Finally, we have a refreshing new series that provides a punchline to the famous lament of parents worldwide: "My teenager is an alien!" The producers of Roswell respond with a resounding, "No, your alien is a teenager!"
The premise of Roswell is so hip that it's amazing no one thought of it
sooner, especially with all the hoopla over alien conspiracy theories. The show's creators have picked up the real life story of Roswell, New Mexico, where an unidentified flying object crashed outside of town during the 1950's. For years, locals have insisted that the crash involved an alien ship and alien corpses. The writers ask, "What if three children in stasis were aboard the ill-fated craft? What if they came to life in human guise, wandered seemingly abandoned at the side of the road and were found and raised in human families?"
The series premiere picks up with the aliens as teenagers who suddenly find their secret exposed. Max (Jason
Behr), a quietly sincere and emotionally lonely alien hunk, decides to save the girl of his dreams, Liz
(Shiri Appleby), after she's accidentally shot by some bad guys in the Crash Café where she waits tables. Max heals her bullet wound and leaves her with a harmless, shiny alien handprint solarized over her wound. Unfortunately, the Sheriff's son accidentally sees the handprint on Liz's stomach and an exciting game of cat and mouse ensues between the teens and Sheriff
Valenti, played with good guy passion by William Sadler.
Max endures the wrath of his alien comrades, Michael (Brendan Fehr) and
Isabel (Katherine Heigl), who are afraid they'll be exploited and held
captive by the government if their secret is detected. Isabel, with a wave of her hand, reminds Max that their special powers should be confined to reheating the cheese on their tacos. Cool!
Shiri Appleby as Liz treats us to some subtle, but convincing, acting when the camera catches her reactions as she discovers Max's true status. Appleby is too good. She should patent her "cynical teen turned incredulous believer" attitude.
Some fine ensemble acting occurs while our three alien teens watch a reenactment of the crash of their ship during an annual alien hokum
celebration, the Crash Festival. The sadness and aloneness they convey with their quiet stares reveals this to be a show that's more than a high concept.
Roswell's premise is an appealing foundation for an exploration of
traditional teen themes of first love, self-esteem, secrecy, and, of course, alienation. Most teenagers feel like aliens, so a series about aliens who are teenagers is right on the mark. Liz comments at one point, "It's so ironic when something like this (first love) finally happened to me, it was with an alien."
Team Roswell should also be congratulated for their fine production values: the beautiful camera work, set design and make up and costuming (the Crash Festival costumes and make up rocked!) Roswell is a stylish show with
substance.
|
"Roswell
Producers Discover: Aliens are Teenagers!"
