Trust is the watchword for the week. Can you trust your parents? Your lover? Employee? How about your own mind?
We begin with Mama Ortecho blowing into town and unearthing a mountain's worth of family dysfunction. A mother’s love should be absolute. Here we’re forced to ask if she returned to spend some quality time with her daughter before giving up her last tie to Roswell or to steal her mother-in-law’s ring? Then we’re forced to acknowledge the answer is both?
Helena is a walking contradiction. She allowed Rosa to steal her pills rather than admit to her drug problems. She also stole money from Liz’s piggybank to feed her habit. Yet her grief over Rosa’s lost potential and her pride in Liz’s accomplishments are real. You don’t cyber stalk people you don’t care about.
Even now, she casually sets off landmines, not knowing or caring about the damage she could cause. Why else would she bring up Liz’s former fiance in front of her new beau? Why claim it was her sacrifices and influence that pushed Liz to excel and her absence that saw Liz revert to a waitress with no prospects and a boyfriend in tow? An argument that collapses under its own weight considering Liz’s “greatness” came after Helena’s departure.
As for her gift, the sneakers were proof Helena saw and understood her teenaged daughter despite her addictions. Unfortunately, it also proves she will still trade on her daughter’s love to get what she wants. If Helena believed she was owed the ring for giving up her share of the diner, why not say so? Instead, her deception cut the last strand of trust Liz had for her.
Rosa’s trust issues with Helena stem from the belief she’s just like her. Her mom is mentally ill and so is she. Her mom is addicted to drugs and alcohol and so is she. Her newly acquired gifts only exacerbate these problems. Even when Rosa pulls back from her destructive impulses, she sets her mother’s car on fire.
If any part of Rosa believed she was the maker of her own fate, Liz may have snuffed it out. She told Rosa if Helena could get clean, Rosa could too. But Rosa knows Helena was spinning fairytales. And she has the oxy to prove it.
I’m happy Rosa has reconnected with her father. But this is a recipe for disaster. Rosa can’t get the help she needs as long as she’s stuck in Roswell, where everyone thinks she’s dead. Even if she didn’t need counseling, confining herself to the Crashdown or Max’s house can’t be healthy.
I wonder if the shared fear their mothers’ mental problems could become theirs is why Rosa and Maria became friends. Although the DeLuca family curse seems to be linked to their psychic abilities. Now that Maria’s abilities have morphed into visions, she wonders if the mental lapses are far behind.
It turns out that in Maria’s case, the mental illness may be man-made. Which leads Michael to the conclusion it can be reversed. The question is, does Maria want to reverse it? Is she willing to trade her sanity for superpowers? Does it have to be either or?
Rosa’s belief that Noah only preyed on the broken shakes Isobel hard-won confidence. Isobel wants to know if there’s a reason the childhood trauma the trio lived through caused her to have blackouts and not the others. For the first time she wants to know about her past.
She’s not the only one. Michael, who always believed he’d have to travel the stars to find his family, is finally at home. He’s in a loving relationship without any of the guilt and grief he and Alex shared. So of course he’d discover his girlfriend might suffer from a degenerative mental illness and that illness might stem from the same people who killed his mother. Needless to say, he wants answers.
Now that Max is alive and somewhat well, he’s eager for things to get back to normal. Sheriff Valenti has other ideas. At best, he abandoned his job, leaving her understaffed at a critical time. At worst, he used the cover of his office to commit murder. Given those givens, it’s surprising she allowed him back under any circumstances.
Then there’s the question of his heart. Max says he doesn’t mind being bossed around, but that isn’t quite true. He chafes under Liz’s constant concern. Especially since Michael is running a close second in the “you need to take it easy” category. He may have a heart condition. But what’s the point of living if he doesn’t have a life?
Not sure what Kyle sees in Steph. Their banter seemed flirtatious at first. Now it feels antagonistic. Has Steph taken a page out of Guerin’s book? Push them away before they can get close enough to hurt you? Why do I get the impression she is involved with the great alien conspiracy and not the damaged daughter of a successful doctor she appears to be? Kyle doesn’t seem to share my concerns.
Everyone’s trust issues, or lack thereof, aside, there are still many unanswered questions floating around Roswell. Where’s Cam? What happened at Caulfield? Who would chain a little boy to the ground? And why do I think the search for answers will bring our heroes nothing but grief?
4 out of 5 extrasensory appliance homicides
Parting Thoughts:
"Como La Flor" was a 1992 hit by Selena.
Project Shepherd shut down their super soldier experiments in the 70s? I’m willing to bet Travis disagrees.
If Maria’s down a bartender, who was running the bar while she and Michael were searching for Kyle?
Did anyone else wonder why Helena kept the box and gave back the ring?
Just for the record, there were multiple conversations about being aliens and murdering people in public. And no one was using their quiet voices.
Quotes:
Liz: “We have to figure out how to manage this. Your extrasensory appliance homicide is getting expensive.”
Liz: “I think we’re past the point of milkshake coping mechanisms.”
Arturo: “This might call for flan, then.”
Helena: “No dinner. No diner.”
Isobel: “Oh my God. He is like if the heart-eyes emoji and the cowboy hat emoji had a little emoji baby.”
Rosa: “Where is my red jacket? Did you borrow it while I was dead?”
Michael: “No friends-with-benefits discount?”
Maria: “Sorry, that Groupon expired.”
Kyle: “I’m starting to feel like you’re a ghost who only I can see.”
Liz: “Candles? Utensils that match? We are heading into a hostile negotiation. Eye on the prize, people.”
Helena: “Is she this bossy in the bedroom?”
Max: “I love how strong-willed she is, plus I kind of liked being bossed around...”
Liz: “Real mature. Keep it up and I’m going to drop you off at Area 51 myself.”
Rosa: “Blame your boyfriend for messing with my DNA.”
Isobel: “It’s not 2008. Only psychopaths call people now.” (Hey, what does that make me?)
Michael: “That’s my girl... Woman. Woman. Not mine. Your own. Sorry. I’m learning.”
Kyle: “I do have some good news. Maria, you are not an alien.”
Maria: “Thank you?”
Helena: “Michelle Valenti has no leads? Can’t say that I’m surprised. She was always the last to know.”
Liz: “Don’t come back. There’s nothing left for you here.”
Shari loves sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, and anything with a cape.
Helena is a terrible mother. Poor Rosa, poor Liz.
ReplyDeleteI hope Isobel will hookup with Kyle.
I agree with you. Helena's a horrible mother. But the sad part is that it doesn't mean she doesn't love her daughters.
ReplyDeleteI'd prefer Isobel over Steph but it looks like Izzy's more interested in exploring her bisexuality.
"Did anyone else wonder why Helena kept the box and gave back the ring?"
ReplyDeleteProbably a compromise of still keeping something that belonged to their abuelita that Max found agreeable.
Anyway to me it's not a good look for Max that he's this insistent on returning to his job without being fully recovered. Very irresponsible.
Please let Steph be a honeypot... I was relieved thinking they were going there with Kyle pointing out their convenient encounters at work. Hopefully he's reverse-honeypotting... but that's a reach. I'm astounded he kissed her.