Roswell, New Mexico Review: Barely Breathing (Season 1 Episode 8)

Roswell, New Mexico Season 1 Episode 8, “Barely Breathing,” has MENSA level IQ, both mental and emotional, and proves that changing your mind is a sign of intelligence not weakness. 

The focus on “Barely Breathing” is Isobel. She opens the episode with the most overwrought voiceover so far. Makes sense for the woman who wants to make a hospital gown fashion. 

Although her arc on the episode is fascinating and culminates in a silver bath that is visually and symbolically gorgeous, the power of the episode is really how fighting for Isobel impacts Michael, Liz, Kyle, Max, and Noah. And also, Alex. He has gravity on the episode. 

Liz’s Campaign

Liz talks repeatedly about her armor. Whether a red dress, facts, evidence, or anger, Liz is wearing a breastplate to battle (probably made of silver).

What “Barely Breathing,” makes clear is that Liz isn’t just fighting one battle here and another there, sporadically and randomly. 

No, Liz is on a campaign.

The battles she faced on the pilot episode are steps forward to the battles she faces on this episode. That fact that the fights are coordinated is important because it allows Liz to grow and change along a path. Past gains are incorporated into current struggles.

Liz takes the lessons from her battles to forgive Rosa for abandoning her and is able to pass them on to Max as he starts to forgive his own sister. 

The lesson Liz has learned and, importantly, has changed her behavior in response to is that letting someone’s mistakes rob you of your memories of them is a great injustice. The memories can heal you. 

So, Liz’s advice to Max at the end of the episode to forgive Isobel in order to protect his memories really hits home. 

Max is in some ways responsible for tarnishing Liz’s memories by letting her believe that Rosa chose drugs over her. It seems from Roswell, New Mexico Season 1 Episode 6, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” that Liz will never forgive Max for the lie and not protecting her from the ramifications of the lie. 

But, on “Barely Breathing” we see Liz continuing on her campaign for justice by accepting that she can restore her memories of her sister.

She is her own control group. 

And by accepting responsibility for her choices and refusing to believe that she has been forced into her life, she is able to turn to Max and support him from a place of empathy and analysis, not anger. 

She hasn’t quite forgiven Max yet. And the episode suggests that maybe moving forward looks less like forgiveness, and more like acceptance.

Relatedly, Liz is still fighting for justice. But justice is looking a lot less like revenge and a lot more like healing. 

After all, Liz was able to stand and face the ocean, and then another ocean, and discover who she is. 

Have I mentioned that Liz is an incredibly strong character? Her growth mindset is off the charts. 

Echoes

The relationship between Liz and Max really is extra. 

Not in the sense that it is very emotional and angsty. To me, Malex gets that card  (really the whole deck). 

Echo is extra in the sense that it is more than a will they, won’t they struggle. Their ship is beyond a series of incriminating and exonerating revelations. That’s the kind of extra I need on my screen. 

What I feel myself expecting from the narrative is an out for Max. A way to make what he did not really what he did. 

I’m waiting for the story to be, well Max lied over and over to everyone he loves, BUT…

And there are absolutely excuses available. Max has unaddressed childhood trauma.

He used his power to kill a man when he was seven and his sister was in danger. Kill. A. Man.

He believed and believes that however poorly the Ortechos are treated by the town, his family will be treated ten times worse, tortured, if they are found out as aliens. 

There are mitigating factors available. 

And yet, that’s not where Roswell, New Mexico goes with the conflict between Max and Liz.

The show doesn’t excuse Max’s choices. It isn’t using the mystery on the show to reveal that actually, Max was doing the right thing the whole time.

Max lied and he deeply hurt Liz. Period. 

And then the ship gets even more extra. Because yes there is this need for forgiveness and the need for truth to come to light, but the story doesn’t end there. 

Now we have extra layers of connection, echoes, between Echo that we get to explore. 

One major echo on the episode is the need to be taken care of. We know from “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” that Liz is not done being taken care of. This is still an open wound and one that she is working to heal. 

On “Barely Breathing,” we see that Max also needs to be nurtured and taken care of.  

It is really important he doesn’t find that nurturing from Liz. 

As Max falls apart in his mom’s arms, a moment that grows my love for Max and begins to rebuild my trust in his ability to change, he echoes how he was there for Liz when she fell apart at the prom. 

Another echo between the pair is how they both are encountering this confounding reality of a lack of justice for what has happened in the past. In response to finding that there is no justice, they both look towards each other with a renewed softness. 

And the final echo on the episode is how both Liz and Max have a core need to protect their sisters. Liz is never going to give up on Rosa, whatever that looks like. For now, it is to never give up on saving Isobel, even if that means saving the one who killed Rosa. 

Max is likewise bonded to Isobel and willing to anything and everything to save her. 

I greatly enjoy seeing the echoes between the bonded pair. Even if they don’t end up together romantically, they are clearly connecting in a deep way. 

I suspect that by saying “we weren’t meant to be together,” Liz is trying to let Max go and heal and be nurtured. She doesn’t want him to be trapped in the past. 

Although it is painful because it seems that she is rejecting him, I think it is a very loving thing to do and it actually gives me hope for their future.  

Alex the Brave

Alex’s story develops separately on the episode, kind of a bottle episode within the main episode, and it works fantastically. 

Alex stands up to Father Manes repeatedly by being truly strong. It feels so cathartic to watch someone with a long history of abuse have such clarity and presence when taking down his abuser.

It is inspiring and I feel confident will help viewers have the strength to face their oppressors too.

Alex never fights fire with fire. Instead, he uses his technology skills, his strategic thinking, and his bravery to be strong. He also fiercely asserts that he is gay and that Father Manes can not accuse anyone of unprovoked violence. 

And let’s be honest, he throws in a little petty too.

ALEX: I wan to destroy the thing that you love. And I want t make you watch.

I am so thankful that we have Alex as an example of masculinity and strength. 

It is special and deeply appreciated that a gay character with a disability is showing viewers that victimization does not need to define your story or determine your future. Alex is a cycle-breaker and that may be even more impressive than his code-breaking magic. 

Alex’s scenes also include big reveals and my eyebrows are stuck in their raised position. 

If I am hearing correctly, we learn that 1) Alex’s mother is still alive; 2) Alex went to war because of Father Manes, NOT Michael; 3) Project Shepard has been defunded and no one is currently looking into aliens in Roswell. 

These reveals add layers of mystery to how the Manes family is involved in alien life. They also add layers to the relationship between Malex. Michael seems to hate himself for pushing Alex away and making him go to war. 

If that misunderstanding is cleared up, can that be a path toward being out as a couple for Malex!? Fingers (that are tightly wrapped around Michael’s curls) crossed! 

It is not a reveal exactly, but we do also hear Alex call Michael, Michael instead of Guerin and all of us Malex shippers let out a collective squeal. 

There is just something about being called by your name that is sexy romantic. 

Homeward Bound 

Michael and Liz team up to figure out the silver bullet to cure Isobel. 

The combination is fire. 

Both are analytical, bold, witty, and compassionate, with a healthy pinch of wild adventurer. There is zero chance that this pairing doesn’t turn out well. 

It is satisfying to see Liz meet her match when it comes to sharp analysis.

Michael points out that Liz’s rejection of parts of Isobel that she considers dangerous is rejecting her identity, and that this rejection is like people who reject Mexicans because they consider Mexicans to be dangerous. 

Liz has a retort ready. Michael may not be entirely correct in his analogy, but I absolutely love that we get to see Liz being pushed to consider new perspectives.  

Michael has been alone and isolated for so long. But, just as there are echoes between Liz and Max, so too there are echoes between Alex and Michael. 

Both are looking for home; their childhoods never included a safe place to rest. 

They both have a piece of alien hardware. They both are behind the scenes using their incredible brains to come up with a way out. 

What I am predicting is that the way out is going to lead to home, and home is being with each other. 

I love how the home seeking theme is tied in by Maria in the end when she mentions that the bar’s sign is like a beacon for her mom. 

Maria’s sharing sparks an idea in Michael’s brain so that now he is considering the symbol as a possible beacon for the aliens. 

This is really the only tie in for Maria on the episode, and that is the biggest weakness on “Barely Breathing.” 

I love that Kyle is in the know of all things alien. I want Maria to be right there too, able to be central to the story and not excluded from what is happening. 

It feels so unfair that Rosa’s best friend and Mimi DeLuca’s daughter is the last to know about the alien trio.  This is especially problematic because of Maria’s status as a woman of color with the darkest skin tone on the show. 

I would like to see more storylines that center on Maria and give her agency and depth, not just a catalyst type role. 

Kyle can stay just where he is, though.

I love that Kyle and Isobel have the chance to discuss how Kyle has become the man he is.

His story of having to treat a school shooter is effective because it isn’t overly expository or sappy, but it does give us a clear understanding of Kyle’s morality.

 

He is inclusive and empathetic and uses those characteristics to gather insight about himself and others so he can provide excellent healing.

Isobel has much to learn from this earthling. 

We get to see that character development at the same time we see Isobel try and mind control Kyle into stripping. 

I love this show. 

Diner Dish

• Isobel getting slathered in silver is just beautiful. It’s one of my favorite non-speaking scenes on the series so far.
• For a brief second, I think that Noah is going to do something alien-y when he’s looking in the mirror. I think my suspicion is raised on purpose. I mean, his angry punch is quite out of character, so something else is clearly going on!
• What is under that sheet, Michael!!? The first thing I picture is a bronze sculpture of a nude Alex.
• We don’t need to be told explicitly what Liz is listening to, and that this is her way of connecting to Rosa. It would be more fun and make me feel more trusted as a viewer is there was less exposition. The Dark Willow reference was so fun to discuss with fans- this could have been similar. 
• Michael in a black cowboy hat is mood music. 

 

What did you think of this episode of Roswell, New Mexico? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Roswell, New Mexico airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on The CW.

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