Roswell, New Mexico: Subterranean Homesick Alien (4x03)

Not to be predictable, but an episode without Alex Manes is never going to be my fave. Plus I thought a lot of this was just kind of boring and underwhelming? Let's dive in.

Cons:

So, there were a couple of characterization things in this episode that felt like someone was writing these characters without the full context of their growth. Max, for example, being a little keyed up and nervous and overcontrolling about the new aliens, sure. That tracks. That makes sense. But his hostility towards Michael was a little over the top, and it wasn't addressed meaningfully in the episode. Liz had to babysit him through his feelings and get him to admit that Michael had a good idea, which I found sort of annoying. Also, maybe this is just a me thing, but I hate it when Max uses the name "Guerin" for Michael. It doesn't fit for them.

Speaking of Michael, I rather liked him in this episode for the most part, but I find the inconsistencies in his relationship to music to be sort of annoying. The first time we ever see Michael with a guitar, when he's explaining that it quiets all the noises, he's saying that to Alex. It's part of their origin story together. So when he's telling Bonnie he taught himself how to play, when the two of them are bonding over that, it's weird that there was no verbal or even visual callback to Alex whatsoever.

And then there's Maria. Look, I'd consider myself a defender of Maria DeLuca, but really only because people seem to have so much hatred towards her and I think it's over the top. Maria is great in the same way all the other characters on this show are great, in that she has a lot of flaws and a lot of shining qualities. She's complex. However, I will admit, one thing that's sort of frustrating about the way Maria is written is that the show, and the other characters, never really acknowledge her flaws. Especially not in season three or in season four so far. In this episode, she behaves recklessly trying to get her visions back, and Dallas is there to patiently be there for her and help her find the answers in a different way. It really bothered me when Maria couldn't think of a single bad or selfish thing she's ever done. Maybe the idea of being a martyr, of putting yourself in danger for the sake of feeling like you belong, is a flaw, Maria. And if it's a flaw she can't recognize in herself, that's fine, but it's strange that the show doesn't seem to really recognize it either. I hesitate to even type any of this out, because Maria gets enough hate around these parts, for things she absolutely doesn't deserve to be hated on for, but I'm not a fan of her being lionized as the selfish, unproblematic, perfect friend either. That's just not accurate, and frankly, it makes her a less interesting character!

I liked the stuff with Isobel and Kyle this week, but I do need to point out that Anatsa plying someone with alcohol was really awkward and uncool. I hated that it was framed as Anatsa trying to be good at her job, when in fact what she was doing was really fucked up. Also, I think I'd like Anatsa more if we'd gotten to know a bit more of her before she was partnered up with Isobel... as it is, I feel like I can't quite connect to her. The actresses are doing their best to give us that passion and connection between the two women, but it's hard to deny that Michael Trevino and Lily Cowles have a much stronger automatic chemistry on screen. Contrasting that with Anatsa and Isobel's interactions made the issue a lot more obvious to me.

Obligatory complaint about no Alex Manes has to go here... I hope we get a bit more mention of him or even a glimpse next week. We'll see!

Pros:

Max and Isobel had an all-too-brief conversation in this episode, and I was reminded of how much I love their brother-sister bond. More of this next time, please! I love the silent ways they support one another.

Dallas and Michael make such a good team, I loved their pool scene at the start of the episode, and then their mind conversation while Dallas is getting information from Graham Green. They have a great vibe and energy as brothers. I really liked their scenes together, because Dallas comes alive as a fully fleshed out character to me when he's bouncing off of Michael. I was a little less entertained by Dallas and Maria's scenes, but I still liked them okay, and I love that Maria recognized what a great and supportive friend Dallas is being to them all.

Liz is continuing to balance the different aspects of her life, chasing down exciting science leads but also helping Max deal with his emotions and concerns, and learning to enjoy the quiet moments with him when she can. Honestly, such a glow-up for our girl Liz, I am all about it. Shivani seems like such an interesting addition to Liz's character growth, in a weird way... like it's clear that she's not exactly a saint, but I believe that she thinks she's doing the right thing, and her motivations (to save her sick daughter) are certainly sympathetic! I can't wait to see where this goes.

Michael is a calmer, more settled version of himself in this episode, and I kind of love to see it. After getting pep talks over the past couple of weeks from Dallas, Sanders, and Alex, he's now in a place where when he sees someone in distress, he wants to help. I like the fledgling connection between Michael and Bonnie. Mostly I like it because I like some angst, and if Bonnie is connected with Tezca, once Michael finds out that Alex is in trouble, I anticipate a bit of a falling out for this new friendship... but also I like seeing Michael be sweet to someone, he's very good at it. The scene at the end with him showing Bonnie the guitar and her strumming on it was honestly super adorable.

Kyle and Isobel just... sparkle with each other. You gotta feel bad for Anatsa, and for Kyle's date, because the second these two are talking, you can just see how well they click. Kyle is well aware of his feelings, and is in fact trying to work past them. Isobel seems unaware that she might have feelings back, and there's trouble in paradise with Anatsa when she confronts her about keeping secrets. Like I said above, Anatsa and Isobel just don't draw me in the way I wish they did. I am more invested in Kybel than I ever thought I'd be!

At the end of the day, I definitely found this episode a little bit boring. As I keep saying in these reviews, I'm not here for the plot, I'm here for the interesting character relationships. So the screen-time we spend on our new triad characters, the machinations of the scientific discoveries, none of that is ever going to draw me in as much. I guess we'll have to see what next week gives us. We've got Jones missing, and Eduardo mind-whammied, Alex in a hole...

And still no Rosa Ortecho!

6.5/10