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fandomhigh_ooc2007-05-06 04:25 pm
izzyalienqueen.livejournal.com) wrote in fandomhigh_ooc2007-05-06 04:25 pm
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Spotlight on Fandoms: Roswell
Roswell was a TV series that ran first on the WB and then on UPN from October 1999 to May of 2002. The series pilot was based on the young adult book series called Roswell High by Melinda Metz.
The story focused on three teenaged aliens hiding in plain sight in Roswell, NM and their adventures as they tried to find out the truth about what they are and what they're supposed to do. The three, Max, Isabel and Michael had been in incubation pods aboard the alien ship that crashed outside of Roswell in 1947. The pods were hidden in the desert by survivors of the crash until the three emerged from the pods over fifty years later.
Max Evans - Max is the leader of the three original aliens. He's serious, quiet, and he wants to keep their presence in town a secret. He's also desperately in love with Liz Parker. But more about that later. Max and his sister Isabel were adopted by Diane and Phillip Evans after they found them wandering in the desert shortly after they came out of the pods.
Isabel Evans - Isabel is fiercely loyal to her brother and to Michael. She also wants nothing more then to pretend she's a perfectly normal teenager. She's pretty and popular, active in her community and an obsessive compulsive planner when it comes to Christmas.
Michael Guerin - The third of the original aliens. The night they came out of the pods, Michael ran away when the Evans' car appeared. Because of that he wound up in foster care on his own and was separated from Max and Isabel for over three years. His foster father is an alcoholic bastard who has abused Michael regularly and only keeps him around for the check. Michael lives for the moment they can return "home" and feels Max and Isabel are nuts for having ties (their parents) that could possibly bind them to earth.
Liz Parker - Liz is the great love of Max's life.*yawns* When she is accidentally shot by two men having an argument while she's waitressing in her father's restaurant, Max heals her, setting off a chain of events that drives the whole series.
Maria DeLuca - Maria is Liz's best friend. She's dramatic, funny, given to sniffing cypress oil in times of stress, but when it comes down to it, she's strong and devoted to her friends. She eventually develops a rather funny romance with Michael.
Alex Whitman - Alex is a good friend of Liz and Maria. He's a talented musician, and a computer hacker. He's the last to be let in on the great alien secret. He has a huge crush on Isabel.
Sheriff Jim Valenti - Originally the sheriff was the big bad of the first season. Suspicion of Max after Liz's shooting, he spent the first season glowering about and trying to find out the truth. But in the end, he turned out to be an ally and helped rescue Max when he was in danger.
Kyle Valenti - The sheriff's son and Liz's boyfriend at the time of the shooting. He's also incredibly suspicious of Max and the others. But by the end of the first season he's become another trusted member of the group of friends.
Tess Harding - Tess is the fourth alien from the pods. She came out of the pods some time after Max, Michael & Isabel and was found and raised by Nasedo/Ed Harding, one of the original shape-shifting survivors of the 1947 crash.
The first season revolved around the repercussions of Max healing Liz. That led to Maria and eventually Alex finding out about the alien trio and the great emo-angst-laden romance that was Liz and Max. Romance also developed between Michael and Maria, particularly after she helped him when he ran away from his foster father. A tentative romance developed between Alex and Isabel but never really went far due to Isabel not quite trusting him.
In non-romance storylines, the sheriff become extremely suspicious after the shooting, and the FBI sent an undercover agent of the Special Unit (their alien hunter unit) to town. Rumors of the healing also brought Nasedo and Tess to town to finally reunite with the Pod Squad and friends.
The season ended with everyone working together to rescue Max who'd been captured by the FBI. The alien four also finally got a message from "home" that explained who and what they were. (Brace yourself, here's where the crack starts). They were "The Royal Four." Max was the king on a planet called Antar. Tess was his bride. Michael was his second-in-command, Isabel was his sister on Antar as well as Michael's betrothed wife. They'd been killed during a war on their planet and recreated by combining human DNA with their alien essence. They were sent to earth to grow up, learn to use their powers and go back and rescue their planet.
Season two was the beginning of a trend by the writers away from the stand alone relationship episodes of the first season to a more alien-based, arc driven show. Alien enemies were introduced, evil duplicates of the "Royal Four" came to town, Tess and Nasedo wound up betraying Max, Michael and Isabel and accidentally killing Alex just as he and Isabel started to date. Basically there are massive leaps of logic, convenient coincidences, dropped plots, and massive amounts of OOC-ness. But it still wasn't as bad as season 3.
The end of season two had the aliens preparing to leave for the home planet. Through an episode of blatant stupidity, Max got Tess pregnant with his child and for some reason the pregnancy can't survive on earth. At the last minute Michael, who'd always wanted to go home, decided to stay for Maria. This is fortunate because Liz, Maria and Kyle arrive just as he leaves to tell the aliens that Tess was responsible for Alex's death and that she was going to betray them to their enemies. If they'd gone back to their home planet they'd be dead.
Season two ended with Tess (and Max's child) blasting off on her own to the home planet. Max, Isabel and Michael are left behind wondering what they are going to do next.
Roswell never really had the greatest ratings and at the end of season two it was cancelled by the WB. FOX, who produced the show was able to package it with Buffy when Buffy was picked up UPN for a final season.
Honestly? They should have just let it end.
No, I'm not bitter.
Really.
Season three opened with Max and Liz pulling an armed robbery in a Utah convienice store because they were looking for the remains of the ship from 1947. Max had somehow gotten a telepathic message from his infant son, saying he was in danger and that Max needed to rescue him.
Yeah. Like I said. The bad crack.
That act of stupidity had repercussions all season as Liz's parents refused to let her see Max again (cue angsting, woe, and long emo-filled looks), Max's father started investigating him to see what the hell was going on and the FBI/military started watching them again.
Other events included Isabel being haunted by Alex's ghost and then, just a few short months after his death, beginning a relationship with an attorney in her father's firm, Jesse Ramirez. They got MARRIED! (Seriously, WTF writers? WTF?) To make it even more interesting? She didn't tell him the truth about who/what she was. Further wackiness? As a result of Max healing them, (Liz in the pilot and Kyle after he'd been shot at the end of the first season) Liz started to develop powers of her own and it was implied Kyle would as well.
After even more angst, turmoil, leaps of logic, leaps of faith, convoluted plot twists and general all around stupidity, the season/series ended with Max & Liz, Maria & Michael, and Isabel and Kyle driving off into the sunset in a Volkswagon van to escape after the FBI tried to kill them all during graduation.
I threw things at the TV when the finale aired.
I'll be honest, the great star-crossed love of Max and Liz? Bored me to tears. But Maria and Michael, Alex and Isabel made up for it by being fun and quirky and adorable. Season one had semi-believable (for sci-fi that is) stories and an awesome soundtrack. It's well worth watching.
Season two? Have a beer, don't take it too seriously or ask too many questions and it's still fairly enjoyable. Especially watch for Kyle, the Buddha worshiping football player.
Season three? *spits* Pretend it never happened! Trust me, you'll be happier.
While looking things up to write this post, I found out there are a series of books based on the events of the show as opposed to the Roswell High books that the series was originally based on.
The first four:
1. Shades by Mel Odom (September 2002)
2. Skeletons In The Closet by Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin (November 2002)
3. Dreamwalk by Paul Ruditis (January 2003)
4. Quarantine by Laura Burns (March 2003)
Are set between seasons two and three. The next four:
5. A New Beginning by Kevin Ryan (June 2003)
6. Nightscape by Kevin Ryan (July 2003)
7. Pursuit by Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin (September 2003)
8. Turnabout by Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin (November 2003)
Deal with life after Roswell. Sadly most of them are out of print. Although I have managed to order copies of the very last two. According to the authors, they're supposed to serve as the definitive end of the series. Give me a few weeks. If you hear screaming? You know I don't like the ending.
Amazon has the DVDs
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
So that's it. Questions? Comments? Pie with Tabasco?
The story focused on three teenaged aliens hiding in plain sight in Roswell, NM and their adventures as they tried to find out the truth about what they are and what they're supposed to do. The three, Max, Isabel and Michael had been in incubation pods aboard the alien ship that crashed outside of Roswell in 1947. The pods were hidden in the desert by survivors of the crash until the three emerged from the pods over fifty years later.
Max Evans - Max is the leader of the three original aliens. He's serious, quiet, and he wants to keep their presence in town a secret. He's also desperately in love with Liz Parker. But more about that later. Max and his sister Isabel were adopted by Diane and Phillip Evans after they found them wandering in the desert shortly after they came out of the pods.
Isabel Evans - Isabel is fiercely loyal to her brother and to Michael. She also wants nothing more then to pretend she's a perfectly normal teenager. She's pretty and popular, active in her community and an obsessive compulsive planner when it comes to Christmas.
Michael Guerin - The third of the original aliens. The night they came out of the pods, Michael ran away when the Evans' car appeared. Because of that he wound up in foster care on his own and was separated from Max and Isabel for over three years. His foster father is an alcoholic bastard who has abused Michael regularly and only keeps him around for the check. Michael lives for the moment they can return "home" and feels Max and Isabel are nuts for having ties (their parents) that could possibly bind them to earth.
Liz Parker - Liz is the great love of Max's life.
Maria DeLuca - Maria is Liz's best friend. She's dramatic, funny, given to sniffing cypress oil in times of stress, but when it comes down to it, she's strong and devoted to her friends. She eventually develops a rather funny romance with Michael.
Alex Whitman - Alex is a good friend of Liz and Maria. He's a talented musician, and a computer hacker. He's the last to be let in on the great alien secret. He has a huge crush on Isabel.
Sheriff Jim Valenti - Originally the sheriff was the big bad of the first season. Suspicion of Max after Liz's shooting, he spent the first season glowering about and trying to find out the truth. But in the end, he turned out to be an ally and helped rescue Max when he was in danger.
Kyle Valenti - The sheriff's son and Liz's boyfriend at the time of the shooting. He's also incredibly suspicious of Max and the others. But by the end of the first season he's become another trusted member of the group of friends.
Tess Harding - Tess is the fourth alien from the pods. She came out of the pods some time after Max, Michael & Isabel and was found and raised by Nasedo/Ed Harding, one of the original shape-shifting survivors of the 1947 crash.
The first season revolved around the repercussions of Max healing Liz. That led to Maria and eventually Alex finding out about the alien trio and the great emo-angst-laden romance that was Liz and Max. Romance also developed between Michael and Maria, particularly after she helped him when he ran away from his foster father. A tentative romance developed between Alex and Isabel but never really went far due to Isabel not quite trusting him.
In non-romance storylines, the sheriff become extremely suspicious after the shooting, and the FBI sent an undercover agent of the Special Unit (their alien hunter unit) to town. Rumors of the healing also brought Nasedo and Tess to town to finally reunite with the Pod Squad and friends.
The season ended with everyone working together to rescue Max who'd been captured by the FBI. The alien four also finally got a message from "home" that explained who and what they were. (Brace yourself, here's where the crack starts). They were "The Royal Four." Max was the king on a planet called Antar. Tess was his bride. Michael was his second-in-command, Isabel was his sister on Antar as well as Michael's betrothed wife. They'd been killed during a war on their planet and recreated by combining human DNA with their alien essence. They were sent to earth to grow up, learn to use their powers and go back and rescue their planet.
Season two was the beginning of a trend by the writers away from the stand alone relationship episodes of the first season to a more alien-based, arc driven show. Alien enemies were introduced, evil duplicates of the "Royal Four" came to town, Tess and Nasedo wound up betraying Max, Michael and Isabel and accidentally killing Alex just as he and Isabel started to date. Basically there are massive leaps of logic, convenient coincidences, dropped plots, and massive amounts of OOC-ness. But it still wasn't as bad as season 3.
The end of season two had the aliens preparing to leave for the home planet. Through an episode of blatant stupidity, Max got Tess pregnant with his child and for some reason the pregnancy can't survive on earth. At the last minute Michael, who'd always wanted to go home, decided to stay for Maria. This is fortunate because Liz, Maria and Kyle arrive just as he leaves to tell the aliens that Tess was responsible for Alex's death and that she was going to betray them to their enemies. If they'd gone back to their home planet they'd be dead.
Season two ended with Tess (and Max's child) blasting off on her own to the home planet. Max, Isabel and Michael are left behind wondering what they are going to do next.
Roswell never really had the greatest ratings and at the end of season two it was cancelled by the WB. FOX, who produced the show was able to package it with Buffy when Buffy was picked up UPN for a final season.
Honestly? They should have just let it end.
No, I'm not bitter.
Really.
Season three opened with Max and Liz pulling an armed robbery in a Utah convienice store because they were looking for the remains of the ship from 1947. Max had somehow gotten a telepathic message from his infant son, saying he was in danger and that Max needed to rescue him.
Yeah. Like I said. The bad crack.
That act of stupidity had repercussions all season as Liz's parents refused to let her see Max again (cue angsting, woe, and long emo-filled looks), Max's father started investigating him to see what the hell was going on and the FBI/military started watching them again.
Other events included Isabel being haunted by Alex's ghost and then, just a few short months after his death, beginning a relationship with an attorney in her father's firm, Jesse Ramirez. They got MARRIED! (Seriously, WTF writers? WTF?) To make it even more interesting? She didn't tell him the truth about who/what she was. Further wackiness? As a result of Max healing them, (Liz in the pilot and Kyle after he'd been shot at the end of the first season) Liz started to develop powers of her own and it was implied Kyle would as well.
After even more angst, turmoil, leaps of logic, leaps of faith, convoluted plot twists and general all around stupidity, the season/series ended with Max & Liz, Maria & Michael, and Isabel and Kyle driving off into the sunset in a Volkswagon van to escape after the FBI tried to kill them all during graduation.
I threw things at the TV when the finale aired.
I'll be honest, the great star-crossed love of Max and Liz? Bored me to tears. But Maria and Michael, Alex and Isabel made up for it by being fun and quirky and adorable. Season one had semi-believable (for sci-fi that is) stories and an awesome soundtrack. It's well worth watching.
Season two? Have a beer, don't take it too seriously or ask too many questions and it's still fairly enjoyable. Especially watch for Kyle, the Buddha worshiping football player.
Season three? *spits* Pretend it never happened! Trust me, you'll be happier.
While looking things up to write this post, I found out there are a series of books based on the events of the show as opposed to the Roswell High books that the series was originally based on.
The first four:
1. Shades by Mel Odom (September 2002)
2. Skeletons In The Closet by Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin (November 2002)
3. Dreamwalk by Paul Ruditis (January 2003)
4. Quarantine by Laura Burns (March 2003)
Are set between seasons two and three. The next four:
5. A New Beginning by Kevin Ryan (June 2003)
6. Nightscape by Kevin Ryan (July 2003)
7. Pursuit by Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin (September 2003)
8. Turnabout by Andy Mangels & Michael A. Martin (November 2003)
Deal with life after Roswell. Sadly most of them are out of print. Although I have managed to order copies of the very last two. According to the authors, they're supposed to serve as the definitive end of the series. Give me a few weeks. If you hear screaming? You know I don't like the ending.
Amazon has the DVDs
Season 1
Season 2
Season 3
So that's it. Questions? Comments? Pie with Tabasco?
no subject
I feel that way about a good portion of Charmed. ;)
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no subject
no subject
And it might have been that beginning scene in Die Hard 2 that set them off too. Who can tell.