'Roswell, New Mexico' returns with powerful Season 2 premiere as the reboot doubles down on politics
Spoiler alert for 'Roswell, New Mexico' Season 2 Episode 1: 'Stay (I Missed You)'
Carina Adly Mackenzie ('The Originals') take on the 'Roswell' reboot titled, 'Roswell, New Mexico' premiered last year, however, it did change things up from the original series by bringing in the political climate the world, and especially, the United States is experiencing.
In the first season of the reboot, we were introduced to Liz Ortecho, the daughter of Mexican immigrants, who move back to Roswell after funding for her research and were slashed by the government. We also meet Max and Isobel Evans, as well as Michael Guerin, aliens whose spaceship crashed in 1947.
Through the first season, we learn about Rosa, Liz's older sister who was presumably killed before the start of the season. It turns out that Noah Bracken, Isobel's husband and secretly an alien, was responsible for her death. As Season 1 ended, Max kills Noah and brought Rosa back to life, sacrificing himself.
Season 2 picks up right where Season 1 left off with Liz having discovered Rosa is alive and locating Max's dead body. We then fast forward to two weeks in the future, with intermittent flashbacks to the point where Max's dead body was found.
The first episode of Season 2 focuses on how the main characters are dealing with the trauma of the events that transpired in the previous season. Liz is happy about having her sister back but is devastated about losing Max. Michael is back to drinking relentlessly with an increase in his penchant for self-destruction.
Isobel has to publicly grieve Noah's death when she would not want to because of what he did and is in turn forced to privately grieve Max, whom she has refused to let go. She insists that Max can be brought back, something Michael and Liz disagree with.
It is Rosa who has to deal with the most. For she feels like only one night has passed, but has actually come back to a world a decade later. For now, Liz has not told Rosa the truth behind what happened 10 years ago and the race war that started after her death.
After accepting Max's death, Liz has decided to accept a grant in Palo Alto so that she can help Rosa start a new life away from Roswell. That is, until, she learns about Rosa's dreams of Noah, who she has never actually seen, Liz realizes that Max can indeed, be saved.
At the onset itself, the viewer can understand that Season 2 of 'Roswell, New Mexico' will certainly be more hardcore than the previous season. The writing is crisper with many powerful moments throughout the episode.
The most powerful of them all would be Liz speaking about choosing regenerative medicine as her research path after Rosa's death, and how she has been "waiting until someone in power believed that" she could do what she does. She delivers this powerful statement with 'Zombie' from 'The Cranberries' playing in the background, and it's a moment that leaves one with goosebumps.
Moments like these define the new season of 'Roswell, New Mexico' and leaves viewers with the promise that yes, the show will dare to delve into politics and continue to give us the representation we need.
Elsewhere, we also have Michael dealing with the fact that his mother was tortured when she came to Earth seeking refuge for herself and her child, a direct metaphor to the government's use of immigrant detention centers and separating children from their parents. This also leaves him with the sort of trauma that does not go away and will be explored through the season.
'Roswell, New Mexico' airs on The CW on Monday nights at 9/8c.