In 1947 something extraterrestrial crashed into Roswell and
42 years later, hybrid descendants Max Evans, Isabel Evans
and Michael Guerin emerged from their incubation pods looking
like six year old human children. They were eventually found
roaming the desert and adopted by parents who knew nothing
of their inner conflicts or supernatural gifts...
Roswell
is based on the Roswell High series of books (in fact
the series is better known to UK viewers as Roswell High)
which was originally aimed at the teenage market. The TV series,
it would seem, is after the same market.
Nowhere
is this more evident than in the on/off relationship between
Max and Liz - which starts to get a little tired and rather
silly after a while. Also, there is a whole string of episodes
in which we have to put up with teenagers snogging at every
opportunity. And as if this weren't puke-worthy enough, they
try and explain that this is necessary - they suddenly discover
that kissing (and maybe even sex) helps the aliens uncover
more about where they came from... Oh, please!
While
this really does start to get annoying after a while, it's
not something I was overly conscious of when I originally
watched these episodes when they were served up on a weekly
basis.
It's
not really until the last few episodes of season one that
things really start to settle down and you realise that there
is something here beneath all the teen snogging and relationship
problems.
As
well as the young actors, there is a healthy collection of
more established talent. Julie Benz, better known for portraying
Darla in Buffy and Angel, puts in a great performance
as the mysterious new counsellor at the school. Is she really
just a teacher or is she in Roswell to track down the aliens?
William
Sadler (who you may recall played the mysterious Section 31
agent Sloan in several episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space
Nine) is perfect as Roswell's local sheriff, Jim Valenti.
And
Jonathan Frakes, who was an executive producer on the series,
as well as directing several episodes, makes a very funny
cameo appearance as himself.
Extras
on the collection are interesting and include half a dozen
audio commentaries (don't listen to these if you have not
seen season two already, as Shiri Appleby and Majandra Delfino
manage to ruin the surprise that a major character dies);
Area 51: Behind the Scenes; The Making of Roswell;
Actor auditions: Emilie de Raven; and Save Yourself
music video.
Not
only is this a fantastic series, but the fact that Fox are
knocking it out for less than £40 is even more reason
to grab this as soon as possible.
Nick
Smithson
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