Roswell

I once heard that when "Bonnie and Clyde" was first released, the reviewer for Newsweek savaged the film. Then, a week later, he saw it again and wrote a new review saying it was one of the landmark films of its era.

So, ok, I can be wrong, too. I was a Roswell fan from the start, but feared they were heading off in a very wrong direction in year two of this show, concentrating too much on sci-fi and action at the expense of what made the show great in the first place, characterization.

It turns out, none of my dire predictions have come true. The show has featured more sci fi action and a lot less about life in high school. But both of those moves have proved well advised and neither has hurt the show's quality.

Roswell continues to be a show about characterization. We have actually seen the characters taken to new places in this second season and I salute the writers/producers, directors and the cast for being able to do this.

Special praise should also go to the show's young actors and actresses. This season the talented Katherine Heigl, who plays Isabel, has been given some break out episodes and she has not wasted a single "moment." Her performance in the most recent episode, playing a duel role of both a good and bad version of Isabel, was absolutely brilliant. She may have lifted a little of her "bad girl" mannerisms from Angelina Jolie, but she's not a bad person to steal from since she has rather perfected the tough girl personna.

And of course, Shiri Appleby continues to astound, delivering some almost heart breaking performances as the girl dumping the guy she loves for his own good.

But again, hats off to the writers and producers for coming up with some very strong story lines, and even some cleaver tricks, like the "Summer of '47," episode and the current two-part episode featuring the four "evil" alien duplicates. Giving talented young actors the chance to play different roles on the same show is a master stroke which keeps it interesting.

Well done one and all!

This interesting story of extraterrestrial alienation is a fascinating metaphor of teen angst -- a topic that has often been treated in movies and on TV, but here it is offered with new and insightful perspective.

The show is a way to symbolize common human fears in an imaginative parable. Issues that are woven into the story line include not knowing who you are, the experience of being a foster child, keeping secrets from parents and other authority figures, the danger of making close personal connections with others, and the isolation of being in or from one's own strange world.

ROSWELL is a clever idea with a fresh, interesting young cast. The show is an imaginative cross between, on the one hand, THE X-FILES and THE FUGITIVE, and, on the other, the odd perspective of ALF and THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN. This is an excellent show in a time when too many shows are carbon-copies or silly assembly-line junk. I give the show an A+.

Firstly, I watched Roswell (or Roswell High, as it was called in the U. K.) when I was a child and greatly enjoyed it. After having not seen it for over twenty years, I recently became curious to see as to whether my memories of the show's quality were exaggerated by the passing of time and nostalgia or whether they held some merit and a place in reality. I am glad to say that Roswell, for at least its first series, is everything I remember it being, in a good way.

Produced at the very end of the 1990's, a golden decade for the long form syndicated T. V. drama, it is perhaps not too surprising that Roswell is probably best described as a direct and blatant cross-pollination between 'The X-Files' and 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer', arguably the two most iconic and influential T. V. dramas of the decade in question. The first series harbours all of the mystery, paranoia, conspiracy and extra-terrestrial intrigue of the early series of The X-Files while combining it, in surprisingly effective fashion, with the tasteful but tragic romance between a young female protagonist and a man not of her world, a motif that itself sat at the very core of the early series of Buffy.

I should note that teen dramas aren't really my thing and haven't been for a long time, but the main romantic plot in Roswell is undoubtedly compelling. The chemistry between the two leading actors is undeniable and some skilful writing alongside an abundant supply of adolescent charm help the love story to very often elevate into a place of the sublime and profound that not only excels beyond the expected limitations of a 1990's teen drama but that also goes far beyond any romantic portrayal on television in the modern day (this review dated February, 2022). I simply do not see romance or sacred love so well or patiently constructed in modern television or cinema anymore as I see it in the first series of Roswell. I am not really sure why that's the case or as to when that change occurred but it's a breath of fresh air to get back to a show that at least tries to confront the reality of love and its consequences rather than painting it as an old-fashioned inconvenience, worthy only of ridicule and ultimate dismissal in the wake of cheaper forms of drama.

I am really not too sure what was happening in the U. S. television industry at the turn of the millennium. Perhaps there was a general feeling of 'out with the old, in with the new' which led to an emphasis on finding shows fit for the 21st Century at the detriment of shows already in existence. Regardless, I am well aware that most top tier U. S. television shows saw a drastic decline in quality in the year 2000 and that while a number of those shows have continued on for some time in a lesser form of existence, namely 'The Simpsons' and for some time, a decent but uneven final few series of Buffy, many other shows, such as The X-Files would never be able to recover in form and would ultimately decline further into cancellation. Unfortunately, Roswell belongs to that latter group of television shows.

The rot is clear to see even by the end of the first series in which a new character is introduced who is neither likeable nor interesting and whose very presence badly disrupts a very well-constructed core group dynamic. Furthermore, the second series makes a rather bizarre and perverse effort to separate the two romantic leads, an act that damages the narrative and the integrity of its characters badly. Characters have their intentions and allegiances reshuffled, leading them to feel inconsistent and shallow in a way that they did not in the first series. Added to that, the protagonists seem to go missing for numerous episodes at a time. Altogether, it paints the picture of a show that is increasingly unfocused and at odds with itself while running out of ideas and chasing all the wrong ones.

In summary, the first series of Roswell is a criminally underrated and enjoyable drama of its time with charismatic performances from its principal cast, an honest and heartfelt love story that is hard not to root for and a complex but sympathetic antagonist in the form of William Sadler's Sheriff Valenti.

It was good while it lasted.

Never been a fan of Katherine Heigl, but she was ok in this. Such a shame though that we have not seen much of Jason Behr in anything much else. Handsome, intelligent actor that nobody seems to want.

Normally I do not get so pathetically obsessed with things, but what can I say -- Roswell was and is by far my favourite show ever made. It had angst without being too teen-y, it had passion, idealism and realism, and a compelling storyline. The setting was superb, the plots were for the most part perfect (I have to admit, Season 3 was a bit of a disappointment after Seasons 1 & 2, but not enough to make me stop watching), and the acting was great. A teen show like Dawson's Creek, or Buffy for that matter (I still can't understand why so many people like it -- ick), cannot hold a candle to Roswell. It's unfortunate that it had to end, but all good things usually do before their time.

As for the comment about Katims not being able to pull off sci-fi -- puh-lease. The best sci-fi is that which is realistic enough and embedded enough in everyday life that it is believable. The best thing Katims did was not make it tacky, as-if sci-fi.

There are shows from your past that you thought were sensational (as a kid or teen), and then see them as an adult and wonder, "What was I on?" But watching Roswell as an adult, I can honestly say that it will likely remain my favourite show for a long, long time, considering the kind of mindless crap coming out of Hollywood these days. I love the show so much that even I, a poor pharmacology grad student, made an effort to tape reruns of Season 1, had the foresight to tape Season 3 (even if it was sub-par for the show), and after the Space station here in Canada stopped the reruns, paid way too much for Season 2 on VCD, just so I can watch it whenever I want, whenever the current lineup on TV gets me down. I honestly think that if more of the population had an open mind to realistic sci-fi, and if Roswell had received more publicity (esp. considering how much is devoted to Buffy, an inferior show), the show could have went on much longer, and maybe Season 3 would have been up to par.

I HIGHLY recommend this show, for everyone.