Alien is the New Outsider

The show Roswell had a very interesting twist to it that was new to television at the time. It is also very interesting that it was one of the first “high school” series to air after the Columbine shooting. In a way, the teens that are “aliens” are representative of the outsiders in high school, so I think that it is interesting how they made them actual aliens rather than just “the outsiders.” They are viewed as strange until Liz discovers that Max saved her life, and slowly starts to see why he is the way that he is. It reminds me of how someone seen as an “outsider” in high school may be looked at in one way, until someone see’s that person for who they truly are rather than judging on the outside. However, most of the time that takes a tragedy to see the good in someone, which is not the way that high school should be.

One specific thing Professor Fuqua told us to look out for while watching was the relationship between the adults and teens, and the way that they are monitored. It seems to be a small town, so everyone knows the town history and every individual’s story in the town. When someone new to the town breaks that comfortable way of life, they are watched over in a different way than everyone else. For example, the sheriff pulled Max over for no reason on the highway, while Liz sneaking Max into the restaurant at night goes unnoticed. The sheriff also obtains Liz’s backpack that was in her room, which makes it clear that Kyle went through her room and took it out. There is a certain invasion of privacy when it comes to someone disrupting the “normal” way of life that everyone seems to be used to.

After watching Hemlock Grove on Netflix, I couldn’t help but find many parallels between the two shows. Even though this show aired a year ago, it still has many similarities to the “small-town” feel in Roswell. However, there is an entire secrecy behind the history of the “new gypsy boy” Peter, and his relationship with Roman that is only begun to unfold. Max in Roswell is capable of recovering a bullet through a human's chest like it never happened, and we think that Peter in Hemlock Grove is capable of eating the guts out of a human being. The past that Max’s family has left behind in their small town is something the siblings are also just beginning to figure out. The adults in both of these shows seem to have more secrets than the characters in high school, and in a way it is up to the teenagers to dig up these secrets of the past. "Alien" or an "alien-like" character seems to be the new representation of an "outsider" in teenage drama.