Season 4 of Roswell, New Mexico is just around the corner, and in preparation for its return to our screens, we’ll be rewatching season 3 of the series! Last week, we watched episodes 6-7, and each week we will rewatch two episodes and discuss our favorite moments and the foreshadowing we missed the first time around. Beware, this will be a spoiler-filled discussion on everything that went down in season 3 of Roswell, New Mexico. You can find every episode of Roswell on Netflix now. Without further ado, let’s jump right into episodes 8 and 9!
“Free Your Mind”
- With the Jones cat out of the bag, this episode is all about beating him to the punch, or memory, inside Maria’s head. Liz performs some serious science to save Maria’s life while Isobel and Rosa join her in her mind to help her live out Patricia’s memory in an attempt to beat Jones to the equation he needs.
- While Liz, Isobel, and Rosa work together, Michael and Alex go after Jones’ sword in the hopes that separating them will make Jones weaker when the time comes to fight. This plan is all Michael’s idea, so it’s not all that surprising that Alex demands to join him. He’s well aware of Michael’s tendency to be rash and is obviously hoping to help mitigate that risk. He counters they go after just the pod, to save Max, and it’s doing just that that ends up saving their lives.
- This is the first episode we’re treated to some real Michael and Alex one on one time, even if they are headed straight into the lion’s den. Alex finally comes clean to Michael about joining Deep Sky. “I joined for you, Michael. This world where you don’t live in fear isn’t going to build itself so I have to try. For us.” There’s no more beating around the bush from here on out, Alex’s intentions are very clear, and with his recent character growth, Michael is finally really receptive to Alex’s help.
- One of the best elements of Roswell is that nothing is ever done by accident. Rosa spent the last episode learning about her ability and the fact everything has a frequency. It’s a cool factoid that seems to really only be important to her, but by saying this to Liz she plants the seed of an idea. It’s that knowledge that helps Liz use frequencies to separate Jones’ invasive cells from Maria’s and save her. What started as a random fact, ended up incredibly significant for the progression of the story, something Roswell always does extremely well.
- Rather than give simple flashbacks of the previous generation of aliens, season 3 takes a unique approach in Maria. It’s through her that Jones can access the equation and the writers give us Patricia’s story by having Maria walk her path. A quick flashback sequence would have sufficed, but the creativity of showing the danger Patricia faced in defying Caulfield scientists and trying to help the aliens really drives home the message.
- In this same vein, we’re given a glimpse of Alex’s time in the military. He’s vaguely discussed it before but nothing quite as detailed as his memory of Omar and the subsequent rash decision he made. It’s a testament to the power of these actors that rather than showing a full flashback, we’re shown only Alex telling the memory to Michael in his truck. The simple truth of that pain plays across his face and it’s more than any flashback could have given.
- Through Patricia’s memory, we also learn about Theo, the third in Louise and Nora’s triad, and Dallas’ parent though that’s revealed later.
- I can’t rewatch this episode without highlighting the moment Michael nearly spirals and Alex is there to pull him back. When Michael sees Jones with the sword in front of Max’s pod, he very nearly exposes them by retrieving the sword. Alex is able to grab his hand and silently remind him that he’s there for him and they are only saving Max. Not going after the sword, possibly waking Jones and getting them both killed. This show is equal parts alien mystery and romance and I love it for balancing those two so well!
- Episode 7 finally gives us Jones’ true motives when he does the classic evil villain speech while still in Maria’s mind. His “immortality” relies on science to create clones that he then body snatches to stay alive. Louise and Nora’s mission destroyed that science and killed all the clones but Max. Now, if he wants to stay alive Jones needs that science back.
- Isobel gets her kickass moment as well, going toe to toe with Jones and literally kicking his butt while Maria completed the memory. The physical fight shows us just how mentally strong she’s become in her training.
- In the end, Maria wakes up thanks to Liz’s frequency science that breaks Jones’ hold on her. The crew goes for a celebratory drink at the Wild Pony and it’s a sweet moment we don’t often see. There’s still a lot to battle but they have a win. They have Max back, Maria alive, and the equation Jones wanted.
- Maria also uncovers an important fact for Alex, the Lockhart Machine which was what Nora and Theo built, is meant to contact aliens.
- Saving the best for last, this episode gives us the first Malex kiss of the season and one that was much anticipated after the hints that kept dropping in the first 7 episodes!
“Tones of Home”
- This episode kicks off with Jones killing off a leading geneticist because he can’t figure out the mysterious alien science of cloning. Seems harsh and reminds us just how much we want Max Evans back and that’s exactly what we get (kind of). They pull Max out of the pod and he wakes up to find Liz, Michael, and Isobel in full research mode to beat Jones to the science. Liz wants to call in Heath and they all reluctantly agree.
- With the paralytic finally out of his system, Kyle is awake and back to fighting. Ramos takes Kyle out to his and Jim’s spot and tells Kyle the truth about how Jim got involved with aliens. Ramos feels responsible for Jim’s death and he promised him he’d keep Kyle from that same fate. Shockingly, (not) Kyle intends to set his own path even if it leads him deeper into the world of aliens.
- Meanwhile, Alex gave us quite the scare in this episode. He’s been a little less active so watching him overwork with the Lockhart Machine and begin hallucinating Nora was chilling to watch. We already met the completely insane last person with overexposure to the machine. Alex ends up on a ledge just moments from falling, but thankfully Michael realized Alex hadn’t been home in three days and immediately stormed over to demand answers.
- The heroic move ends up giving them the chance to examine the radio together and huge plot developments happen when Michael is able to open the machine. They remove Manes’ tech and properly connect everything, giving them the first real message from the machine ever ( we love boyfriends working together to solve life’s mysteries!).
- Having Liz and Max team up, even if it doesn’t involve Heath, is a breath of fresh air after so many episodes without them together. On this impromptu road trip to retrieve her spore cells and talk with Heath, they have some hard conversations and reconnect. It’s so refreshing after the rough patch they were in.
- Liz and Max are on their road trip, Michael and Alex are working together separately, and poor Isobel finds herself third-wheeling with Maria and Gregory as they try to locate any other aliens. Hilariously fed up with the sexual tension and an argument with Maria about personal growth, Isobel leaves them in a cabin for the night to get it out of their system (which they do), and they finally uncover the identity of the alien child. Enter Dallas, who we already met counseling Rosa.
- Unfortunately for Heath, Jones reaches him first and convinces him to help his cause in exchange for saving Dallas from whatever illness he has. Little does Heath know Dallas is affected by the Lockhart Machine, not a random illness!
That’s it for our rewatch of episodes 8 and 9. Join us next week as we continue with episodes 10 and 11. Roswell, New Mexico season 4 will premiere on Monday, June 6 at 8/7c on The CW.
