Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 Episode 8 Review: Missing My Baby

Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 Episode 8, “Missing My Baby,” is a moving hour of television, focusing on love and betrayal as characters face the prospect of loss.

This tonal shift allows the cast to showcase their genuinely remarkable talents. 

Even though the episode focuses on other characters and couples throughout, the heart of this hour is Malex, proving once again that their relationship is the most powerful story the show is telling. 

Michael Vlamis delivers some of the strongest character work of the whole series as Michael goes through the motions of reacting to devastating news about Alex. 

I appreciate how this reveal unfolds because it acknowledges how much Michael loses control when Alex is in danger. It is a natural response when you’re in love while allowing Michael to take a more mature approach to the situation. 

Michael’s arc is without a doubt the most satisfying of any character on Roswell, New Mexico. 

He is not the same snarky cowboy that we met in a jail cell four seasons ago. Instead, he has become a man who stays loyal to his loved ones, owns his mistakes, and tries to do better next time. 

Michael’s storyline with Max on “Missing My Baby” is the perfect example of his growth, and this dynamic is easily the most compelling of the Pod Squad relationships.

Even when Michael is shattered by Max’s betrayal, they acknowledge their flaws and remind each other of their unconditional support. Sibling relationships are complicated, but these brothers carry each other through their hardest days. 

Nathan Dean and Michael Vlamis expertly convey Michael’s heartbreak and Max’s concern as they grapple with saving Alex. Michael needs Max to ground him right now, so he can be “the thing that brings Alex back,” which is beautiful. 

However, I think it is insulting that the episode circulates around Max and Liz’s relationship so much as Michael suffers such a gut-wrenching uncertainty. Even as Liz acknowledges the similarities, it does not justify her lies or the need to take away time from Michael and Alex’s story. 

Although I am happy with Max and Michael by the end of the episode, I think it is awful that Max keeps the secret from Michael to save his own relationship. Max and Liz are not ready for marriage if that is how they run from conflict, and this specific choice is not romantic. 

It’s incredibly frustrating that Roswell, New Mexico, cannot give Michael and Alex’s relationship the sole focus, for even one episode, that it deserves. 

While Michael’s initial reaction is violent and aggressive, I don’t think he needs to apologize as much as he does. His friends were wrong to keep this secret from him, and he’s facing the possibility of losing the person he loves most. 

However, once Michael acknowledges that Maria and her love for Alex will lead them to where they need to go, “Missing My Baby” really soars. This group is stronger when they work together, and it is heartwarming to watch them rally around Alex.

Michael’s immense guilt and anger at himself for not knowing sooner is a great way to acknowledge his issues with home and the Oasis, a central theme for him. 

Part of him will always be that lonely foster child dreaming of a spaceship to take him home, but then Alex gave him a warm place to stay, and without even realizing it, at 17 years old, Michael found his way home.

As Maria tells Alex, as he discusses Michael two episodes into the series, “Home can be a person.”  So now Michael is bringing Alex home to him — for good. 

Additionally, Alex’s performance of “Would You Come Home” is one of the most pivotal moments in their relationship, acknowledging that there was hope for them to find each other again after they healed on their own.

So the decision to bring the melody back as Alex fights to come home to Michael is poetic. The two connected over music as teenagers, and music has stayed with their relationship ever since. 

It is the hope Michael needs right now, and Alex’s tether to Maria strengthens when Michael is present, reminding us that their relationship is as cosmic as ever. 

Plus, Michael Vlamis’s tearful reaction to hearing their song led to my own tears. When Guerin cries, we all cry. 

“Missing My Baby” shatters our hearts with Malex feels, pushing the cast to pull on deep, painful emotions to face a scary uncertainty for one of their own.

While it needed more focus on Malex overall, the parts that honor their relationship are some of the best scenes all season. 

The hour belongs to Michael Vlamis, with an honorable mention for Nathan Dean and the rest of the cast. They are all on their A-game. 

As this thrilling, devastating storyline leads the show into its final episodes, I ask for conclusive answers, and a fair allocation of screen time to underserved characters during this final season. 

Stray Thoughts

• I cannot follow Isobel’s storyline right now, and I think it needed to be placed in a different episode. 
• Shivani is an intriguing addition to the science aspect of this series, but it is hard to emotionally invest when other characters are sucked into the ground as she steals screen time. Plus, we already did this with Steph. 
• I never expected to see Vanessa again. Hey, I guess. 
• I think it is quite obvious by now that the elusive series finale wedding belongs to Michael and Alex. And nobody deserves it more. 
• Deep Sky is a terrible organization to work for if it takes a week before they realize that you aren’t calling in with updates. 
• There is a limited concern for Dallas, but I assume that’ll change as they prepare to jump into the ground. 
• I miss Kyle Valenti. You know he’s sad about his bestie, wherever he is right now. 
• Clyde has limited appeal as a villain, as showcased by the greatness of an episode where Clyde and Bonnie aren’t as present. 
• Rosa gives the best pep talks. And I love that she took the first plane she could to come find Alex. 
• I hope they call Gregory Manes because that man loves his little brother so much.

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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 Mondays at 8/7c on The CW.

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