Roswell, NM – #113 Recovering the Satellites Review by Leonard
A voiceover of Liz starts that when she committed her life to science she stopped believing in magic, fairy tales with happy endings, gods and ghosts. But then she met a demon (Noah) who could possess the innocent so if a devil is real what else could walk amongst them. Max still has his gun pointed at Michael and says there’s nothing Noah can say that’s worth keeping him alive. Michael tells Max what happened in the previous episode. Max tells Michael to think about what Noah did to Isobel and that Noah’s not the answer he’s been looking for. Michael knows he isn’t, his mom was. Michael says Noah’s weak and can’t fight them both off so he wants to give him the antidote and torture the answers out of him. Max refuses saying it’s too risky and points the gun at Michael again. Michael says Max won’t shoot him. Max instead shoots the syringe in Michael’s hand. Michael says Noah’s the only chance to learn about their family. Max says Michael is his family and needs Noah dead. Michael screams he doesn’t care what Max needs and uses his powers to send Max flying through the window, hitting the back of his head on the fire pit. Michael asks Noah where the antidote is, knowing that he stole some from Liz’s lab. Noah says that it’s in his cave with his pod. Noah collapses to the floor. Michael goes to pick him up but Noah stabs him in the neck with a piece of the broken syringe. Liz arrives at the Wild Pony and sits next to Maria who is drinking. Liz says it’s been a long day and wants to forget being an adult for a while. Liz recognizes Maria’s necklace on the table saying she always loved it and asks when her Mom gave it to her. Maria says she got it high school graduation. Liz recognizes the flower in the pendant as a rare flower that only grows in the Libyan desert. Maria asks how she knows that, Liz recognizes it as the powder from episode 111. Maria says it’s a family heirloom that protected her from evil and that it used to remind her of the line of badass women she came from but now it just reminds her of Michael. Liz is shocked, Maria stops her and tells her that Michael is Alex’s museum guy. Liz is still shocked and asks if she’s spoken to Alex. Liz says she can’t choose who to fall for, if they could choose they wouldn’t fall and there’s no fun in that. At Project Shepherd, Kyle has begun going over the hard drives they recovered at Caulfield because he couldn’t sleep as Alex arrives. Kyle finds a video of Alex’s dad pushing his dad into the cell of N-38. At a separate military base, Flint apologizes to his dad for failing him. Manes isn’t concerned as the research was backed up, the bomb prototype wasn’t there and the aliens weren’t going to last longer anyway. He’s more concerned about Alex, who they can deal with later, and Kyle. At the Crashdown, Liz leaves a voicemail for Max if Noah’s dead yet as the handprint has faded and she can’t feel him anymore, she says she’s headed over there bringing food and milkshakes. She turns on the jukebox to Mazzy Star – Fade Into You (callback to 219 of the original show). Noah appears and asks for a cherry cola (another callback). Noah uses his powers to pull a knife away from beside Liz. He looks at a picture of Rosa on the wall and says she looks like her but she’s nothing like Rosa. Rosa was hope and fire, Liz is jaded and guilty as he felt her through the handprint. Liz turns and locks herself in the walk in freezer. Liz pulls out of her pocket a sample of the yellow powder. Max finally wakes up and finds Michael bleeding out. Max heals him. Noah uses his powers to move the broom that Liz wedged between the door handle and opens the freezer door. Noah puts his hand on Liz’s chest, Liz knees him, runs out and locks Noah in. Noah looks and sees the yellow powder on the floor by the door rendering him powerless. Max is vomiting as Isobel arrives. Max tells Isobel he healed Michael but they need to leave before he wakes up. In the car Max calls Liz. Max tells her Noah is loose, Liz tells him she has him locked in the freezer but doesn’t know how long the pollen will hold him off. Max tells her to leave but she won’t. Liz tells Max to just get there. Liz gets a bottle of curcuma and removes the label. Noah asks Liz what she’ll do when her dad comes down for breakfast. Liz grabs a knife and says Rosa loved her family and would be disgusted of him and didn’t deserve to know her. Noah says she didn’t know her as Rosa told him her secrets not her, that Rosa told her mother to leave and not come back or she’d tell her and Arturo the truth that she’s really a Valenti. Noah finally is able to use his powers to unlock the freezer door and comes out. Noah takes the knife from Liz saying Rosa will always be his. Liz throws the curcuma in his face who then runs off. Liz calls Max and tells him Noah escaped. Liz says Noah has to kill someone to regain his strength. Isobel says she knows where Noah might be. Max asks again if she’s ok, Liz assures she is and tells him to stay safe. Liz looks down and we see she’s bleeding from the stomach. Noah stumbles into Hank who tells him to watch it and asks if they don’t look where they’re going where they’re from. Noah asks Hank where he thinks he’s from. Hank answers Mexico. Noah puts his hand on Hank’s chest and kills him. Kyle arrives at the Crashdown. Liz tells him where the needle and thread are and not to wake her dad. Isobel and Max arrive in the desert and see Noah sitting on a rock. Max asks how she knew he was there but doesn’t answer. Isobel continues ignoring Max telling her to stop and sits next to Noah. Noah and Isobel both say Isobel can’t come to the phone right now. Noah snaps his fingers and Isobel falls asleep. Max realizes Noah made Isobel drive him there, Noah says she was traumatized so he got into her mind. Max fires at him but Noah easily pushes the bullet away before it gets to him, telling Max that he’s fast but he’s faster because of practice. Noah ties Max’s intestines into a knot, bringing him down to a knee in pain. Noah doesn’t want to fight to the death with a gun, he wants to get creative. Kyle is stitching Liz up. Liz tells Kyle about Rosa being a Valenti, then realizes Kyle already knew and lost a sister too. Michael comes into his trailer where Alex is waiting for him and asks what happened. Michael says it’s not his blood. Alex tells him he shouldn’t have left him behind when he enlisted, he doesn’t even see himself sometimes when he looks in the mirror, he sees his father and fighting his battles and not his. Michael gets a flash of Noah saying you’re gonna die and Isobel unconscious. Michael tells Alex he has to go but to come back tomorrow and they can talk then. In the cave, Max is still weak and Isobel unconscious. Noah says she won’t wake up for a while whilst heating something in a pot. Max says that he’s going to kill him, Noah brings him back to his knees. Max asks Noah why he’s keeping them alive. Noah says the alighting and that he’d hoped to go as a family. Noah says whichever side won the war wouldn’t just leave Max here. Max asks why him. Noah says that because Max is the savior, so he will put them back in the pods so when they eventually come for him he can trade them for a ride home. Max says he’s no savior, Noah says he has no idea what he’s capable of. Noah says Max is like a human using a tiny percentage of their potential because he only thinks he has 1 kind of power, if he unlocks his mind he could be a god. Max says he’s no god. Noah says all those books about religion are about strange creatures with familiar features coming from the heavens are about them. Noah puts his hand on Max’s chest and gives him a heart attack, saying they’ll want him alive but barely will do. Noah suddenly goes flying into the rocks courtesy of Michael. Michael asks Max if he’s okay. Max says he’s not strong enough and asks Michael to hold him off. Max runs outside the cave, holds his hand up and lightning strikes each of his hands empowering him. Noah comes out and says they are Ophiucus – the man and the serpent, that they are one. Inside the cave, Isobel wakes up. Max shoots Noah in the chest with lightning. Noah is now in the desert, Isobel has entered his mind. Noah asks if it’s over, Isobel says it is. Isobel says she only has one last thing to say to him – he’s not her person so she didn’t tell him and that she doesn’t love him and never did. Isobel takes off her wedding ring and gives it to Noah, who replies to “take care of her”. Isobel and Michael come out of the cave and see Noah die. They all gather around his body. Kyle is at a gun shop. The merchant says the hand gun is $249.99. Kyle asks if there’s a background check. The merchant says they’re not in California and asks if Kyle hit his head. Kyle says he’s not the guy who buys a gun, that a few months ago he was a surgeon going to his high school reunion but now he has a dead sister and a dad who was killed by his closest friend who he thinks is following him. He used to be a dick but then he started living by his father’s code after he died but now he’s done. The merchant says it’s his right as an American citizen to protect himself and offers to knock off $25 for the gun. Inside the cave Isobel says she got into Noah’s head before he died because she wanted to tell him something. Max says all these years she wanted to be honest with him. Isobel says she told him she never loved him, the last thing she told him was a lie, but he said “take care of her” which doesn’t make sense. Michael says a lot of answers died with Noah. Max says a lot of evil too so it’s a win and why they’re there has nothing to do with their past or where they’re from and tells Michael to stop looking in the rearview mirror. Max takes his hand and heals it despite Michael’s protests, saying he doesn’t need the pain to remind him of who he is. Michael says people will notice, Max just says this is Roswell and leaves. It’s morning now as Liz arrives at Max’s house finding the mess. She calls out for Max, Max call out from the distance from the desert. They run towards each other and hug. Max tells Liz it’s done and Noah’s not coming back. Liz asks Max if he’s okay, Max says he’s better than he’s been in a long time. They kiss and proceed back to Max’s and make love. Liz puts Max’s hand on her chest and tells him to connect with her so he can feel everything she feels for him. Michael and Isobel are in the desert looking for Noah’s cave. Isobel asks what it says about her that Noah is the only man she’s loved. Michael says it means nothing, they’re defined by what they can control and that love is out of their control, love is the worst thing to happen to him and he was in a spaceship crash. Isobel says that her romantic troubles trump his closet. Michael says Alex knows everything, his family is involved in the conspiracy, he’s in all the terrible memories of his life and he loves him and probably always will but lately that love hurts going back to him always feels like a crash landing. Isobel says maybe Max is right to stop looking back and start looking forward. Isobel looks and spots the cave. Inside Noah’s cave they find an altar with candles, a rose drawing and a yearbook, and then his pod covered by a blanket. Isobel pulls the blanket off and we see Rosa in it. Liz is getting dressed as Max jokes that now that she’s had him the mystery is gone. Max gets a text from Isobel saying she needs to talk to him. Liz tells him to go see his sister she will go see hers. Max offers to go with her, Liz says she has to go on her own. Liz says she thought if she had all the answers she’d feel better but now that she does she feels even more gone. Kyle is at Project Shepherd looking at the video when we see Manes over his shoulder. Kyle says he knew he would come and then gets shot. Manes says to say hello to Jim for him. Manes goes to pour a drink when Kyle hits him from behind with a statue. Kyle grabs the gun holding his chest as he was wearing a bulletproof vest. Kyle says he wanted to buy a gun but couldn’t do it. Kyle says he’s not like him, he’s not a killer. Manes says knows about his dad, so an alien killed his daughter and he still wanted to shut Caulfield down. Kyle says the alien that killed Rosa wasn’t there and he tried to cover up the kills. Manes says Valenti conducted the cover-ups and he wanted them exposed. Manes pours himself a drink and says he wanted the American people to arm … Kyle injects him in the neck with barbiturates to put him in a medically induced coma but he’ll get him to a hospital. Kyle says he hopes his doctor is a real man of honor with a code, saying one nation’s soldier is another’s terrorist. Max covers up the pod with Rosa in it and asks how Noah had her there the whole time. Michael speculates he dug her up or body snatched someone who works at the morgue. Max wants to call Liz, Isobel asks what he would tell her. Max says he can’t keep it from her. Isobel says it will haunt her nightmares. Max asks how long they think Rosa was dead before Noah put her in the pod. Isobel says he did try to save her 10 years ago. Max wonders if he was only using a piece of his potential and could unlock more. Isobel asks different powers, Max says stronger ones like Noah had. Michael tells them to stop, they can’t resurrect someone who has been dead for a decade, they can’t undo the past, they can wait for things to settle and then bury Rosa properly. Max and Isobel agree and they leave Noah’s cave. As they leave, Max turns back and looks at the pod. Maria is counting money at the bar as Michael arrives. He guesses they’re closed, but Maria says they’re open. Michael comes up and kisses her. Maria says they need to talk, Michael says they will, but first wants to play some music. Michael grabs the guitar, sits down and starts playing Here With Me over the remainder of the episode. We see Liz is at Rosa’s grave and she starts a voiceover that if Rosa can hear her and explains that she loves Max. Max meanwhile is in Noah’s cave preparing the silver and then pulls Rosa out of the pod. Liz wishes Rosa had the chance to have someone love her purely without expectation or entitlement. Max puts his hand on Rosa’s chest and proceeds to try to resurrect her. Liz continues talking then grabs at her chest and drops the rose she was holding. Liz knows it’s Max and runs to her car. Isobel is at home seated on the couch looking at a picture of her and Noah several feet away. She concentrates and the picture starts to shake. Alex is seated outside of Michael’s trailer anxiously waiting for him. Maria turns and smiles at Michael strumming away on the guitar. Michael then turns his hand over and Maria notices his hand is healed. Isobel continues to focus as the picture continues to shake until it finally shatters. Max is still screaming trying to resurrect Rosa. Liz arrives outside the cave and calls out for Max. Rosa instead calls out to Liz. Liz turns around and sees the resurrected Rosa. They run towards each other and hug. Rosa tells Liz she’s here and it’s going to be okay. Liz asks Rosa where Max is. Liz runs into the cave and finds Max’s body. She cries as she cradles him then hits his chest trying to revive him. The camera zooms out with Liz crying on Max’s chest as he lies there in the Jesus pose.
So after a slow start, the show definitely peaked at the right times in the latter half of the season. I loved the callbacks here with Noah asking Liz for a cherry cola, and to Baby It’s You with the Mazzy Star song (I do question why they picked that song as it’s a Max and Tess song). I wasn’t crazy though of the Max and Noah fight playing out the way it did with the lightning. It made Max look like Raiden from Mortal Kombat. I’m writing this review a little more than a month after the episode has aired and my opinion hasn’t changed too much from that night. I wrote that night the final reveal (Noah keeping Rosa’s body all this time) didn’t make any sense to me logically, but the ending scene of Rosa’s resurrection and Max’s “death” was beautifully done. Plec clearly had the start of the Pilot and that end scene mapped in her head from the start. It was everything in between that didn’t always work. As the biggest fan of the original who was against this remake from the start, I can objectively say the show isn’t as bad as some of the other original’s fans make it out to be. It is also however isn’t that great either. It is average, and on some days very good. If the show was called anything else, chances are I would not have given the show a look. When the show stuck to the mystery of who killed Rosa and the aliens trying to find out their history that’s when the show was at their best. When they stuck to and constantly pounded the heavy political statement is when the show lost me, and that happened a lot. Even when they turned it down, it was still looming in the background. If the show had ended with the death of Max, it definitely could have worked as a one and done closed story. But since we now know the show will return mid-season next year (presumably meaning another 13 episode run), season 2 will have to focus on how to reintegrate the resurrected Rosa and obviously the resurrection of Max.