Determined to regain control of her life in the aftermath of Noah's death, Isobel makes a risky choice despite its potential consequences. Alex and Michael work together to unravel the mystery surrounding the night Nora's spaceship crashed in 1947. Liz makes a surprising confession when Cameron shows up looking for answers about Max.
In 2019, the television industry aired 532 scripted shows across numerous outlets. The way people consume content now is different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, it's less necessary to provide ample coverage of each episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site provides 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.
"Good Mother" was written by Deirdre Mangan & Carina Adly MacKenzie and directed by Jeffrey Hunt
The citizens of Roswell have long lived in fear for their lives because of the inability of the world at large to sympathize with their pain and providing ample amounts of compassion. Maria is afraid every time her mother wanders away from her care facility. Liz worries about the hatred towards her father because he is undocumented. The family is targeted because the city believes Rosa caused the deaths of two other girls. Cameron fears being alone and used by those who don't actually care what ultimately happens to her. These are all valid reactions as well. At times, the characters can help each other cope with the traumas of the world. But they also fear that they can't let anyone else in on what is happening in their lives. They have to put on a performance that isn't real just in order to project a certain image to the outside world. Liz comments that Max didn't have to try to impress her by speaking Spanish poorly. She was already capable of loving him. Her learning the truth about his alien identity allowed that love to intensify. Cameron was the one who truly lost everything after she was brought into the loop about what was going on in this town. So much drama is happening because of the failings of humanity. And now, all of that intensifies further with the addition of alien mysteries. That can make life even more difficult and traumatic. Aliens covered up the truth of what happened the night Rosa died. They also brought Rosa back to life. It can leave the impression that Liz and her family aren't actually the ones in control of their lives. Liz wanted to be let in on the decision to bring Rosa back. She may have come to the same conclusion. Max did that because he felt he knew her. This was all she wanted. She would be perfectly happy building a life with her sister once more. And now, Liz is seeing Rosa through a new perspective. She is no longer the perfect older sister she once thought she was. Instead, she is the addict covering up her vices while potentially being bipolar. It's easy to see the cracks. That just comes from maturity and knowing what the pain of the real world actually comes out as. Isobel is going through that on her own too. She believes that she has the perfect solution for terminating her pregnancy. She is taking her future into her own hands because the world doesn't want to listen to what she thinks on the subject. She isn't allowed to have easy access to an abortion. It may not even be an option because she's an alien. She doesn't let anyone else in. She has to conjure up an image of Max just to have someone there to rationalize everything she is doing. In the end, that connection between the siblings can never be severed. Max's signal in the pod is growing stronger. He can send out a message to get help to Isobel when she needs it the most. Liz has to present herself as someone who can be there for her by also offering her the reassurance that Max can still have an influence in her life. They haven't lost him yet. Of course, Rosa knows that he doesn't want to be saved. That may be out of his control just like Rosa's resurrection was. These characters believe they can make those choices. And yet, the consequences may prove to be too costly for them. They don't know how to reckon with that. And so, they hurt the people they claim to love. Everyone kept the alien secret from Maria. Michael was willing to date her while lying to her. All of the characters basically knew the truth. Maria was the only one left in the dark. It's liberating that she finally knows the truth. It just destroys friendships along the way because she thought she was losing her mind just like her mother. A true friend wouldn't have her go through that. Cameron is a better ally to Liz simply by letting her express her feelings about Max's sacrifice. That may dismiss how Cameron is feeling about all of this too. Friendship is complicated. It can easily be lopsided. Someone needs too much from someone else. Another doesn't let others in to help. Tragedy can shape these reactions. There is a careful calibration of how much others can handle. Only an individual can make that decision in the end. They have to be trusted to do so. Trust still has to be built. That is the underlying message but it's also difficult to believe in that possibility given the world at large has targeted aliens for generations. There is always a conspiracy that has to be unraveled. There is further trauma to explore. But these characters have to rely on each other for support or they'll go insane over the inability to control anything that happens to them.
