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Roswell, New Mexico: Walk on the Ocean

"It’s the accidents that change the course of our lives."

The above is true. Depending on how you define accidents. If we start with the “accidental” crash in ’47, then the course of everyone’s life in Roswell has been changed. The more interesting question is what our little band of misfits does when faced with those accidents.

Before Wyatt’s sister Kate died, he and Rosa had been friends. But Kate’s death turned Wyatt into a hatred-spewing jackass. Now that his memories of that pain and anger are gone, his feelings for Rosa have rekindled. I suspect he intends to ask “Rosalinda” on his self-discovery tour. I wonder if she’ll say yes. There’s also the possibility he’ll be accused of the crime his ex-friend committed. It would be one more thing he and Rosa have in common. At least he can clear his name.

Max accidentally left Liz with another handprint. This time, it seems to have forged more than just an emotional connection to Max. Her dream seemed more prophetic than abstract. Despite my horribly mixed metaphor, the dream appears to be the wake-up call Liz needed. Her research is based on alien DNA, even if it isn’t Max’s. She can’t afford for Genoryx to come anywhere near her results.

Then there’s Heath. I want to trust him. But that could just be the actor’s role on The Originals talking. Here, he seems just a tad too perfect. Heath always knows the right thing to say and is willing to follow Liz’s hair-brained schemes at the risk of his career. That’s a lot to put on the line for two dates and a roll in the hay. The idea that she’s unconscious and alone with him with a glowing handprint on her chest fills me with dread, even if his intentions are honorable.

Liz’s dream may have come unbidden, but Maria and Izzy sought theirs out in the hope of seeing the rest of Maria’s vision. In my opinion, this was the weakest part of the episode. Ostensibly, the dreamscape existed to force Maria and Izzy to come to terms with the emotional baggage they’ve been hiding away. However, what could have been a cathartic experience felt more like filler. We already knew about the Max and Jones, we didn’t care about Izzy’s dojo for girls, and Maria and Isobel’s family drama was resolved far too easily once you realize Maria’s been stewing about it for over a year.

How do you solve the problem of Mr. Jones? Even if memories can’t be lies, they can be cherry-picked. Who’s to say that Jones hasn’t pieced together a very specific sequence of events. Or, if we’re being charitable, we could wonder if his version of events is accurate. How much does he actually know about Nora and Louise’s intentions? The fact he’s quoted them multiple times makes me think there’s more to their relationship than we know. That said, Lucky the dog likes him. Even after Jones shot him. I put a lot of store in the opinions of animals. Plus, Isobel thinks Jones feels like family, but that could be a fellow alien vibe.

All evidence suggests Jones wants to save Max. Whether that is because he has parental feelings towards Max or because his existence is tied to Max’s, I’m not quite sure. What we do know is that after a shower and shave and a good snoop into Max’s life, Jones waited for Max and Michael to find him. He willingly went back into a cage while they decide if they’ll let him heal Max. Jones must be pretty confident they won’t opt for just taking his heart.

I guess Alex’s comments had their intended effect. Michael no longer believes he’s destined to follow in his father’s footsteps, even if he feels the need to repair the damage his father caused. He just doesn’t know how. The war his father is waging is on a planet Michael can’t get to. And if he could, there’s no guarantee that there is a war left to win. This is why he took his frustrations out on Kyle.

Speaking of Kyle, in a classic case of “Do as I say and not as I do” both Kyle’s parents warned Kyle that the Valentis had sacrificed enough for Roswell, and he should consider moving on. Kyle, being a product of those parents, did not listen. Even when Michael agreed with Valenti Sr.’s message, Kyle refused to turn his back on the people who needed him. Not the aliens from a distant planet or the ones from south of the border.

Who’d have thought his concern for the latter would threaten his life? I’m not even sure why it happened. Jordan seemed pretty confident that the new Sheriff’s politics and being the Mayor’s son would protect him no matter what Kyle said. And can we pause for just a moment to reflect on Jordan’s comment about Kyle being one of the good ones? I’ve been the recipient of those “compliments” before and it never ceases to fill me with anger and shame in equal measure. I’m not surprised Kyle lost his temper.

What I don’t understand is why would our band of misfits cover it up? Should Valenti die, it wasn’t extraterrestrial. Why should they protect Jordan? The only reason I can think of is that they believe the killer is a little closer to home. But that will only matter if Kyle is truly dead.

This wasn’t a horrible episode, but it’s my least favorite this season. The stakes felt oddly low in light of Kyle’s impending death. If this is his swan song, he deserved better.

3 out of 5 White Rabbits

Parting Thoughts:

This episode was named after Toad the Wet Sprocket’s 1991 release. It was playing during Liz’s dream.

Mr. Jones now knows about Noah. You know that’s going to mean something later on.

The radio is a transmitter and a receiver. That’s going to come back again too.

We’ve been waiting for the Alighting for two seasons now. Will we actually find out what the hell it is?

Maria’s dream: Someone in an alien mask. Michael working with alien glass. Rosa spray painting a green spaceship on the pool table. Jordan and Zeke harassing Bert. A nurse in a mask about to give a mighty big shot to a woman, Wyatt shooting an empty gun, a doctor looking at a brain scan. Max and Jones playing pool and the pool balls becoming the three-pronged alien shape. Kyle playing with the radio his father left for him, and Nora and Bronson dancing.

Michael taking Kyle’s hand off his shoulder, made me laugh.

Quotes:

Maria: “Okay, but one snarky comment out of you, and I’m conjuring up some big bodyguards to haul you away.”
Isobel: “They better be hot, though.”

Isobel: “You have got to be scrooging with me.”

Kyle: “I am all stocked up on stubborn.”

Liz: “I spent so much time trying to convince these people that I belong here, and I... I haven’t asked myself if this is where I’m supposed to be.”

Jim Valenti: “Ever since the crash of ‘47, our family has chosen to protect the Others. It seemed like the right decision to protect those who were persecuted for being different. But it wasn’t. Not for your grandfather. Not for me. Walk away, Kyle, because the alternative is a sacrifice no more Valentis should make."

Kyle: “Sorry for making a mess of Guerin Grotto.”
Michael: “First of all, it’s a lair.”

Kyle: “I don’t think I can look my kids in the eye and tell them I walked away from this.”

Rosa: “Sometimes flowers grow through cracks in the cement.”

Maria: “And of course you would keep that to yourself.”
Isobel: “It was kind of an alien thing.”
Maria: “I am an alien... ish.”

Jones: “You know, when you keep things locked up, you create monsters.”

Rosa: “If people can’t change, if we can’t become who we want to be, then...what is the point of any of this?”

Shari loves sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, and anything with a cape.

6 comments:

  1. The beard is finally gone! Yay! And I was so glad that Jones healed and essentially adopted that dog. It made him so much more sympathetic.

    I am also enjoying the Rosa and Wyatt thing. It's touching.

    And I think I liked the long vision sequence more than you did, Shari.

    No! I *really* don't want to lose Kyle, especially after the reminders of what a good person he is. I don't know why I like Michael Trevino's Kyle so much more than his character on The Vampire Diaries, but I do.

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  2. I don't want Kyle to die either. He's my fave.He deserves so much for his kind heart.

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  3. Kyle was a spoiled bully who wanted to be a doctor because it was a good way to pick up women and it would make his dad happy. But somewhere down the line he discovered he actually wanted to help people. That he needed to do it, no matter the cost.

    The Powers That Be took pains to redeem Kyle in a way they never did with Tyler Lockwood. They may have done it to make his death hurt more. But I'm hoping that if he has to die it's for something more impactful than this.

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  4. I am assuming the dog bit was a set-up, because we know Jones can heal Kyle. Or maybe I'm just hoping.

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  5. My God, I didn't even think of that. I hope you're right.

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  6. It's like you said, despite all the sappy-ass praise and positive reinforcement going around the trio just won't freaking gel as a cohesive unit (of course you said it a lot more politely). The problem with not letting them have proper conflicts with each other means the only option they have is to make them keep secrets from each other. How are they so pathological about it, though? Why can't they use their heads?
    Isabel's actress has a nice way of emoting. I liked her playful joy at seeing "their family trees kissing." I wish the character's name was swapped with Liz's though, I keep mixing them up with these new actors. The writers better have the good sense to keep Kyle around, and I don't mean just "alive but taken out of the action." Do that with Alex. Turning subtext into text with him and Michael as the endgame reduced any fleeting concern I have for either of their survivals in this whole "incoming death" hype. Whatever Kyle's subplots and Liz's are involved with are the only stories I can follow at this point (Liz putting the aliens at risk of exposure with the DNA experimenting is an example of a good, balanced conflict imo). I'll be honest I'm completely unapologetic about Liz's actions there. She's doing it for the betterment of mankind, a better motivation than Michael's dramatic hang-ups that makes him use his powers in shockingly public ways. I will defend her actions.
    I don't mind the leaning on backstory exposition but the politics of it quickly confused me already lol and now I don't really understand what's going on with Jones and the alien ladies. There's no way to adequately flesh them out as supposed intel from Jones so I'm stuck just waiting for the show to reveal the last twist that'll show which one(s) is the good guy. Even your recap is too hard to follow on that stuff, but it's 100% a me problem. I didn't really like this stuff on the og Roswell either, with the Royal Four and such. Especially on this show, where the trio have their hands more than full with each other, I get frustrated with the show thinking it's a good time to have Alex branch off and introducing a doppelganger father figure.

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