Roswell, New Mexico rounded out another epic season of mystery and drama with a back to back episode finale that kept fans on the edge of their seats. With the final fight against Jones underway, let’s recap everything that went down in “I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That” and “Never Let You Go.”
“I Ain’t Goin’ Out Like That”
Episode 12 picks up in the mindscape where Jones holds everyone hostage. As he demands Liz fix his genetics, Isobel summons her sword outside the mindscape forcing Jones to release them. He shatters her sword sending shards flying into Dallas’ neck and chest. Jones uses a sound trick to escape with Michael as a hostage.
Deep Sky Refuge
Isobel calls Kyle for help and he instructs them to take Dallas to Deep Sky. There Kyle and Isobel perform surgery on Dallas to carefully remove the shards. Kyle works to remove the pieces of sword (getting in some necessary flirting with Isobel along the way) until Dallas begins to crash.
Heath arrives to the facility, working with Liz on the serum to sever Max and Jones’ bond. Liz’s struggle to complete the math and also retain Max’s alien powers (that’s right, he nearly became human!) sends Max into a mental spiral. Liz reassures him she’d love him regardless of his species status. However, thanks to Isobel’s powers Heath gets the remaining formula from Dallas. They are left with a single unknown variable that Liz hypothesizes is dependent on the person being injected. Thanks to Michael always leaving his hanker-chiefs at Alex’s, they already have Jones related DNA at Deep Sky.
Michael Vs. Jones
Jones abducts Michael, hiding away with him in the bunker because where else would be so appropriate? Michael knows Jones is after more than just the science, but what could he want from Michael’s mind? Jones and Michael mentally battle for control, but Jones really underestimates Michael’s stubbornness if he thought that was going to go well. While confined, Jones tells Michael his conception story (definitely something every child wants to hear from their parent). He’s using this to get weaken Michael mentally, of course, but oh do we love more Michael backstory!
Jones tells Michael that Nora was his right hand (wo)man until the rebels corrupted her. Michael challenges this but Jones delivers a severe blow, hitting Michael in his weak spot, “You don’t deserve a family. You are weak, that’s why you will try and fail to stop me from getting into your head.”
In the hottest moment of the season, Michael uses Jones’ own favorite ability against him, searching through Jones’ mind for his weaknesses and uncovering a horrible truth. Their swords are meant to draw power from their triad, but Jones believed his to be holding him back so he killed them and set about charging his sword via death after death. Michael discovers Jones is after something that will allow him to call something (Lockhart Machine anyone?).
That’s enough talking for one episode though, because Michael snatches the sword and above ground the two battle it. Sanders makes a wonderful appearance, whacking Jones over the head with a tool (everyone say thank you Sanders!) before Jones gives him a heart attack. Jones reclaims his sword, stabs Michael with it and reads his mind, finding out his weakness (aka his love) is Alex Manes who also happens to have the radio Jones wants, and then throws Michael back into the bunker.
Maria’s Visions Return
If the stakes aren’t already high enough, the episode is interspersed with Maria trying to gain clarity on her new vision. While unloading booze at the Wild Pony, she sees three coffins and a tarantula. With nothing more to go on she tries a variety of ways to bring about another one. We must note that Kyle drops by and the two have a short heart to heart where Kyle confesses he has quite the crush on Isobel! It’s not great timing with Isobel already in a relationship, but the conversation is cut short by Isobel’s call. Meditation, deep breathing, candles, the works until she tries tarot. The reading isn’t exactly a positive one, but she does get a flash of Michael in the bunker after Jones stabs him. She finds him there, injured (like, really bad) but Michael is Michael and instead of a hospital he tells Maria to staple his side shut.
Jones Finds Deep Sky
Just as we start to believe Michael might be occupying one of those coffins in Maria’s visions, Jones breaks into Deep Sky. Liz completed the formula only moments before but obviously doesn’t want to inject Jones with it. As a threat, Jones shatters the window and throws Heath, Ramos, and Kyle out of it as collateral. Michael rounds the corner and turns over the Lockhart Machine as Liz reluctantly gives in.
To no one’s surprise, Jones drops all three of the men out of the window anyway.
“Never Let You Go”
With that cliffhanger we enter hour two, or the final episode of Roswell, New Mexico season 3!
Cliffhangers Are Painful
Thank goodness these episodes are back to back, or that would have been a terribly long week for fans! Though Michael is weak from his stab wound, together Max, Michael, and Isobel are able to keep Heath, Kyle and Ramos aloft long enough for Liz to pull them through the window. Crisis (temporarily) averted!
A New Plan
With the injection in Jones, Liz informs Max, Michael, and Isobel they have a very small window in which to kill Jones without also killing Max. The injection severs the connection but only temporarily. She wants to inject him with another serum that will make it a more permanent connection. Meanwhile, Michael relays that Alex believes they can use the radio towers of Roswell (via frequencies) to force Max and Jones back into their rightful bodies. Oh, and Isobel will rebuild her sword! Sounds like a not at all complicated plan, right?
The Final Science
The final speed bump is figuring out how to make this new serum circulate through Jones fast enough so they can inject him and then kill him quickly. The answer? Well it comes in the form of adrenaline (a break through idea by Kyle as he dances around to Shania Twain. We love a man with taste). This will circulate the serum through Jones’ body in just 7 seconds. Naturally, this means they have to extract alien adrenaline directly from Max’s organ. Understandably Max isn’t on edge about this procedure, but Liz steps in to do it herself and calms him down. They talk about the first time they met on the playground as kids, Max can’t recall the name of the song, only that Liz’s eyes calmed him.
“I used to think it had to be a choice: you or the science. But then I finally figured out it’s you and the science. If we do it together, Max Evans, then I think everything you fear most in this world, it could be the thing that saves it.”
After the painful procedure, and a sweet moment between Liz and Max they finally have adrenaline to finish the new serum.
A New Weapon
Isobel goes to Maria and Rosa for help reconstructing her sword and boy do they. After some serious contemplation, Maria realizes that the sword works for Isobel because it’s an extension of her mother, but broke because it’s not true to her own powers. Swords draw on the power of the triad or the power of ones ancestral family. So Isobel drips blood over her shattered sword, and together with Maria and Louise’s ashes (via Maria’s flower bracelet) they construct the sword anew to channel Isobel’s power. Girl Boss Mode activated.
Freaky Friday
Michael and Alex work together to reverse the Jones an Max body swap which actually goes according to plan… very briefly. Michael builds a cage to hold Jones, hooks up the radio to a Roswell tower and activates it. With Alex commandeering the signals for them through Deep Sky, the force the men back into their rightful bodies!
With Isobel, Michael, Rosa, and Liz together things start to go wrong as bats fly into the tower breaking Jones free. Kyle and Max arrive just as Jones puts himself, Liz, and the serum in a ring of fire (insert Johnny Cash joke here). Kyle is thankfully Kyle and has a fire extinguisher in his car so Isobel is able to break through with his help breaking Jones’ sword with her own and extinguishing the flames.
Both Jones and Max manipulate the radio, jumping between bodies until finally Liz isn’t sure which is the real Max. She loads the serum into a shotgun and quizzes Max and Jones. The ultimate revealing question comes as Liz asks about the song playing when they met at the playground. Jones recalls it instantly, but Liz knows Max never remembers the name, only her eyes. She shoots Jones and Max stabs him with a shard of sword. Jones is finally dead.
The Hard Truth
It wouldn’t be an episode of Roswell without some serious heart to hearts on all fronts. The relationships and character growth are the heartbeat of this show, so I’d be remiss not to call out the major ones in this finale.
Isobel is on the verge of a breakdown (and hasn’t slept in two days). Maria sets about mending her sword if Isobel gets some rest but Rosa finds her practicing archery. After some sage advice, Isobel tells Maria and Rosa, “It’s a cage and I’m trapped behind these walls that I built around myself.” She’s rounding a corner in her own character growth and realizing her desire for independence has caused her to stray from her family.
There’s also a vulnerable moment between Max and Michael. Max begs Michael to kill him if things go wrong, but Michael’s come a long way this season. He sees Max’s pleas for what they are, Max trying to run away. “Maybe today is your last day, Max. Maybe it’s mine, too. But if that’s true we can’t walk away from the tough conversations with the people that love us.” Michael calls him out and also acts on those words later.
In a true show of just how far he’s come, Michael confides his biggest fears in Alex. If they win, if he has to kill his own father, will Alex still love him? More importantly, will he still love himself? He’s terrified his self loathing, the very thing that drove them apart, will set them back on the same path. However, Alex has come a long way too and he calms these racing thoughts for Michael, “Listen to me. We are not who we were in high school let alone a year ago. We already defeated one monstrous father and we will do it again.”
The Aftermath
Isobel, Max, Michael, and Dallas celebrate the defeat of Jones at Max’s with much deserved margaritas. Max wants to give Jones’ body to Liz for science but he wants them to make that decision together.
Rosa(linda) is official. Kyle calls in a favor with Ramos who gets Rosalinda a new social security card and driver’s license. Kyle also gets her a plane ticket for a trip to New York.
Alex tells Michael the glass in the Lockhart Machine was fried meaning Jones couldn’t have made the call to whoever, or whatever, he threatened. Alex and Michael meet up for their first date, holding hands as they stroll down Main Street, right in front of Manes’ statue for all of Roswell to see.
As everyone celebrates, a couple sees a woman walking naked in Careyes, Mexico. The elderly woman brings the young woman to a figure in the shadows who is clearly American. The young woman carries the same triad symbol on her arm and keeps repeating “Liz Ortecho.” The shadowed figure tells the woman she can’t be Liz, Liz was her student. “How the hell do you know Liz Ortecho?” she asks. (In a surprise reveal this unknown but clearly in the know character is played by none other than Shiri Appleby.)
A new mystery alien possibly awakened by Jones sets Roswell, New Mexico up nicely for another amazing season. Filming for season 4 is already underway. Be sure to check out all our ongoing coverage of the show as we enter this new hiatus!
