Two Roswells, One Michael & Maria — And the Version We Never Got
Being wildly unpopular might actually be my favorite sport at this point.
Every time I write something like this, I fully expect at least three people to be ready to fight me in the tags. But here’s the thing: I don’t write to be attacked. I write because I genuinely love open, honest, civil conversations. I like contrasting opinions. I just prefer them without digital pitchforks.
So.
Today’s Ship Scream is about Michael and Maria.
Both versions.
Yes. We’re doing this.
The Two Roswells
I watched both:
Roswell (1999–2002)
Roswell, New Mexico (2019–2022)
And yes, I liked both. They’re similar, but they feel very different — and you can feel the twenty-year gap between them.
Both are inspired by the Roswell High novels by Melinda Metz, though neither adaptation is fully faithful. I never read the books (they weren’t published in Italy), so my attachment is entirely television-based.
And in both shows, my ship was the same:
Michael Guerin and Maria DeLuca.
Roswell (1999): The Heat Wave That Started It All
Let’s start with the original.
Teenage Michael and Maria were pure enemies-to-lovers chaos.
The turning point? “Heat Wave” (1x09). The hormonal spike. The uncontrollable attraction. The kisses that didn’t stop. Maria hiding hickeys under a sleeveless turtleneck like it was peak Y2K drama.
That was iconic.
What I loved about them in the original Roswell was the tension. The friction. They were opposites. They clashed constantly. But the chemistry? Explosive.
Seasons 1 and 2 built them beautifully. Especially Season 2, which I still think is the show’s peak (Alex’s death, Tess’s arc — that was the emotional core).
But Season 3?
That’s where things fell apart.
The show struggled with post-high school storytelling. The energy shifted. Some character choices didn’t land (Isabel’s marriage to Jessie still confuses me). And Michael and Maria suffered from that instability.
They were living together. Stable. Settled.
But suddenly it felt like Michael was complacent while Maria wanted more — music, growth, independence.
And instead of deepening their maturity, the show kind of fumbled it.
By the finale, they reunite — but it feels rushed. Like boxes being checked to give everyone a happy ending.
So in the original:
I loved how they started.
I loved their teenage intensity.
I didn’t love how their adult arc was handled.
Roswell, New Mexico: The Mature Version… With Complications
Now we move to the reboot.
And here’s where I might lose some of you.
First: Michael being bisexual was not my issue.
Let me be very clear about that.
My discomfort wasn’t about sexuality. It was about narrative balance.
In Roswell, New Mexico, Michael’s relationship with Alex is deeply developed. Their high school history is emotional, layered, painful. I actually liked it. A lot.
Michael hiding his healed hand because Alex still sees him as injured? That’s beautiful storytelling.
But here’s the structural issue: Alex’s death in the original Roswell was foundational. It reshaped the group. It reshaped Isobel. It altered dynamics permanently.
In Roswell, Alex’s death fractures everything.
In Roswell, New Mexico, that role is replaced with Rosa (Liz’s sister). And while Rosa is interesting, she never quite carries the same emotional gravitational weight.
The ripple effects are different.
And that changes everything.
The Michael/Maria/Alex Triangle
Now we get to the part that really didn’t work for me.
The threesome scene.
I’m sorry. I know. I know.
But narratively? It felt like Michael trying to stand in two emotional worlds at once.
If he wants Alex — choose Alex.
If he wants Maria — choose Maria.
But that “foot in both worlds” energy diluted the emotional clarity.
And it weakened what could’ve been a powerful adult Michael/Maria arc.
Because here’s the thing:
I actually loved Michael Vlamis and Heather Hemmens as Michael and Maria.
They feel mature. Grounded. Adult. Their dynamic in Season 1 especially had that familiar enemies-to-lovers spark, but with lived-in weight.
And that’s where my frustration lives.
My Unpopular Take
If I could fuse both versions, I would.
I’d take:
The mature writing and adult depth of Roswell, New Mexico.
The slow-burn emotional commitment of Seasons 1–2 of the original Roswell.
Because what worked best in the original was this: Michael and Maria were the counterpoint to Max and Liz.
Max/Liz were destiny. Soulmate energy. Almost mythic.
Michael/Maria were friction. Fire. Constant collision.
They weren’t poetic. They were volatile.
But in that volatility, there was real love.
And I wanted that same trajectory in the reboot.
Instead, in both versions, I loved how it started… and struggled with how it ended.
So yes.
My perfect Michael and Maria doesn’t exist.
It’s a mash-up.
Original Roswell’s emotional arc. Roswell, New Mexico’s adult depth. A bisexual Michael with a meaningful past — but a decisive emotional present.
That, to me, would’ve been perfect.
So now I’m asking you:
Which Michael and Maria did you prefer? The chaotic Y2K version? The mature reboot version? Or are you Team Michael/Alex?
And please — let’s argue like adults.
Because if there’s one thing this fandom knows how to do… it’s scream about ships.
