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Roswell, New Mexico: Bittersweet Symphony

“Nothing’s ever what it seems.”

This episode felt like a thousand-piece puzzle. And each member of our little band retreated to solve their own corner of it. Liz to find out who dug up Jones’ sword, Isobel to find out what happened to Maria, Michael to find out about the mysterious explosion, and Alex to unknowingly connect the sections into a complete frame.

Then there’s Jones.

Jones may not be the villain of the piece, but he certainly has an agenda. As much as he wanted to heal Max, he had no problem sidelining Max and stealing his identity when it served Jones’ purpose. So just what is Jones after and what does it have to do with Maria? It can’t just be about the sword, can it?

That said, Jones seems to have a code. He has no problem killing people he considers evil, but not people who are just in his way. After all, he didn’t kill Maria, just removed her from the equation. Any bets on which category Sheriff Taylor falls into?

So, Rosa has been wearing the necklace of protection. Which she gives up to save what’s left of Maria’s mind. We can now add ultrasonic hearing to Rosa’s electrical abilities. Did her power increase with her sobriety, or did she not realize its full extent while she was high? Just for the record, I think Isobel was grasping at straws when she said Rosa was the alien Mimi was referring to, but I’m glad she was right. Now the question is if seeing Maria’s memory will free her from whatever Jones did?

Liz is having second thoughts about leaving Genoryx. She may not have wanted Big Brother looking over her shoulder. But having a suite of state-of-the-art toys at her fingertips came in handy. Now she’s reduced to relying on Alex and his shady new job.

It turns out Deep Sky is just as shady as we suspected. Eduardo’s relationship to Kyle might have been a surprise, as was the other radio. Eduardo being a known terrorist, not so much. Although, as smart as Alex is supposed to be, shouldn’t he have done that search as soon as they offered him the job? He knew he was walking into a viper’s nest. He should have known he could get bit. At least he had enough presence of mind to keep Michael away.

Unfortunately, blowing Michael off the way he did may have led Michael straight to Deep Sky. If so, we’re about to find out how true Eduardo’s speech is about creating a different narrative. Considering he’s already pulled a gun on Alex, do we really need to wonder?

I feel like I should have known Jones was posing as Max from the moment he fixed the DNA machine. I remember thinking Max usually short circuits electronics; he doesn’t repair them. However, it wasn’t until I re-watched the episode that I could see how Jones seemed to know only the aspects of Max’s life someone on the outside could learn. He didn’t know the details of someone who’d lived it.

Let me see if I can get this straight. Two men in masks, I presume the ones Jones just killed, were beating up Kyle when Maria arrived. She gave him adrenalin since he wasn’t breathing. Kyle woke up and turned the radio on, which sent it flying out the window towards its twin. Presumably he goes off in search of it. Eduardo, realizing that the bats were homing in on the radio and not the Lockhart Machine, goes out to investigate. Was he the one to attack Maria?

Meanwhile, there’s an alien explosion that Max goes to investigate, which was Jones somehow escaping the pod. He overpowers Max and takes his place. Did whatever message Kyle send, wake Jones up?

What I don’t understand is how any of that led to the sword. Because somehow, Kyle, Eduardo, and our two bad men all found it. Eduardo got hit with the shovel in the tussle. The two bad men walked away with the sword and third-degree burns. And Kyle is missing.

Maria succeeded in changing the future, but I’m not sure this one is any better. Maria’s funeral vision was replaced with Kyle’s disappearance and Maria in an alien induced coma. Not to mention Jones wandering around with a gun, an off-brand light saber, and Max’s face. What could possibly go wrong?

4.5 out of 5 Alien Ear Muffs

Parting Thoughts:

The Verve released Bitter Sweet Symphony in 1997.

A sword that’s coded to a specific DNA? That could come in handy.

Quotes:

Eduardo: “Careful, kid. You’re manhandling a deep state conspiracy.”

Isobel: “Come on, Lady. You can’t ghost your own party.”

Michael: “Please don’t tell me that someone is walking around Roswell right now with the off-brand light saber.”

Isobel: “Listen. Alien puberty is rough. Your body is changing in beautiful and unexpected ways.”
Rosa: “No. Don’t Judy Blume me right now.”

Sanders: “You’re so busy beating yourself up for yourself up for yesterday you can’t focus on what happened today.”

Taylor: “Whatever you think of me, Deputy, let’s get one thing straight. I’m a good cop, and I know when someone’s lying.”

Isobel: “Life never gets easier. We just get stronger.”

Eduardo: “You’re making something out of nothing.”
Alex: “I really wish I was.”

Jones: “Let’s go find ourselves some bad men.”

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

3 comments:

  1. I feel like I should have known it was Jones, too. But I didn't. :)

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  2. Excellent episode.. man they pack a lot into them.

    "Liberal Scum" was written rather neatly. Is that even a real insult?

    ReplyDelete
  3. Eduardo seems too intense and serious for the typical villain on this show (remember that "focused" shithead, Flint?). And the fact that he's considered a terrorist under [CURRENT YEAR] might be a point in his favor, unless I missed something that reveals the evil nature of it. But Alex seemed very broad with it... I hope he's more like Jesse but less abusive and with a more agreeable interest in aliens.

    ReplyDelete

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