S01.E01: Pilot

[tessaray]

Air date: January 15, 2019

Quote

After a decade away from home, Liz Ortecho returns to her native Roswell to care for her ailing father. When she arrives, she reconnects with her high school crush Max Evans, who is now a police officer. Their chemistry is electric, but Liz soon learns something shocking: Max and his siblings are aliens who have kept their abilities secret their entire lives. As they grow closer, Liz struggles to keep the truth from her best friend Maria, and her high school ex, Dr. Kyle Valenti, but concealing the siblings' true identities is more important than ever, as a long-standing government conspiracy and the politics of fear and hatred threaten their lives.

 

 

[Scarlett45]

Awesome quote “What are you up to in there, it sure doesn’t look legal?”.....

”a little weed, a lot of casual sex, and a covert plot to over throw the government.”

[Melina22]

I'm only a few minutes in, but I was such a big fan of the original show that it's hard to accept the new cast. So far I don't find any of them particularly interesting or charismatic. But I'm keeping an open mind. I'll give it at least 2 or 3 episodes to change my mind. 

[Whimsy]

7 minutes ago, Melina22 said:

I'm only a few minutes in, but I was such a big fan of the original show that it's hard to accept the new cast. So far I don't find any of them particularly interesting or charismatic. But I'm keeping an open mind. I'll give it at least 2 or 3 episodes to change my mind. 

I agree. Also, I find the acting stilted and pretty terrible. Especially by the actress playing Isabelle. I’m not sure I’ll stick with this at all. 

[Sakura12]

That was pretty terrible. I know the original wasn't emmy worthy or anything but I remember the actors having more charisma and chemistry. These actors were stiff and boring. 

Having the diner be empty took away some of the urgency from even telling Liz. Of course they added that they may have been responsible for her sisters death for drama. 

Are they going to have a Tesslike character show up for more drama later on. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by Sakura12

[shantown]

It felt a little overstuffed, which is fairly standard for a pilot. I think the gunshot had much lower stakes this time around, which made everything feel kinda rushed. In the original there were people around who saw, Michael was begging him to leave, etc. This time it was nighttime, in an empty restaurant, which made Max's heroics a little less like it jeopardized everything for the aliens. 

Mostly I needed to stop trying to be like "oh New Kyle is a doctor not the sheriff's son" and "New Alex is a war vet and not a nerd" and let the new characters breathe on their own. I think I would have gotten into the pilot more if I had let it be it's own pilot and not a remake. I'll stick around to see what mysteries and obstacles they're faced with this time, especially since they don't have age as the reason they have to stay in Roswell (they're not high schoolers living with parents).  

[shapeshifter]

Okay.
My name is shapeshifter, and I am a Roswellholic.
And this is so much like the real thing that I'm likely not going to be able to put it down.
That is all.
For now.

[Scarlett45]

I think Nathan Parsons (Max) is still so sexy. I dont prefer long hair on men unless it’s dreadlocks, BUT he looks better with longer hair, for those that know him as Jackson from The Originals. 

[Primal Slayer]

It was ok, as already mentioned it was overstuffed. The Diner scene lost all kind of impact  since it was just some random event with no one around, they even had the perfect opportunity to play Dido with the jukebox and they failed.

Everyone but Maria got action in this pilot, Maria didnt really get anything in general. We open on Izzy getting it on with some guy, Liz gets it on with Kyle, Alex gets it on with Michael. Alex/Michael seemed rushed and just a way to let the audience know "we have gay characters!" 

But having Liz being such an outsider is not the way to go. Am I really supposed to think that Maria is just going to throw down everything to become bffs with her high school bff that cut her out of her life? 

The whole "Kyle, you part of the an ancient order of people who hunt aliens" probably could've been saved later in the season but this is the tv world that we live in now.

[shapeshifter]

21 minutes ago, Primal Slayer said:

We open on Izzy getting it on with some guy

He looked a lot like Kyle, which, if he was, since Kyle was Liz's bf, would give Isobel another reason for mind warping Liz into leaving town after high school.

[Myrrhine]

I liked the things they did to deepen the story: the idea of expanding the opposition with Manes and Dr. Kyle, giving Liz a family tragedy that earned her family the enmity of the town and is tied up with the aliens somehow. I enjoyed Max and Liz sharing memories in the desert. 

I'm not sure how I felt about the pod chamber being revealed so fast. It didn't really seem to have much impact, but maybe that's just my perspective. Did Max even talk about them not having memories of anything from the crash / their home planet?

I vastly preferred the original cast for the most part, but I'm OK with all of the cast / characters except for Michael. I just. No. 

I floved the original series, even while recognizing its faults, and I would be happy to really enjoy this one, but the jury's still out. I always thought that the original pilot was particularly successful, so this is probably one of the hardest episodes for me to judge on its own merits. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by Myrrhine

[Primal Slayer]

7 minutes ago, shapeshifter said:

He looked a lot like Kyle, which, if he was, since Kyle was Liz's bf, would give Isobel another reason for mind warping Liz into leaving town after high school.

I kept thinking it was Kyle but I dont think it was. 

[AmeliaBedelia]

Did Isobel heal Max with nail polish remover? Hope they mention Tabasco at some point. My big takeaway is that I like Max and Liz. Not sure about the rest of the cast. I will keep watching. 

[phoenics]

So - people realize this is based on the BOOKS and not the 1999 show, right?  Because Tess was specific to the show, not the books.  She won't be on this show.  Ever.  And Liz losing a sister was in the books - I like how they're adding onto that and deepening it and making it connected to the Alien Conspiracy.

As I suspected - this pilot lost a lot by not having the shooting happen with a diner full of people.  The urgency was gone.  Also - the way Liz just instantly accepted Max's secret - in the book AND the 1999 show, Max had to prove he was still him to her and THAT is why he did the connection thing - here he's already done it so now if/when Liz has reason not to trust Max (I think that's coming soon given the foreshadowing they put in this episode), what will help her overcome that doubt?

The way I'm trying to think about this show is that it has NOTHING to do with the 1999 show.  It's based on the books and reads almost like if you took the book characters and then wrote a future fanfic for them... with some changes, of course.

The characterizations of Liz/Max/Isabel/Michael all felt right to me - they all acted like themselves.  Kyle - kinda did - he acts more like the Kyle from the end of the 1999 show to me than he did at the beginning - but maybe he digresses later?  I dunno.  It was hard buying him as a doctor though.  

I think what disappointed me a lot was how shoddily the pilot treated Maria.  Since she wasn't at the diner when the shooting happened, she got left out of that.  AND worse, she won't be part of a Michael&Maria ship either.  Her importance to the narrative got ERASED.  She's still friends with Liz - that's about all they seem to have kept.  I feel like she's going to be wallpaper on this show.

The ONE thing the show got really right though was the Max/Liz chemistry - still not as amazing and life-changing as Shiri Aopleby and Jason Behr's Max & Liz, but they were close so I'll take it.

I am very intrigued with what happened to Liz's sister Rosa AND I am wondering if Max and Liz were much closer before Liz left and Isabel erased her memories so she'd leave Max and Roswell.  I'm also excited about Michael being genius level (like in the books) and how he's studying the alien ship pieces.

And here, Sheriff Valenti is Kyle's mom - and his dad is dead - but his dad was part of the super secret alien fighters (just like he led them in the books, but was eventually killed)... and he used to work with Alex's dad.  That's interesting.

I enjoyed the show much more the second time I watched it (I was distracted trying to tweet-watch).

[Callaphera]

19 minutes ago, phoenics said:

So - people realize this is based on the BOOKS and not the 1999 show, right?  Because Tess was specific to the show, not the books.  She won't be on this show.  Ever.  And Liz losing a sister was in the books - I like how they're adding onto that and deepening it and making it connected to the Alien Conspiracy.

Actually, no (though I do now! I didn't even know there were books) but comparisons between the two are only natural and will probably always be there. I didn't like the original Roswell that much - I gave it a few tries but honestly, Jason Behr just looked so goofy to me that I couldn't accept Liz and Max the first time around. I thought Nu!Roswell was more interesting but instead of Max looking like a goofball, I kept thinking that he was a poor man's Milo Ventimiglia (no shame, I totally had to Google and copy + paste his last name). It was all in the voice and the side profiles. 

I'm sure the whole "just like how you messed with her mind 10 years ago"/Rosa story is gonna be drawn out and it'll probably annoy the hell out of me but at least the main pairing has more chemistry this time around for me. I'm cautious but willing it give it a few episodes. 

[cynic]

Ehhhh, that was... not great. Even considering it was a pilot, it still seemed overstuffed, like let's throw everything in there and see what works.  I guess some of that can be explained with its TVD pedigree. That show burned plot like crazy and it actually managed to do it pretty well for a couple years (after a rocky start) before going off a cliff. I'll reserve judgement, because it literally took me like six episodes  to really start enjoying that show. Maybe this will be the same. 

I'm hoping the cast grows on me too, cuz I'm not thrilled with any if them right now, besides maybe Liz. Max is especially problematic for me, because he is just...there. He makes no impression and I'm not buying that he feels anything connection at all with Liz much less an undying love strong enough to survive a ten year absence. 

Lastly, I'm really disappointed in the apparent sidelining of Maria's character in the pilot. I hope that's not indicative of her importance in the rest of the series. Every other major character seemed to get a love interest and/or a little background except her. If it takes her seven years to get some real love and spotlight like poor Bonnie, I'm gonna be irritated.

[Meushell]

That was a bit boring, and rather preachy with the politics.

Michael being Michael kind of works as an angry teen. As an adult, they better improve upon his anger issues quickly. Otherwise, he’s going to be unlikable. 

[Whodunnit]

I never knew that there were books! Who's the author?

In the older show Maria and Michael were sort of a thing, if that still ends up being part of Michael's backstory I think that could help give her (back) some dimension maybe? I hope so because I did like the original character.

[Genki]

I thought it was OK, but it was weird trying to reconcile the 90's show & books with NuRoswell. I think for some I prefer old cast particularly Isabel and Michael. But Liz and Max seem alright. Maria and Alex I'm on the fence about. Even though it was a hot mess by the time it ended I did miss the 90's show watching this one.

I think the main disappointment for me is that they won't likely have Maria and Michael, which was my MAJOR ship watching this show and in the books. And I hope Maria isn't side-lined since she was such a favourite.

I will give it a few more episodes.

I never knew that there were books! Who's the author?

Melinda Metz was the author, the books were fairly different to the 90's show imo, but I enjoyed reading them...but can't remember how they ended.

Edited January 16, 2019 by Genki

[shapeshifter]

7 hours ago, Myrrhine said:

I liked the things they did to deepen the story:[1] the idea of expanding the opposition with Manes and Dr. Kyle, giving Liz a family tragedy that earned her family the enmity of the town and is tied up with the aliens somehow. I enjoyed Max and Liz sharing memories in the desert. 

…

I vastly preferred the original cast for the most part, but I'm OK with all of the cast / characters[2] except for Michael. I just. No.[3]

I floved the original series, even while recognizing its faults, and I would be happy to really enjoy this one, but the jury's still out.[4] I always thought that the original pilot was particularly successful, so this is probably one of the hardest episodes for me to judge on its own merits.[5]

 

[1] Yes.
[2] Yes.
[3] No. I'm really liking this Michael much more than original flavor. He's prettier, he speaks better, and he's a natural genius.
[4] Yes.
[5] Yes.

 

5 hours ago, phoenics said:

So - people realize this is based on the BOOKS and not the 1999 show, right?  Because Tess was specific to the show, not the books.  She won't be on this show.  Ever.  And Liz losing a sister was in the books - I like how they're adding onto that and deepening it and making it connected to the Alien Conspiracy.

Yes. *Really Big Sigh* I read all the original books more times than I could count. Original covers. Loved 'em. Then in a string of really bad luck beginning in 2015 I "lost" them. Okay. I gave them away. They are somewhere out there. And I lost parts of my memory. Don't remember them. But, hey, like Liz, I died and then came back to life and now so has freakin' Roswell, so it's all good, right?

 

Did anyone else think Kyle looked a *lot* like Eddie, Riverdog's younger friend? Is he/supposed to be NA? He seems to maybe be in a role of Show Valenti in that he will become an ally to Liz, Maria, and the Not Of This Earthers, while Mr. Maines seems to be original-flavor, bad-guy Valenti/show-Pierce-type villian.
And I kind of loved this Sheriff Valenti. Seems like she will be an ally and mom-figure.

Edited January 16, 2019 by shapeshifter
Typo

[Primal Slayer]

6 hours ago, phoenics said:

So - people realize this is based on the BOOKS and not the 1999 show, right?  Because Tess was specific to the show, not the books.  She won't be on this show.  Ever.  

Where did they state Tess would never show up? It may be more based on the books but that doesn't mean they will take things from the show because introducing a female alien to break up Max/Liz is TV 101.

[Sakura12]

The books are called Roswell High so this is basically fanfic from the book. However if you are going to remake a show then you are going to have comparisons to that show. Since I would think that is why most people tuned into this show. 

It's the acting that is pulling me out of this show. They are so dull. I would say it's the pilot so maybe they will get better, but I've seen the actor who plays Max in other things and he has not improved. So I'm not holding my breath on that one. 

They also have the same issue I had with manifest, these people found out something life changing and they act like they are discussing the weather. Liz barely had a reaction to Aliens being real. I know she grew up in the alien capital of the world but since she made fun of the podcast guy. She didn't seem like a believer. 

I actually read that

 

Tess gets a mention later in the season. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by Sakura12

[Melina22]

44 minutes ago, Sakura12 said:

It's the acting that is pulling me out of this show. They are so dull. I

Agreed. Could Casting not have found at least a couple of fun, likeable actors? Most of all, I want some humour. Not a steady stream of jokes, just a touch of it, even if there's just one character that always makes me smile. So far I'm not seeing that. 

[xfuse]

12 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

The books are called Roswell High so this is basically fanfic from the book. However if you are going to remake a show then you are going to have comparisons to that show.

All this show did was make me pull out the original show and start rewatching again.

Edited January 17, 2019 by xfuse

[phoenics]

5 hours ago, Whodunnit said:

I never knew that there were books! Who's the author?

In the older show Maria and Michael were sort of a thing, if that still ends up being part of Michael's backstory I think that could help give her (back) some dimension maybe? I hope so because I did like the original character.

I tweeted with the showrunner and woke up to a tweet this morning from her that said "Who said no Michael & Maria?" - so I'm holding out hope that we still get them.  

2 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

[1] Yes.
[2] Yes.
[3] No. I'm really liking this Michael much more than original flavor. He's prettier, he speaks better, and he's a natural genius.
[4] Yes.
[5] Yes.

 

Yes. *Really Big Sigh* I read all the original books more times than I could count. Original covers. Loved 'em. Then in a string of really bad luck beginning in 2015 I "lost" them. Okay. I gave them away. They are somewhere out there. And I lost parts of my memory. Don't remember them. But, hey, like Liz, I died and then came back to life and now so has freakin' Roswell, so it's all good, right?

 

Did anyone else think Kyle looked a *lot* like Eddie, Riverdog's younger friend? Is he/supposed to be NA? He seems to maybe be in a role of Show Valenti in that he will become an ally to Liz, Maria, and the Not Of This Earthers, while Mr. Maines seems to be original-flavor, bad-guy Valenti/show-Pierce-type villian.
And I kind of loved this Sheriff Valenti. Seems like she will be an ally and mom-figure.

You can buy the books on Kindle.  If you download the Kindle app onto your phone, you can read them there.  :)  Hope this helps.  I have all of the books (the MM books and the ones from the show) and I have them on Kindle too because I'm obsessed.

[kirkola]

It was...ok.  I was a fan of the original TV series (never read the books), so my expectations weren't high on yet another reboot of something I loved as a kid (okay early 20s on this one).   The problems, for me, stem from it being a pilot, writers working hard to hit all the right points, and not an immediate chemistry between the leads.  Max had some moments where I saw some genuine acting above just staring at Liz.  For example, I liked Max and Isobel discussing telling Liz and I liked that he wouldn't kiss Liz in the desert.  I also liked Michael's intro scene, but not the rest of his scenes.  Michael and Alex just make no sense at all and I can't tell if it's the actors or the direction, but it all felt forced.  I did like the updates to Isobel.

 

On the human side, Liz bored me.  The angry, chip on her shoulder, 20 something is as boring as it is common (see Michael).  I actually did like that Maria immediately accepted Liz's return.  I felt the sisterly/bff bond between them immediately.  I liked the Kyle updates.  He and Alex were my favorite characters from the original TV series.  Which leads me to, I didn't care for Alex here at all.  I know the actor will never have the easy going chemistry of Colin Hanks, but I was hoping for something. 

 

The secrets and lies were all "pilot-ish" where you know it always sounds graver than it actually is when the big reveal happens.  I did like the update of what modern New Mexico probably looks like (with ICE and discussions of walls), just as long as it doesn't become too political.  However, while it might be canon to the original books (not sure), it's a little late in the game to be using the 1947 alien crash.  The further away from 1947, the less logical sense it makes.   It makes our alien trio 72 Earth years old in the bodies of 27-28 year olds.  I know they were in stasis pods, but they are asking us to believe those stasis pods had enough energy to keep them going for 50 years?

[phoenics]

2 hours ago, Primal Slayer said:

Where did they state Tess would never show up? It may be more based on the books but that doesn't mean they will take things from the show because introducing a female alien to break up Max/Liz is TV 101.

The showrunner tweeted back to a fan that there would be NO TESS because she's not from the books.  That doesn't mean that she won't make up another alien character to be a Max/Liz interloper.  But in the books, there never was a character like that - except for Michael I think (I forget if she was alien though).

But there won't be a Tess on this show (Tess was owned by Fox for the 1999 show anyway, so this show wouldn't have the rights to her).

2 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

The books are called Roswell High so this is basically fanfic from the book. However if you are going to remake a show then you are going to have comparisons to that show. Since I would think that is why most people tuned into this show. 

It's the acting that is pulling me out of this show. They are so dull. I would say it's the pilot so maybe they will get better, but I've seen the actor who plays Max in other things and he has not improved. So I'm not holding my breath on that one. 

They also have the same issue I had with manifest, these people found out something life changing and they act like they are discussing the weather. Liz barely had a reaction to Aliens being real. I know she grew up in the alien capital of the world but since she made fun of the podcast guy. She didn't seem like a believer. 

I actually read that

  Reveal hidden contents

Tess gets a mention later in the season. 

That stood out to me too - it felt like Liz just took that on the chin like it was nothing - they didn't do the thing where Liz panicked over it.  I wonder if that might be coming in episode 2 like I mentioned in my post - maybe she's having a delayed reaction?

And as for your other thought:

Spoiler

Tess won't be mentioned - she can't be.  They don't have the rights.  And the showrunner has said so.

 

Edited January 16, 2019 by phoenics

[Whimsy]

6 hours ago, xfuse said:

All this show did was make me pull out and original show and start rewatching again.

Same, I'll probably start a rewatch tonight.

I agree with the other posters who said the actor who plays Max is just dull.  He is sooooo boring he puts me to sleep.  I know that Jason Behr wasn't everyone's cuppa, but he mesmerized me and I was a HUGE Liz/Max fan in the beginning (until they turned him into a controlling jerk who literally grabbed Liz's arm and told her what she could and could not do).  Also, the shooting scene in the original was SO intense as was the sharing of the memories thing.  In OGRoswell I felt all of the emotions Max was showing Liz.  A huge part of that is the music choices.  The original show had iconic music that people are still lamenting to this day wasn't carried over to the DVDs.  I downloaded every single song from the episodes and made CDs and listened to them over and over.  Granted, I'm much older so I don't really get as fanatic about TV as I did (or, the quality just declined so drastically... either one), but nothing about this episode grabbed me even an iota of the way the original did.  I MAY check out another episode but I'm really not enthusiastic about it.  I prefer every single one of the original cast, including the horrid Katherine Heigel to this cast.  The only one that I felt acted even remotely like a normal person and had a natural line reading was JM's Liz. 

[Sakura12]

This more recent interview says otherwise.

https://hiddenremote.com/2018/10/31/roswell-new-mexico-carina-adly-mackenzie/

There’s one Easter egg in the Roswell reboot’s sixth episode. Tess will be mentioned. It’s a name drop from what Carina said during the NYCC roundtable interview, but it’s better than nothing right?

[phoenics]

I did feel this pilot was missing the magic of OGRoswell.  The plot points where Max/Liz connected lost a bit because of that - but still, those were the strongest part of this new show's pilot for me - even if it didn't match up to OGRoswell.

I think by having Maria not be shown until way later on, it neutered some of the heart from the OGpilot.  Also, they dropped that entire part about them all coming together to trick Valenti - in this instead, that's apparently going to be dragged out.

I'm still sticking with it - but I hope they manage to put the heart back in.  The Maria/Liz friendship is critical.

Also - I didn't recognize Alex.  Kyle was semi-recognizable because he's all "use me" with Liz (lol), but the rest of him felt too serious.  And Alex being so hard and not dorky at all just didn't track with me.  Like - Maria still had her whole herbal/psychic thing going from the books (and she was quirky/bohemian like Maria from the show), so she FELT like Maria to me.  But Alex didn't feel like Alex AT ALL.

And Michael with this guy?  I don't know why he's all into Alex, kwim?  Maybe (re the tweet Carina sent that I saw this morning) Michael/Maria is still where it's headed, but if not, then I need the show to show me why Michael/Alex make sense.  Michael/Maria made sense because in both the books and the show, Maria was "home" and she counterbalanced Michael's wildness.  Alex seems a bit too ... mad?  Just like Michael?  I dunno if I'm making sense.  And he's lost ALL of his dorkiness, *sobs*

1 minute ago, Sakura12 said:

This more recent interview says otherwise.

https://hiddenremote.com/2018/10/31/roswell-new-mexico-carina-adly-mackenzie/

 

  Hide contents

There’s one Easter egg in the Roswell reboot’s sixth episode. Tess will be mentioned. It’s a name drop from what Carina said during the NYCC roundtable interview, but it’s better than nothing right?

Ohhh I see what you mean - I thought you meant she'd be mentioned as an actual character (as in a Tess for this show)... I missed the semantics of what you were saying.  Okay.  I'm alright with an Easter Egg for Tess - just not the real thing.  Please God no - although I'm sure we will see a character that fulfills Tess' purpose on the show - but please no babies - Max don't screw this up like you did in OGRoswell!!

[Sakura12]

I figured Tess won't be in this show, i just saw that interview about an Easter egg for fans of the other show. They probably just named one of the aliens they found in the crashed ship Tess. 

Although I can see a Tess like character showing up (human or alien) to come between Max and Liz. Hollywood loves their romantic triangles. 

[phoenics]

7 minutes ago, Sakura12 said:

I figured Tess won't be in this show, i just saw that interview about an Easter egg for fans of the other show. They probably just named one of the aliens they found in the crashed ship Tess. 

Although I can see a Tess like character showing up (human or alien) to come between Max and Liz. Hollywood loves their romantic triangles. 

Yep - agreed.

As long as they don't screw it up like OGRoswell did, I'm good.  But these are adults now, so... sigh.  I see a lotta hijinks coming.

[Primal Slayer]

These writers probably live for the drama more then the OG writers did so I'll be surprised if they screw things up quicker than the original show. 

[phoenics]

29 minutes ago, Whimsy said:

Same, I'll probably start a rewatch tonight.

I agree with the other posters who said the actor who plays Max is just dull.  He is sooooo boring he puts me to sleep.  I know that Jason Behr wasn't everyone's cuppa, but he mesmerized me and I was a HUGE Liz/Max fan in the beginning (until they turned him into a controlling jerk who literally grabbed Liz's arm and told her what she could and could not do).  

Okay so here is my unpopular thought.  I loved Max from the beginning, but never though JB was hot until maybe mid first season.  He just took a while to grow on me.  But I LOVED his portrayal of Max - he played Max with such a haunting stillness that you were just drawn to him.

I feel like Nathan Parsons had his moments - there were some moments where he nailed Max and others where the dialogue (imo) let him down.  He's a bit more like the Max in the books than OGMax and I lament that a little bit - but I did buy that he'd been in love with Liz all this time AND the fact that he still loves her from 10 years ago when it looks like there wasn't much between them makes me wonder if Isabel wiped way more of Liz's memories with Max to get her to leave Roswell and Max back when whatever happened to Rosa.

I'm just excited at all of the potential this show has from the source material that OGRoswell NEVER tapped into - Rosa's story being one of the main ones.  I love how that might drive some of the mythology/world-building.

Anything that adds to the Roswell canon makes me happy - even if I did think this pilot was missing the magic of the OGRoswell pilot.

Just now, Primal Slayer said:

These writers probably live for the drama more then the OG writers did so I'll be surprised if they screw things up quicker than the original show. 

Well it took OGRoswell up until the 11th episode to start screwing up (the way they brought Tess on and never delved into the ethics of her mindwarping Max when she first showed up pissed me off - it was such a violation), so I guess we will see.  

[kj4ever]

Well I had high hopes but unfortunately this pilot smashed them back down to Earth.  In full disclosure I am a die hard liberal, and even I was rolling my eyes at the heavy handedness of this show.  I felt battered by the time I was done watching from being hit over the head with so many different issues stuffed into one pilot.

I'm also a big fan of the original, and while I knew this would be different you would think it would have at least part of the same vibe.  Max is average at best with the charisma of a tree stump.  Liz was totally unlikable and Isabelle is wooden.  Alex's kind and nerdy character always brought a balance to the show, and I hate that Maria's character seems to be regulated to the sidelines.  No matter what you thought of Max/Liz, Michael/ Maria, or any of the other couples Liz and Maria's enduring friendship was one of the best parts of the show.  I know that part might be able to come out more in the future of the show, but considering how bad they've screwed up so far I don't hold out much hope.

When I have more time I'll tell y'all how I really feel....lol

Edited January 16, 2019 by kj4ever

[preeya]

9 hours ago, AmeliaBedelia said:

Did Isobel heal Max with nail polish remover? Hope they mention Tabasco at some point. My big takeaway is that I like Max and Liz. Not sure about the rest of the cast. I will keep watching. 

 

That was my thought too. The plastic bottle looked exactly like nail polish remover.

[shantown]

I think my problem with the show after thinking about it a bit was that we've jumped right into the characters as adults who seem to already have a good handle on their powers. A big part of the original show (and a part I really enjoyed) was that the characters were still growing up - as people AND as aliens. They didn't know everything about the world and themselves and the crash yet. This show seemed to kind of blow past all that, and I think it really loses me when I'm thrown into a story that's already so far along.

[Whimsy]

18 minutes ago, preeya said:

That was my thought too. The plastic bottle looked exactly like nail polish remover.

Yeah, I forgot to mention this.  Maybe it was in the books.  I did read the first one a gazillion years ago (ok, when the OGRoswell show started) and I don't remember if that was a book thing.  Maybe they'll say it's something to do with acetone?  Very weird. 

[gibasi]

8 hours ago, Meushell said:

That was a bit boring, and rather preachy with the politics.

Michael being Michael kind of works as an angry teen. As an adult, they better improve upon his anger issues quickly. Otherwise, he’s going to be unlikable. 

I felt that they took teenage Max and just aged him 10 years. He should act more like the adult that he is-a cop in a small town who knows everyone and has some standing in the community. 

I was so disappointed in this.  I didn't see any chemistry between Max and Liz at all.  And am I right that now she is a journalist?  Yet she keeps all her high school biology stuff like microscpes around?

I don't know if I can even give it a few episodes.  I did love the original. I never read the books so I can only compare it to the OG series.  Like others here I am inspired to rewatch the OG.

[tessaray]

I liked it more than I expected to but since I wasn't expecting much it was a pretty low bar to clear.  I didn't like Michael at all though. Not sure if it was the writing, the acting or what. The original show made me sympathize with him, thanks to the crappy foster father and horrible life he had compared to Max and Isabel. Here they mention it but it didn't have the same impact.  And with very little Maria, there wasn't the sort of quirkiness or whimsy I half expected.  (It's not like the original was perfect but it did have a chemistry that is probably impossible to duplicate.)

I do think this version could have potential, in an X-Files/government conspiracy sort of way.  

[slaterain]

Some info on the nail polish remover: 
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-weird-change-the-roswell-reboot-had-to-make-from-the-wb-original

While I understand that they couldn't do the branded hot sauce thing - what made that work before was that it was normal enough to use that it could get missed but the quantity and how they explained it in the original that it worked so well. Will see if they give more explanation of that in this one. 

I'm torn on this and will give it a few more eps before deciding. It felt so rushed without giving us a chance to care about anyone. And I can't quite tell if it is the acting or the writing/directing that is causing the problem. I do think that max and liz can work and build on the chemistry - but I also agree that Max should be much more together and mature considering that he is 28... 

[Sakura12]

1 hour ago, gibasi said:

I was so disappointed in this.  I didn't see any chemistry between Max and Liz at all.  And am I right that now she is a journalist?  Yet she keeps all her high school biology stuff like microscpes around?

I think she's a bio medical researcher. She said she was making some kind of science thing and they lost funding. She said it so fast to get the stupid wall line out. 

For the nail polish remover they should really put up a disclaimer because people are really, really dumb today. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by Sakura12

[kirkola]

30 minutes ago, slaterain said:

Some info on the nail polish remover: 
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-weird-change-the-roswell-reboot-had-to-make-from-the-wb-original

While I understand that they couldn't do the branded hot sauce thing - what made that work before was that it was normal enough to use that it could get missed but the quantity and how they explained it in the original that it worked so well. Will see if they give more explanation of that in this one. 

I'm torn on this and will give it a few more eps before deciding. It felt so rushed without giving us a chance to care about anyone. And I can't quite tell if it is the acting or the writing/directing that is causing the problem. I do think that max and liz can work and build on the chemistry - but I also agree that Max should be much more together and mature considering that he is 28... 

Well the nail polish remover is less awesome than it was in my head.  I guess I will stick with my head cannon of: some weird concoction that they mix together and store in empty (& well cleaned) nail polish remover bottles, so that humans don't accidentally drink it. 

[Whimsy]

1 hour ago, gibasi said:

I felt that they took teenage Max and just aged him 10 years. He should act more like the adult that he is-a cop in a small town who knows everyone and has some standing in the community. 

I was so disappointed in this.  I didn't see any chemistry between Max and Liz at all.  And am I right that now she is a journalist?  Yet she keeps all her high school biology stuff like microscpes around?

I don't know if I can even give it a few episodes.  I did love the original. I never read the books so I can only compare it to the OG series.  Like others here I am inspired to rewatch the OG.

No.  She works for a lab doing some sort of research.  I forget what.  I only remember it specifically because I work for a medical school with lots of researchers so it stuck in my brain. 

32 minutes ago, slaterain said:

Some info on the nail polish remover: 
https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/the-weird-change-the-roswell-reboot-had-to-make-from-the-wb-original

While I understand that they couldn't do the branded hot sauce thing - what made that work before was that it was normal enough to use that it could get missed but the quantity and how they explained it in the original that it worked so well. Will see if they give more explanation of that in this one. 

I'm torn on this and will give it a few more eps before deciding. It felt so rushed without giving us a chance to care about anyone. And I can't quite tell if it is the acting or the writing/directing that is causing the problem. I do think that max and liz can work and build on the chemistry - but I also agree that Max should be much more together and mature considering that he is 28... 

The difference is that they just LIKED tobasco- the whole hot and sweet thing.  It didn't hold healing properties.  There was no need to change tobasco to a weird, very smelly, toxic thing.  But, whatevs. 

[Myrrhine]

8 hours ago, shapeshifter said:

[1] Yes.
[2] Yes.
[3] No. I'm really liking this Michael much more than original flavor. He's prettier, he speaks better, and he's a natural genius.
[4] Yes.
[5] Yes.

Did anyone else think Kyle looked a *lot* like Eddie, Riverdog's younger friend? Is he/supposed to be NA? He seems to maybe be in a role of Show Valenti in that he will become an ally to Liz, Maria, and the Not Of This Earthers, while Mr. Maines seems to be original-flavor, bad-guy Valenti/show-Pierce-type villian.
And I kind of loved this Sheriff Valenti. Seems like she will be an ally and mom-figure.

I'm glad other people are enjoying Michael! I found him less pretty than his predecessor (obviously totally subjective) and his sneering superiority grated on me. He was kind of nice to Isabel. Once. I also felt like his "look" was too similar to Max's. To me, they have similar coloring, same length hair, similar stubble, etc. I do think it was a good idea to make him super smart. 

2 hours ago, tessaray said:

I liked it more than I expected to but since I wasn't expecting much it was a pretty low bar to clear.  I didn't like Michael at all though. Not sure if it was the writing, the acting or what. The original show made me sympathize with him, thanks to the crappy foster father and horrible life he had compared to Max and Isabel. Here they mention it but it didn't have the same impact.  And with very little Maria, there wasn't the sort of quirkiness or whimsy I half expected.  (It's not like the original was perfect but it did have a chemistry that is probably impossible to duplicate.)  

They could still do more with it I suppose, but all of the characters had a certain vulnerability in the OGshow that made them and their various problems engaging. 

3 hours ago, shantown said:

I think my problem with the show after thinking about it a bit was that we've jumped right into the characters as adults who seem to already have a good handle on their powers. A big part of the original show (and a part I really enjoyed) was that the characters were still growing up - as people AND as aliens. They didn't know everything about the world and themselves and the crash yet. This show seemed to kind of blow past all that, and I think it really loses me when I'm thrown into a story that's already so far along.

I agree. I'll be interested to eventually learn what they know / don't know and what, if any role the alien-origin side of things plays in the story.

I realize they want to present the story of this series as starting at a point where everything is about to get interesting, but the pilot gave me the sense that a bunch of the characters have been sort of treading water for a decade. Not that they have literally done nothing, but Max has been pining for Liz, Maria has been reading palms for $10 a pop, Michael has been drinking, brawling, and conducting what is no doubt high level research but apparently hasn't figured out much. Isabel is in some kind of relationship, and she planned a reunion? I feel the saddest for Maria. High school Maria would be so sad to know her own future. 

[methodwriter85]

1 hour ago, Myrrhine said:

. I also felt like his "look" was too similar to Max's. To me, they have similar coloring, same length hair, similar stubble, etc.

I kept thinking they need to shave his head. Otherwise, he just looks too much like Max. As a guy who really loved the Michael/Maria ship back in the day, it kind of sucks that it won't happen here, but it would be interesting if Michael's bisexual and not just a closetcase. Of course bi men aren't really allowed to exist on TV so they'll probably just make him gay.

It worked for me. Not as much as the 1999 pilot did ("Crash" was so incredible) but I thought they did a good set-up, clunky racism exposition aside. And the characterizations did mostly feel right. Nathan Parsons got the sad puppy dog eyes down pat!

It's still kind of weird for me that the CW rebooted a show that only went for 2 seasons on the WB and 1 season on UPN, but alright. (I think I only watched a few episodes of that last season but I was a pretty faithful viewer for the first two.)

[Jenniferbug]

I liked it a lot, but it was tough not to compare to the original series (having never read the books, personally). It did make me go on Amazon to replace my DVDs of the original series that were loaned out and never returned years ago. 

I think it has potential. I will miss Michael/Maria, and as much as I like Tyler Blackburn, I would have liked to see him more like nerdy Alex. He can play goofy and sweet, so maybe he'll get the chance here. 

I hope we get a little more backstory on why Michael is such a mess and was in foster care. The original show made it clear he hid and so wasn't found at the same time as Max and Isabel, but here they were all found together so strange that 2 would be adopted together but a 3rd wouldn't find a permanent home. 

Was Nasedo in the books? The way Manes (?) was talking to Kyle made it sound that some alien got off that ship alive and was going around leaving handprints on people. 

The weakest part for me was Isabel, but she was weak for me in the original series so not a surprise. Interesting that she's already married in this series. 

I'm hoping Maria gets more to do in the future. She was fun in the small glimpses we got of her. 

[shapeshifter]

17 hours ago, Melina22 said:

Could Casting not have found at least a couple of fun, likeable actors? Most of all, I want some humour. Not a steady stream of jokes, just a touch of it, even if there's just one character that always makes me smile. So far I'm not seeing that. 

I too have a comic relief requirement. Original Alex was good for that, but all of the original characters at least made wise cracks once in a while.
I guess there's some hope, like when:

15 hours ago, phoenics said:

Kyle was semi-recognizable because he's all "use me" with Liz (lol)

--but I think that was all.

 

12 hours ago, kirkola said:

Well the nail polish remover is less awesome than it was in my head.  I guess I will stick with my head cannon of: some weird concoction that they mix together and store in empty (& well cleaned) nail polish remover bottles, so that humans don't accidentally drink it. 

I wish the writers would do this^ because:

12 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

For the nail polish remover they should really put up a disclaimer because people are really, really dumb today. 

I wonder if it's too late to tweet your idea, @kirkola, to the show runner. And not just for safety reasons. It's so much more interesting! And there could be a humorous bit with somebody trying to use it as nail polish remover.

 

16 hours ago, phoenics said:

The showrunner tweeted back to a fan that there would be NO TESS because she's not from the books.  That doesn't mean that she won't make up another alien character to be a Max/Liz interloper.  But in the books, there never was a character like that - except for Michael I think (I forget if she was alien though).

But there won't be a Tess on this show (Tess was owned by Fox for the 1999 show anyway, so this show wouldn't have the rights to her).

I deTessted (hated) Tess. I kept hoping she would go away. But then my 20s and 30s were populated by more ex-girlfriends showing up than I can count--always after I'd slept with the guy. So I just hate all triangles on TV. But I guess it is likely. *sigh*

 

8 hours ago, Jenniferbug said:

Was Nasedo in the books? The way Manes (?) was talking to Kyle made it sound that some alien got off that ship alive and was going around leaving handprints on people.

I'm here  heh.  (My screen name has been shapeshifter since the FanForum Roswell board in the late 90s.)

Edited January 17, 2019 by shapeshifter

[Sakura12]

I decided to watch the original pilot again and it was still way better. The stakes were higher with the diner being crowded and Sheriff Valenti being suspicious. They all had much more reason to be worried about being discovered. And it was just much more interesting. This new show's pilot was boring in comparison.  The actors did have more chemistry as well. 

[ellieart]

10 hours ago, Sakura12 said:

This more recent interview says otherwise.

https://hiddenremote.com/2018/10/31/roswell-new-mexico-carina-adly-mackenzie/

 

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There’s one Easter egg in the Roswell reboot’s sixth episode. Tess will be mentioned. It’s a name drop from what Carina said during the NYCC roundtable interview, but it’s better than nothing right?

They can name drop her, because to the casual viewer, it's just a name and to an OG viewer, it's an easter egg.  But they can't use the actual character ever.