As the town prepares for the UFO Emporium re-opening gala, Liz and the team find themselves on a collision course with an unlikely enemy.
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. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of The CW's Roswell, New Mexico.
"Champagne Supernova" was written by Adam Lash & Cori Uchida and directed by Edward Ornelas
The drama only recently revealed that there is a fourth alien in Roswell who is actually a serial killer with the power to take over people's minds. That's what truly happened the night Rosa died. Someone else was controlling Isobel when it happened. She was blacking out after exerting her powers. That left her vulnerable for take over by this other alien threat she didn't even know existed. And now, the show is already unmasking who the fourth alien is. That's a remarkable turn of events. It happens shortly after the investigation began in earnest. That accelerated pacing is very appreciated after a sluggish start to the season that delayed telling the truth about what happened to Rosa for far too long. Of course, this episode also presents as one character in the ensemble immediately becoming more noticeable and essential after making the turn into a villain. It's a character trope that has been very effective on many other shows over the years. It's simply more fun and entertaining to play the bad guy. As a charming, nice guy, it's difficult to stand out when that character isn't also the lead of the science fiction show. And so, Noah is revealed to be the fourth alien. Before this point in the season, he was completely inessential. He wasn't a necessary component of the human drama happening in this town. His marriage to Isobel wasn't even developed well. There was the sense that love was there. But that was more something that Isobel continually told people instead of the audience actually seeing it and investing in it. It was simply more important to see the bond amongst Max, Isobel and Michael. They are alien siblings who have relied on each other for their entire lives. They have been emotionally stunted in so many ways because of the deceit and destruction perpetrated by this other alien. Isobel didn't suspect that her husband was not human and also cheating on her. She thought it was completely innocent and loving. She is no longer in control of her body though. Everyone is starting to notice how he has been manipulating things from the sidelines this whole time. Of course, the show has one last misdirect before making this big revelation. Because of a tip from Wyatt Long, Max and Jenna look at Maria with suspicion. She was never going to be the fourth alien though because the audience already knew that the alien doing this was a man. That information was already known because of the last vision that Isobel had about the night she killed Rosa. And so, that sucks the tension out of the first half of this episode quite a bit. The show understands that too. That's probably why it opens with that mysterious tease of what's to occur during this gala in town. It all ends with Isobel pointing a gun at Max for some reason. There is the sense that all of this will end in tragedy sooner rather than later. It's just much more effective once Noah is outed as being the true villain all along. That's what gives this hour purpose. Sure, it's nice to spend time with Max and Michael in the bunker finally talking as brothers who care about each other. But that's mostly just to keep them distracted while Liz, Isobel and Jenna are working the gala to learn as much information as they can. Plus, Noah is captured by the end of this hour. That ensures that more answers will be forthcoming soon as well.
