#*rnm meta

more theories: they were??  in a fight??? maybe?? because there appears to be a bruise/cut on michael’s right hand and a bandaid on one of alex’s right fingers...

i know this is a reach but... if there’s something hidden in this photo......... i wanna find it.

alright so, please bear in mind I have no particular attachment to this theory but it is something I thought of after looking at the prom night pics—also, just as a general fyi/disclaimer it involves jesse manes being physically abusive/violent.

michael’s hand isn’t messed up at prom, but we know it is when rosa died a few (?) nights later.  we also know that at prom, something goes down between kyle and alex.. with michael attempting (?) to intervene.  from the alex/kyle history revealed in 1x05, it’s lbr because alex is gay and either michael shows up to play switzerland/the mediator or to defend alex (and alex is like lol I don’t need u to fight my battles?).  based on what we know of where they are today, my gut says the former.

so, michael shows up to try and keep the peace and an opportunity (rip opportunity 🙏 2003-2019) presents itself for michael to publicly come out like “ya that’s my sk9rboi fuck y’all, c’mon alex let’s blow this popsicle stand”... but... michael... doesn’t...  and alex is like (: wow (: great (((: .. which p.s. michael being in the closet could be why alex never told maria who “mystery guy” was because he didn’t want to out him.. anyway, as I was saying.. alex, in his guyliner and black nail polish, his wallet chain swinging is all: “(: wow (: great (((: fuck u too i guess ✌️” because he feels like he has no one in his corner.. that no one... loves him.... thisisfine.png

michael feels BAD and an indiscriminate amount of time later (after prom but before rosa dies), decides to go to alex’s and apologize (but, as we all know from the 2006 onerepublic classic™️: it’s too late to ‘pologize) and michael runs into jesse instead.... and l...br... here.. jesse does not sound like the kinda guy who would be all to pleased to hear his son had a Confrontation to rival javert and jvj’s at prom re: being gay and... probably knows or suspects michael and alex have a thing (““a thing”” what an understatement lol). jesse also probably is smart enough to know michael’s the only thing keeping alex in roswell so.. if no michael... alex is gonna ✈️✈️✈️

SO MAYBE jesse does the dad routine of “stay away from my son” but the homophobic abusive father version which involves.... hurting michael’s hand in some way?? (max wouldn’t be able to heal michael’s hand if the injury was inflicted in either a public way or if... ppl (an airforce sgt mj perhaps 🤔) would notice it returning to 100%)... which leads me to this gif of alex and jesse’s “do i embarrass you, dad?” interaction in 1x03... where michael is clearly paying attn but once he sees alex and jesse look at him he’s all faux casual ‘look away’ which... idk.. i’m probably reading too much into this but.. michael being non-confrontational/meek feels vaguely incongruent with how present-day michael has been presented (at least regarding max and liz)... plus he’s got his hurt hand sorta hidden (protected??) in his lap?? so idk if it’s based on his (implied) shared childhood experience with alex of abusive parental figures and like.. perhaps a lingering/decades-old fear of jesse??? or like?? idk????

*Full disclosure, these are kinda rambley and I’m fully prepared to have them all proven wrong in the next episode lol.  They’re just the vibes I picked up on from the first two episodes that I expanded into headcanons and then built potential plot points around. 🤷‍♀️😅

The Manes are a multi-generational military family. Alex’s father could reasonably be a veteran of the Gulf War, his grandfather of Vietnam, and his great grandfather of WWII, etc.

Alex didn’t really want to join the air force. From what we’ve seen so far of high school!Alex, he was a skateboarder and a musician, which doesn’t automatically mean he didn’t want to join the military—but the bitter way Michael says "Father must be proud", "A real Manes man" and specifically stresses to Alex "what do you want?" at the reunion implies to me that Alex initially resisted joining the military (at least privately to Michael) before ultimately caving to his father’s expectations.

Michael and Alex bonded over feeling like outsiders.  This one ties into Alex not wanting to join the air force—maybe this aversion to the military and his more ""skater""/musical interests left him feeling like an outsider in his own family.  Michael calls him out for pretending to be someone he’s not at the reunion; when Alex asks "does the macho cowboy swagger thing ever get old to you?" Michael counters with the “did it get old for you?"

Michael didn’t hide the depth of his feelings for Alex—and Alex was the one who "ended" things.  Ultimately, we know Alex left.  The "I’d stay in Roswell if only he kept kissing me" could suggest Michael did something to make Alex feel like leaving, but I think Alex’s desire to make his dad proud/conform to family expectations/traditions is what did it.  Michael’s, "my feelings haven’t changed" and just his general attitude towards Alex makes me think that Alex was the one who hurt Michael when he left.  Plus, it’s mostly been Alex seeking Michael out, engaging with him first/showing up at his caravan, etc. (with the exception of the "nostalgia’s a bitch, huh?" scene) and Alex generally?? doesn’t come across to me as someone who got dumped?? On the other hand.... Michael’s... almost frantic?? way he lunges for Alex when he kisses him.... 🤔

Michael doesn’t trust Alex.  Okay—I don’t think Michael doubts Alex’s feelings for him or anything... but I do think there’s an uncertainty for Michael on whether or not Alex will let himself have what he wants or if he’ll just "follow orders."  Which… I want to pay more attention to the ways Michael and Alex interact when Alex is wearing his uniform and when he’s in civvies, because the Alex we first meet in his uniform at Michael’s caravan… is tbh almost unrecognizable in facial expressions and demeanour to the Alex at the bar with Maria and Liz.

@realfiction03​ replied to your post: I think Isobel was brainwashing Rosa to leave with Liz so that Liz wouldn’t leave with Max or be with Max. Remember Rosa was telling Maria about a road trip with Liz.

I’ve considered that... but a few friends ( @michaels-blackhat @ohstarlings @sockich @el-gilliath ) and I were talking about it and unless our understanding of the timeline is wrong (or there’s some other element we’re not aware of yet) that doesn’t make sense??

SO. We all heard it and a lot of us have been like, “😬yikes ??? cool down, Max??” BUT... I was rewatching 1x04 with my friend and this time during the flashback to Rosa at the Wild Pony, I wasn’t squinting at the tv and going, “Hey, is that Metro Station? Are they playing Shake It?? Omg!!” while Rosa spoke and.... she opens with, “Anyway, Liz has this whole road trip planned this summer but I don’t think she’ll actually go.” !!!!! 

What if! Liz and Max were planning on going on a road trip together???  And maybe Max’s choice of the word “abandon” is because Liz never showed up on the day they were supposed to leave?  She just left herself??? 🤔🤔🤔Which might also explain why Max said Isobel was afraid he would leave her—that her fear wasn’t based on Max’s feelings for Liz alone, but because Max and Liz actively had plans to leave town together on a road trip and Isobel was afraid they’d stay gone??  But then... I’m still 🤔 about why Isobel was afraid of Max leaving if she was asking Rosa to run away with her.... Idk idk I’m thinking myself in circles here.