Max and Michael begin to worry about Isobel after a series of mysterious blackouts cause her to spiral. Liz turns to Grant Green for help when she learns that he may have witnessed something strange on the night Rosa died. Kyle and Alex uncover a secret that Kyle's father had been keeping from everyone.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of The CW's Roswell, New Mexico.
"Don't Speak" was written by Adam Lash & Cori Uchida and directed by Jeffrey Hunt
Every episode seems to make some big revelation that further enhances the understanding of Rosa's death for both the audience and the main characters. However, the previous episode delivered some big twists that are seemingly undone here completely. Michael was willing to turn himself in because he was the one who actually killed the girls. That always felt like a twist that wouldn't have much longterm impact simply because of everything else going on in his life. That immediately turns out to be true here. Max won't allow any of them to fall on their sword because that could still lead to exposure to all of them because of their deeply connected personal history in this community. Plus, it doesn't even turn out to be true. Yes, all three of the aliens were there that night and played a role in what happened. Michael was the only person who could levitate the girls off the ground. But now, the show reveals that Isobel was the one who truly killed them. She just conveniently doesn't remember that because sometimes her powers make her blackout. She is out in the middle of the desert because that has happened to her once more. Michael and Max even say this is the first time since the end of high school. Everything is lining up. It's also clear that the show still wants the audience to have sympathy for Isobel. She doesn't see herself as a killer. She has lived in denial all of these years because she may have blocked out that memory entirely. Some aspects of that night are still vivid for her. But she is in for an extreme awakening once all of the secrets are out in the open amongst the aliens. Max and Michael know that Isobel did this. And now, Liz does as well simply because she sees Isobel's hand being the only one that could leave that size of a hand print on Rosa's body. Sure, that may be too convenient. Some additional twist may happen at some point. Or the show really could be wrapping this investigation up much sooner than expected. Liz's search for the truth about what happened to Rosa the night she died has been all-consuming to the narrative. It doesn't distract her enough to keep her from applying for a job at the hospital. But it's also frustrating because everyone is learning these deeply personal and tragic details about the people they believed they loved completely. Noah is in a complete panic because Isobel has disappeared on him. When she is found, she can't offer him any rational explanation. As such, it's fitting for him to walk away and need some time away from her. That's just painful because she wants it to work but can't be honest with him about who she truly is. It's tragic because she doesn't know who she is either. That's very relatable. It makes her a more complex character than one who could have killed several girls during the end of high school. But the investigation into Rosa is even more complex when factoring in Kyle's own discoveries. He and Liz were wrong to assume that his father and Rosa were having an affair. In fact, Jim Valenti was Rosa's biological father. He was caring for her because he knew how to detox someone from a drug addiction having gone through it a number of times himself. That's why he changed so much following her death. That's a huge shock that also means Rosa was half-sister to both Liz and Kyle, who have been sleeping together. All of this brings Alex into the main ensemble more as well because his past with Kyle is explored and revisited. It seems like they could be friends again. However, they too are keeping secrets from each other. The discovery of that alien technology by Alex is bound to only complicate things further as well.
