S02.E01: Stay (I Missed You)

[shapeshifter]

Quote

Liz suppresses her grief to concentrate on relocating from Roswell, N.M.; Rosa starts to experience mysterious side effects from her resurrection; Michael copes with Max's death in a self-destructive way; Isobel focuses on honing her alien powers.

I thought it was a surprisingly strong episode, but I had been up since 4:30 a.m.,  so I missed a few bits.

Edited March 18, 2020 by shapeshifter

[Callaphera]

I was underwhelmed for a season premiere. They could have cut some of the back and forth of Liz and Rosa leaving town and coming back - it was just filler. (I know, they needed to be there to get Noah's body but still.) And c'mon, Liz, everyone knows that the shower stall itself amplifies sobs. Just turning on the water would have been satisfactory. Like Rosa isn't going to go in there to brush her brought-back-from-the-dead teeth and wonder why the hell your shirt and pants are drying on the towel rack? Liz: "Oh, we do that now in the future. Shower while wearing our clothes. It's to conserve water. Environment, yo. Go green or go home."

I'm guessing the part where Isobel was giving herself an ultrasound (if they're so easy, why does it take three months to get one where I live? And why do I have to drink a gallon of water first? Not fair, Show!) was to show that she was pregnant but I just saw a black void on the ultrasound screen so it made the scene a little more interesting in my head that she was all shocked over a black void and no baby. Oh noes! There's nothing in my womb! I guess I won't have to give up my nail polish remover habit after all!

Rosa is everything, though. I loved her oh god, not THIS reaction to Kyle trying to be all big brother stepping up to her. Also her subtle stink face when Liz hugged her. Heh. If the episode was just an hour of Rosa reacting to people, I'd be fine with it. Add in a sprinkle of Isobel doing her best "Scarlett O'Hara grieving an early husband" in her spangly dress and kicky veil and it's Must See TV. 

Not a Cranberries fan so not super thrilled to have Zombie stuck in my head for the next week. 

Edited March 17, 2020 by Callaphera

[Whodunnit]

Izzy blowing up identical crystal bowls with her brain was a bit funny to me.

I saw it! I saw the peanut! ( It was really far off to the side.)

So the aliens are part cyborg? What is up with their biology?

ETA: One moment that I loved was Rosa ramming her car into Flint's. Apparently he was the Manes in her grade and did not leave a good impression. And she got the body so win/win.

Edited March 17, 2020 by Whodunnit

[Cristofle]

We're back!

I am as surprised as anyone to find myself enjoying Rosa in this episode, after not particularly liking her last season. I cracked up at her complaining that Flint was a dick before turning the car into his lane, and I felt for her that she struggled with Max giving up his life for hers. She didn't ask for what happened to her - not in Noah killing her, not in Max bringing her back - but at the same time, Max is obviously capable of incredible things and it's not surprising she might not feel worthy in the face of her living while he died. 

Mark me as confused that the aliens are part...technology? Not really a thing in the show or the books IIRC.

I guess Michael's response to Max's death is to cut both Maria and Alex out, which is...a choice. I did laugh at the way he came into Noah's funeral. 

I wonder if Max now knows something he didn't before about his supposed role as a "savior" and it's not exactly what it sounds like and that's why he doesn't want Liz to bring him back. I was also interested in the implication that his heart was damaged not just in what Noah did to him, but what he did to Noah. That would indicate Noah's claims about destruction being good for them are not particularly truthful. And he seems still physically damaged in the psychic connection, so he is still attached to his body in some way, not just floating around in Rosa's mind.

Ugh, not feeling the alien baby plot. Especially because Noah has already done enough to Isobel. I wonder if/when Rosa and Isobel will come face to face.

[KittenPokerCheater]

I enjoyed the episode but I don't like Rose (the character, not the actress).  I am sorry they brought her back to life. Meh.  And she dominated the episode far too much.  Please write her off, writers.

Michael, I think, should be more messed up that he is.  But I laughed with the whole: "I need you to help me move a body" and he replies "If I had a dollar every time someone asked me..."

Isobel pregnant...quelle surprise.  (yawn).

[kirkola]

39 minutes ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

I enjoyed the episode but I don't like Rose (the character, not the actress).  I am sorry they brought her back to life. Meh.  And she dominated the episode far too much.  Please write her off, writers.

Michael, I think, should be more messed up that he is.  But I laughed with the whole: "I need you to help me move a body" and he replies "If I had a dollar every time someone asked me..."

Isobel pregnant...quelle surprise.  (yawn).

Hard to tell, Michael is pretty drunk and especially self-destructive at the moment.  I'm not sure he was ever sober at any point in this episode.  Though his quipping skills are still good.

[Cristofle]

I actually think Michael is a total mess. While his reason for pushing Alex away was relatively coherent, he clearly WAS self-destructing where Maria was concerned, and he was drunk in almost every scene. He didn't get much focus in the brief flashback to finding out Max was dead, but I did notice he was crying. I have always been particularly attached to the bonds between the Pod Squad, in the OG show and the books and here, so I hope they go more deeply into the impact losing Max has on Michael, especially because they had a complicated relationship before he died. 

I felt really bad for Liz when she broke down in the shower, and I thought it was one of the better written and acted scenes in the episode, in terms of how grief can just turn on a dime and hit/overwhelm you in an instant. 

[Scarlett45]

The show is back! I almost forgot. Isobel’s grieving wife act at the funeral- well done. 
 

what happened to Maria’s mom?

[KittenPokerCheater]

37 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

what happened to Maria’s mom?

Abduction.  Alien or human , but I'm thinking a Manes or one of their minions.

[shapeshifter]

9 hours ago, Cristofle said:

Ugh, not feeling the alien baby plot. Especially because Noah has already done enough to Isobel.

Alien baby plots never bode well. Here’s hoping 🤞 that at least it’s not a Rapidly Aging Star Child. 
 

9 hours ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

…I laughed with [Michael‘s] whole: "I need you to help me move a body" … "If I had a dollar every time someone asked me...

This show really needs more comic relief lines like this. 
 

I liked the special effects for the alien biotech. 

Isobel needs a new stylist. 
 

[AnimeMania]

I thought Alex's missing leg effect was really good.

[peachmangosteen]

So glad this show is back. It's the dumbest, best show!

I am obsessed with Rosa. I liked her before but I really love her now. She's just perfect.

I have been growing increasingly tired of Michael and I just could barely stand him in this ep. The only time I like him lately is when he's with Liz.

Maria still got basically no screen time but whatever. It seems like maybe she's finally getting something to do now, at least.

Isobel being pregnant is such a cliche. This whole show is really just a string of soap opera cliches. I love it!

[shapeshifter]

2 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

So glad this show is back. It's the dumbest, best show!

I am obsessed with Rosa. I liked her before but I really love her now. She's just perfect.

I have been growing increasingly tired of Michael and I just could barely stand him in this ep. The only time I like him lately is when he's with Liz.

Maria still got basically no screen time but whatever. It seems like maybe she's finally getting something to do now, at least.

Isobel being pregnant is such a cliche. This whole show is really just a string of soap opera cliches. I love it!

I reacted almost exactly the opposite to the characters in this episode, @peachmangosteen:

• I don’t know if María/Heather Hemmens got more or less actual screen time, but I thought they did significantly increase her role’s importance, although I can see why some might not see it that way since her interactions are with her mom and Michael, and not *yet* with the current, main extraterrestrial drama of the moment. 
• I loved Michael’s interactions except that he looked so dirty that I was really glad I don’t have smellovision. 😂 
• Rosa annoyed me. I’m not sure if it was just the writing or if it was the directing/line delivery too. 
• But, yeah, the pregnancy is cliche. 

[KittenPokerCheater]

Okay- I watched the last episode to see where Alex told Michael he was leaving the airfare to play music, like they talked about in this episode.  It was never there.  Argh.

I'm less and less of a fan of Isobel, but I can't wait to see how things play out when she and Rosa eventually have a scene together. Also can't wait to see how Maria reacts when she find outs about the whole alien thing.

Liking Michael and Liz scenes.  More of them please. 

[peachmangosteen]

6 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

I loved Michael’s interactions except that he looked so dirty that I was really glad I don’t have smellovision. 😂

He looked filthy. His hands were disgusting lol.

[jewel21]

I just finished watching this episode and I just wanted to say a few things:

1. I had forgotten how much I love this show and was super happy to see these characters again. 

2. I had forgotten just how pretty Michael and Maria both are.

3. I had forgotten how awesome the music is!! It brings back so many memories and I'm always surprised how I can sing along to songs I haven't heard in years especially when I can't recall what I had for supper last night, heh. 

4. I'm really happy this show is back. 

[steelyis]

On 3/17/2020 at 8:15 PM, AnimeMania said:

I thought Alex's missing leg effect was really good.

It really was, wasn't it?

14 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

I have been growing increasingly tired of Michael and I just could barely stand him in this ep. The only time I like him lately is when he's with Liz.

 

6 hours ago, KittenPokerCheater said:

Liking Michael and Liz scenes.  More of them please. 

Their interactions were great! Michael was stand-offish with everyone else for reasons, but allowed himself to be relaxed and glib with Liz. And it was also fun watching him and Liz be science bros and figure out alien physiology.

1 hour ago, jewel21 said:

3. I had forgotten how awesome the music is!! It brings back so many memories and I'm always surprised how I can sing along to songs I haven't heard in years especially when I can't recall what I had for supper last night, heh. 

Zombie, now and forever, slaps!

[tennisgurl]

Of course Isobel is pregnant by her evil husbands baby, of course! I was really hoping we could take a break from Isobel being constantly victimized and abused by creepy men, but I guess we have more to look forward to this season. So great!

Anyway, its still good to have this show back. Even when its stupid and cringy, it goes so big in how soapy and cringy it is, that I cant help but just go along for the ride. Rosa is an interesting addition to the show, and while I didnt much care for her in flashbacks last season, I do kind of like her now. Her snark and her sort of resurrection survivors guilt that Max died to bring her back all made for some good scenes. I thought she was kind of meanly flippant about it at first, but it seems like its more of a coping mechanism, and that she feels guilt about being alive at the cost of someone else, and that the world made a bad trade, gaining her and losing Max. There are also some interesting dynamics with her and Liz, who is grieving while also happy to have her sister again and dealing with really complicated feelings about Max dying to bring Rosa back. Plus, Rosa was always her older sister, but now Rosa is nineteen and Liz is in her early thirties, which is a huge change in their sisterly dynamic. 

Michael seemed to be on full self destruct mode, varying degrees of drunk and desperately trying to push everyone in his life away. Granted, Michael is always kind of like that, but losing Max, especially considering their complicated relationship, its even more so than usual. Still, maybe take a bath every once in a while dude? Just ideas. 

I love the music on this show, it really does give me old school 90s teen drama flashbacks! Cranberries! Granted, it is still kind of weird to me that so many of the main characters have such 90s taste in music, considering they would have been pretty little kids during the 90s, and were all in high school together in the 00s, but I cant complain! Besides, I was in high school the same time the characters were, and while there was plenty of good music back then, I really dont need Miss New Booty stuck in my head. Again.

Edited March 19, 2020 by tennisgurl

[Kimmel77]

I would like more mystery front and center on this show. They’re trying to build up the savior and “they’re coming” thing but it’s not quite working for me.

Rosa plight was interesting to see. Didn’t think the character would see through her self-indulgence to realize Max was important.

The alien baby doesn’t interest me at all. Plus, they can always terminate it!

[peachmangosteen]

15 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Still, maybe take a bath every once in a while dude? Just ideas.

I loled!

Quote

I love the music on this show, it really does give me old school 90s teen drama flashbacks! Cranberries! Granted, it is still kind of weird to me that so many of the main characters have such 90s taste in music, considering they would have been pretty little kids during the 90s, and were all in high school together in the 00s, but I cant complain! 

How old are the characters supposed to be? Me and my sister are 35 and 32 and we love us some 90's music so if the characters are supposed to be early 30's I think it feels real. The 90's nostalgia is one of my fave parts of the show! Although, I do think they should be playing some early aughts music too, which I also love.

[Cristofle]

I forgot to say, given that one of my master's degrees is in religious studies, I find myself somewhat intrigued by the different takes on religion in Liz, Rosa, and Max. Liz is an atheist who used to be a Christian. Rosa appears to still absolutely believe in God (to the point where she's frustrated that a 'bad trade' was made between her and Max). Max hovers between atheist and agnostic, while still fascinated by religious texts. 

[phoenics]

On 3/17/2020 at 10:15 AM, Cristofle said:

 

Mark me as confused that the aliens are part...technology? Not really a thing in the show or the books IIRC.

 

I thought in the books they established that the alien tech was organic in nature?  This isn't that far off from that, it's just a reinterpretation of that.

I mostly enjoyed the episode - that article I read right before I watched kinda jaded me though, which is why I'm just now coming to comment on the show even though I watched it Monday.

It was a good episode, mostly.  As a Max/Liz fan I won't be happy if they don't bring Max back and I'm not sure I trust the showrunner anymore.  I was happy to see him at the end, but seriously - it's not Roswell without Max/Liz.  It just isn't.

Michael was a mess and of course treated Maria horribly.  I wonder if they're just gonna have him constantly treat Maria like crap and never give us any goodness with them?  But I'll say it again... Michael continues to have more chemistry with Maria than Alex, although he does have chemistry with Alex, but their scenes are still so stilted to me, like they're trying to force (or the Alex actor is trying to force) this epic cosmic connection I still don't buy even though I already know they are the showrunner's endgame.  She's done everything but scream this in every interview she gives.

As a Michael/Maria fan and a Max/Liz fan, I'm not sure what I have to look forward to to be honest.

Lastly - this show has ZERO urgency.  You've got the whole Manes Alien Hunter Unit going, but they look like a bunch of bumbling fools.  And they NEVER come after the podsquad.  I guess because they believe it would "freak Americans out" if it came out aliens existed?  But still that has zero to do with why Manes never went after Max and the others.  Even though he seems to have known all along they were alien.

Sheriff Valenti on the tv show was more terrifying than Manes.

What should have happened after that facility blew up is some REAL alien hunters - ruthless ones - should've come down to Roswell to take over the program and put the REAL fear of god into the podsquad.

I have mixed feelings about this show and the showrunner's ability to really bring in the elements that make it roswellian.  Last season it still felt like TVD with Aliens and this season... maybe there is a little bit more of roswell... but it's still not enough.  The show needs a lot more mystery to it, which that last part with Max might bring, but who knows.

 

[Cristofle]

The characters are 28-29, but there was a cut scene in the pilot or something that explained the jukebox was broken at the Crashdown and could only play 90s music, hence Rosa's love of 90s music that Liz and Maria subsequently adopted. I always thought the love of Counting Crows was also a shout-out to the OG show, since Max loved the Counting Crows.

[methodwriter85]

16 hours ago, Cristofle said:

The characters are 28-29, but there was a cut scene in the pilot or something that explained the jukebox was broken at the Crashdown and could only play 90s music, hence Rosa's love of 90s music that Liz and Maria subsequently adopted. I always thought the love of Counting Crows was also a shout-out to the OG show, since Max loved the Counting Crows.

It's also conveniently cheaper to license older music than it is to license current music, for the most part. (Exceptions being stuff like The Beatles.) I like it. I graduated high school three years before these characters so I'm feeling the 90's nostalgia as well.

I guess the show found a way to keep Noah on? I should have figured they weren't going to just write him out. I expected the Max stuff, but I was surprised that Noah was sticking around as well.

Really enjoyed the premiere.

 

Edited March 21, 2020 by methodwriter85

[Court]

I'm 36 and 90's music is what I remember the most about my teenage years. It makes sense to me or maybe I just love the music so much. 

[Cristofle]

22 minutes ago, Court said:

I'm 36 and 90's music is what I remember the most about my teenage years. It makes sense to me or maybe I just love the music so much. 

Same age, and agreed. I'm all about the 90s music, and I adored the OG show's soundtrack (my best friend recently found my homemade "Roswell" soundtracks I made for us, lol). So I do like the music of this show, because it's my music. 

[jewel21]

I'm 39 and this is also my music. I don't listen to a lot of current music these days but I can recognize every song they've played so far on this show. 

[Dizzychickstar]

I binged this show over the past day or so and it’s highly addictive. My faves are Michael and Maria and I enjoyed Rosa here as well. She says so much of what the audience is likely thinking and I think the actress sells her tortured artist nature. In a plot that is balls to the wall crazy, I think her reactions grounded things. 
I am enjoying the music too—I will continue to watch. 

[Lady Calypso]

Well, I wasn't meaning to watch this season at all because I didn't really like anything from season 1 and I still have a lot of issues regarding characters and romantic relationships. Plus, I can't remember much of what happened in season 1. But with everything going on, and since I have the first two episodes recorded, I figure this might be a good escape for the next couple of months.

I will say...this episode had some appeal to it. Maybe season 1 came at the wrong time for me, or maybe this episode was a bit better than last season was for me. I wasn't bored, I didn't tune out, and I didn't end up hating the characters or the writing. Or maybe Max being missing helped a lot. 

I think I forgot that Jeanine is a decent actress when giving the right material. Granted, I DO think she also improved a bit from season 1 but I really really liked her scenes with Rosa, and Liz's breakdown was well done. Speaking of Rosa, I was wary about her role for season 2 but so far, so good. I actually think that Rosa was surprisingly well put together after learning that she just came back from the dead and is now younger than her younger sister. 

Isobel's pregnant. Poor woman will never stop getting tortured, will she? I feel so bad for her, still dealing with the effects of what Noah did to her (I have blocked some of it out, but I do remember the gist of what he did) and now dealing with the loss of Max. 

Michael's a mess, which is no surprise to him. I thought that him and Maria had gotten together at the very end of last season, but I guess not? Or they had a falling out? 

Speaking of Maria, I do remember how horribly they treated her character in season 1 and in this one episode, it does seem like they're doing better. So...yay? Plus, her mother seems to be getting a bit of a bigger role as well, which is great.

Alex/Kyle scenes are great. I remember finding Alex dull as dirt for most of last season, but that was more because I didn't like his scenes with Michael. And, surprise, I still feel a bit similar with Alex/Michael's one scene in this episode. They still don't have any romantic chemistry for me, and that's nothing to do with the actors not being good enough. It's just that the actors don't have that chemistry that they should, and that's ok.

Seriously, though, I still forget 70% of what happened last season so it was confusing with trying to figure out who knew what and who had issues with who.

 Great choice in music, as well.

Overall, I'm just going to watch episode 2 now and I'm likely in for the rest of the season.

[peachmangosteen]

13 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

I thought that [Michael] and Maria had gotten together at the very end of last season, but I guess not? Or they had a falling out? 

Yea, I was confused. I think their last scene in the season 1 finale was Michael plying guitar with her and then she noticed his hand was fixed. But, in this ep, it didn't seem like Maria remembered and/or cared about that anymore lol.

[bettername2come]

On 3/17/2020 at 11:15 PM, AnimeMania said:

I thought Alex's missing leg effect was really good.

I was impressed as well and surprised by it since they've usually had the character in a prosthetic. 

On 3/27/2020 at 8:14 PM, Lady Calypso said:

Alex/Kyle scenes are great. I remember finding Alex dull as dirt for most of last season, but that was more because I didn't like his scenes with Michael.

For me the Kyle/Alex scenes are the weirdest because they're the only actors on this show I'm familiar with and I feel like I'm watching a very weird Vampire Diaries/Pretty Little Liars crossover. That said, they do work well together. 

Rosa's return was good. I like how she and Liz play off each other and they really look believable as sisters. 

The music is always good. I made a combined playlist for the music of this and the original for all my 90s/early 2000s altrock vibes. 

[phoenics]

On 3/27/2020 at 8:14 PM, Lady Calypso said:

Alex/Kyle scenes are great. I remember finding Alex dull as dirt for most of last season, but that was more because I didn't like his scenes with Michael. And, surprise, I still feel a bit similar with Alex/Michael's one scene in this episode. They still don't have any romantic chemistry for me, and that's nothing to do with the actors not being good enough. It's just that the actors don't have that chemistry that they should, and that's ok.

For me, Alex has been stripped of everything that made the character "Alex" in order to force him into this OTP Cosmic pairing that Carina loves so much.  But honestly - other than the representation - they don't work. Alex is nothing like OG or Book Alex and he's so dull and wooden in his scenes.  The ONLY scenes he seems to work well in are his scenes with Kyle - and that's because they banter and play off of each other.

Carina didn't dare snatch that part of Michael/Maria and give it to Alex/Michael, so instead she's tried to force a more Max/Liz cosmic star-crossed loves aspect to M/A and it still doesn't work.  Partly because only Max/Liz should have that (sorry, but that's Roswell GOSPEL) and partly because Alex as a character is SO stilted and wooden.  There's no give to him at all - so most of the lines Michael gives in a scene, Alex gives pretty much nothing but wooden stares and stilted expressions back.

Sorry not sorry to M/A fans, but it's M/M for me all the way.  There is a reason they were OTP in the books and on the OG show and even with Carina writing against them and MV pimping M/A in interviews, they're still better than M/A, imo.

 

Edited March 31, 2020 by phoenics

[peachmangosteen]

On 3/30/2020 at 9:27 PM, bettername2come said:

The music is always good. I made a combined playlist for the music of this and the original for all my 90s/early 2000s altrock vibes. 

I'd love to know what you put on that playlist!

[bettername2come]

On 4/1/2020 at 11:58 AM, peachmangosteen said:

I'd love to know what you put on that playlist!

Honestly, just the songs that have been played or referenced through episode titles. I already had the original Roswell soundtrack and a lot of songs from that era, but thanks to this one, I ended up buying Third Eye Blind and Counting Crows greatest hits. 

https://www.tunefind.com/show/roswell-new-mexico/

https://www.tunefind.com/show/roswell

[AudienceofOne]

Well, here we are!

Season 2.

Pours wine. Pours more wine. Boy, show isn't less angsty and overwrought this season is it?

On 3/17/2020 at 5:54 PM, Whodunnit said:

So the aliens are part cyborg? What is up with their biology?

On 3/18/2020 at 1:15 AM, Cristofle said:

Mark me as confused that the aliens are part...technology?

The alien organs are made of organic technology! While the pedant in me took issue with this revelation (our organs are organic technology too, you know. Our body engineers them out of stem cells so they're fit for purpose), I kind of got what they meant. At some point the aliens must have used their organic technology to replace the organs. It doesn't make them more or less able to 'fixed' though. 

On 3/20/2020 at 9:22 AM, tennisgurl said:

Michael seemed to be on full self destruct mode, varying degrees of drunk and desperately trying to push everyone in his life away. Granted, Michael is always kind of like that, but losing Max, especially considering their complicated relationship, its even more so than usual.

I really like this explainer of Michael's behaviour, I just wish they'd had anything in the text to indicate it. He seemed to be just Michael level of self-destructive. But I am glad the writer took some time out to explain why he spent the whole of the last episode realising how much he loved Alex only to hook up with Maria. But losing one of the few family members he has would no doubt put him into a spiral about how everyone leaves.

I think his character might be the only one that makes sense. 

Other thoughts: Nathan Dean's acting has not improved over the break.

After Liz's "Old white men keep stopping me from doing unethical research on humans" speech, I see she hasn't improved as a scientist either.