'Roswell, New Mexico' Season 2 Episode 10 Review: Isobel and Max's ties with [spoiler] and alien past revealed
Spoilers for 'Roswell, New Mexico' Season 2 Episode 10 'American Woman'
This episode took us deeper into how the pod squad could be related to Maria Deluca (Heather Hemmens), the fate of Louise (Cassandra Jean Amell) and her pregnancy and a reality check on the injustices being carried out on immigrants under the care of officials. Even though we had hoped for a slower episode, this one was fast-paced as well with too many narratives colliding. Although, we did get more answers in this one and for that we are glad.
As we had earlier known, Tripp Manes (Jason Behr) was not a bad man, his brother Harlan Manes (Zach Rose) on the other hand, is a piece of s***. Tripp had used the help of a man named Harrison, to help Louise with her bullet wound because Nora Truman (Kayla Ewell), Michael Guerin's (Michael Vlamis) mother had asked Tripp to take care of Louise so her baby would survive. While we are shown this as a flashback that showcased the minutes after Harlan's massacre, Alex Manes (Tyler Blackburn), Isobel Evans (Lily Cowles), Max Evans (Nathan Parsons), Michael, and Maria make their way to a reservation where Alex's mother had grown up. In the picture that Isobel, Liz Ortecho (Jeanine Mason), and Alex found at the diner, they not only saw Max and Isobel's mother Louise old and in a chair, but Alex recognized a water tower in the picture - that water tower was at the reservation. This was the most vulnerable part of the characters and also the most exciting part of the episode - we are taken deeper into the past.
While there, the five of them meet Gregory Manes (Tanner Novlan), Alex's brother, who takes them to Louise's grave, whom, he said was considered a healer. Next to Louise's grave, they find the grave of her child who Gregory had said didn't make it leading Max and Isobel to believe that their sister was dead. Where it gets interesting is when they meet the only person that Louise ever spoke to - Harrison. Now, in bed, ailing, Harrison couldn't speak, and so Isobel with her alien powers is able to get into his mind with her brother Max. Harrison revealed to Isobel and Max that Tripp had planned to smuggle Nora and Louise out to the reservation, but Harlan's surprise attack had caught everyone off guard. Harrison shows the duo their mother holding a baby girl asking Tripp, "Did you find a family for her?" and here is how they find out that their sister had survived. Louise had said to Tripp, "Know when the devil comes, I can't protect her [her daughter]."
This was a great family moment until when Max asked Harrison where their sister was, to which Harrison replies, "You're not her's, you came from something else." It was revealed that Louise only referred to having two girls - two stars on the ground and had never mentioned a son. Max, who's been having a dream in which he was tied to the ground with a chain as a child, believes that he was tied because he was bad. He believed that the "devil" or evil that was after Louise, could have been him. While Isobel calms him down, she makes a statement almost promising them that she'll find who the "devil" had been. In the meantime, Maria and Alex had been in the shop at the reservation looking for jewelry that had a word that her grandmother's necklace had. That word meant, star - "star on the ground" - and they all put the pieces together. Maria's grandmother was Isobel and Max's sister, Louise's second daughter.
While the alien side of things was being handled at the reservation, Liz had to deal with the fact that immigration wasn't being kind. While in the hospital checking on Jenna Cameron (Riley Voelkel), who had been given a spinal tap by her predators, Liz comes across ICE (U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement) who seem to be determined to detain other patients. As she tried to get away, they end up asking her father Arturo Ortecho (Carlos Compean) for papers and he gets detained - regardless of being a diabetic patient. We get an immediate relation to the real world controversy as Liz explained to Jenna how she's always feared this day, especially with who is in the White House now. This part of the series seems to add the relatable touch that the series has always picked up on - from topics such as women in science to abortion and even child abuse. Roswell always likes stirring the pot, but guess who comes to the rescue? Diego! Liz's ex-fiance.
A few other things that happened with no real fulfillment of the narrative:
- Alex seems to have been hit and kidnapped along with alien paraphernalia that was left for him by Jim Valenti. The human and alien world colliding would initiate intense government actions and the alien race may not be preserved. Will Alex Manes manage to keep the pod a secret?
- Diego also helped Liz find out the purpose of the drug she had found in Jenna's toxicology report. It was a memory loss drug used for government weaponization.
- Isobel finally tells Max about her pregnancy and abortion, and yes, Max reacted how we would have expected him to
- Lastly, Michale promised that should Isobel ever want to start a family, he'll donate his alien sperm
The episode, yet again, had a lot going on and it was hard to keep track of the truth because it was debunked few scenes later. Although we will say that they have managed to give us a link between Maria and the pod, so we're hoping we get to see more of Maria's powers. The most interesting part of this episode was the ICE narrative, bringing into the light the prospect that thousands are suffering while under the "care" of the department, while the truth is that some are gravely mistreated. It was a bold move mentioning the White House residents, but the series has not shied away from controversy and truth - it was a perfect relatable non-alien aspect to add into an intense episode.
'Roswell, New Mexico' Season 2 airs on Monday nights on The CW at 9/8c.