Roswell - Season One Discussion Thread #2

**naturellebella** · 10-18-2008, 07:36 PM

Season One Discussion Thread#2

Well, let's continue on with our discussions about Season 1!

zfehrian · 10-19-2008, 12:20 PM

Thanks for the new thread

What's you're favorite episode of Season 1, why?

**Blackened Sky** · 10-19-2008, 02:20 PM

Blind date, I love Max/Kyle actions, drunk Max, "what's so great about normal", Liz's black dress, Maria/Alex scenes and Maria's song in the end. Everything about this episode was so great

**naturellebella** · 10-19-2008, 02:34 PM

Hmm, It's hard to choose! I definitely love the Pilot, Blind Date and Sexual Healings. The Pilot is the start of evening amazing. Not every show has an amazing pilot but I think Roswell really did. I love that Max saved Liz because "It was you" and he sacrificed everything for her, even his own safety. The interactions b\w Liz and Maria were pretty funny and I always enjoyed the Trio even though they were way more shut off in that episode.

Blind Date for everything that Shiri said and especially for Drunk Max and Kyle because omgosh so funny! and it made me like Kyle, which I didn't think possible and I'm glad they fleshed him out some more in Season 2 because he's awesome now.

Sexual Healings because so many make-out session with the dreamers lol and even just the sweet moments like "I didn't think anyone could feel that way about me" that Max said to Liz and them sleeping in the desert. I also love the very last scene between them very much. I LOVE THEM! Okay

and I'm glad Michael\Maria had a nice scene near the end too. OOO and Isabel\Alex kiss. He so wanted some more kisses with her

zfehrian · 10-20-2008, 02:10 PM

What character stood out most in the season for you?

Jasper1975 · 10-20-2008, 08:24 PM

I think it was both Max and Liz right away. The pilot was amazing. The uniqueness of it all. With the underline idea that high school is truly a foreign land for most people. There are the popular kids but also you have the outsiders. Which Max, Michael and even Isabel belonged to. Although we were lead to believe Isabel was popular...only when it got complicated in the alien choas that she started to close herself off from friends and become isolated within the group.

From Season 1. My favorite episode by far is Sexual Healing. But the PILOT, Blind Date, Independence Day and Heat Wave are definately in the top 5.

Blind Date was all out hilarious with drunken Max and Kyle. A little example of friendship between the two despite everything with Liz. I also loved the Max and Liz moments.

I liked Independance Day because it was the first episode where I really took notice of Michael and Maria as a couple and sorta began to root for them.

Heat Wave. Do I have to say it. Max and Liz's first kiss. God that was a hot episode.

Sexual Healing. No question, the all out passion that consummed Max and Liz. I was spoiled back then. So I was shocked when I sat in my living room and the kitchen scene came on in the first minute. WOW, so passionate.

Of course the pilot with Max saving Liz. And we began to see the implications that came with Max risking it all to save Liz.

Most of all, the character that stood out for me was Max and Liz as seperate characters. They got me rooting, and seeing that it wasn't easy in their different ways.

**Roswell 10/2/00** · 10-21-2008, 09:58 AM

Great new thread you bring up so many good points.

KenL · 10-23-2008, 12:09 PM

The Pilot episode was the hook for most Dreamers. I also liked Sexual Healing and Blind Date.

xmag · 10-24-2008, 09:09 AM

Quote:

The Pilot episode was the hook for most Dreamers.

Kind of like 285 south for the candies

.

Is there a moment in season 1 where you wished the writers had gone somewhere else?

Jasper1975 · 10-24-2008, 10:23 AM

For me, I wish Tess hadn't come to town. I don't think she was needed. Or if she had to come to show that Max, Michael and Isabel had a past on their old planet. She should have left after the intial few episodes. Other than that, I wish they had gone with more realistic drama once Sexual Healing happened and Max and Liz amped up their relationship full speed. We never saw the outcome of them going into the Crashdown and face down with the parents. The parents went back to being oblivious and Max and Liz went downhill due to the angst.

I wish the holligram of the mother of Max and Isabel had revealed Tess to be a liar. Although I grew to tolerate Tess for most of Season 2. I just felt she was needed.

So I think I would choose Tess never coming or leaving after her first batch of episodes. She did what she needed to do, cause angst for Max and Liz. She didn't need to stay. And I would have had the parents come to their senses about their children's travels earlier than they did.

KenL · 10-26-2008, 12:56 PM

The main relationship of Roswell was the romantic relationship between Max and Liz. I think that after the writers established a romantic link between Max and Liz, they decided to introduce Tess as a protagonist that would test their relationship. As the same time Tess would allow them to place a greater emphasis on science fiction. I think the writers thought that two women competing for the affection of Max would attract better ratings. I think the Tess storyline was not well written. It last far too long and the way that Tess was written out of the series left a bad taste in the mouth for many fans of Roswell.

Jasper1975 · 10-26-2008, 08:25 PM

I think the initial storyline worked well; despite my hatred for Tess. Because Max needed to face his past. And see that there may have been someone he was mated with on his planet. And make the choice whether that woman had enough of him or was he truly committed to Liz. But it became clear that Max wanted Liz and only Liz and that is where it should have ended.

But they brought back Tess the next season; fine. And I tolerated her when it looked like they were pairing her with Kyle. Which made sense given Tess was residing with the Valenti's and she had a good spark with Kyle's wary early embrace to the new dynamic in his life.

They ruined it though when they brough Tess back into the Max and Liz drama. To top it off; they alienated a lot of people with the whole Kyle fiasco and the End of the World plot. It was crazy to begin with. It was just messy plot lines. I know Colin Hanks exit was engineered at the last minute so they needed a bad one. But they continue to say they always planned to make Tess a villian to have a betrayer in the midst. I guess looking back; it made sense. But they were plotting it all wrong; it made no sense in how it came across. I know they cut the episode order which meant they had to compress stories. So they were writing to make it come across and plus they weren't even sure they were coming back. So they had to leave enough that the show could closed off; if need be.

After the initial story in season 1. They should have let it die. Or paired Kyle and Tess together. Forget about the destiny crap. Because it loses something when they allowed Michael and Isabel to go about their lives and not abide by the destiny proclamation but Max had to follow it. But then in the end, he did. Because Tess was not his destiny. Liz was.

xmag · 10-27-2008, 10:03 AM

Quote:

After the initial story in season 1. They should have let it die. Or paired Kyle and Tess together. Forget about the destiny crap. Because it loses something when they allowed Michael and Isabel to go about their lives and not abide by the destiny proclamation but Max had to follow it.

I think that the reason why Michael and Isabel didn't follow Destiny was because they had been raised thinking that they were brother and sister. They said twice in the show that was what they felt for each other. But the moment the producers decided to keep Tess on the show, they went for the Destiny pairing with Max and Tess. Which didn't make a lot of sense, considering Max's feelings for Liz. I don't understand why the writers didn't go with the initial plan which was to make Tess Michael's sister. It would certainly would have been more interesting to develop Tess as someone who was raised by an alien, had turned into an alien, and then had to learn about her brother, who was in love with a human, while she didn't like humans.

Her growth would certainly would have been much more interesting to watch.

Jasper1975 · 10-27-2008, 11:00 AM

And it would have added something to the character of Michael. To have family. Given all his baggage. You saw how he sorta hung onto Laurie (although she was never mentioned again). So I think it could have worked. And if the ultimate plan was for Tess to go evil...imagine Michael dealing with having a family member as a betrayer.

So they should have gone with it; if they wanted to keep Tess as angst for Max and Liz. And potential villian.

Quote:

I think that the reason why Michael and Isabel didn't follow Destiny was because they had been raised thinking that they were brother and sister. They said twice in the show that was what they felt for each other.

True. Although there looked like the dreams got to Michael and Isabel and almost like they coulld have embraced the destiny; but they stepped back and Michael committed fully to his dysfunctional relationship with Maria. And Isabel dealt with her issues with Alex, then later Jesse.

I agree, it was probably because they grew up thinking of themselves as brother and sister. But the idea they could not follow it but Max and Tess had to. It didn't make sense. It was only to give Max and Liz more angst.

Quote:

would certainly would have been more interesting to develop Tess as someone who was raised by an alien, had turned into an alien, and then had to learn about her brother, who was in love with a human, while she didn't like humans.

I actually tolerated her when she looked like she was being paired with Kyle. She seemed to develop while living with the Valenti's. The only villainess part was how destructive her powers are. Which we saw evidenced in "Dupes" arc. The fireball. I don't recall the other aliens having such destructive powers. But then I don't think Max, Michael and Isabel has tapped into their full powers yet. Which is what I find interesting and slightly suspicous when I was reviewing my DVDs over the last few days. Max after being saved by Liz in the vison runs to find Tess only to find her alone. No Dupes in sight. No Nicholas. Where did they go?

So if they always intented for Tess to go bad; that episode could have been a clue.

But there were parts of Tess I liked. It looked like she was trying to fit in with Valenti's. Like how she stronged armed them into celebrating Christmas. So the idea that she was still holding onto packed made by Nasedo...is iffy. But then as soon as she went back into Max and Liz's drama; she lost me and I was celebrating when she was vanquished off the planet. And was gone for most of Season 3. And only showed up to present closure for the baby storyline.

They could have done alot of different thing. The struggles behind the scenes was obvious at times.

xmag · 10-29-2008, 10:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jasper1975 (View Post)

And it would have added something to the character of Michael. To have family. Given all his baggage. You saw how he sorta hung onto Laurie (although she was never mentioned again). So I think it could have worked. And if the ultimate plan was for Tess to go evil...imagine Michael dealing with having a family member as a betrayer.

So they should have gone with it; if they wanted to keep Tess as angst for Max and Liz. And potential villian.

I would have liked to see that. It's funny how it was mentioned at first that Tess was supposed to be Michael's sister, which was something the fans knew, but how it's never used in canon fics. Imagine if Tess, somewhere in season 2, learned the truth about being Michael's sister. The moral dilemna she would have been confronted to. IMO, lots of potential. I would like to read that in fanfics, too, but as I said, it's never used.