Roswell
"Surprise"

Airdate: October 16, 2000

For Isabel's eighteenth birthday, Max has hastily put together a surprise party at the Crashdown. This cuts into her plans to go out with the geologist who found Pierce's bones out in the desert, but still, she's pretty happy until some unknown person gives her an alien figurine as a present and she starts to get weird mental images of Tess in trouble. Rounding out her problems is the presence of party crasher Congresswoman Whitaker who gets on everyone's last nerve.

Yeah, she looks good, but can she kick ass? Not really.

While Max and Valenti are off investigating dead ends, Isabel forces Maria to drive her out into the middle of nowhere and then return for reinforcements when she picks up Tess' scent. Despite catching Michael and Courtney seconds away from a back-alley groping session, Maria keeps her cool, gathers the rest of the... er... regulars and heads back out to where she left Isabel. In the meantime Isabel does battle with Congresswoman Whitaker who is revealed to be a "Skin". The older woman imparts some troubling news about the past to Isabel and threatens Tess' life if the other girl doesn't give up the location of The Granalith.

Since Isabel has no idea what in the hell Whitaker is talking about, she doesn't give up crap, and instead, uses her increased powers to off the annoying bitch. When all is said and done, Isabel returns to the pods and demands answers from her long-dead alien mother. She gets none, of course, but instead finds what she somehow knows to be The Granalith.

Not having been present for her introduction and not really caring about the Max/Liz paring, I can objectively say that Tess is beyond annoying. Yes, I know "Surprise" was an Isabel vehicle, designed to focus on the strengths and secrets of that one character, but a little teamwork and less crying piteously from Tess was definitely in order. Despite her powers Tess was no more than a damsel in distress here, with Isabel playing the rescuer instead of one of the guys. The latter is okay, the former is boring. All "Surprise" did was paint Tess as a weak and helpless female, and do we really need any more of those on television?

While Isabel's secret from her former life does add some dimension to the character, it may be a case of too little, too late. For far too long Isabel has been little more than a follower, a hanger-on, allowing Max and Michael to dictate what will be done. Unless, of course, it interferes with her social life. By painting her as strictly self-centered her actions become completely predictable and that, boys and girls, as boring as playing a helpless female.

So there's a good chance that Isabel will repeat her past mistakes and perhaps cause the deaths of her brother and the others, big whoopedy do. More than likely, even if she tries, she'll be outwitted by one of the male characters on the show.

Okay, so I think I've discovered what bugs me most about Roswell: their chicks are pretty damn wimpy. Even Maria, who at least amuses me, takes way too much shit from Michael. The girls moon, and sigh, and devote most of their time and energy on one or more guys. They define themselves solely on the basis of their romantic entanglements. It's like they have no lives outside of their relationships to the men they are hooked up with.

Despite her growing powers, Princess Isabel is still that, some protected princess up in a tower. Why is it that as supposedly an advanced race as whatever Max, Michael, Isabel, and Tess come from, still has archaic ideas about gender roles? How come Isabel is only a princess and Michael gets to be the kick-ass soldier? Why can't she fight for her people as well as be royalty? How come only Max and Michael get to make the decisions? What sexist pig made up that rule?

Stuff That Happened

- Whitaker is not only revealed to be a "Skin", but is also killed
- Isabel learns that in her former incarnation she betrayed Max and the others for loooove. Ugh.
- The Granalith, a new piece of alien technology, whose power and purpose is unknown, is discovered hiding behind the pods.

-- Linda M. Najera

Roswell airs Monday nights at 9pm EST on The WB.

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