Roswell, New Mexico Review: Good Mother (Season 2 Episode 3)

The range on this show. 

Like always, Roswell, New Mexico Season 2 Episode 3, “Good Mother,” covers a ton of story.

Flashbacks bring us new characters (I SCREAM “Smash!” when Gaius Charles enters the frame, and don’t get us started on Jason Behr), Cam returns with questions, Mimi returns with new boots, Maria finally finds out the truth, Malex sleuths, Rosa relapses, Isobel goes on a journey of loss, and there are actually a couple of things I am missing.

Like I said, the range.

But, that’s every episode of Roswell, New Mexico. It consistently packs plot and characters into its hour of screentime nearly to the point of overflow. 

What sets the episode apart is that the moments “Good Mother” shows us are deeply personal. The emotions are universal, but the way each character deals with them is anything but. 

In particular, the way people react to trauma, grief, addiction, and betrayal are endlessly different. Seeing a reaction that doesn’t match how you, as a viewer, behave in similar circumstances is jarring. 

It makes for an episode that is, at its core, agitating.

And that’s a good thing. 

Let me explain. 

Isobel is deep in her grief over losing Max while at the same time going through an unwanted pregnancy from sexual assault. Her story explicitly highlights the incredibly timely issue of access to abortion in conservative areas of the United States.

Isobel talks about “sanctuary cities for the unborn,” and as her words are airing on television, the state of Texas is fighting to ban abortions by claiming they are “nonessential” procedures, as you can read about from CBS News here.  

Isobel is faced with an impossible choice and, rather than providing her support and healthcare, the state adds trauma to her by limiting her choices and stigmatizing her. 

Roswell, New Mexico takes a strong stand on “Good Mother,” and because of that it will forever be one of those episodes of television that doesn’t just show something, it means something. 

So, imagine my dismay when I sit there watching and what bubbles up inside of me is anger at Isobel. 

She pisses me off. I practically scream, “how dare she!” 

Isobel decides to go through this alone: how dare she?

She has Michael, a scientist who is literally studying alien physiology, her mom who has gone out of her way to meet her where she’s at, and Liz who has offered anything she needs, without judgment. Isobel doesn’t lean on anyone other than her dead brother and instead risks her life to do this by herself. 

Adding to my fury is the fact that Isobel has money and her whiteness to protect her. Her race and class are resources she can draw upon and yet, she chooses not to. 

I certainly don’t begrudge Isobel her choice to have an abortion. So, why am I so red in the face? 

It’s because I am jealous of Isobel. In similar circumstances, those supports and benefits would not and have not been available to me.

It is easy to resent Isobel for not recognizing how lucky she is to have so much help at her fingertips. It is hard not to bristle when goes it alone by choice, not out of necessity.

But jealousy and resentment reveal so much more about the person feeling those things that the subject of the ire. 

 While I do think the story should include a recognition of the way race, immigration status and class impact access to reproductive healthcare, Isobel is not exactly in a place to recognize her privilege. 

And, honestly, it is wildly unfair to judge and hoist anger upon someone who is in the terrible position of making an impossible choice with my own “what I would do,” and “what I didn’t have.” 

“Good Mother,” tells us that Isobel is entitled to choice. There isn’t an asterisk next to it that says “as long as that choice is rooted in equity and humility.” 

There isn’t any asterisk at all. Isobel is entitled to choice. Period.

Abortion after a sexual assault is one of those things that is so incredibly layered, complex, and personal, is so incredibly specific to an individual, that it is impossible to have anything but a singular and individualized perspective for the story. 

This is Isobel’s story. It is how she chooses to deal with her pregnancy. Even if that’s alien to me, it is still authentic and valid. This is that good agitation I’m talking about.

The story of Isobel’s abortion after a sexual assault has a perspective that is limited to Isobel. 

Because of its necessarily limited perspective, the episode does the best and most important thing television can do for us: it draws out our own stories, however painful and however deeply buried. 

Isobel’s story isn’t just about her abortion, though. It is also very much about her grief. Part of why she decides to go it alone instead of reach out for help is that she is grieving the loss of her protector, her hero, her other half. 

ISOBEL: I keep reaching for you. 

She pops around from the denial to the bargaining stages of grief as she conjures Max to be there for her and also argues with him about the fact that he’s not real. 

Loss of a sibling, a twin no less, is another one of those things that each person deals with differently.

We know Liz armored herself with science and facts. Maria uses sarcasm, alcohol, and physical self-defense. Isobel also uses sarcasm and physical self-defense.

Actually, Maria and Isobel are quite alike— maybe because they are cousins!

Isobel’s story on “Good Mother,” shows her reaction to a range of traumas in a decidedly unforgettable way. 

Maria does not get the same focus on the episode, but she does have a huge reckoning. 

Heather Hemmens is perfection as Maria. 

Her initial freak out when she sees Rosa is so sad because it shows us one of Maria’s fears: becoming her mother.

Of course, Rosa uses self-deprecating humor to break through Maria’s panic, making it obvious to us why they are best friends. 

Maria has the chance to confront Liz about her betrayal. It is a huge relief to hear Maria say all the things that we’ve been thinking. 

MARIA: You understand what it’s like to be scared, and you left me vulnerable.

Liz still doesn’t get it. She still seems to think that she alone should have access to facts and truths. Just like Max, she thinks that she can play God and curate the world to protect her loved ones. 

This is a huge character flaw and it is good to see that the people in Liz’s world are going to keep on holding up a mirror until she finally sees what she’s doing. 

Maria finally knows everything, what a relief!

It brings even more relief that we get much-needed insight into who Maria is beyond how others see her. 

Her simple gesture to take off the amulet and put it around her mom, right after her mom shares that it is what has kept her safe and knowing that she “never feels safe,” in Roswell, tells us that Maria is like Mother Mary, able to sacrifice her own safety to protect the people she loves. 

Unlike Liz, Maria isn’t making choices for other people. And she is not fearless. She supports others, from her mother to the “drunks” that come into the Pony, by reaching out and doing what she can despite her ever-present fear. 

She is an incredible character and I hope the shift on the episode marks a shift on the show as a whole where we get to see Maria receive the respect she deserves.

MARIA TO LIZ: Because I deserved to know or because you wanted my support? 

Speaking of respect, Cam earns heaps of it on “Good Mother.” 

I absolutely love how Liz and Cam are able to recognize their “different kinds of smart,” and “different kinds of dumb.” 

Both women are competitive people, but they choose not to bring that to their relationship. They also don’t bring jealousy. Instead, they remain curious and vulnerable with each other. 

We love to see it. 

The only issue is that we don’t get to see any of the women friendships on the show have the same level of honesty and vulnerability. 

Cam and Liz don’t count just like Liz and Isobel don’t count because they are antagonists more than friends. 

Liz, Maria, and Rosa are three women of color who have been presented as close friends. It is time for us to see them be good friends to each other. Any iteration works!

The Malex content on the episode is brief but very juicy. You could knock me over with a feather when Michael pops out of his trailer and says “Where are you going?” 

My little shipper heart swells when the interaction continues.

ALEX: I thought that we were done. 

MICHAEL: No.

Now that Michael and Maria have broken up there is an air of possibility to all of Malex’s interactions.

It seems really clear that Michael is still not ready. But, every time they are together the cosmic connection jumps out of the screen. 

The way Michael and Maria break up is very natural. He was betraying her trust and even if he was going to tell her the truth at the Pony, he had every opportunity to do that before they agreed to be together. 

Hopefully, Michael takes the experience as a lesson that he has to deal with his trustworthiness in relationships. Alex is not the only one who needs to deal with his past in order to be in a healthy relationship. 

The Malex sleuthing parlays into the flashbacks and, wowy, they are great. Tripp, played by Jason Behr, the OG Max, sets off the dominos that lead to the secret alien-torture lab. That is so bananas full circle. 

We learn why Max, Isobel, and Michael were together in the pods: their mothers escaped together! What we do not learn is just as interesting.

Does Max and Isobel’s mom get together with Smash/Bronson and have a half-alien half-human baby? Who is the fire alien who kills Kyle’s great-grandpa! Why did the moms keep the kids in the pods? What eventually woke them up? Is Isobel and Max’s bio mom still alive!? Where did those amazing turquoise boots come from?

So many delightful questions to build suspense and wonder about the mythical world we’re dealing with. 

“Good Mother,” gets us ready to be shocked and moved by whatever happens next while we’re home on the range. 

Diner Dish

• Amber Midthunder once again devastates as Rosa with a single line of dialogue, “I ruined my miracle, Liz.”
• Cam brings so much to the show. It is a huge, huge bummer that she can’t stay for the whole season.
• Jason Behr is channeling some serious Jason Doerhing on iZombie vibes. 
• I hope Rosa comes clean about zombie-Max haunting her as she gets clean from alcohol. 
• It is super annoying that Liz brings up art as maybe something that will help Rosa when Rosa already explicitly explained that this is her coping mechanism. Sometimes sisters are the worst listeners!
• Speaking of coping mechanisms, shooting a gun, when you know how to do so safely, is a healthy, not unhealthy, coping tool. I highly recommend shooting empty wine bottles.
• That post-it note! The Manes men sure are dramatic.
• Maria cleans Rosa’s headstone on the regular. Excuse me while I sob. 
• Could Liz still harvest some of the stem cells from Isobel’s fetus?
• What other guest star surprises does Roswell, New Mexico have up its sleeve! I’m giddy with anticipation. 

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 Monday at 9/8c on The CW.

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