIEN SYMBOLS.
Twice in the storyline we see alien symbols. The first involves the parchment Michael takes with him when he and Isabel visit the library and the second occurs at the end of the kiss in the club. In the library lawn scene, Michael and Isabel burn one of the parchment’s symbols on the ground. That same symbol, though erased by Isabel, is subsequently rekindled by the unknown alien in the episode’s final scene. Its visual significance (represented to the audience by a stylized eye?) is reiterated by the photographic representation of our alien trio (an image seen through the eye of a camera) that the alien tosses into the rekindled flames. Does Michael or Isabel fully understand the symbol’s significance? Not really. Can they read the writing on the parchment? No. Nevertheless, Michael knows enough (without understanding how he knows) to figure out that it is a map and to identify certain referents in it. The motif of knowing without understanding how one knows or of almost knowing is one associated with our teens in prior episodes. In River Dog, all three teens recognize the symbol on the pendant (but don’t understand how) while Max recognizes the writing on the cave wall (and feels that he has forgotten how to read it). Such familiarity evokes the idea of prior memory (either racially or individually held). If this is the case, one wonders what other memories besides language recognition will emerge, should our teens ever begin to really remember what they have forgotten.
THE FOURTH ALIEN.
In the last scene we finally meet a figure whose alien identity is clearly established by his ability to rekindle the erased symbol on the library lawn. Whether or not this alien is the same one that allegedly left the symbol in Frazier Woods (Into the Wood), however, is not clear. Nor do we know if this is the alien who left those silver palm imprinted dead bodies we saw previously (The UFO Convention). If he is not, then there are a lot more aliens among us than our trio realize. Another ambiguous element is his motivation for being in Roswell and his intent toward our teens. The visual effect of the photo burning in the fire as he walks off into the darkness is chilling, however, and hints that his presence may be anything but comforting.
#115 Independance Day – Review
Written by LSS
Central to Independence Day’s plot is the issue of relationships–that of Hank to Michael and of Michael to Max and Isabel (as well as to Maria). Embedded in this relational framework are various references to Roswell’s Science Fiction framework. But without doubt, the most exciting Science Fiction feature of the episode takes place in its closing scene where the audience encounters the shape shifting fourth alien.
CONNECTIONS AND VISIONS.
While the conclusion of Blind Date left the audience wondering whose visions they were seeing, the opening scenes of Independence Day makes it clear that they were Liz’s (whether or not Max saw them, we may never know). An interesting allusion to the vision can be seen in the rooftop scene where Max interrupts Liz as she is looking through her telescope. Although the constellation she is studying is not a “v”, it oddly contains a configuration of stars that might include such a pattern.
Another type of vision/flashback occurs toward the episode’s conclusion when Michael twirls the stones in his hand as he rides away from Roswell. But whether this is meant to be Michael’s own memories we are seeing or an object induced vision is unclear. If the latter, then it is not without precedent. We have seen the object induced flashes when Max picks up a CD (Missing) and when Michael finds the key in Valenti’s thermos (The Morning After).
ALIEN POWERS AND ISSUES OF CONTROL.
Michael’s powers have up to this point been imaged as inconsistent to say the least (a good example of this is that fried engine in 285 South). Yet in spite of this, Michael can open the window lock to Valenti’s office (though he melted it in the process) and heal River Dog’s broken ankle (Into the Woods). Yet in Independence Day, when confronted by Isabel with the suggestion that he use his powers in self-defense (against the abusive Hank) Michael baulks saying he might kill Hank if he did. Indeed the pandemonium that follows later in the trailer when Michael, goaded beyond tolerance, lashes out against Hank with his powers, seems to substantiate Michael’s earlier fears. It is as if Michael’s human emotions stand in the way of exercising his alien powers.
Michael’s somewhat erratic powers evoke the question of their nature and use. In this episode, for instance, Michael is unable to heal his own black eye. Yet earlier, in Into the Woods, Michael has little difficult healing Hank. For Michael, the issue of emotional focus and stability seem crucial. Of course, we have never seen an upset Max or Isabel attempt to exercise their powers so that we might confirm this supposed relationship between emotional stability and the use of powers. It could simply be that some aliens have different degrees of expertise in their powers, due to innate ability or their previous exercise. Even gender might play a role in certain powers (only Isabel has dreamwalked thus far). We will simply have to wait until our writers see fit to give us more information on this subject!
THE SHAPESHIFTER.
What is of prime Science Fiction interest is this episode’s closing scene with the appearance of the much awaited shapeshifting alien. Prior to this, we know that something (but not what) happened that evening in Hank’s trailer. Valenti told Michael that after hearing an argument, neighbors reported sounds coming from Hank’s trailer–screaming, crying, tortured sounds–inhuman sounds. This prepares us for the last scene where we discover that Hank, now dead, has been replaced by the shapeshifting alien. While the elimination of Hank, on one level, may indicate his protective stance toward our aliens, the tortured “inhuman” sounds emanating from Hank’s trailer raise questions concerning, ironically enough, the shapeshifter’s “humanity”.
In Science Fiction aliens can be imaged either anthropomorphically (that is, imaged as human in form) or androcentrically (that is, having human values and manners in spite of their different physical forms) or both, or neither. Max, Isabel, and Michael, for instance, look and act human (in spite of Michael’s off repeated reluctance to acknowledge this). The manner of Hank’s death, however, raises the issue of how “human-like” our shapeshifter really is on the level of human values and emotions.
Another key difference between the shapeshifter and our alien trio is obvious. He (?) can shapeshift while they can or do not. Either shapeshifting is a learned ability that our trio simply haven’t been taught, or else it is an ability that our trio does not possess. If the former, then the shapeshifter may function as mentor to our teens and help them to develop this and other latent abilities. If it is not a learned ability, but something our trio cannot do, then it opens the question of whether or not the shapeshifter and our trio are the same lifeform. If they are not, then the shapeshifter is not simply a fourth alien, but may be a different alien species as well.
Shapeshifting, as an ability, is deeply embedded in myth and legend. Perhaps the most widely known of these stories contain beings with the ability to shift from human to animal form (i.e., werebeasts). Our alien shapeshifter, however, shifts from one human form to another (whether he (?) can shift to animal form is not known). Such shifting is apparently accompanied by a blaze of white light/energy (almost as if he (?) was an energy being whose essence we are able to glimpse in the transformation). Moreover, both before and after this transformation, the shapeshifter ingests what–for all practical purposes to the audience– looks like tic-tacs from a plastic container. If our producers mean for us to think of pills here, it is odd that they do not provide us with a more easily recognizable container. Instead we are left with the perplexing question of why shape shifting requires tic-tacs. Are we to think sugar/energy requirements? Or bad breath as an a residual effect of shapeshifting (but then why take them before the shapeshifting occurs)? Perhaps the objects are meant to represent pills (pain killers?) and any confusion is simply attributable to a poor choice of props!
#116 Sexual Healing – Review
Written by LSS
Locker room fantasies, falling strawberries, and eraser room trysts–all this and more mark what has to be the most sexually active episode of Roswell to date! But aside from its steamy sexual scenes, Sexual Healing raises some really interesting questions concerning Roswell’s Science Fiction framework.
THE ALIEN HOME SYSTEM.
Prior to this we’ve been alerted to a v-shaped constellation, which appears not only in Balance, but also in Liz’ vision of the night sky in Blind Date. Sexual Healing adds to our meager store of Roswell’s astronomical references by highlighting a galaxy (The Whirlwind galaxy) and a star (a red giant). The significance of these for our storyline, however, is unclear. Is the audience to understand that the galaxy Liz reports seeing in her vision is the same one that spawned Max’s species? And is that red giant that Liz says she sees none other than Max’s home sun? Moreover, what is the relationship of the v-shaped constellation to either the galaxy or the star? All of these questions remain unanswered as the audience, like the characters in the story, wait for more tidbits of knowledge to be forthcoming!
EMERGENCY LANDING VS DESTINATION.
Up until this episode, our storyline emphasizes the notion of a “crash” landing that brought our teens to earth. This theme is reflected in a number of different story elements (i.e., Crashdown Cafe, Crash Festival, etc.). What has never been clear, however, is whether this “crash” was an attempted landing that went awry or an emergency landing made on route to another location. Sexual Healing now provides us with a bit more clarity. Liz’ visions of the alien craft in space seem to imply that earth is the craft’s destination not the site of an emergency landing. Moreover, the fact that the aforementioned star is “dying” offers plot possibilities of an “exodus”. (By the way–go back and look at the kitchen make-out scene again–does that look like a warp trip, explosion, and stellar debris field? Or is it simply meant to visually depict the throes of Liz’ orgasmic encounter with Max?)
INTERSPECIES SEXUAL RELATIONSHIPS.
On one level the question of whether or not aliens and humans are sexually compatible has stood behind Roswell’s entire storyline. At the end of Pilot, Max explains to Liz why they cannot be together by simply saying that they are “different.” Various episodes flirt with the Max and Liz relationship bringing us sexually charged scenes ranging from tender kisses on balconies to drunken kisses on stages, but always managing to skirt direct confrontation with Max and Liz’s essential difference. With Sexual Healing, this tension reaches climactic proportions. Maria recognizes this as she comments to Alex: “If they actually do it, she’ll probably explode” while Alex protests that Liz will “explode if they don’t do it.”
Science Fiction writers let their imagination run far and wide when it comes to aliens and sex. Reproduction can result from a lone individual, a twosome, a threesome, a foursome–indeed the variety and shape of alien sex is limited, it would seem, only to the creative boundaries of individual writers and to the contours of their aliens’ physiologies. Cross-species compatibility, however, is another issue. Even if said species can surmount the obvious problem of finding a partner with relatively equivalent sexual “equipment” (an insurmountable obstacle between many species) there remains the whole issue of viability. For, even though it cannot be denied that sexual experience as we humans know it can (should) be pleasurable, the more functional aspect of the biological act remains–procreation.
Interest in alien sex, of course, is not confined to the pages of Science Fiction stories. Real world psychologists study the psychological parameters of abduction stories with explicitly sexual components–reports from people usually consigned to the front pages of tabloids at grocery check-out stands!
In Sexual Healing we explore the question of interspecies mating aka Roswell style. But it is not equipment (Max seems exceptionally suitable) or potential viability that is this episode’s focus– rather it is the consequences of alien/human mating that is in question. Maria raises this question when she warns Liz that she’s worried for her by saying “…this is dangerous….We don’t even know what could happen.” Liz echoes Maria’s concern when she asks Max; “Could I get sick?” And Max–Max confesses that he simply doesn’t know what could happen. As if verbal warnings are not sufficient, a glowing hickey, odd looking rash, and a raging fever accompanied by an almost addictive sexual attraction alert viewers to the fact that Max and Liz are far from your ordinary (even hormone driven) teens!
Moreover, the words of the science teacher in the lab scene are especially interesting: “The conceit that alien lifeforms would be like us in any essential way would be the wishful thinking of a lonely planet that once believed it was the center of the universe.” Is this meant to be ironic? Are we meant to think that alien lifeforms may be MORE like us than we imagined (i.e., Max)? Or is it a reminder that human make-out sessions rarely end with glowing hickeys? That as much as Max might look/be human that he was right all along–that he IS different? That a normal sexual relationship between Max and Liz might be—“wishful thinking?”
THE NATURE AND FUNCTION OF THE ALIEN ARTIFACT.
On one level the orb discovered in the desert is the narrative focus of this entire episode. In the first frame we see the broken radio tower in the desert and hear a beeping. The episode rapidly concludes after the artifact is found (and activated by their proximity). Liz suggests it is a message beacon of sorts, and looks to the sky in mute wonder. Is she correct? Or is the message it is sending more personal? Ever ask yourself why the sexual frenzy begins after we first hear it? Does it have anything to do with Liz’ words in her opening shower room fantasy: “Lately I’ve been having these feelings, like I’m changing inside….these feelings are strong, dangerous, undeniable. It’s like I have no choice. It’s like–chemical”?
VISIONS AND KISSING. At the end of Blind Date, Liz receives a vision when Max kisses her. In Sexual Healing, she kisses Max and receives a series of visionary flashes, as does Max from her. Even Michael receives a flash when kissing Maria, (although she receives none from him). Michael suggests that these flashes “might have been planned this way” and that by connecting with human the aliens gain information. Both Maria (in warning) and Liz (in questioning) echo this idea in a different way when they raise the issue of being “used” to gain more information for the aliens. Are these flashes originating from outside our teens? Are they functional? And why doesn’t Maria receive them from Michael?
Ironically, Sexual Healing with its multiple make-out scenes (even Alex gets lucky with a kiss from Isabel), raises a host of Science Fiction questions, many of which remain unanswered as the episode concludes.
#117 Crazy – Review
Written by LSS
With Crazy we get our first glimpse of “Roswell Revamped” and it is an interesting sight indeed. With two of our three human/alien couples in place (Max and Liz, Michael and Maria), the writers are now free to turn from their relational focus to one more laden with action and adventure. At least three elements of this episode stand out concerning its Science Fiction framework:
ALIENS AND ALIEN HUNTERS.
Conspiracies within conspiracies–this episode introduces us to the existence of Agent Pierce (the ruthless alien hunter) who answers to no one (except on a need to know basis) and who appears more inhuman than our aliens. Admittedly, implications of our trio’s exposure have been part of Roswell’s emotional landscape since the Pilot. But before Crazy they have remained some nightmarish specters that are given substance only occasionally in the storyline. Thus far we’ve had three close encounters with this fear: 1) Everett Hubble–the grief crazed UFO enthusiast–who corners Max at the end of The Convention; 2) Ms. Topolsky and the FBI, who have been off stage since Blood Brothers; and 3) Sheriff Valenti who, being local, has been our trio’s most persistent nemesis. But Crazy, employing a series of ironic reversals, rearranges our characters’ allegiances and turns prior enemies into unlikely allies. Valenti, the previous hunter/doubter emerges as Valenti the protector/believer. Topolsky, the FBI/guidance counselor, becomes a frantic potential friend/ally who begs Michael to take her with him when his people come to get him. Running throughout all of this rearranging of loyalties is Topolsky’s warning to Max and Liz as they lay entwined in the jeep: trust no one–act normal. Such warning serves to put the audience on its guard as well. In these final episodes of Roswell’s first season, who can be trusted? Who really is what they seem?
SHAPESHIFTING ALIENS AND THE FBI.
Our favorite shapeshifter appears again in this episode along with his little box of pills/tic tacs. And, once again, the final scene treats us to a transformation process complete with blazing white light and shaking car. But WAIT — IS that the same shapeshifter we saw at the end of Sexual Healing? Or is it another one? How does one recognize one shapeshifter from another?
Moreover, the shapeshifer’s presence in this episode is interesting for several reasons. First of all, unlike the incident in Sexual Healing, which involved taking the form of a person already dead (and soon to be buried), we are not informed that the doctor whose form the shapeshifter assumes in Crazy is already dead. If he is not, then the chances of the shapeshifter’s eventual discovery are a real possibility. Secondly, one wonders at the motivation behind the shapeshifter’s actions. Is the intervention aimed at protecting the trio? If so, then how does the shapeshifter know what the trio is up to? Even Liz had to read Maria’s note before knowing of Michael’s intent. The only one who knew of Michael’s destination was Topolsky. We can, of course, assume that Topolsky is under FBI surveillance. Is she under alien surveillance as well? Or is our shapeshifter working with the FBI? When Topolsky tells Liz that embedded deep within the FBI there is an alien hunter, does she mean a person who hunts aliens, or a hunter (who is an alien)? Moreover, since it is due to the shapeshifter’s intervention that Topolsky does not meet with our trio (and ultimately gets caught) can we assume this was the shapeshifter’s plan all along? Or did the intervention prevent the FBI from getting the hard evidencethey needed to pick up Max (i.e., Topolsky giving him the orb, his knowing the orb’s significance and his possession of a second orb)?
Ironically, if we think back to The Morning After, Maria was more correct then any of us realized at the time when she said: “…now we have this Topolsky person around. You know, that’s what they do. They send special government task forces. Alien hunters.” It has taken our writers over half the season to get us there, but with Crazy we have come full circle to Maria’s warning. No doubt future episodes will flesh out this shadowy elite unit with its nefarious Agent Pierce.
ORBS AND ALIEN COMMUNICATION.
We now know that there are at least two orbs–the one found by Max and Liz buried by the old communication tower (Sexual Healing) and the one in the FBI’s special unit evidence vault in Washington, D.C. Just how the FBI obtained their orb, of course, is as yet unknown. After Sexual Healing we speculated as to the orb’s function. According to Topolsky, however, we now find out it is a communication device that only works when two orbs are together. But this information leaves the audience with more questions than it does answers. Do both orbs work in concert? That is, are both necessary for a single communication? Or are we talking about a transmitter and receiver? And what is the range of these devices? And is communication their entire function?
But what is perhaps the most significant and telling question–HOW DOES TOPOLSKY KNOW THIS? Either the FBI has (or has had) two orbs and through experimentation found out how they work, or they found out the orb’s function from someone who knew it — an alien (possibly an informer).
Moreover, if orbs do not work except in pairs, then what was the beeping sound in Sexual Healing? Was the sound a homing function of the orb? But then why was it keyed to sexual activity? Or was it? Or was there simply another orb in the vicinity to which it was responding? As I said, although we find out more in this episode about the orbs then ever before, such knowledge, scant as it is, only opens to us a vast arena of speculation.
#118 Tess, Lies and Videotape – Review
Written by LSS
While the Dreamgirls in the audience are recovering from that lab scene, it may be therapeutic for us all to turn our minds to the Science Fiction aspects of Tess, Lies, and Videotapes — for there are several elements in this episode that struck me as curious.
MIND CONTROL VS. BIOLOGICAL INFLUENCE.
Three of the four times Max comes into proximity to Tess in this episode (cafe, lab and rain scenes) he becomes totally mesmerized by her presence. The only exception to this is when he goes to rescue Liz from Tess’ house. Moreover Tess’ effect on Max is limited to physically proximity only–for when Max observes her on the monitor in the closing scene, he displays none of the telltale marks of his former entranced state. What is not obvious is why Max is so mesmerized. This is extremely out of character for Max. Not only is Max is with Liz now in the storyline, but we have never before seen Max notice any girl other than Liz. Are we talking normal teenage hormones here, or is something else happening to Max? If the former, then Michael is right–Max is, in the end, only acting human. But if the latter, then two possibilities come to mind: either Max in being mentally controlled or being controlled by something more primal on a biological level (something, by the way, to which teenage hormones pale by comparison).
Mental Control. Is Tess intentionally influencing Max? Max thinks she is. We are invited by the writers to draw that conclusion at least twice in this episode. But these hints remain on the level of teasers. In the lab scene, after Tess looks back at Max, his Bunsen burner flares up. Is this a sample of Tess’s telekinetic power? Or does Max influence the burner himself (a precursor to his later on fire incident)? If the former, then perhaps the resulting fantasy is at Tess’ initiative. Another scene in which Max reports feeling controlled takes place outside the cafe in the rain. Max accuses Tess of setting up the entire encounter. If Max is right, then the infamous rain kiss takes on a more manipulative element.
The audience is given no hard evidence that Tess ever controls Max other than what is presented by Max’s words and his atypical actions. If Tess is controlling Max on some mental level, her actions constitute a type of sexual assault coming as they do as uninvited/unwanted on Max’s part. If Max is being controlled, but not by Tess, this episode provides us with no clues as to who/what is doing this controlling. Nor are we given any motivation for this control other than the obvious–to separate Max and Liz in favor of joining Max with Tess.
Biological Influence. Another explanation for Max’s entranced state could be that it stems from a more biological source. The concluding scene reveals to the audience that Tess is an alien–and if form can be believed, a female alien at that. Until now, Roswell’s alien population (2 boys and 1 girl) has obviously suffered from an imbalance. Now that this asymmetry is corrected (2 boys and 2 girls), it does not take a graduate degree to see the potential of where this story element is going. Is the attraction Max experiences not mental control at all but control on a more biological level? Are we talking alien mating patterns here? And is Tess emitting some type of alien pheremone of which she is (or is not) unaware? And is the increased sexual activity we’ve seen in Max’s life since Sexual Healing part of a cycle? I can’t get out of my mind the image of a moth mesmerized by a flame as Max walks up to Tess in that rain scene. What is the nature of this attraction that he feels for Tess?
MAX’S VISIONS/FANTASIES.
While we have seen visions in previous episodes, the ones Max experiences in Tess, Lies and Videotapes are different in three ways. First of all, up until this episode, some type of contact has been a prerequisite (the touching of either an object or a person). But in the cafe, Max has a vision simply by looking at Tess. Secondly, when Max kisses Liz in the backroom, his vision of Tess is highly unusual. It does not qualify as a flashback, because it features Tess as we currently know her, but in a scenario that has not as yet happened. Is Max experiencing flashes of the future–either what will happen or a future that somebody/thing wants to happen? Finally, Max experiences something that he calls daydreams. These fantasies fall outside the purview of what we have seen thus far in visionary experiences. Let’s look at each of these types a bit more closely:
Fantasies/daydreams. There is only one clear fantasy in this episode, and that takes place in the chemistry lab. The teacher’s lecture, including as it does references to chemicals and combustibility, alerts the audience to the forthcoming dynamics between Max and Tess. (NOTE: a similar literary device was used in the lab scene in Sexual Healing.) The content of this fantasy involves Max’s passionate attack of Tess in which he sweeps her off her feet and ultimately onto one of the lab table tops–in front of a staring classroom. The fantasy comes to a close when Tess’ passionate exclamation “You’re on fire, Max” morphs into a Tess warning Max that his shirt sleeve has indeed caught on fire.
Flashbacks. Max experiences flashbacks at least twice in this episode (cafe and rain scenes). Both flashes involve pods or stars. In the first flashback Max, Isabel and Tess are sitting in the cafe when Max stares at Tess and sees both a pod and what looks like a series of pods within a chamber (the ship?). Overall, this flash has a very “organic” ambiance. The second flashback occurs when Max kisses Tess in the rain. This time Max sees a figure in a pod and the now familiar v-shaped star formation.
Other. There are a number of other visionary scenes in this episode that defy easy categorization. In the cafe for instance, we see Max and Tess holding hands against the backdrop of a desert floor containing alien markings. Is this a stylized reference to a message of which Max and Tess are a part? Interestingly, the mark Max and Tess are standing by resembles an x with pod shaped marks at the end of each line. We also see a teary-eyed Tess looking up at Max almost beseechingly. Later, in the backroom, we again see Max and Tess holding hands, but this time, after stroking Max’s face, Tess turns and walks away. The audience then sees Max staring after her with an exit sign blazing in the darkened background. It is not clear at all what these visions signify or are meant to signify. Do they represent a type of precognition? That is, are we seeing things that are going to happen to Max and Tess (as opposed to flashbacks of what has happened)? Or are these visions being implanted in Max as a future that someone/thing is trying to suggest? Either way, these experiences represent something other than simply fantasy or flashback.
THE IDENTITY OF TESS.
In the episode’s last frame we find out that Tess is “not what she seems.” That she is an alien is without question. But who she is, and even what she is, is open to debate. Since she appears to be the same age as Max, Isabel and Michael, we are invited to wonder if our trio was originally a quartet that somehow got separated in the process. Or is she the elusive other alien we have seen either off stage (Into the Woods) or on stage (Independence Day, Sexual Healing) before? Moreover, what is her relationship to her “father”, the creepy Mr. Harding? Hard to imagine that he is not going to be aware of that reconstituted statue–which implies that he also is not what he seems. You know, somebody ought to inform Roswell’s Chamber of Commerce that its alien population is growing by leaps and bounds!
#120 Max To The Max – Review
Written by LSS
The opening scene in Max to the Max takes us back to where Four Square left off (an unusual continuity between episodes for this series). Max to the Max advances the show’s alien mythology as well as returning to the conspiracy plotline emphasized in Crazy. In addition, it provides us with a number of Science Fiction themes and questions–perhaps more so than we’ve encountered in any one episode outside Pilot and Sexual Healing.
MADE NOT BORN.
Michael suggests to Max that they were “engineered” — not “born.” Although this idea is new in this storyline, it is a theme frequently encountered in the world of Science Fiction.
Aside from humans and aliens, there are other character types that populate the landscape of Science Fiction. Some are hybrids–a combination of different species (i.e., human/alien). Others are bioengineered–crafted from a species for a specific purpose (i.e., to adapt a lifeform to an environment unsuited to the original species). Still others merge the mechanical with the biological (i.e., a cyborg). Finally, some are purely mechanical (i.e., sentient computers, human like androids, etc.). Of these types, it is the “hybrid” that seems most applicable to Roswell’s aliens. Typically, Science Fiction writers use the “hybrid” character type to explore: 1) multicultural human issues (What does it mean to be from two cultures and often not at “home” in either one?); 2) identity issues (What does it mean that you are different from everyone else because you have been “made” artificially and not “born”?); and 3) philosophical issues (What constitutes a “person”?).
While hybridization can be achieved naturally through the union of two species (at least it can in science fiction), our alien teens appear to be the result of some type of genetic engineering that combines materials from human and alien donors. Just where this donor material originally came from has not yet been revealed in the storyline.
Aside from the weighty issues mentioned above, the revelation that our teens are bioengineered raises a variety of questions for Roswell’s story frame: Who made Max, Tess, Michael, and Isabel? For what purpose were they bioengineered? Why are they in human form? This new information concerning our teens’ nature opens up endless possibilities and questions. In some ways it draws the alien teens closer to their human friends (because now they are part “human”) while at the same time driving a wedge between them (they are “made” — bioengineered – not born).
WHAT MAKES A HUMAN?
If our aliens are “made” does this make them any less human? Is being “human” simply looking human? Or is it acting/feeling human? Or is it being raised human and adopting human values and standards?
Stories of hybrids, cyborgs and androids allow writers to explore the philosophical/theological (and at times legal) issue of what constitutes a “human”. Criteria often suggested in Science Fiction for determining the “human” are: 1) form (looking human); 2) ensoulment (having a soul); and, 3) morality/values (having a moral conscience). If one accepts the formal definition, then only humans or humanoids qualify as “humans”. But this attitude is repeatedly combated in science fiction and very few writers actually argue for it. Having emotions/moral consciousness/human values, however, are frequently considered essential to being “human”. And, since some religious traditions understand the possession of a soul as what distinguishes humankind from the animal world, it should not be surprising that some see having a soul as a key criteria for determining the “human”. Real life theologians ask the question: Do aliens (if we ever meet any) have souls? If they do, then some would argue that this qualifies them for “personhood”.
Is Mr. Harding human? Is Max? Max has a “human side” while Mr. Harding, we are told by Tess, does not. What does having a “human side” mean? Figure this out, and you will understand what our writers think is “essentially” human. Is it emotions? The ability to empathize and have compassion? Or is it a basic moral code that values human dignity and freedom? Is Tess human? She was willing to ignore Liz because Liz really didn’t matter to the alien mandate. Was Tess being human then or alien? These are only a few of the questions that the viewing audience are invited to consider as this episode unfolds. Moreover, its concluding scene with Max imprisoned in the frightening white room, raises the issue of when do humans, by their very actions, cross the line and lose their human status!
WHAT MAKES “DESTINY” POWERFUL?
I found myself wondering at times just what is the nature (not the content) of this “destiny” to which Tess repeatedly refers. It obviously operates on a biological level, but what gives it its power? Max’s conversation with Isabel in which they note that something inside them has been “turned on” (something “primal”, something “alien”) hints at its deeply seated nature and puts it almost on the level of a biological imperative. Is it implanted in our teens on a cellular level? Or is it embedded in their psyches–a forceful memory begging to be recovered?
In addition to internal elements, this “destiny” is linked to external events as well. When Venus aligns with Aries, our aliens experience the onslaught of sexual visions–visions different from the usual human teenage fantasies. Are our teens entering into some type of alien estrus (a “heat” linked to their mating cycle) or is this simply the beginning of alien puberty?
Moreover, is this “destiny” inevitable? Do people (even bioengineered aliens) have the power to make their own choices and shape their own lives? Or does a person’s genetic heritage inevitably control who they are? In terms of Roswell’s storyline–does Max have a future with Liz? Does Alex have a future with Isabel? Or does Isabel “have” to be with Michael and Max “have” to be with Tess? Was Liz correct in what she told Max in Four Square? You are who you choose to be. You are with who you choose to be with. What happens physically and emotionally to our alien teens if they rebel against this biological imperative and exercise their “human” freedom of choice?
LIZ AND “DESTINY”.
Did the “destiny” that awakened our aliens also awaken something in Liz as well? At the beginning of Sexual Healing (and right before we are introduced to Tess in Crazy) Liz reports that something is happening to her body, something undeniable, something chemical. Since this coincides with the frenzied sexual activity between Max and Liz, one wonders if the same thing that is “turning on” Max is turning on Liz as well. The physical aspects of this sexual activity – the visions, glowing hickies, strange rashes) are not lost on Maria, who is worried about what will happen if Max and Liz ever “do it”. Liz, on the other hand, says she wants to and that it feels “right”.
In Max to the Max, Liz finds out from the shapeshifter that Max and Tess are intended for each other–that Tess is Max’s destiny. In response to this, Liz argues that: 1) the shapeshifter does not know what she shares with Max, 2) that Max has “changed” her, and 3) that she and Max have seen into each other’s souls. If one sets aside the obvious romantic function of these lines, and analyzes them from a science fiction point of view, it seems as if Liz is arguing that physically as well as psycho-socially, she and Max are now linked.
Moreover, in Max to the Max, we see the cave and the pods from which our aliens emerged. And in the visionary state we see the “birth” of our alien trio. Max reluctantly leaves the curly headed Tess’ in her unbroken pod, and follows Isabel. We know from previous episodes that Max will become smitten with the curly headed Liz shortly after this when he begins school. Are we to think of Liz as a surrogate for Tess in Max’s psyche? And by healing Liz and forming the intense two-way connection with her in Pilot, has Max made Liz Tess’ replacement? Is Liz now linked to Max regardless of his original alien destiny?
If Liz has been altered physically, perhaps this explains the visions she has when kissing the shapeshifter in Max’s form. Only Liz, of all the humans in our story, has been able to receive visions. If this is basically an “alien” ability, then this is a manifestation of another difference in Liz–a difference the shapeshifter appears not to realize..
THE SHAPESHIFTER.
Tess informs Max that the shapeshifter has neither a human body nor a human side. He/it [NOTE: how do you determine the gender of a shapeshifter? And does it even have a gender?] thinks of himself/itself as the aliens’ protector and will kill to save them. Of course such devotion begs the question–exactly what is the shapeshifter’s relationship to our teens? Is his/its species the one that bioengineerd M/Mi/I/T? And why did the shapeshifter wait so long to come back to Roswell? And why the cat and mouse game with them? Why not just make contact?
In Max to the Max the shapeshifter uses his/its powers in a variety of ways: 1) to morph into Max (this happens off stage so we do not see it), 2) to morph into the clown (which we do see), 3) to kill (the infamous silver palm print that looks slightly different from the earlier photos), 4) to explode gas pumps (apparently the palm can convey heat), 5) to send an alien signal (the whirlwind symbol emblazoned over the carnival in the night sky), and 6) to morph out of the cave wall. This latter involves a shift from an inanimate to a biological form–a shift that is highly unusual and distinctive from previous shifts involving changes from one person’s form to another. Throughout this episode, the shapeshifter exudes a slightly sinister ambiance (especially in his/its callous treatment of Liz).
THE BOOK.
The “destiny” theme so embedded in this episode’s storyline ultimately is ascribed to the book Tess takes from the wall in Four Square. Oddly, none of our aliens recognize the language (Isabel calls it “strange”). But if the language is unrecognizable to them, the pictures are clear–four individuals, two pair bondings. What is not clear, either to the teens or to the audience, is the function of this book. Is it a manual of sorts? An alien “how to” book? Or is it a message? And why is it so crude in design and appearance? Is it tremendously old? Or has it simply been through a crash? Perhaps the next few episodes will clear up some of these questions!
ALIEN AUTOPSY.
The episode ends with Max in a sinister white room. The best case scenario for its function is that it is an interrogation chamber. The worse case is that it is a scene for Alien Autopsy II. Who is the true “alien” in this scene? The compassionate and gentle Max who is now locked in the room? Or the alien hunter Pierce, who is preparing to experiment on him? The white room evokes the UFO Museum’s alien autopsy exhibit and is every alien’s worst nightmare–a nightmare where humans with scalpels are the true monsters!
#122 Destiny – Review
Written by LSS
Destiny is part two of Roswell’s first season finale and takes up where The White Room left off — at the Army’s Eagle Rock Military Base (a Medical Research Facility located somewhere by Roswell). Destiny is an action packed, fast-moving episode, that has more earthshaking Science Fiction revelations in its last twenty minutes than in Roswell’s last ten episodes combined! Not only does Destiny conclude Roswell’s first season, but it lays the groundwork for a radically changed horizon for its Fall storyline.
THE SOURCE OF THE ALIEN TEENS’ POWERS.
In White Room we learn that our teens’ powers are extrapolations of humankind’s abilities. Destiny, however, furthers our knowledge of these powers in two ways. First, Michael twice extends his hand and uses his powers to save both Max and Liz, and later Valenti. Each time, although he is successful, he does so without really understanding what he is doing. Later Tess explains that this force is simply his own energy and how he chooses to focus it. When Max suggests they focus on the orbs to activate them, the writers again repeat this theme. Thus we are told that our aliens have energy at their disposal that can be harnessed–the only requirement is mental discipline/focus.
THE ORBS.
While before the orbs were labeled, communicators, Destiny gives us our first real glimpse into seeing them in action. Yet what we see is perplexing on several counts. To begin with, when activated, each orb sends a blazing shaft of light through the opening provided by the whirlwind symbol. This, in itself, is not unusual, for it is the same effect we saw in Sexual Healing when Max held the newly found orb in his hands. What IS different in Destiny, is that we have two orbs in proximity being activated at the same time. As early as Crazy, Topolsky alerted us to the fact that the orbs worked in pairs. This working, however, turns out to be nothing more than a kind of recorded message from the teens’ home planet. Whether or not the orbs can also be used to communicate directly to the planet (as Michael suggests) remains to be seen!
NASEDO.
Destiny gives us more information about Nasedo than we have thus far gleaned from previous episodes. We learn that he cannot be killed, or perhaps more accurately–that if he is killed he can be healed by the healing stones we’ve seen in Balance and later in Independence Day. During the healing process the audience is treated to a fleeting glimpse of the shapeshifter’s true physical shape. As early as UFO Convention, our plotline mentioned the ovoid greyling alien type–and now we know why! Nasedo is a ovoid greyling–complete with the standard large black eyes, 3-4 fingered hand (my copy of this episode is somewhat blurred), and oval head. Just as important as this revelation of Nasedo’s true physical shape, however, is the emerging picture we have of his true relationship to Max and the others. He describes his job as to keep them alive and declines to play any other role. Moreover, when Max issues an order, Nasedo smiles at this display of assertive leadership–and obeys without question. This soldierlike response to a superior is not lost on the audience. If Nasedo is not what he seems, then it would appear that perhaps Max is more than he seems!
PRIOR LIVES, PRESENT TASKS.
The message delivered by the hologram image of Max and Isabel’s mother is mind-blowing in its content and is perhaps the most revelation-laden segment of this entire first season (at least rivaling Max’s disclosure of his identity to Liz in Pilot) In one fell literary swoop we learn not only who our teens are, but why they are on earth.
Max, Isabel, Michael and Tess have all lived before and died in a conflict far removed from the earth on which they now stand. This conflict involved enemy aliens who enslaved their planet. Max (the beloved leader), Tess (his young bride), Isabel (Max’s sister), Michael (Max’s second in command; Isabel’s betrothed)–have all been recreated in human form by cloning their alien essence and mixing it with human genetic material. The teens are given a mandate by the hologram–learn to use your powers, combat the enemy, return home and free the home planet. It goes without question that the ramifications of this information for the future of Roswell’s romantic and science fiction plotlines are legion!
Moreover this new story situation raises interesting philosophical and religious questions as well. In one of Metz’ books, Liz remembers a conversation she has with Max that marks him as someone interesting in her memory. They were talking about cloning and Max queried whether or not a soul could be cloned and what it would mean if it couldn’t. Although they do not raise this issue in the TV series, I couldn’t help remembering it. What does it mean to clone an alien’s essence? What is its significance? Are we to understand that this essence is the core of who Max was/is? What contribution does that human genetic material have in terms of Max’s soul?
Science fiction writers, speculating about the day when the cloning of humans is possible, have already begun to raise a myriad of questions this may evoke. How will legal systems address issues of ownership? On a personal level, how is identity established? In the case of Max, one might ask–to what degree is he still that beloved leader (with all of its relational obligations [that young bride] and leadership duties [to return and free his enslaved people])? Or is Max–just Max–a being made human by his love? Can he choose his own destiny (as Liz has several times insisted) or is he bound emotionally and legally to the persona of a person who died in a conflict he’s only just heard of? No doubt Fall episodes will explore this thorny issue of personal identity and prior responsibility.
GOOD VS. BAD ALIENS.
Throughout the entire season we have confronted the specter of the bad alien. Maria in Monsters, feared that the alien teens were bad aliens. Liz in Crazy thought that Tess might be a bad alien. Destiny reveals that both Maria and Liz were partially correct–there ARE bad aliens on earth–the enemies that have already enslaved Max’s home planet. In the episode’s closing shots we are treated to a glimpse of one, an alien who cryptically utters the line: “It has begun.”(Obviously we will have to wait until next Fall, however, to find out to what he is referring!)
Moreover, we now have indication that the alien population of earth is far more numerous than ever revealed by any nation’s census! In response to the orb¢s activation, the audience sees similar lights emerge in farms, a light house, suburbs, and in urban settings. Whether these lights represent good or bad aliens remains to be seen. [And of course we will not even address why the orb’s activation in Sexual Healing did not set off a similar response!]. The episode concludes with a shot from space looking down on earth¢s curvature–a hint that these aliens are a worldwide presence? Or are we to think of the vantage point of an alien ship in space just beyond earth?
GOOD SCIENCE FICTION VS. POOR/SILLY SCIENCE FICTION: SOME END OF SEASON REFLECTIONS ON ROSWELL.
At a recent NYC Roswell gathering, Kevin Brown commented on the Science Fiction aspect of Roswell–especially as they had played it out in the last six episodes (Roswell “revamped”). He noted that everyone was pleased and that the creative team considered it a “success” and validated this by the show’s increased ratings in its new time slot. Would Science Fiction enthusiasts consider Roswell’s Science Fiction dimension a success?
While Science Fiction does not have to be based on accurate science, I would suggest that it HAS to persuade its audience that it is plausible. To do this, Science Fiction writers have to avoid blatant inconsistencies and story elements that reek of vagueness or just plain absurdity. And they have to give audiences explanations–otherwise supposedly Science Fiction elements come off with a touch of “magic” instead of “science”. Let’s look at some examples that we’ve seen in Roswell this season of good Science Fiction, poor Science Fiction, and finally, just plain silly Science Fiction.
1) Good Science Fiction: The Power to Manipulate Molecules. In Pilot Max explains and demonstrates to Liz (and thus to the audience) what will be a primary alien power in the series–the power to manipulate molecules. It is not until the last two episodes, however, that the writers return to this power and explain it. Nevertheless, I suspect that most viewers accepted this power at face value throughout the show. True–in these reviews and in the “Science Fiction of [Episode]” threads on Roswell 1, we have at times questioned various issues attached to it–i.e., Do all aliens have the same powers? Why does Michael have difficulty with this power while Max does not? Yet very few watchers raised the indignant outcry–What? Manipulate Molecules? How could aliens DO that? This silence indicates, to me at least, that for most of the viewers this Science Fiction element works . Whether or not it is based on good science–it is nevertheless good Science Fiction. It does what Science Fiction is supposed to do–give us plausibility, if not accuracy. Moreover it gives us a basis for distinguishing aliens from humans and another reason our teens feel so alienated.
2) Poor Science Fiction: Liz’s ability to receive flashes from Max. At best this element is vague, at worst terribly misleading. Liz first receives flashes from Max at the end of Blind Date and continues to do so the rest of the season. Indeed, this ability is heart wrenching in Destiny when she gets flashes of Max being tortured. Now, by itself, this ability works for the audience on the level of Roswell’s romantic storyline because it cements the bond between them that the writers have already emphasized. But on Roswell’s Science Fiction level it is riddled with problems.
First–why does Liz receive these flashes while Maria and Alex do not? Not once is an explanation even hinted at in the storyline. To make things worse, in Sexual Healing, the writers go out of their way to tell us that Maria is ultimately reduced to faking flashes. In the apartment conversation at the end of this episode, a discussion is raised concerning being open to each other. If this is the writers’ explanation of why Maria doesn’t receive flashes from Michael (i.e., he is not open enough) then it is woefully inadequate because most of the viewers do not get it! Moreover, the subject never even arises when it comes to Alex an Isabel making out. This vagueness of explanation and inconsistency between couples led to an interesting theory on the Science Fiction threads–that Liz’s connection to Max had altered Liz in some way–either by the healing, or the reversal of the connection, or the intense emotional and then physical relationship she and Max shared. However fans explained it, this theory–seemingly substantiated by Liz’s remark to Nasedo that Max changed her in Max to the Max–became a favorite one of many viewers. And seeing why it was so popular is easy–not only did it further develop the specialness of the Max / Liz relationship (a carefully crafted theme of Roswell’s romantic storyline), but it explained plausibly why Liz could do what no other human could in the series–receive a vision from an alien. It also explained, by the way, why Liz was the only one to have glowing hickies and rashes when she made out with an alien–another inconsistency between couples in the plot.
When confronted by the altered Liz theory at the NYC gathering, Brown seemed mystified. He apparently had no idea of this in terms of the writers’ intent. This then, I would argue, is what really poor Science Fiction looks like–an element that is not only inconsistent, but is vague and unexplained and thus open to being misunderstood by those encountering it. Oddly, in this case, Roswell’s fans were far more astute than Roswell’s writers–for they resolved an obvious problem that the writers apparently did not know (or care) existed!
3) Silly Science Fiction: The Save the Home Planet Mandate. In the last moments of Roswell’s season finale, the viewing audience learns from the hologram of Max and Isabel’s mother that our alien teens have a mandate: to learn their powers, combat the enemies, and to return home to free the planet. Now folks–no one loves Roswell more than I do. The fact that I am sitting here writing this rather than other projects I have on my desk speak volumes to my interest. And, like many of you, I sent in more than my share of Tabasco to the WB. But this plotline is just silly given the storyline up to this point.
While it is true that the history of Science Fiction is rift with save the planet stories, many of these can be summarized as what might be labeled space operas (Star Wars is a good example of this). Making Roswell into Space Opera, however, is problematic for Roswell for two reasons. First, the core of Roswell’s faithful watchers are at least as much attracted to the human/alien relational dimensions of this story as they are to its Science Fiction dimension. This mandate, however, threatens to shift the show¢s focus away from teen alienation toward teen superhero-hood. Secondly, the grandiose contours of this storyline clash with the simplicity of Roswell’s 17 year old teens in a way that is really jarring.
Admittedly, this mandate will throw Max into a personal/moral dilemma–how will he reconcile being both alien and human–with the relationships and obligations associated with each? And it will cause him either to choose one over the other, or to find a way to integrate his two heritages. And such a emphasis can easily become a thinly veiled metaphor for addressing all sorts of multicultural issues in contemporary society. Nevertheless, one wonders if this could not have been done without positing a world full of aliens, some of whom are hostile, and all of whom promises to stretch the Science Fiction framework of Roswell to its limits.
Ultimately, however, it boils down to this: Roswell’s writers (and I say this with all due respect) have yet to convince me, in spite of the finale they delivered (that was action packed but filled with Science Fiction loopholes) that a high power Science Fiction show is within their capabilities. I believe that Brown mentioned that the show will be adding some Science Fiction writers to their creative staff. If this is true I applaud this move. If Roswell wants to hold its head up in Science Fiction circles it cannot continue the vagueness and inconsistency it has allowed repeatedly in its Science Fiction framework. For no matter how attractive Roswell’s romantic storyline is, Science Fiction enthusiasts will only suspend their disbelief for so long before frustration sets in. Will Roswell take its own framework seriously? Can Roswell can make good on the Science Fiction promises it makes in its own finale? See you on the board next Fall where we will address these very questions!
#201 Skin and Bones – Review
Written by LSS
Skin and Bones begins with a beeping sound reminiscent of Sexual Healing’s introductory frame. This time, however, it is not a broken radio tower we see but a beeping metal detector. The frame is the first in a series of chiastically arranged scenes structured around the theme of hiddenness. The camera shifts from the geologist digging in the sand to the therapist suggesting that Max has “buried something.” As the therapist assures Max that his problems are “normal teenage stuff,” our privileged interior glimpse into Max’s thoughts reveals that “hiding” is something instinctual to Max. It is only after Max agrees with the therapist that the camera shifts back to the initial scene of the digging geologist. Thus, while the spatial images in the introduction alternate from desert to therapist to desert, the entire dramatic sequence is unified by the theme of hiddenness (physical hiddenness/desert–psychological and social hiddenness/therapist’s office –physical hiddenness and discovery/desert). Moreover, the finding of the buried object in the final desert scene suggests that Max’s hiddenness will also be exposed. This threat of discovery, evoked in these introductory frames, is reinforced in the concluding ones when Harding, now discovered by the enemy, warns Max that the enemy is now among them.
Of course, hiddenness is not all this episode is about. A number of new Science Fiction elements are also worthy of our attention:
CADMIUM X, RADIATION, AND FUSED BONES. According to Skin and Bones, Cadmium X (identified in the narration as an isotope of Cadmium) is a residual element left in the bodies of murder victims killed by aliens (specifically those bodies with silver palm prints as well as Pierce’s bones). It seems that Cadmium X has the properties of a metal since Pierce’s bones activate Grant Sorenson’s metal detector. This observation remains at the level of speculation (unless you already know that Cadmium is a metal) since this property is never explained even though Grant does ask why a metal detector would “locate” bones! Interestingly, the congresswoman informs the subcommittee that Cadmium X is an element that “doesn’t exist” on earth–an element that is “not human.” (Ahem [cough], congresswoman…have you ever met a “human” element?) This is a tad odd since Cadmium itself IS a terrestrial element. [NOTE: If our writers meant for us to think of an unusual form of Cadmium–one that sets it apart from its earthly cousin–they should have said so! Instead we are left thinking that Cadmium is an extraterrestrial element.] By the way, Harding mentions that Cadmium X is “on” Pierce’s bones (not “in” them?).
From a Science Fiction perspective the repeated mention of “radiation” in this episode is intriguing. We are told that: 1) the geologist is testing in the area for residual radioactivity from nuclear testing in the 1950s; 2) the coroner ascribes the fused bones to a “short and very contained burst of unthinkable energy” (conjuring up images of explosive radioactive activity); and, 3) the scientist at the Particle Research Facility explains the fused bones as a “mutation resulting from the radioactivity tests done in the area in 1958” (also the alleged date of the bones after Max gets through with them).
Science Fiction in the 1950s was obsessed with radioactivity and the atomic bomb. It was the age of fallout shelters and B-grade cautionary tales. Movies like Them! and Godzilla, the King of Monsters (both 1954) warned viewers of the danger of atomic power and the problems evoked by nuclear testing. I must admit that images of the 1950s ran through my mind as Skin and Bones shamelessly alluded to the themes of this great decade of Science Fiction!
THE ROYAL FOUR. Although in Destiny we learned of Max’s identity as his people’s “beloved leader,” it is Skin and Bones that reveals that Max’s planet is (was?) monarchical (with Max its ruling monarch). From this we can assume that Isabel (as Max’s sister) is/was a princess. What Tess and Michael were, however, remains to be seen. After Tess’ marriage to Max, she could have been either Queen or Royal Consort (if earthly monarchies are any example of off-planet ones). Her status before marrying Max, however, is anyone’s guess. Since kings often marry into other royal families, perhaps Tess was “royal” and her marriage to Max “diplomatic.” Only time will tell if Tess and Michael can lay claim to the title “royal” other than by marriage/betrothal.
Science Fiction is no stranger to monarchies and royal characters. While Science Fiction can function as social commentary and stories dealing with social order can be a way of critiquing self and society, royal characters can also be simply the stuff of fantasy and romance. Aside from social comment, such characters conjure up the mythic/ legendary figures of Earth’s/humankind’s history. (NOTE: One has only to look at the obsession over Princess Diana to note the “draw” of royalty and the subsequent fantasy that our own time weaves around them.) It will be interesting to see how Roswell develops the theme of “King” Max. It would appear that our writers are laying the groundwork for an epic struggle between Max’s private/personal life and his public/duty oriented one. After all, elected officials can merely step down when their jobs conflict with their personal lives. Kings have to abdicate (often with great shame). Perhaps our writers will figure out how Max can have it all–only time will tell!
Of course, there are different roads to royal status. Is Max king because his father was king before him? Or did he take the throne by a coup? That is, is his planet’s monarchy hereditary? Or is it based on charismatic succession? I bring up this point because Skin and Bones presents Michael as extremely dissatisfied with Max’s DEFANGED_STYLEof “leadership.” While Harding himself is not pleased with his “pacifist” leader, he does not counter Max’s orders. Michael, however, goes directly against Max by contacting Harding. And Michael’s comment to Max (“You’re our leader. Why don’t you lead?”) makes Michael a character worth watching in the power dynamics of future episodes.
THE SKINS. Although Destiny’s last scene implied an alien presence on earth (other than Harding and our podsters), Skin and Bones gives us further clues into these aliens’ nature. Harding refers to them as “skins” and indeed cast off skins are all that we see of them. Twice the audience sees “husks” — once of a hand (seen by Michael in the desert) and once of some other body part (seen by Harding near his car).
Another feature of these aliens is their “odd” vision. Twice the audience “sees” objects (first Michael and then Harding) from an unusual POV. This (I think we are meant to assume) represents alien (skins’) vision. Either this is simply a visual technique to clue the audience to an alien presence or it signals something “different” about these aliens’ optic system. One interesting shot, however, shows Michael looking straight at the skin (?) without “seeing” him/her/it. Are we to think of camouflage here? Or invisibility? Or simply hiddenness? We’ll have to wait till the coming episodes to resolve these questions.
What is really interesting, however, are the words used by Harding to describe what will happen IF the “skins” come to Roswell. In the midst of confronting Max about his “pacifist” attitude, Harding asks if they should wait until “our enemies show up and have a nice boxed lunch of us.” It may be nothing, but in my mind that statement evokes images of ingestion. Harding doesn’t say that the enemies will simply kill the podsters. He says that they will eat them. When you couple this with EMPTY skins it leaves open an interesting line of speculation. Do the “skins” absorb the shape they take (leaving only the dried husk of the form they’ve abandoned)? Of course if there is no significance to Harding’s statement, then those husks can be understood in a variety of other ways. They could be signs of: 1) sickness/stress, 2) growth, 3) a change in life stages, 4) a change of form, etc.
EVALUATING THE SCIENCE FICTION OF THIS EPISODE. At the end of my review of Destiny last season, I evaluated the first season’s Science Fiction by identifying some examples of what I thought was Good vs. Poor/Silly Science Fiction. This season I will include a new section (“The Critic’s Corner”) in each review where I critique the episode’s Science Fiction. (NOTE: The above sections are more “commentary” than a critique. Hope you enjoy the new section below.)
THE CRITIC’S CORNER.
Problematic Science Fiction in Skin and Bones. Having Max enter the Cyclotron did not “work” for me. As a lay viewer, I know nothing of the science of cyclotrons. But common sense dictates that anything placed in a containment chamber with thick walls (as evidenced when Max lifts the chamber hatch) is so placed for a reason. Even though Max leaves the chamber before the second stage of the cyclotron is activated, his presence during the first stage seemed to me incredulous. When you couple this with the exact dating of the bones via carbon dating (an impossibility of which even I am well aware) you produce a credibility issue surrounding two key SF elements of this episode. As I have said before, good Science Fiction does not have to be scientifically accurate. But it does have to be plausible.
Moreover, if you are going to introduce an alien element in the storyline (Cadmium X), why chose a name (Cadmium) that is the name of a bona fide terrestrial element? Come on writers, you can do better than this! And I am not going to mention Valenti’s suggestion that the bone they found belonged to a coyote. I live with coyotes all around me (they come up close to my porch all the time). And if I ever met one warranting a leg bone that size, I’d sell my farm in a heartbeat!
Good Science Fiction in Skin and Bones. I like the idea of an extraterrestrial element residual in alien murder victims. It gives our podsters a more “alien” touch that (for me) worked nicely. Although there are still many questions surrounding this element, its presence reminds us that, although Michael is a hybrid with human DNA, his alien DNA has real consequences for his actions. I welcome this reminder of Michael’s alien nature. Max told Liz that loving her had made him human (Destiny). We need to remember, however, that Max’s alien DNA makes him alien as well.
Another element that “worked” for me was the introduction of the elusive “skins.” Having a second species on the narrative stage expands Roswell’s Science Fiction potential. Now perhaps we can have truly “alien” aliens instead of human look-alike hybrid aliens. It also means that Roswell can now explore the “alien as enemy/monster” theme. It is hard to envision our Max as a menacing alien and even the joke cracking Harding (in spite of his killing and kidnaping tendencies) falls short of a truly horrendous villain. I’m looking forward to the coming episodes when our writers will “flesh-out” (ouch!) the skins.