Tube Reviews.com – Roswell Reviews-Check It out (Part 2)

PART 2 OF ROSWELL REVIEWS

Remember-all reviews can be found at Tube Reviews and follow the links (the titles are the links) to read the rest of the reviews – I’m just putting tidbits from each review here)

[The review website isn’t available anymore.]

INTO THE WOODS
– by M. STEVEN FELTY

[…] Michael did mellow toward Maria, and Max and Liz seem to be moving back together again. However, Kyle and his father were having trouble because Kyle�s dad (the Sheriff) became more obsessive than usual over Max, Liz, Isabel, Maria and Michael. What set him off? […] […] As I said, this episode is a great set-up because now we wonder if other aliens have arrived�or have they been there all along? Have they come for Max, Isabel and Michael? Are they even friendly? Hopefully, the next few weeks will tell. […] GRADE: B

THE CONVENTION
– by M. STEVEN FELTY

There has not been a better episode of this series since the series premiere. This episode exhibited all of the elements that were found in the original pilot, right down to having Jonathan Frakes guesting as himself. This latest installment takes place during the �10th annual UFO convention,’ which has turned the city of Roswell into a circus sideshow of ufologists and conspiracy mongers. There are numerous tongue-in-cheek scenes, such as Michael being told by an alien ‘expert’ how dangerous aliens are, and Max dressed up as an alien complete with a giant rubber head and large almond shaped eyes. The script by Emily Whitesell and the direction by Tucker Gates work flawlessly together to bring the episode into a realm only trod by BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, ANGEL and a twist of THE X-FILES. That comes as no surprise because Tucker has directed an episode of ANGEL and episodes of THE X-FILES. The actors all deserve a round of applause for working well as an ensemble and with the material. […] […] So what has this episode left us with? Well, Larry and Jennifer have decided to get married and stay in Roswell. There is an alien like Max, Isabel and Michael roaming the Southwest who has killed many people. The sheriff has a lot to think about. Will he become an ally? Whatever may develop, I hope they will team Whitesell and Tucker many more times. They have an understanding of timing and twists that makes for exciting television. The episode was infused with an energy not seen after the premiere.
GRADE: A-

BLIND DATE
– by M. STEVEN FELTY

I wasn’t sure if they could pull it off two weeks in a row, but they did. Max Evans and Liz Parker are being allowed to have personalities now, which is something they lacked in the first half of the season. The characters of Michael and Maria have remained clear and strong throughout the season. They are still proving to be catalysts of change by providing key personality traits that move the stories along. The character of Isabel, on the other hand, is still somewhat undefined. Maybe the producers or writers don’t know what to do with her. They’ve relegated her to supporting status as a sometimes sensitive sister to Max and friend to Michael. The character of Isabel started out being nothing more than an aloof high school beauty with superficial tastes. Since the beginning, though, she has vacillated between that image and a more powerful and positive force of reason in the group. The powers in charge of the show should give actress Katherine Heigl a chance to bring Isabel out and develop her more fully. She certainly is up to the task and deserves it. […] […] The radio crowd finds them and bursts in just in time to see Kyle and Doug rolling on the bed — and Liz with one of her ex’s. After that, Max and Liz make their escape. Once alone, Max, who is fueled with liquid courage, finally tells Liz how he really feels. The whole episode shows Kyle to be a pretty stand-up guy after all and opens up many new ways for his story to unfold. They all end up at the dance where Max’s alcohol wears off. He looks at Liz and says he doesn’t remember telling her how he felt. […]

The burning of the photograph was corny and served no purpose other than to be dramatic. All in all, however, the episode was good and fun for all. And, oh yes, after a bad start, Maria did well as the band’s new singer.
GRADE: A-

INDEPENDENCE DAY
– by M. STEVEN FELTY

This episode is one of those touchy-feely kinda DAWSON�S CREEK/Afterschool Special stories. The only real sci-fi element occurs in the last few minutes of the show when the fourth alien shows up. For the most part though, it�s an intervention story — you know, when friends try to help another friend out of an awful domestic problem at home. […] […] Like I said, the episode was like an Afterschool Special designed to show kids how hard it is to make decisions about real life problems and that it�s always best to tell mom and dad. The episode did manage to move Michael�s character along very well and I hope that he will trust more and believe in his friends. But man, that shape-shifter alien is bad-ass and there is no way of telling who he is. I wonder if he must kill the ones he morphs into? I�m sure we�ll know more later. […] GRADE: B

The one for Sexual Healing Had Me Rolling..

SEXUAL HEALING
-by M. STEVEN FELTY

There’s not much to say about this episode because it was mostly a soft-porn tease for a pre-teen audience obsessed with swapping spit. You can tell that the producers and writers felt they had to confront the sexual tension between the characters at some point, but this episode was nothing more than interrupted attempts to get to third base. In the end, it is still not clear if Max and Liz did the deed, and in my opinion, it doesn’t matter anyway. Most sexual scenes and contact on TV have been nothing more than a device to boost sagging ratings when the storyline is not enough. Everybody likes a little T&A, even if it actually never appears. […]

Yeah right, that’s the best time to go look for something buried in the desert. Once at the tower, they decide to go at each other hot and heavy, almost forgetting why they were there. Of course, after sucking face for a while, they start to dig. They find an oval orb that glows and is inscribed with a symbol from the cave wall.

That’s it. This episode is a real step back for the series because it was in many ways unnecessary. I don’t care how close Liz and Max get. I know they care for each other, so just get on with the story. Here they have this shape-shifting alien running around and he poses a real danger to Max, Michael and Isabel. Hell, he poses a threat to all of Roswell, for that matter, and the producers decide that the element to highlight this week is teen curiosity about sex. No wonder the series is suffering in the ratings.

At the end Liz asks Max, “What is my destiny?” Well, I’d say pregnant with your third kid by the time you�re 22 years old while Max scratches out a seven-dollar-an-hour living loading bags at the local cat litter plant and dreaming about that beer after work — if you stay in Roswell. Hey, I lived in a small desert town once. I know.
GRADE: C

CRAZY
– by M. STEVEN FELTY

So after a hiatus of several weeks, what did the cast and crew of ROSWELL have in store for us? They had a little something for everybody. The show was a mix of alien conspiracy, teenage relationships and danger. One of the twists that I had been wondering about for some time was the disappearance of agent Toplosky. She was the pretty school counselor who was really a FBI agent on assignment in Roswell. Well, she came back with a vengeance in this episode. […] […] Over all, the episode was good and added to the storyline by introducing many different elements that can make for intriguing future stories. I shall wait and see. I�m glad they�ve chosen to mix more of the mystery and sci-fi factors into this week�s show. I only hope that they continue to balance the episodes in this way in the future. […] GRADE: B

TESS, LIES AND VIDEOTAPE
– by M. STEVEN FELTY

It would appear that the producers of the series have gotten their own message. The second half of the season has certainly been fueled with an intensity that gives one hope for a second season, but only if the intensity continues. If the series falls back to its lethargic beginnings then a second season would be boring and predictable, and there is nothing worse than boring and predictable sci-fi. […] […] As I said, this episode went heavier into the sci-fi element which made it much more interesting. It is more of what the show promised with episode #1 and then didn�t deliver except sporadically. The reveal about Tess doesn�t come as a surprise really but it does confirm what was hinted at. Her being an alien also means that there are perhaps many more out there. The question also still remains as to who or what the shape shifter is. Maybe we will find out at the end of the season. […] GRADE: B

FOUR SQUARE
– by M. STEVEN FELTY

Well this week�s episode has a little bit of everything in it. Everything from dream sequences to a mysterious pregnancy and a revelation about Tess Harding. So how do you cram so much into about forty-five minutes? Get the executive producer Jonathan Frakes to direct. Frakes has directed many episodes of series television including STAR TREK: THE NEXT GENERATION, DEEP SPACE NINE and DIAGNOSIS MURDER, so he knows how to get a story told within the constraints of episodic TV. […]

The show has finally gotten interesting.
GRADE: B

MAX TO THE MAX
– by M. STEVEN FELTY

This episode keeps up the somewhat accelerated pitch, as if the producers realized they had not told the story and are now running out of time. In this episode it is revealed that Max, Michael, Isabel and Tess were actually engineered and are a fusion of alien and human. It is also revealed that Mr. Harding is really the shape shifter who has been killing the humans for years. Remember the metal book that Tess had in the previous episode? That also shows that Tess, Max, Michael and Isabel are not brothers and sisters but rather possible mates for each other. Because of the dreams that Michael and Isabel shared last week, Isabel thought she was pregnant with Michael�s child. Well it turns out that the dreams aren�t how they get pregnant but rather they are a way of awakening the mind and giving a deeper understanding. […] […] Except for the absurd ending, the episode was pretty good. Let�s see what happens next week……
GRADE: B

THE WHITE ROOM
– by M. STEVEN FELTY

[…] In my opinion, these people never would have gotten into the base, it�s just that simple. The base would have looked abandoned but it would have been so secure that a fly couldn�t have gotten in. This ending seems desperate. It�s as if they just didn�t know how to get Max out of the base so rather than re-write the story with a more believable ending they just said to hell with it and did the impossible. Great sci-fi is always based in reality. It should not defy plausibility. The writers of this episode just want you to believe too much…
GRADE: B