Roswell unwatch - The Toy House

[seriousfic]

So in this episode, Max's mother figures out there's something odd about her son when he saves her from a grease fire. So there's a nice conflict between telling her the whole truth versus... doing nothing and hoping the problem goes away. And even outside the resolution, they kinda ball this up, with Isabella saying that she spends every day wishing she could tell her adopted mother about her illegal alien status, and finally breaking down into tears when she can't. Did they even have a scene together before this episode? And she even explicitly says that Max can't understand because it's a special mother-daughter bond, so I guess Max and his dad don't have a bond. Because men don't have feelings.


They had to be removed to fit in all the awesome.

At the end, Max doesn't dissuade his mother that something's up, he just emotionally blackmails her into not asking about it. Which... doesn't that make everyone less safe? I mean, hear the story of Pandora? Not knowing the specifics and implying that it's some awful terrible thing she can't know will just make her more curious, not to mention make her believe the worst, instead of the fairly benevolent truth. You're making her think "Antichrist!" when she could be thinking "cool superpowers!" And now everyone is under more stress and suspicion, increasing the likelihood of a slip-up, and anyway, out of the three people who've learned they're aliens, who exactly is the cautionary tale? They've all helped keep the secret.

But that all brings me to a larger question. Why is Max Evans the hero? What makes him likable? In fact, what does he even want as a protagonist? Well, he wants to have sex with Liz, but he won't risk anything or make any move to get together with her. And he wants to uncover his origin, but that's really more Michael's gig. For him, the ultimate truth of his existence is more of a weekend project. He wants to keep everyone safe and secret, but that's not a very dynamic goal. How do you dramatize keeping a low profile and not being suspicious? How do you win at proving you're not an alien?

Now let's pause for a moment. What are some adverbs that could describe Wong Fei-Hong, Jackie Chan's character in the Drunken Master series? Well, he's loyal. Goofy. Kind-hearted. Irresponsible. A bit arrogant. Friendly. Lovingly. Disobedient... there are flaws, but he's cool guy. Now, what are some adverbs that could describe Max Evans?

Bland. Passive. Controlling. Safe. Dry. Quiet. Restrained. Wet blanket. Wait and see.

Any of that sound like someone you'd want to watch on a weekly basis? Now sure, he saved Liz's life in the pilot, but c'mon. I mean, saving someone instead of leaving them to die, that's not saying much. What kinda jerk would just abandon a dying woman anyway?


Too soon?

Now, you could argue that Max isn't the protagonist, Liz is. But still, Liz's goal is to protect Max and be with Max. It diminishes her to want to be with a plank of wood with a frowny face. If Sarah Connor is in love with a wimp, we don't gain respect for the wimp, we start wondering what's wrong with Sarah Connor. Just like a hero has to be judged by the villain, a romance has to be judged by the love interest.

I submit to you that Roswell would be better with any other character/actor in Max Evans' role, and dare you to find a replacement that wouldn't drastically improve the narrative.

Comments

[rann.livejournal.com]

Too soon? I'd've made that joke at the funeral.

But then that's me.

[jlbarnett.livejournal.com]

you win at proving you're not an alien by having the people trying to prove that go away.

I never watched the show but I think it'd be pretty easy to dramatize the stuff you're talking about.

[rmaxine.livejournal.com]

I watched the whole Roswell series for the first time a couple months ago. I loved it. I have to disagree with you about Max, and the lack of drama about hiding his alien-ness.

Let's use Smallville as a comparison- I mean, Clark Kent had it pretty easy, for all his bitching. His parents knew what he was (before he did), he didn't have the goverment/sheriff/etc on his ass all the time, and his journey was still rough. For the record, I think Clark is an asshat, and boring. Anyway, compare Clark to Max Evans. Max had to deal with so much more and complained a lot less.

Max is loveable, maybe stiff and controlling at times, but loveable. He's cute, nerdy, quirky, and a hero. Liz and him had good chemistry. He had his fair share of drama, Tess, for one, later on- his alien baby, Liz, etc.

That's my two cents. Roswell had it's share of plotholes and silliness but I loved it. Had to comment. I was lurking on your journal. We have similar interests.