Roswell, New Mexico recap: 8 takeaways from Season 1, Episode 12

4. Max, Isobel, and Michael may be from a royal bloodline.

It is the implication given during the interrogation scene between Isobel/Max and Noah. While Noah is relatively tight-lipped on the truth about their origins, seeing as it is the only leverage he has, certainly phrases and word choices make it apparent what the reality is.

Why were Michael, Max, and Isobel protected from their supposedly war-torn planet? Why were they cared for above all others? Why were they not left to suffer and instead able to seek refuge unlike aliens such as Noah? It would seem, because they are of a powerful lineage. This would correspond with the Roswell High novels as well.

3. An alien may have caused Jim Valenti’s death.

One of the discoveries in Caulfield is an alien that has the ability to cause a rapid cancer in anything it comes into contact with. Kyle learns that one human did interact with said alien and it was likely his father. This is the alien Jim directed him to in cell N-38. Initially, Kyle’s reaction is, yeah well, my dad was essentially a horrible, evil scientist who tortured living beings for decades for his own gain and therefore deserved what happened to him.

But by episode’s end, Kyle is beginning to consider his dad could have been right. What if aliens are killers and the good ones are the exception to the rule? I mean we could say the same thing about human beings too, couldn’t we? Kyle please don’t go down this road I really like you.

2. Michael’s mother is dead.

As if discovering an evil testing lab in your hometown isn’t bad enough, Michael is forced to watch his mother die after having spent years searching for her. It’s a devastating scene when Michael realizes he recognizes one of the aliens in the cells. He can’t quite figure out who she is until it’s too late.

He inadvertently triggers the building’s alarm which then causes the immediate back-up plan to activate. Caulfield is set to blow up within moments. Alex tries to get Michael to run with him but he is unwilling to leave his newly discovered mother behind (shout out to Kayla Ewell who has a cameo here of the younger version of Michael’s mother as he recognizes her through flashback).

All I have to ask is, WHY WRITERS WHY?! As if it wasn’t bad enough seeing Michael tell Alex he doesn’t love him and a teary-eyed Tyler Blackburn exclaim he’s a “miserable liar” we then had to witness Michael say goodbye to his mom after barely getting to say goodbye. She implores him to run and the trio just barely escape before all of Caulfield is reduced to ash and rubble. What a rough episode. Those poor aliens never stood a chance.

1. Max and Michael do not agree on how to handle Noah.

Well the penultimate episode ends with a good old-fashioned alien-cowboy stand-off. Those are a thing, right? It’s the vibe I got anyways when Michael and Max were facing off outside the room Noah was wasting away in. Michael in his stylish black cowboy hat (he’s the only guy who can pull off a cowboy hat that well, us bisexuals are a powerful folk).

Max pulls his gun on Michael after Michael Jedi mind-tricks the antidote out of his pocket and is ready to use it on Noah to get the answers he’s so desperately sought for all this time. Who will come out on top? I have a feeling Michael is going to succeed in saving Noah, at least temporarily. It’s better for the story to continue that conflict and to find out the real truth about our main characters. But might this conflict do permanent damage to Michael and Max’s relationship?

Odds & Ends

• The face Alex gives Kyle when he claims “he’s never seen Star Trek” was priceless.
• Noah gets to rock a little post-pod couture when the gang shoves him back in his gala tuxedo. I had to laugh.
• You mean to tell me there was only two people manning that entire prison? Michael and some random girl who exists just to give us exposition on a cell patient?
• Aliens become stronger when they kill. A note that I think will be important to remember later on.

The season finale of Roswell, New Mexico premieres April 23 at 9/8c on The CW.