The anniversary of Rosa's death reignites tensions as the town takes aim at Liz and her father, Arturo, for what happened on that fateful day 10 years ago. Max confronts Michael and Isobel, who are concerned that his feelings for Liz will expose their secret. Master Sergeant Manes' attempt to convince Kyle of the alien conspiracy in Roswell takes an unexpected turn. Liz and Kyle make a shocking revelation about Rosa's death.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. Premieres and finales may feature longer reviews. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of The CW's Roswell, New Mexico.
"So Much for the Afterglow" was written by Eva McKenna & Carina Adly MacKenzie and directed by Tim Andrew
This episode offers a better incentive for Liz to actually be staying in Roswell for a little while. The premiere was very fuzzy when it came to the actual details behind her return after 10 years. It was basically a mix of her research funding running out, her high school reunion and the anniversary of her sister's death. This episode even offers a new explanation in that she was running away from a fiancé in Denver. That may potentially offer up some more melodrama later on this season. It's certainly enough to leave Isobel and Michael worried that Liz will one day expose their secret as aliens. Liz may actually already be doing that here as well. She was so trusting of Max in the premiere because he saved her life. In doing so, that established a psychic link between the two. As such, the only real incentive to Liz staying in Roswell was to see if these romantic feelings were real between them or just one-sided as Max suggests because of his abilities. That's the back-and-forth of the storytelling in this hour. Liz relies on Max in order to have better clarity on the memories she has of her sister. She wants to find a way to forgive Rosa for what she did. She is searching for scientific clues while exploiting the abilities of a newly discovered alien. And yet, that only leads her to the revelation that something happened to Rosa. Her death wasn't an accident. That moment still holds so much pain throughout this community. Arturo's diner is still being vandalized every year because of the role Rosa's death played in the killing of another member in the community. Max isn't even able to keep that assailant behind bars for very long because of the connections of his wealthy and privileged family. That allows the seeds of racism to forever plant themselves in this community. That's terrifying to a family like the Ortecho's. Max is presenting himself as their white savior. Arturo even sees him as a hero. However, Max is all out of whack at the moment as well. Isobel and Michael can sense it. They know that he needs their help now more than ever. He shouldn't be relying on his obsessive feelings for Liz to be the calm through this emotional storm. Of course, he doesn't ultimately get to be with her either. Instead, he is blowing off steam through sex with his partner on the force. Liz is pushing away from him because she understands that aliens were involved in Rosa's death. That was a cryptic tease for the audience in the premiere. So, it's very fortunate that the lead character isn't kept in the dark for too long while being asked to fantasize about the romantic leading man. The show still has a lot of explaining to do that will further unravel the complicated personal dynamics of the past for these characters. Liz seems completely trusting of Kyle though. He is able to help her uncover the truth. However, it's also surprising to see just how open and understanding they are right away by assuming aliens are a part of this case. Kyle still has some sense of morality when Master Sergeant Manes reads him into the covert government operation happening in the town. Kyle may not trust that completely. The show still isn't being totally upfront with everything the government seems to be doing. They are buying up a lot of the land around the town and ruining Michael's life in the process. So, all of this creates a precarious sense of the future. Liz and Kyle may be working together. But that may not be a good thing because of the resources and the ways aliens will be painted as a result of the government research.
