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Roswell
After almost two months of hiatus Roswell finally returns for its last four episodes ever, and from what I’ve heard so far, it seems that we are in for a treat.
Season 3.15, "Who Died and Made You King?"
Written by Gretchen J. Berg and Aaron Harberts
Directed by Peter B. Ellis
Discovering that his wife is an alien came as quite a shock to Jesse, so I guess you can’t really blame the guy for going to a therapist after what happened. Catching Isabel changing her appearance with her power doesn’t make the situation any easier, but rather it continues to feed his fear and gives him nightmares. Not being able to deal with the newfound knowledge, Jesse decides to move out temporarily. Unsure of where Jesse’s loyalty lies, Max and Michael decides to follow his every move, and while Max wants to take it slow, Michael insists on finding out what Jesse has been telling the doctor.
To complicate the matter further, Michael begins to experience changes within himself. The very first symptom are these five glowing dots arranged in a V-shape located on his left chest. Confirming it as the royal seal of Antar, the mark given to the true king, Michael realizes that he is now officially in charge. No longer feeling the need to heed Max’s command, he goes off to the therapist’s office, takes Jesse’s file by force, and threatens the man to drop Jesse as a client. Fearing for his life, the shaken doctor calls the FBI to report the crime after Michael’s departure.
Wasting no time, the FBI quickly makes its presence known by forcing Jesse into a van under broad daylight, practically in front of Kyle Valenti. Taken to an abandoned warehouse, Jesse meets Agent Burns, who reveals that the special unit he’s a part of that hunts dangerous aliens like Max. After seeing photographs of Max’s victims and past exploits, Jesse agrees to help, but it’s not clear whether he truly believes in Burns’ words.
Meanwhile, Max calls everyone together after hearing about Jesse’s kidnapping. Michael is sure that Jesse had betrayed them all, and attempts to defy Max’s authority. Storming off with Maria at his heels, Michael later tells her that Max should have stayed dead, he also says that anyone who knows about their secret should have been eliminated so something like this wouldn’t happen. Not knowing why Michael is acting so rash and impulsive, she tries to talk sense into him, but is thrown out of the car instead. When Max and Liz show up to drive her back, Maria informs them of her earlier conversation with Michael, in addition to the mark she saw glowing on his chest. Liz suggests that maybe the people that sent the royal four to Earth built a backup plan, to have Michael automatically become the leader in case anything happens to Max, who is also losing the powers that are unique to him. Max realizes that he must reclaim the seal from Michael somehow.
Jesse rushes back to the house immediately after the FBI releases him, hoping to find Isabel at home, but to his dismay he discovers Michael waiting for him instead. Max arrives with the rest of the group a few minutes later, commanding everyone to leave, and then gets into a brawl with Michael. After some intense fighting, Max practically burns the mark away from Michael’s chest, successfully retrieving it. In the closing moments of the episode, Jesse and Isabel return to the warehouse. While she destroys the files and evidence, Jesse confronts Agent Burns and threatens to shut his operation down. Hearing a gun go off in the distance, Isabel enters the room to find Agent Burns dead on the ground. It seems that Jesse shot the man in self-defense. The two of them return home after getting rid of the body, and Jesse finally realizes that he’s a part of this no matter what, and running away isn’t going to solve their problems.
Well, I had a lot of expectations coming into this episode, so it was a little disappointing that it turned out to be a mediocre one at best. I didn’t mind the fast-pacing, but at times it feels like Katims is trying to cram so much stuff in these 45 minutes that a few things get glossed over. Considering Max had to die in order for Michael to inherit the seal, I was a little skeptical to see that Max can just take it back with relative ease. Furthermore, I distinctively remembered seeing several FBI agents when Jesse was dragged away against his will, therefore it was strange how Isabel and Jesse can just waltz into the warehouse, burn the important documents and also kill Burns without anyone else knowing. One other thing that bothered me was Michael’s sudden change in behavior. It’s true he has always been a little more aggressive and can be irrational at times, but his action here borders on psychotic. I guess absolute power does corrupt absolutely, and having the seal probably brought out the worse in him.
Don’t get me wrong, there were a good stuff in this episode, too. I enjoyed the brief moments shared by Liz and Max during the miniature golf game. They seem much more comfortable around each other now, without the crazy power and the unstable emotions that plagued their relationship before. I also appreciate the continuity with the parents. While Jeff Parker has backed down in trying to control Liz, Phillip Evans is still very suspicious of Max’s actions, and it’ll be interesting to see how this will be resolved in the final episodes. One down, three more to go, let’s just hope Roswell finishes on a good note.
Episode Rating: 7 out of 10
- Zalasta
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