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So, hearts …
So many people’s hearts all over the place.
This show really is about relationships. I’m still not sure how well this is translating. A) I’m watching the original on Hulu and it is SO VERY different and rings all of my nostalgia bells. 2) There are behaviors that resonant, for me, more with what you encounter in a YA scenario than an adult one. Max’s reckless confessions to Liz, showing her all the things like immediately and giving up Isabel and Michael in the process made more sense when they were sixteen year olds than it does in this iteration of the show. BUT!!!!! Those were also all the things that we loved about Max and Liz. The immediate connection, which is definitely being framed here. I do love that in the Pilot, Liz pumps the breaks on the progression of the relationship because she does realize that what she is experiencing via the hand print is may be Max’s feelings and not necessarily her own. That idea gets revisited in Episode 2 and then turned on its head at the end of the episode.
So, the show is growing on me though (as I get accustomed to these new characters and this new storyline). Tearin’ Up My Heart walks us THROUGH the havoc that love wrecks on the human (and alien) heart. All of the relationships get time and consideration, and it all gets layered in with Rosa’s hearts scattered around the town as Liz goes on this unexpected treasure hunt that Rosa left behind. I really liked that. I liked watching Liz try to work through her feelings about her sister, in essence (re)encountering her through the clues she’s left behind. The disconnect between them, how Rosa feels about Liz and how Liz understands how much Rosa loves her, take center stage by the third clue when it is suggested that Rosa may have crafted the treasure hunt specifically for Liz. She’s trying to tell her something, what that message may be remains to be seen, but it’s all tied to Rosa’s heart. The things, destructive and positive, that she felt tied to.
We get to see the further unfurling of Michael and Alex’s relationship like a flower in search of water. They constantly contract and expand, pushing up against boundaries that neither of them are fully aware even exist. They REMAIN my favorite thing about the show.
There’s a host of other hearts getting tested in this episode:
* Liz and Max - Liz pulling back from Max and telling him not to touch her after he accidentally blows up one of her beepy science machines was a shot to the heart. The crazy escalation at the end during which Liz accuses Max of murder and he drops his heart at her feet … again. Plus that whole moment with Isabel not-quite-dream-walking Liz and Liz’s refusal to leave Roswell which seems to have less to do with Rosa’s proposed murder and more to do with Max Evans. I’m also stunned at how often Liz devastates Max, intentionally and unintentionally. It’s definitely coloring how I understand her character and the power dynamic in their relationship (e.g. she has all the power).
* Isabel and Max - That breakdown at the end when Isabel realizes how she may have impacted Max’s happiness. There is a suggestion that Liz leaving Roswell may have not been entirely at will. It’s an interesting complexity that Isabel is fighting against Max having with Liz what she wants with her own partner.
* Kyle - His loyalty to his family and his feelings for Liz are all getting dusted up as he works through the alien conspiracy and tries to negotiate working with Master Sargent Jesse Manes. There’s obvious tension between him and Max as the third part of the central love triangle.
* Maria - She STILL doesn’t have enough to do, but Maria’s grief is as deep and abiding as Liz’s.
* Jenna and Max - Max trying to see beyond Liz was sad and necessary. Jenna getting caught in the crossfire has the potential to be so crazy, unfortunately messy.
Other Things:
* I LOVE the byproduct of Max healing Liz. There wasn’t a lot of fallout from Max healing Liz in the original series. Having some kind of repercussions is a nice change. Their abilities aren’t a magic fix or just so easily accessible. There’s a physical toll and that’s incredibly appropriate. Max should have to give something of himself away to have had saved Liz. It should mean more.
* Maria and Liz and the Chad’s. HAHAHAHA. Laughed my ass off because it was such a perfect girl moment, and also reflected a particular kind of conversation and moment of bonding between ethnic girls. We, two, who have dated a certain kind of white guy. Yeah, I totes laughed.
So many people’s hearts all over the place.
This show really is about relationships. I’m still not sure how well this is translating. A) I’m watching the original on Hulu and it is SO VERY different and rings all of my nostalgia bells. 2) There are behaviors that resonant, for me, more with what you encounter in a YA scenario than an adult one. Max’s reckless confessions to Liz, showing her all the things like immediately and giving up Isabel and Michael in the process made more sense when they were sixteen year olds than it does in this iteration of the show. BUT!!!!! Those were also all the things that we loved about Max and Liz. The immediate connection, which is definitely being framed here. I do love that in the Pilot, Liz pumps the breaks on the progression of the relationship because she does realize that what she is experiencing via the hand print is may be Max’s feelings and not necessarily her own. That idea gets revisited in Episode 2 and then turned on its head at the end of the episode.
So, the show is growing on me though (as I get accustomed to these new characters and this new storyline). Tearin’ Up My Heart walks us THROUGH the havoc that love wrecks on the human (and alien) heart. All of the relationships get time and consideration, and it all gets layered in with Rosa’s hearts scattered around the town as Liz goes on this unexpected treasure hunt that Rosa left behind. I really liked that. I liked watching Liz try to work through her feelings about her sister, in essence (re)encountering her through the clues she’s left behind. The disconnect between them, how Rosa feels about Liz and how Liz understands how much Rosa loves her, take center stage by the third clue when it is suggested that Rosa may have crafted the treasure hunt specifically for Liz. She’s trying to tell her something, what that message may be remains to be seen, but it’s all tied to Rosa’s heart. The things, destructive and positive, that she felt tied to.
We get to see the further unfurling of Michael and Alex’s relationship like a flower in search of water. They constantly contract and expand, pushing up against boundaries that neither of them are fully aware even exist. They REMAIN my favorite thing about the show.
There’s a host of other hearts getting tested in this episode:
* Liz and Max - Liz pulling back from Max and telling him not to touch her after he accidentally blows up one of her beepy science machines was a shot to the heart. The crazy escalation at the end during which Liz accuses Max of murder and he drops his heart at her feet … again. Plus that whole moment with Isabel not-quite-dream-walking Liz and Liz’s refusal to leave Roswell which seems to have less to do with Rosa’s proposed murder and more to do with Max Evans. I’m also stunned at how often Liz devastates Max, intentionally and unintentionally. It’s definitely coloring how I understand her character and the power dynamic in their relationship (e.g. she has all the power).
* Isabel and Max - That breakdown at the end when Isabel realizes how she may have impacted Max’s happiness. There is a suggestion that Liz leaving Roswell may have not been entirely at will. It’s an interesting complexity that Isabel is fighting against Max having with Liz what she wants with her own partner.
* Kyle - His loyalty to his family and his feelings for Liz are all getting dusted up as he works through the alien conspiracy and tries to negotiate working with Master Sargent Jesse Manes. There’s obvious tension between him and Max as the third part of the central love triangle.
* Maria - She STILL doesn’t have enough to do, but Maria’s grief is as deep and abiding as Liz’s.
* Jenna and Max - Max trying to see beyond Liz was sad and necessary. Jenna getting caught in the crossfire has the potential to be so crazy, unfortunately messy.
Other Things:
* I LOVE the byproduct of Max healing Liz. There wasn’t a lot of fallout from Max healing Liz in the original series. Having some kind of repercussions is a nice change. Their abilities aren’t a magic fix or just so easily accessible. There’s a physical toll and that’s incredibly appropriate. Max should have to give something of himself away to have had saved Liz. It should mean more.
* Maria and Liz and the Chad’s. HAHAHAHA. Laughed my ass off because it was such a perfect girl moment, and also reflected a particular kind of conversation and moment of bonding between ethnic girls. We, two, who have dated a certain kind of white guy. Yeah, I totes laughed.
