Life in Roswell post-Alex disappearing into the sand is pretty much the same.
If you were hoping Alex’s mysterious kidnapping would be dealt with swiftly, then you were in for a shock on Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 Episode 3 because news of Alex evaporating into the sand hasn’t made its way to the alien/human crew yet.
No, this hour was all about gathering information, stopping Bonnie and Clyde, and super awkward double dates in adorable wine barns! Let’s dive in.
This was a set-up hour pretty much from beginning to end, even if there were some shocks along the way.
We are building toward an inevitable battle against whatever Tezca is helping start, the Alighting or perhaps even something else. The show is taking its sweet time revealing the puzzle, which isn’t unique for Roswell, but this time it’s just not as gripping as seasons past.
That’s not to say things are boring or mundane because it still has all the charm in the world. Things are just a wee bit different this season. There is a lot to like, even if it’s unclear where things will go right now.
One of the things to like is Bonnie and Clyde, who are kind of straddling the villain fence right now. On the one hand, they are very clearly here to do what Tezca asks of them, believing they’re doing something important. And while Clyde is trying to steadfastly stay on that mission path, Bonnie isn’t feeling the same way.
Enter Michael Guerin, an Oasian transplant who’s probably at the best place he’s ever been in.
He’s in love and has a certain stability in his life that’s alluded him for so long. And it’s that newfound stability that allows him to see a sad-looking girl sitting at the bar, maybe not begging for help but definitely in need of a bit of cheering up.
Now, of course, Michael doesn’t realize when he first approaches Bonnie that he’s the alien his brother is after, and that makes for a better first meeting between the two. Michael sees a lot of himself in Bonnie, who seems to be a bit of a lost soul, unsure of herself.
Very reminiscent of the Michael of old who drank his feelings instead of feeling them.
And frankly, if I had to spend all day with Clyde and his Debbie downer aura, I would also retreat to the Wild Pony to drink margaritas and bloody mary’s while listening to sad cowboy music. A much better evening.
It appeared Michael and Clyde would have more in common than Michael and Bonnie, and they still may, but they threw us a curveball by introducing this fun dynamic.
Michael’s whole plan to infiltrate the pair was smart because if there’s anyone who would be believable as an alien rebel without a cause willing to go against his crew, it’d be Michael.
Max’s reluctance to even hear Michael’s pitch in its entirety was peak Max. His unwillingness to see beyond his narrow perspective and insistence that he’s always right has cost him more than once throughout this series, but his coming to his senses was for the greater good because it set a plan in motion.
Catching Bonnie and Clyde in the bank vault was a great play, allowing Max to re-establish himself as their adversary and set Michael up as the rogue ally.
Cynical Clyde was never going to fall for it right then and there, but Michael already made the connection with Bonnie and solidified it with the valiant rescue effort. Her likely lying to Clyde to go sit at the junkyard and escape the noise turned into a nice moment between her and Michael.
We are hurtling toward a story where Michael befriends the aliens, and lines potentially get blurred as he tries to discover who the real villains are.
There was no breakthrough here, but eventually, Michael will realize Alex is missing, and while it doesn’t appear Bonnie and Clyde are involved in that part of Tezca’s plan, it’ll be interesting to see how far he’s into this undercover work by then.
Because there could be some truly delicious fallout if Michael starts to see his fellow aliens as more than just an assignment only to find out the leader of their triad is involved in taking the love of his life away from him.
When Max wasn’t being extra rude and dismissing of Michael in front of all their friends, he was fretting over his abilities, which are a little all over the place.
Max: The reason I want this triad behind bars is because if they back me into a corner, and I’m forced to use my powers, I’m afraid of what I could do.
Liz: You feel like a bull in a china shop.
Max: I feel like the Hulk in a china shop.
Liz: Okay. Then let’s figure out a way to do this without using your powers.
It was inevitable that SOMETHING would change with Max after everything with Jones. There was just way too much cell splitting and the like for nothing to happen.
But it seems like Max is now in this limbo where he doesn’t seem to have control of his powers, but he’s at least recognizing that and confiding in people. Max isn’t always an open book, and he often hides things from his loved ones as a means of protection, but he’s forthright with Liz here.
And it’s very nice to continue to see Max and Liz be their best selves with each other. You can tell how much they love each other and want things to work, so they’re being vulnerable, making sacrifices, and finding their way together.
Things with Shivani take an intriguing turn when she just tells Liz that she knows about aliens. Shivani seems great, and it’s clear she feels a kinship with Liz, but should Liz be so trusting?
Shivani and Allie trying to do whatever they can to help their daughter is relatable, and their intense research may have started as a good thing, but along the way, things have broken down between their family, and what lengths will Shivani go to get what she’s after?
And not only that, but while she’s researching, she’s getting closer and closer to the aliens, and she could potentially be putting herself on a dangerous path.
Side note, I’m glad Liz is finding her balance and realizing that there’s more to life than test tubes and lab coats, but I was yelling at the screen when Max and Liz were content to makeout after finding out Shivani and the tons of other people on her team found ALIEN TISSUE chilling in the wild!
Deputy Evans was out and on full display when Anatsa was getting a little too close to the alien truth, but someone finds literal alien tissue, and it can just wait. Okay.
I recognize they aren’t aware of what’s happening and how much potential danger they’re in, but it was frustrating, as was hearing Kyle’s frantic messages about Jones being gone.
Again, this felt like a set-up hour because, for the most part, everyone was still just existing and going from one thing to the next. But perhaps Jones’ missing body and the discoveries that Alex is missing, and potentially now Eduardo, will start getting everyone into the correct mindset.
Elsewhere during this hour, we got to see Dallas shine, and he’s becoming my favorite part of Roswell, New Mexico Season 4.
It’s obvious that Dallas is still finding his place inside a longstanding friend group, but he fits in perfectly, and it’s nice to see him contribute right away. He’s intelligent, personable, and a fabulous listener. He gets an opportunity with both Michael and Maria to listen and offer sage advice.
He encourages Michael to believe in himself, and he not only helps Maia as she deals with accepting the absence of her visions but also goes to bat for her as well.
Pairing up Maria and Dallas wasn’t something I saw coming, and it was nice to get a deeper look into their friendship, which is rooted in respect for one another and a genuine like.
Curing Maria but robbing her of her visions puts her in such an odd place because Maria’s visions were such a part of her, and figuring out what it means to be Maria DeLuca without visions and intuition will inevitably be complicated even if she’s somewhat accepting of it now.
Her sixth sense also provided her with a major connection to her history and her family; it won’t be easy to give that up. She was lucky enough to find a way to save herself, but it’s naive to think the story of Maria and her magic is over. Especially knowing that something is going on with Mimi again.
If you wanted to be a fly on the wall of the worst double date in history, then you probably loved everything with Kyle, Kira, Isobel, and Anatsa!
Kybel is coming. It’s just a matter of when not if, at this point. And kudos to Kyle for trying to put himself out there and getting out of the lab for a night of wine tasting with a nice girl. But as soon as Isobel waltzed in looking like that, we knew where things would end up.
Of course, Kira would be somewhat involved with the bank robberies because it’s Roswell, and once that came out, things just went downhill.
Poor Kyle can never catch a break. He’s sitting across from the girl he’s in love with, who’s sitting next to the woman she’s in love with, while his date has loose lips and doesn’t care about confidentiality. (And actually, with those characteristics, she’d be perfect for Kyle in another life.)
When Anatsa sniffs out an opportunity to get information, she jumps on it, and Isobel isn’t wrong when she tells Kyle that Anatsa is good at her job. At this point, Isobel’s best bet is to be honest with her girlfriend or fully let her go while recognizing that letting her go won’t guarantee that Anatsa won’t still pursue the story.
Kyle, once again, having to be put in the position to give Isobel love advice feels cruel, but above all else, Isobel is Kyle’s friend, and Kyle isn’t one to turn his back on a friend even if it’s killing him inside.
It’s honestly shameful that this season isn’t building Kybel differently because one has to imagine that even once we get to the Isobel and Anatsa split, the pair will still have a ways to go before they’re both on the same page with their feelings and readiness to engage in a relationship.
It makes you wonder why there was ever a Max and Anatsa arc in Roswell, New Mexico Season 3 instead of devoting that time to developing Isobel and Anatsa. Because while this is a positive pairing with chemistry, we’ve barely seen any of the good because things have gone south so quickly.
We missed them falling in love, and now we’re just witnessing the slow and sad realization that their relationship won’t work.
They most definitely deserved better, even if they were just a pitstop to an inevitable endgame.
Loose Ends
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Bless Kira’s heart. She was really just talking to talk and sharing private information with strangers. And now she’s out a phone.
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If Tezca finds a way to bring Jones back to life (I know it’s far-fetched, but hello, look at the show we’re watching), it will be the best moment in the show’s history, seeing Jones fake out someone one last time.
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Leave it to Dallas to be the one person to make Graham Green somewhat likable for two minutes. Is there anything the man can’t do? Quentin Plair is absolutely killing it this season with everything they’re giving him.
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So Sander’s is the only junkyard in town, huh? Because Bonnie had no issues tracking it down.
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I hope Rosa got to go to the Met and perhaps even take the Sex and The City tour while she’s presumably still in New York and not being mentioned.
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Week one of Alex underground went about as expected. Here’s hoping next week we inch closer to the crew recognizing something is off.
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Any guesses about what the artifact from the safety deposit box can do?
Alright, we didn’t get many answers this week, but things are moving steadily along, and the operation to infiltrate the bank robbers is a go. With Jones’s body missing and whatever happened to Eduardo, me thinks everyone will understand the danger levels very soon.
Let me know what you thought about this installment in the comments, and make sure you watch Roswell, New Mexico online via TV Fanatic, so you’re all caught up!
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.