Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 Episode 9 Review: Wild Wild West
Liz battles herself in a mindscape on Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 Episode 9, “Wild Wild West,” which forces her to face some of her deepest fears and darkest impulses.
Jeanine Mason pulls double duty playing two sides of Liz this episode, and — as the actress has done since the start of this show — she slays.
Additionally, Roswell, New Mexico‘s very own Michael Trevino steps behind the camera for a stellar directorial debut. And with an episode full of complicated twists and alternate realities, that is not an easy task.
While some of the plot threads inside Liz’s mind are hard to follow, “Wild Wild West” gets to the point of the mindscape by the end of the hour.
It is necessary for Liz as she moves forward with herself and Max.
Liz’s whole journey as the lead of this show has been clouded with grief and loss. First, her sister dies in a tragic accident; then, her boyfriend dies to bring her sister back to life, further complicating her grief.
Naturally, she feels an overwhelming need to save everyone and be the best scientist she can be. However, letting go of control and trusting others to step up to the plate is terrifying for her.
She’s even scared of accepting Max’s marriage proposal, partially because no matter how much she loves him, she worries about the alien chaos that always comes for them — especially now that he is essentially “human.”
I’m glad this specific plot point comes up because I have always read Liz as a character who doesn’t care for marriage as much as others. She, of course, wants commitment and eternal love, but she’s always had bigger dreams than the simplicity of married life in Roswell.
Part of Liz will always want the accolades and prestige that come with her brilliance, which is why Dark Liz brings up the notion of Max holding her back from her true potential.
These conclusions that Liz draws about herself in the mindscape lend themselves to excellent character work, especially as viewers are already familiar with her complicated sides.
The mindscape creatively brings Shiri Appleby, Liz Parker from OG Roswell, in as Liz’s former mentor to guide her to the heart of the issue. This is such a fun Easter egg for fans of both shows!
However, “Wild Wild West” reveals that Liz’s darker alter ego from the mindscape is still present, while Liz and Max struggle to remember how they escaped it. Unfortunately, this detail doesn’t allow them to grow from their experience in the mindscape.
I assume that while the others deal with their missing friends, Liz and Max must contend with this darkness.
There is no need for Liz to face this issue again in the real world, as so many other problems come their way, which is why I’m dissatisfied with this choice. It forces us to repeat instead of moving forward.
While this storyline creates intriguing conflict for Max and Liz as a couple, I worry about how much time Roswell, New Mexico has left to deal with it properly. Unfortunately, the season (and series) is not long enough.
Another standout moment on “Wild Wild West” is the confrontation between Michael and Rosa about Michael’s need to do something about Alex.
Despite every fiber of his being telling him to jump into that alien sinkhole after his soulmate, Michael cannot act that impulsively right now. Instead, they need logic and strategy to avoid mistakes that could worsen the situation.
I appreciate that Rosa can pull this conclusion out of Michael after their complicated history.
However, I struggle with Rosa’s comparison to the night she died. While that situation is an example of the Pod Squad making mistakes when they act rashly, I don’t think it’s a fair comparison.
Michael is heartbroken and terrified for Alex, so he refuses to sit around and do nothing. But I do not think it is right to guilt him with that specific mistake to persuade him to use logic when the two situations are entirely different.
Michael’s feelings are valid, but the past two episodes keep telling him his anger and hurt are wrong. As this directly parallels Max’s impulsivity with Liz on “Wild Wild West,” it feels like unfair treatment between the two male leads.
Sometimes I wonder if Roswell, New Mexico is shaming a queer man who spent his childhood in a cycle of abuse for expressing his complex feelings about his lover’s kidnapping — which is deeply problematic.
The same rules don’t apply to Max, which makes it even more disturbing.
Michael spent his whole life feeling like an unlovable, lost cause. So I hate that the writers ignore his trauma as they try to talk him off a ledge.
This storyline should be handled better if this is the chosen approach, to drag this out and throw other conflicts into the story instead of letting Alex come home to him.
While “Wild Wild West” introduces more problems, the hour debuts Michael Trevino’s talents behind the camera and focuses the story back on Roswell, New Mexico‘s heroine in her hour of need.
This choice propels her to face conflicts within herself as the series ends.
Stray Thoughts
- Horse Kyle is such a funny nod to Kyle and Liz’s relationship… and I think I still ship these two! Oops.
- Isobel’s guilt throughout this episode is so touching. She deserves endless hugs.
- Pancake Papi and his machete will always make me smile.
- I love the Western costumes so much.
- Michael says the sweetest things about Alex when he is not around. So tell your cosmic soulmate these things to his face!
- We really don’t need Heath. At all.
- Isobel needs to ask Tezca what she did to Alex and countless others ASAP.
- It is about damn time Maria calls her boyfriend to tell him that her best friend, who happens to be his brother, is missing. Is Greg still her boyfriend? I honestly couldn’t tell you.
- I am so relieved that Kyle is back next episode. These hooligans need their moral compass, and he is Alex’s best friend.
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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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Julia Paino
Julia is a TV and pop culture enthusiast who gets too emotionally invested in her favorite characters. She loves making people laugh and is always down for a Taylor Swift sing-along. She is firmly on Team Stefan and has been since 2009. Follow her on Twitter @juliampaino!