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The
Reinvention Of Roswell
Written
By Rick Ellis, November 15th, 2000
While I appreciate
the intensity of a fan's devotion to their favorite TV show, I have
to admit that most of the time, I think the various fan-based "Save
Our Show" campaigns are a waste of time.
Did anyone REALLY
want another episode of The Sentinel or Walker, Texas
Ranger? And even when a show does get a second lease on life,
more often than not the result is a weak and frightened version
of an already weak offering.
But there are
exceptions to that rule. All In The Family and Cheers
were essentially canceled after their first season, before being
brought back from the dead for a long run. And on the drama side,
CBS resurrected JAG after NBC dropped it, and it's turned
into a linchpin of that network's lineup.
Based on what
we've seen so far this season, you can add The WB's Roswell
to the success column. After a meandering first season, the show
was unexpectedly brought back for a second season, and the show
has never been more compelling.
The premise
of the show is straightforward science fiction. A beautiful young
waitress (Liz) is accidentally shot and is brought back to a life
by a teenage boy (Max) who's been secretly in love with her for
years. As it turns out, he is one of three aliens who awoke ten
years in incubation pods outside Roswell, New Mexico.
As the season
progressed, the story unfolded in greater detail. The trio aren't
alone. In fact, they begin meeting other aliens, some friends and
some dangerous. All the while attempting to hide their identity
from outsiders, including a curious local sheriff and an ambitious
FBI agent.
And then there's
the romance.
What would a
teenage WB show be without the romance? And during last season,
the trio began romancing humans, bringing along the inevitable teenage
angst and sexual tension. But that's where Roswell began
to lose itself.
By mid-season,
the focus on dating and romance had threatened to overwhelm the
sci-fi aspects of the story. And already anemic ratings suffered.
So it was clear to everyone involved that if the show did return,
there had to be changes.
And beginning
from the first episode of the second season, it was clear that the
show's writers had found their footing. The sci-fi was firmly back
in the mix, and while the romance wasn't completely gone, it wasn't
overwhelming the story. The result was something more, well, human.
We've been introduced
to a dangerous new group of aliens--the skins--who are at odds with
Max and the others. That uncertainty helps heighten the tension
and keep the trio from turning into some invincible superpeople.
And they've been joined in their battles by Tess, a young alien
who believes that on their home world, she and Max were destined
to be together.
While I'm obviously
just skimming the surface of the plot, it's set up some truly compelling
television. Two weeks ago, the show changed radically when Liz was
visited by a Max from the future, who told her that she had to break
up with the present-day Max. Their romance would send Tess into
the arms of the enemy, and that defection would ultimately lead
to their defeat when the Earth is invaded.
That change,
and her decision to alienate the love of her life has brought the
show to a new level, and created a much larger palate of choices
for the writers. Roswell has evolved from Dawson's Creek
with aliens to a show worthy of being saved.
Sometimes, the
fans are right after all.
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