Roswell, New Mexico Season 1 | Episode 13 “Recovering the Satellites” Review

Y’all… Y’ALL! What. A. Season. Finale! I’ll tell you what, the title of Roswell, New Mexico’s season finale being “Recovering the Satellites” is so fitting because I’m still recovering. I’m still not over it! There’s so much to discuss! My heart is still breaking for Michael Guerin. Noah’s still a sociopath. Max gets mad power. Kyle nearly loses it. The couples – Max and Liz, Alex-Michael-Maria, Noah and Isobel! The cliffhanger of all cliffhangers!

Let’s get to discussing all the things!

“The Savior”

The finale picks up right where episode 12 left off, with Max and Michael at odds over saving Noah. Michael tells Max about his mom. He needs more answers, but Max still refuses to let Noah live after what he did to Isobel. They get into a scuffle; the anecdote goes flying and Noah manages to break free. He shoves Max through a window after telekinetically toying with his organs and stabs Michael in the throat before making a run for it. He goes to The Crashdown first where Mr. Ortecho is asleep upstairs and Liz is making sweets for her and Max, but she traps Noah for a minute before he gets out and stabs her. Then her murders racist Hank and body-snatches Isobel to get her to bring him Max. I’m telling you; this guy is straight NUTSO! But why is he so obsessed with this family? Specifically, why is he targeting Max?

I’ll tell you why, according to Noah, Max is the chosen one of this group called the “Alighting” back on their war-torn planet. “You’re the savior,” he says, using biblical comparisons of aliens being miracle angels and whatnot. He explains that Max has powers he’s yet to harness, and once he does “unlock his mind”, he could be a god… the savior – (I really wasn’t feeling this depiction because of my own beliefs, but it does make for interesting storytelling). Noah’s expecting this group to come back, and he’ll offer Max up as a trade for getting a ride back to their home. Well, Max decides to use Noah’s own advice against him by literally harnessing the lightening from the storm, which makes him powerful enough to fry Noah! Yessss! However, power isn’t always a great thing to have, and it doesn’t take long for us to see the signs of Max being too high on this power. He’s juiced and advising a grieving Isobel and shocked Michael to stop looking in the past. He even grabs Michael’s hand and heals it against Michael’s pleas. Oh no, Max. This was not your call, buddy. Slow your roll. Too bad he doesn’t.

The Safe Landing

Michael Guerin is dealing with a lot, y’all. Okay, technically, they all are, but Michael’s stuff is particularly sad. All season his character focus has been all about him wanting to feel like he belongs. That’s why he’s wanted to go back to his home planet for years now because he’s never felt like he’s truly belonged in Roswell. Not with Alex, since he left for war. Not even with Max and Isobel. Then Alex came back, and things have been rocky for the pair, to say the least. Alex has consistently been the one to pull back when things get too serious or complicated. Now, though, he’s ready and waiting… literally. Unfortunately for him, Michael’s not anymore. He admits to Isobel that he loves Alex, and probably always will, but it just hurts too much. He knows everything now and his dad has always been a threat. There are just too many painful memories with Alex to separate the good from the bad. Every time Michael goes back to him, “it always feels like a crash landing.” Ugh! ☹

So, he goes to the person that feels safe. The person that doesn’t know his alien secrets – Maria. Now listen, I know some of you probably think this is wrong because Maria is Alex’s best friend, but the thing is, she tried. She’s tried to keep her distance from Michael ever since finding out about Alex, but those feelings are still there. As Liz reminds her, you can’t control your feelings and you shouldn’t feel guilty for things you can’t control. Is it a complicated situation? Sure. Is it probably going to cause some tension between the three? Most likely. But Maria’s done nothing wrong, and neither has Michael. You can’t begrudge them for feelings they can’t control. All that being said, Maria notices Michael’s healed hand as he plays guitar. So, his secret may not stay hidden for long.

The Not So Happy Ending

Max may have gotten his organs telekinetically twisted in knots, and Liz may have gotten stabbed in the abdomen, but man oh man are they IN LOVE. They don’t care that they almost got murdered by a psycho alien. If anything, that entices them to run into each other’s arms and take their relationship to that long-awaited next level. Liz even lets Max put his hand over where his handprint was so she can feel all the love that he’s feeling. I’m just like yesss feel all the love! Have the happy season finale ending y’all deserve! Liz then goes to Rosa’s grave and starts talking about being so happy and in love and how she wishes that Rosa got the chance to experience that kind of feeling. Honestly, we all deserve this Echo happy ending, am I right? Unfortunately, that doesn’t happen.

You see, before Max kills Noah, Isobel gets inside his mind and he says the words “take care of her.” Hmmm… who do you think “her” is? Instantly, my mind went to Rosa. But how would that be possible? She’s been dead for ten years. We saw body-snatched Isobel kill her. We saw what Max, Michael and Isobel did to cover it up. Heck, Liz’s family even went to Rosa’s funeral. Did Noah dig up her body and put her in his pod? It seems so because that’s where Michael and Isobel find her. Of course, as soon as Max finds out, he wants to tell Liz. Remember, he’s been living with this guilt for ten years and he’ll do anything to make it up to Liz. Michael and Isobel advise him not to say anything because it’ll only break Liz’s heart even more. She’ll lose Rosa all over again. Still feeling high on power and his love for Liz, Max goes against his siblings’ advise and better judgment. As Liz is talking to Rosa’s grave, Max is trying to revive her. Liz suddenly feels that something is wrong and goes running to him. When she gets to the desert cave, she’s calling out for Max, but Rosa comes walking out instead. He did it, but at what cost? Liz finds him in the cave, lifeless.

That’s how the finale ends, but no worries! Roswell, New Mexico got picked up for a second season! Praise Jesus!

Notable Mentions

• When Isobel goes inside Noah’s mind, she tells him that he wasn’t her person and she was never really in love with him. Later, she admits that’s not true. I feel so bad for her. ☹
• Max better not be dead for long in season 2, y’all.
• My heart breaks for Alex. He’s just waiting for who knows how long, believing that Michael’s coming back to him. ☹
• When Liz gets stabbed, she doesn’t go to the hospital. She doesn’t even tell Max. She just calls Kyle and has him sew her up with a needle and thread while she downs some whiskey. You know that saying about a best friend being by your side in jail after doing something stupid? I feel like this is Kyle and Liz’s version of that. Kyle barely asked questions. He just stitched up his bestie.
• Also, Liz now knows about Rosa being Kyle’s sister and Kyle confirms it. Another best friend move? She doesn’t condemn him for not telling her sooner, she simply says “you lost a sister too.”

• Speaking of Kyle’s loss, he’s been on the verge of losing it lately, y’all. I mean, for good reason. He finds out this episode that his father didn’t go into that alien cell willingly to test him. No. Alex’s father shoved him in there and watched as that alien gave him a brain tumor.  Kyle doesn’t quite know what to do with this information. He shows Alex. Then he goes to a gun store where he’s clearly showing signs of mental distress (for lack of better words) as he’s at the counter to buy a gun. Props to Carina Adly MacKenzie and the writers for showing how easy it is to buy a gun in this country even when you clearly shouldn’t be. Thankfully, Kyle doesn’t buy a gun. He still has his father’s code instilled in him. He does, however, lure Sgt. Manes to the bunker, lets himself get shot (he came prepared with a vest) before injects Sgt. Manes with something that puts him in a medically-induced coma. You go, Kyle Valenti!

You can stream Roswell, New Mexico season 1 on Netflix starting May 1^st!