#revisedblogpost

I stay away from American entertainment but Roswell, New Mexico threw me off guard. From the start to the end, I was so drawn in and throughout the seasons I was intrigued. I enjoyed how the showrunners played with so many factors in this show. Race, sexuality, intelligence, and careers. Having a minority play the main character was a nice refresher to see in American shows.

The idea of aliens growing up in a small southern town is fascinating and the way Roswell, New Mexico painted that picture was amazing. I love how Isobel, Michael, and Max grow up normally and stick together through all the troubles they face. Them staying together after high school was a good decision made by the writers. One of my favorite aspects of the show was how eventually everyone in the friend group played a role in all the difficulties faced. It was heartwarming seeing them go from friends to family. When Rosa was brought back to life, I was curious about the role she would play. Later, when I saw how they used her in the storyline, I was in awe. This is one way the writers played with many factors. They gave each character a role in the big picture in such a great way.

However, I did not like how the characters love stories played out. It was too much back and frothiness for my liking. For example, Max and Liz. One minute they were together, and the next they were hooking up with other people. Although towards the later seasons they got their relationship figured, this was not the only couple who went this. Alex and Michael, Isobel, and Kyle. I wish they was one stable couple throughout the series. It was weird to see adults being in such inconsistence relationships who are all friends. I understand the writers did this to keep viewers engaged but it hurt me to see them all suffering in this area. I was really thrown off when Rosa and Wyatt a couple went separate ways instead of getting together. It was as nice touch to the identity of Rosa though.

Imagine being in a huge friend group and not knowing who your friends truly are. Would you continue supporting them or feel outcasted and eventually give up on your friendships? In Roswell, New Mexico, this is Maria Deluca’s reality. Although Maria is the protagonist’s best friend, she is out of the loop on the big picture. Maria can see other people’s futures but can not see through her friends. 

Maria runs the Wild Pony, a bar, and is a palm reader. Maria works hard and picks up extra gigs to make money to take care of her mom, Mimi Deluca, who is mentally ill. As she runs her bar, she reads people’s palms. Although she read people, Maria did not know that the people she grew up with are aliens. 

Throughout the show, Maria’s love for her mother can be seen in many ways. Her mother believes in aliens, but Maria does not think much about it because she believes she is too obsessed with alien movies. Mimi leaves her home all the time to wander through the desert barefoot. Maria does not worry too much because her mother always finds her way back to the Wild Pony. This issues later leads Maria to put her mother in assisted living. Even there Mimi did the same thing, which caused Maria great pain. No matter what Mimi did or said, Maria loves her so much to the detriment of herself.

We can see Maria’s love for her friends as well because she runs a bar, she is able to listen, talk, and support her friends. Her best friend Alex always goes there to drink and catch up with her. As I mentioned before, she saw others’ futures but could not see through her friends. For a long time, Maria did not know Michael is Alex’s love interest even though he was her best friend. This later becomes a problem because Maria ends up sleeping with Michael, not knowing this. After she realizes, she ends things with Michael even though she was developing feelings for him.

At the beginning of the show Max pushes Liz away due to several reason. At their high school reunion, Liz wants to leave the reunion early because she felt she did not belong there, but Maria noticed and turned her whole night around. Maria told the DJ to play a song that reminds Liz of the good times. Liz and Maria dance happily to the song and enjoy their night. Maria is there for Liz was when she is down about her relationship with Max. Maria gives Liz advice and alcohol to soothe her pain.

Bi Bi Bi, what a title! Michael Guerin and Isobel Evans from Roswell, New Mexico are displayed in this video by ladycharlotte to showcase their sexuality. I found this video to be very entertaining and engaging because the editor chose great music, clips, and lines from the show to put everything in perspective for the audience.

The editor made this fan edit to show fans the common ground Michael and Isobel shared. They went about doing this by picking a song that correlates to their theme, Bye Bye Bye by NSYNC. This was a clever move to make and portrayed exactly what the editor intended. At the end of the edit, the words “bye bye bye” are sung when Michael says, “it’s a real bisexual alien blast around here.” That tied everything together.

The editor starts the edit with the two in Michael’s trailer while Isobel is telling Michael how she felt about Rosa in her memories. Isobel says, “I don’t know, I think I was in love with her, like I wanted her,” to convey that she is starting to question her sexuality. After this statement, she asks Michael if he has anything to say and clips of Michael’s past relationships start playing. It starts with Alex Manes and him, then switches to Maria Deluca and him. The clips chosen showcase the good and bad times of those relationships. That indirectly tells the audience why Michael ended up in those relationships if you pay close attention to the storyline depicted. In Michael’s portion of the video, both of his past lovers say the same phrase to him, “this can’t happen again.” Those words display the dynamic he had with his past lovers. Michael’s main two love interests, male and female are displayed to show his bisexual experience.

The transition between Michael’s story to Isobel’s was seamless. After Michael’s storyline ended, we were back in the trailer where Michael tells Isobel, “Welcome to the party,” after that, Isobel’s story begins. The editor starts Isobel’s section with Rosa and her. Then, transitions to a clip of Isobel telling Noah that she loves him. The quotes used during this section of the edit are extremely fitting to Isobel’s experience. “I’m not ashamed of you,” “I wish I could be who I am with you all the time.” Words like these are used to portray Isobel’s sexuality in terms of being her true self. 

“I don't believe in color-blind casting. I want characters' experiences to reflect their ethnicity,” states Carina Adly Mackenzie, the creator of Roswell, New Mexico. Although that was the vision, the show does not do a good job representing the races of the characters. Roswell, New Mexico has many Native American characters, but fails to properly display their identity.

The role of Rosa Ortecho was played by a Native American actress, Amber Midthunder. In an interview, Midthunder stated, “she’s put a lot of thought into the question of playing characters with various backgrounds.” The actress also states, “‘This is not my culture’ and getting the blessing of the people who’s culture it is.” Amber conveyed that she is a non-Mexican playing the role of one and how she feels about that. She said that although she feels most in touch with my ethnicity, she is New, Mexico bred and born, so she felt at home in some ways. 

Many characters on the show are not given the opportunity to showcase how Native Americans truly are in modern day. For example, Alex Manes. The show focuses on his disability and involvement in the LGBTQ+ community and never once on this ethnicity. The audience does not even know he is Native American until his brothers, Flint and Gregory, show up later on. Even with his brothers, their ethnicity is barely brushed on. They do later on show the audience that Gregory lives on a Native American reservation.

Towards the end of season one, episode nine, Liz, Max, Michael, and Maria head to Texas to see a faith healer. There they see a Native American woman perform magically healing but come to find out everything was an act. When Max goes to talk to the healer, he was told their acts are fake because people believe Native Americans are capable of healing. The healer and her mother were dressed traditionally to fit the part as well. From this we are able to see that Roswell, New Mexico did try to make things clear in regard to their attire and career. At the end of the day this would have only worked if they used the other characters to portray that their ethnicity is not the only thing one needs to focus on to get a job.

To go along with seeing the lives of Native Americans, later in season two, Gregory Manes is brought to our attention. Alex takes his friends to see his brother in hopes they gain more information about their history. In episode ten, we can that Gregory lives at the Navajo reservation. This was where his mother grew up, and Gregory knew that Louise Truman was believed to be a healer. Gregory was the main character that lives out his Native American heritage in a way by living on a reservation and knowing information about his ancestors.

         In conclusion, Roswell, New Mexico does not do a good job representing Native Americans. First reason being they have a Native American actress playing the role of another race. Second being one of their main characters is Native American but the show never brings up that part of him. Instead of speaking on Alex’s ethnicity, they bring it up through his brother. Although Roswell, New Mexico tried, they failed to properly represent. 

Work Cited:

Carina Adly Mackenzie February 12, 2019 at 12:47 PM EST. “'Roswell, New Mexico' Creator Talks Reversing the White-Washing from the Original Series.” EW.com, https://ew.com/tv/2019/02/12/roswell-new-mexico-creator-personal-experiences-show-influence/.