Guys, we’ve finally had an Alex breakthrough! This is not a drill!
Week after week has passed with no forward progress regarding Alex’s descent into the Earth, but we finally got SOMETHING during Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 Episode 7.
While Alex’s besties at least have an inkling that something isn’t right now, we also got a glimpse of the quicksand underground, which welcomed some new visitors.
Final seasons can be tricky. Especially when you’re not aware it’s going to be your last. And while Roswell has been a bit more up and down than we’re used to, you can feel the momentum shift as we head into the end of the series.
With only six more hours to go, we are starting to get some answers, and we’re starting to get into the meat of the story.
They’ve teased the Alighting for a long, long time now, but we appear to be right on the doorstep of finding out not only what it is but things really popping off with it. And Clyde is right at the center of everything.
Any goodwill Clyde may have garnered with the general public is extinguished by the end of the installment, and while those ending moments are definitely the highlight, there was a lot to like along the way. Namely, everything involving Dallas.
Dallas has been that rare character that just immediately clicks on every level. He showed up one week, and it was like he’d always been there. There were never any growing pains, and he earned every bit of his fan-favorite status.
Quentin Plair brings such a likability and easy charm to the character you can’t help but root for. So, it was exciting to get a very Dallas-centric episode, as he and Isobel searched for Theo’s glasses and found themselves witnessing some pretty powerful and informational memories.
If you thought Dallas had chemistry with Maria and Michael, you wouldn’t be surprised to find he also has it with Isobel. They make a great team, and their whole interaction before getting into the hot tub was vintage Roswell, awkward and hilarious all at once.
Roy: Look, I know you don’t want to hear it. But Louise wants you to re-think letting your boy remain out of his pod. She says it’s dangerous. Especially after what happened back on Oasis with her daughter’s teacher.
Theo: Kids are meant to run, play, and explore. My son needs to be out here, so I can teach and love him.
Roy: You know how to raise your son. But remember, what you put on a chess board can become a chess piece.
Theo was a lovely man. That much we can glean from the memories. And more than anything, he wanted to do the best he could for his son. Shielding him from his memories was to protect him, but of course, he had no idea how off the rails things would go for him and Dallas.
He spent his time on Earth planting trees, enjoying his son, and crafting something for Jones.
It’s always nice to see Jones, which sounds crazy considering how terrible he was, but that character will go down as the best villain the show has seen, so yes, I will exclaim when he returns to wreak a little havoc.
The memories showing the progression from a free spirit in Theo to a man reluctantly forced to face reality were sad, but he made the only decision he could make when he put Dallas in the pod. We know Jones was capable of anything, and his son’s life wasn’t something to gamble with.
Dallas getting to see these memories was monumental for him and his whole journey leads him to the water where he literally parts the sea pond to retrieve the glasses and start to make sense of the bible. It’s an exciting scene and feels like a full circle moment for Dallas, whose water power has sometimes been a bit clumsy.
Realizing the depths of his powers and starting to understand what his father was building and doing was huge, and we were so close to getting even more answers before Clyde showed up to ruin it all.
Clyde was apparently on his stalker game all episode, as he lingered around spying on everyone to ruin their plans and lives!
Lying to him was always a gamble, especially considering what kind of person he’s proven himself to be. He’s bound to a code and lives his life that way with limited distractions and deviations.
The idea that you could play off his insecurities was smart in theory, but that only works on someone who isn’t stuck on a planet he hates and is willing to do whatever he has to do to fulfill a prophecy that means more to him than any one thing.
Bonnie knows who Clyde is, and it was incredibly naive to underestimate him. She saw him manipulating Michael from a mile away and never thought for an instance that he could be doing the same thing to her.
He used her and Michael and sent the pod squad right into Tezca’s lair, all so they could be out of the way for him to go after what he really wanted; the bible and the glasses.
Now, how did Clyde know where Dallas and Isobel were? If there’s a plausible explanation, it went over my head, but Clyde’s snooping leads us to the quicksand. The same quicksand Dallas is investigating and the same quicksand that swallowed Alex up all those episodes ago.
WE HAVE CONNECTIONS, PEOPLE!
Poor Dallas finally connects the dots and is well on his way to making some significant discoveries. And here comes Clyde with his cult-like energy, willing to sacrifice his triad for Jones and Ophiuchus and probably a pack of gum if it rescued him from the Oasis and showed him “the way.”
Dallas had no choice but to turn over the bible and glasses because he would never sacrifice someone else’s life for anything. Of course, he doesn’t realize that Clyde is a literal snake.
In the blink of an eye, we’re watching both Bonnie and Dallas sink into the sand while Clyde talks a bunch of nonsense about journeys, paths, and soul-searching.
With the answers from Theo, it appears that Clyde may now be even more in control than Tezca is, which would make for a slightly interesting subplot as we barrel toward the finale. Tezca and Clyde wrestling to be the top dog while the pod squad and friends sneak in the backdoor while they’re distracted could be fun.
Right now, Clyde has the power and the information Theo was desperate to keep out of Jones’s hands. He also knows that Dallas and Bonnie are underground.
And how long will it take for the others to figure that out? I would say weeks and weeks, but we’re running out of time, and now that Maria and Liz have started to crack the Alex code, everyone should recognize what’s happening sooner than later.
The ending reveal that all the signs Maria was experiencing had to do with Alex was a clever twist. It was subtle enough to come as a veritable surprise, though you can see how it makes sense when you piece it together.
What I didn’t appreciate about the cliffhanger was any implication that Alex is dead, which the further teased when Dallas picked up Alex’s necklace in the underground. Alex CAN NOT be dead, and we’re not even going to entertain that, okay, guys?
But now that we have three people in this new world or dimension or whatever we’re calling it, hopefully, we’ll get more information ASAP because Alex’s disappearance was a neat cliffhanger that lost all its mojo when it went unseen and forgotten about.
How this all relates to the Alighting is still up in the air, but Dallas looks to play a massive role in everything if Theo’s message at the end is anything to go by.
So, while he’s working on getting him, Alex, and Bonnie out of the sand, everyone above the sand should be trying to rescue them. Though, they seemingly won’t have any idea where to start.
Is anyone else looking forward to seeing how Michael reacts to Alex’s disappearance? Especially considering his genuine curiosity about returning to the Oasis should the opportunity present itself. Because the more it looks like an actual option, the more Michael seems attracted to the idea.
That’s a very complicated and serious conversation that needs to take place, though one must imagine that Alex’s disappearance will change Michael’s priorities and feelings in various ways.
But Michael, on a mission to find the love of his life, will undoubtedly bring about a new side to Michael Guerin, who’s looked for a home his whole life and barely got a few days of comfort in it before it was gone. Seeing how he navigates this situation without powers will also be such an interesting challenge for the series.
A powerless Michael and Max don’t have much of an effect here, but it will matter soon with a loose and unpredictable Clyde and a Tezca that will only get stronger with each passing day.
The fallout from Max’s decision was relatively swift. Liz woke up and already had a bag packed to get away from Max as quickly as possible. And this is one of those scenarios where it’s very easy to see both of their perspectives, which is a common theme in many of their disagreements.
At the end of the day, what Max did was his decision. Those were his powers, and if he wanted to get rid of them, then that’s not a decision Liz gets to make. But they’re in the middle of a battle with a massive threat, and they’re under-matched and unprepared right now, and they’re in a fight against someone actively coming after Liz.
So, while he can wax poetic about ditching his powers for Liz, he also has to acknowledge he put her in a more vulnerable position.
At the very least, he owed her a conversation. They’ve worked hard to get past the lab bombing and the year separation to get to a place where they communicated and worked together, as opposed to separately and for their own self-interests. And yet, with one decision, it feels like they took a million steps backward.
When Max offered support to Michael regarding Michael’s desire to potentially go to the Oasis, he made a good point in acknowledging his propensity to be in protective mode and not taking the time to do more thinking instead. And that’s really what it comes down to a lot with Max.
He continuously thinks he knows best and leaps into things without seeking advice or wondering if there could be a better way.
For her part, Liz takes off, which was wise considering her anger, and escapes to New York to see Rosalinda! You guys remember Rosa, right? The resurrected sister who they shipped off to New York and haven’t mentioned once this season!
Setting that travesty aside, we get Rosa back here, and she is THRIVING. New York looks so good on Rosa, who has a kickass apartment, sweet friends, and isn’t bogged down by the past sins in Roswell.
She will clearly make her way back to the alien city at some point, but when all is said and done, perhaps she can go back to New Tour to start anew.
But anyways, the sister’s reunion was very stilted, and that fancy dinner was incredibly awkward. Though, I like that they’ve reached a place where they can talk openly when there’s miscommunication. Neither one of them always has it all together. Let’s be honest here.
And it’ll always do them well to be open with one another because the two of them are a formidable team.
So, just like old times, Rosa helps Liz with a scientific breakthrough, and Liz apparently only spends a handful of hours in the big apple before she’s back and ready to fix everything that’s broken.
And right now, that’s just about everything.
Loose Ends
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Justice for Roy Bronson! That was a good man whose only crime was trying to take care of the people he loved. Every time he shows up, I want to hug him.
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There’s a lot of potential with the Tezca/Isobel story and their past interactions. Isobel has been on the outskirts of this story until now, but she figures to be a big player if she has a history with the main protagonist.
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Alex isn’t dead. I forbid it. So, who is communicating with Maria? Is it still Mimi? Or is it someone else?
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Bonnie’s cluelessness was cute for a second, but it’s stale now. I’m over it.
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No Kyle Valenti this week is extremely depressing, but I like to imagine he and Eduardo were road tripping and singing their lungs out to all of today’s greatest pop hits on their way toShiri ApplebyAllie.
This was a strong hour, and it feels like it can only go up from here. With the crew coming together to search for their friends, we should be in for more angst, action, and what I know will be some emotional reunions!
We’re creeping closer to the end, but there are still a lot of stories left to tell.
How soon will Alex, Dallas, and Bonnie be found?
What IS the Alighting?
Will Tezca and Clyde square off?
Drop me a line in the comments and watch Roswell, New Mexico online right now so you can scream and flail with me before it’s all over!
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.