Roswell, New Mexico ends its epic four-season run on a high note, with an emotional finale that has just the right amount of action.
It’s hard to nail the perfect series finale for a variety of reasons, but Roswell does its best to satisfy longtime fans and close out storylines in a way that makes the ending feel more complete than not. And that’s genuinely all you can ask for.
Where you stand on the events of Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 Episode 13 will be up for discussion, of course, but you can see they gave it their all with this one.
It was never going to be easy to wrap up all the various romantic entanglements and the looming Clyde threat in a short one hour, but the series did its best to hit upon everything that made it so unique throughout its run.
And as we all know, one of the biggest things was Malex, a whirlwind romance that captivated audiences from the second the two shared the same desert air back in the pilot.
You can call it fan service if you like, but it doesn’t even matter because their wedding was perfect and the right way to encapsulate what their relationship has always been. From tortured lust to soulmates standing in the middle of the small town that brought them together to exchange vows, it’s such a beautiful and full-circle moment.
We don’t get to hear their vows, which winds up being okay because we see the look of love on their faces and those surrounding them.
This series never works if it’s not for the connections between the characters and the audience buying into them. Grand speeches don’t have the same effect if you’re not invested in the love the people are trying to sell.
Michael and Alex have had chemistry from the get-go, and it always felt like a matter of when and not if with them. Whether or not it was clear that Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 would be the end, it makes sense for their journey to lead them here.
They’ve been each other’s person for years, and while they tried to move past one another in their own ways, feeling like it was the right thing to do, they could never make it work because they knew deep down it wasn’t.
Their love for one another superseded all else, and the joining of their lives in front of all those closest to them makes permanent what we already knew.
The show makes an interesting decision to cure Alex offscreen, which dilutes the whole ‘Alex is dying, and we must get married now!’ story they were building over the last two hours, but it’s hard to get too wrapped up in the nitty gritty at this point when we get this as a result.
Michael: You know what I just realized? I married my high school sweetheart.
Alex: Here I am just thinking about the future. I can’t wait to sign my first check; Alex Guerin.
Michael: Guerin?
Alex: Never been much of a Manes man, you know?
We get Mr. Michael and Alex Guerin. Together. Slow-dancing at their wedding reception. Driving out of Roswell in that old pickup truck that saw so many of their greatest hits.
If you want to talk about missions and what the pod squad was meant to do with the opportunity given to them on Earth, then in a lot of ways, Michael’s mission was Alex.
It was to find the person that made life on an unknown planet seem a little less lonely. It was the person that opened his heart to love and wonderment and the beauty in it.
Now, they get this chance to start their life together as husbands, which is beautiful. It’s only a pity we won’t get to see it.
While Malex is the IT couple in so many ways, right beside them has always been Liz and Max. And their path to the finale has been littered with all kinds of complications, especially in the latter half of this season.
Dealing with Clyde came before all else, and one thing that worked well in this finale was how they chose to handle the Clyde situation. It could have easily chewed up more time as they all raced around town trying to stop his evil plans from manifesting.
But they decided to devote just enough time to close it out properly and bring Allie into the frame, which was brilliant for various reasons. The casting is obviously perfection, but Allie has also been looming around this entire season.
She’s been an integral part of all this, and when Liz was at a low place, it wasn’t just Max she needed; it was her true mentor. The one who could waltz into town and sharpie her way through a series of complicated scientific equations to help discover a brand new serum that would stop a potentially evil alien from destroying his home planet.
Just a regular Tuesday afternoon for Liz and company, and Allies was more than up to the task.
She got to have her Shivani moment, too. And whatever you think of Shivani, she was a very broken woman at her core. And no, that does not excuse her actions and the danger she put people in, but it does allow you to look at her through a specific lens.
Both she and Allie needed that moment of closure and that moment of peace together. They both approached their grief in unhealthy ways, but perhaps this ending will finally get them on a path of healing.
Clyde’s demise is swift but essential because his villain tag expired long ago. It was a little strange that, in the end, they didn’t do more with the Bonnie connection, but I guess it was more impactful to have it be Liz and Max.
It wasn’t like I needed to see Bonnie kill him, but it was strange to see his story finally end and him not share any meaningful screen time with the people who were such a significant part of his overall arc.
Once Michael found out about Alex, he was rightfully only concerned about him, but he spent a lot of time with Clyde earlier in the season. And I thought he and Bonnie were noticeably missing from that final standoff because it would have made sense for them to be there.
But that’s a minor gripe. Clyde got what was coming to him, and Liz Ortecho got to look down the barrel of another gun and execute a plan that saved the people she loved most in the universe.
Once Liz is able to outsmart Clyde, in a move that is a bit far-fetched (what if he had grabbed the fruit with his robotic hand?), it becomes all about her and Max trying to figure out what comes next. And I have to say this may be one of my favorite little Echo one-episode subplots of the entire series.
I’ve been loud and proud about not connecting with this relationship the way intended, but it’s mainly because every time they get a good rhythm, things don’t only go backward but like ten steps backward.
Relationships ebb and flow. That’s normal. But when your romantic relationship continuously reaches the highest of highs and then the absolute lowest of lows over and over again, it may be time to do some deep looking within because the greatest love stories don’t always have to be the most difficult.
Max and Liz are at their best when they’re attuned to one another and mindful of what the other is going through. Max’s need to save the day would, at times, overrule what was best for Liz, while her devotion to science would sometimes interfere with her ethics and ability to think clearly.
It was a dynamic that played out throughout the series, and in this final season, they really went for broke, having them almost get engaged and then break up essentially once Liz was on the mist. It was a lot of drama and angst for the main couple, but not in a way that I found remotely satisfying.
But this finale Max and Liz is the one I wished we’d gotten more of all along.
Max has this impossible choice to make, and part of him has known it would come down to this. Be the savior and help save the planet you were born to save. Or stay in Roswell to be the man behind Liz Ortecho.
You ever thought about why Max became a cop in the first place? Logic would tell you it was part control and part wanting to protect people. It’s what he’d done for Michael and Isobel his whole life. He wasn’t their “savior,” but he was someone who wanted to keep them safe.
And he could act as if the fate of Oasis was not his problem and it wasn’t his home, but was he ever going to sit by and lounge on his little patio knowing he had the power to help the fate of so many of his Oasian brothers and sisters? The answer is no.
But Max doesn’t make this decision without communicating with Liz, which is progress for them. Sure, Liz is sad, but she gets it in the end. And I love that they get the big desert moment, just like in the pilot, to reaffirm their love for one another right before Max hops on through a portal taking him to another planet.
And they’re engaged!
Starting the season with an almost proposal and ending it here was the right move. They have no business getting married now, but at least you can see where the proposal makes sense. Similar to Malex, it’s kind of like, why wait anymore?
Personally, I hope they get some counseling when Max returns, but the decision to get engaged is not a bad one. It’s also a lovely coda for the fans who don’t get to see the two end up together in the traditional sense.
There wasn’t enough time to end all the various storylines properly, and some characters had to take the hit.
Kyle and Isobel had their episodes leading up to the end, so they gloss over their relationship here. But they’re happy and in love and have nowhere to go but up from here!
A surprise couple arose, though not that surprising honestly because Maria and Dallas had been circling each other for some time.
Sadly, they enter into their relationship as Dallas is headed off the planet, but at least they both got to admit their feelings, share a sexy little dance, and a steamy kiss before he went!
On paper, these two work, but again we won’t get to see how the two navigate things in a full-fledged relationship, but I still feel like, in her own way, Maria got her happy ending. She’s healthy and has an ability that can still help her friends and keep her connected to the alien side of herself.
She’s also got a wonderful man who will be returning from the Oasis ready to wine and dine her!
All in all, everyone gets their version of a happily ever after—some perhaps a bit happier than others, but happy nonetheless.
It may be time to say goodbye forever, but we’ll always have the memories! Next time I have a milkshake or hear one of the greatest hits from 1995, I’ll think of this little CW alien show that gave me so much hope and solace over the years.
Loose Ends
- Alex Guerin. Just let that sink in.
- And no one writes checks anymore, Alex, but I LOVE the sentiment.
- Had there been another season, one has to assume Bonnie would have stuck around, and that would have been a very blah development. Bonnie was fine overall, but the constant woe is me became tiring after a while.
- Sanders came through one final time to be the friend Michael always needed. And I’m glad Nora got to be there in a small way.
- Gregory Manes shoutout! Even if it was just to tell us he couldn’t make the wedding and Maria was over it, I’m glad they cleaned up that little dangling thread.
- Good on Rosa for returning to New York and resuming her life there. If anyone deserves to start over away from that town, it’s her.
- Michael’s guitar performance was sweet, and allowing it to play over the wedding montage was a cute little moment. We didn’t get any wedding toasts, but they dialed up the sappy, and I ate it right up.
- In any dimension, on any planet, Kyle Valenti is the MVP, and that’s that.
- I wish we’d gotten a more extended pod squad goodbye or just some more pod squad moments, but I’ll take the handing over of the sheriff badge and a long hug any day. I will miss these aliens!
That’s a wrap! It has been an absolute pleasure covering this show for you guys. It’s a show that personally means a lot to me, and I’m so glad it went out on a solid note.
One thing Roswell never lost was its heart through all the ups and downs. And for that, we should always be grateful.
Hit up the comments one last time, and let me know what’s on your mind! And make sure you watch Roswell, New Mexico online until we meet again, my alien friends.
Whitney Evans is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.