Roswell, New Mexico Review: I Saw The Sign (Season 1 Episode 7)

Roswell, New Mexico Season 1 Episode 7, “I Saw The Sign” entangles more Roswell residents in the ever-growing alien mystery and lyrically contemplates how sorrow manifests in different deserts.

The ruminative pacing and tone director Paul Wesley crafts on the episode make me want to write soliloquies. Pardon me, while I burn my thoughts into this review. 

Importantly, Cam and Maria are back on “I Saw The Sign,” and they bring a grounded elegance to their scenes that I didn’t even realize I was missing (okay, okay, I knew, but I didn’t realize how much).

Cam and Kyle are two characters that I did not expect to love and admire. A special and delightful aspect of Roswell, New Mexico is how characters outside the core five are developed and provided a range of moral complexity. 

The more minor characters like Cam, Rosa, Kyle, Alex, Valenti, and Wyatt, are not just there to showcase the feelings and complexities of the core five. They are important in their own right. I love that. 

That type of development needs to be provided to Maria. More on that later. 

Tattoos Are The Scars We Choose

I have a tattoo of a cactus filled with different colored triangles on my side. So, needless to say, the trinity tattoo storyline and symbolism works for me in a big way.  

The trinity/triangle imagery occurs throughout the episode. Most clearly, we see the symbol of the three different orbs, shooting off the core triangle. Max and Wyatt have this image etched in their psyche, and as a result, sketch it out on different canvases. 

Wyatt is so much more integral to the story that it seemed at first. 

Although the episode doesn’t go there, this brings to my mind the trinity of border identity and nationality.

There is the U.S., the dominant power culture, represented by Wyatt’s family, there is Mexico, represented by Liz’s family, especially her dad, and there is the Mexican American culture, represented by Liz. 

I would like to see the show lean into the themes and conflicts it introduced in the first two episodes regarding immigration as it relates to belonging and identity. Roswell, New Mexico can take their time doing this because I feel confident The CW will give us many more seasons.

I hope they do take their time because it is worth approaching concepts like these with authenticity and I think that means getting more Latinx and Native creators on the team. 

The nationality triangle is far from the only one to be seen on the episode. 

It actually feels like one of those fun math questions where you have to find as many triangles as you can. Triangles abound! 

Another triangle is that between the three families involved in the murders in 2007. Liz’s family, Wyatt’s family, and Michael’s family are intertwined as they all faced violence and loss the day Rosa was murdered. 

There are also the sibling trinities of Max, Michael, and Isobel, Wyatt and his two sisters, and Liz, Rosa, and Maria.

Maria is not necessarily a blood-related sister, but given the revelations about Mr. Valenti’s indiscretions, it is possible that Maria shares a parent with Rosa. 

Welcome to my first speculation of the review! That is something I love about the show. The opportunities to speculate and theorize are endless. 

In all of these trinities, the parts are interconnected, but at odds too.

There is no way for these characters to disconnect from each other. Not now, not after all that has crossed between them. But, there is also constant tension. 

 

My Maria 

We learn about Maria’s current state of pain due to longstanding struggles with her mom. While I am over the moon that we get more time with Maria, I am also disappointed in the shallow development it provides, relative to the other characters on the show. 

We know that Maria has strong self-esteem that comes from her mother’s trust in her. We know that she puts on a happy face and is reticent to show her emotions. We know this because she tells us. 

The episode doesn’t show us.

Really, the focus is more on the mystery of Maria’s mom’s mental health affliction. The strongest emotional center of the “day with mom” storyline is when Mimi read Rosa her fortune and Liz has the opportunity to imagine the beautiful destiny that could have been. 

I weep at this stage of grief that is not part of the five: wonder over what could have been. 

The poignancy of Maria deciding to put her mom in a care home is sorrowful and interesting, but it doesn’t hit deep. We never really know why Maria comes to that choice and how her world changes because of it. 

Compared to Cam’s description of her tattoo and her relationship with her sister, Maria’s anguish kind of falls flat. 

I trust the Roswell, New Mexico creative team to provide Maria with more central conflicts and to highlight her identity in future episodes. 

As I have written in past reviews, it is important that the show consider colorism and how it treats its characters with the darkest skin tones. 

Cry Me A River Cowboy

I don’t think I will ever be able to deny the chemistry between Liz and Max. Ever. 

However, on “I Saw The Sign,” Max acts like a whiney jerk, and it is even harder for me to ship Echo at this point. 

I find his anger towards Wyatt, Michael, Isobel and pretty much everyone except who he should be angry with, HIMSELF, very frustrating to watch. His poor emotional regulation and pity-seeking words serve to highlight Liz’s maturity and strength. 

I am glad to have the contrast. 

Liz is the type of person who can admit when she’s wrong and then move forward in a different direction. 

That seems simple, but it really is not. 

Max can’t seem to manage taking responsibility for his choices and the impact that they have had. Yes, he has been hurt and forced into some impossible choices. But, that doesn’t change the ten years of pain that he caused Liz and her family to feel because of his cover-up. 

All the best reasons in the world don’t take away the pain. 

Liz realizes that. Michael realizes that. Kyle realizes that. Alex realizes that. It’s time Max realized it too. 

The show is providing a platform for a myriad of approaches to grief and that variety is weaving in complexity and richness to the storytelling that I deeply appreciate. 

The characters themselves are actually the greatest puzzle on the show, and considering the complex web of clues and pieces from another world that we’re working with, that is saying a lot. 

Diner Dish

• I would absolutely be interested in a romance between Liz and Cam. Ship name: Cliz
• Nice Isobel is confusing to me. I feel like there was a third personality on the episode. 
• Michael asserting, “I won’t let there be a next time,” provides a new context for why Michael didn’t continue to kiss Alex after their abuse by Father Manes. If he takes himself out of the equation, he can protect Alex from Father Manes. I’ll put Malex analysis into every review, trust me. 
• The justice theme that comes up for both Liz and Max is really intriguing connection. I hope this is further explored.
• Have I mentioned that I love Cam? Her lines are incredible. Especially, “If you get your badge pulled I’m gonna have to teach some new dumbass my donut order.”
• The Jumper cover at the close of the episode is haunting and gorgeous. I could watch that scene 10,000 times. 
• The desert landscape is healing. I literally get more breath and feel my heart rate lower when I see the beautiful scenery. 

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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