Here we are in the pre 2000 era. The MILLENIUM is coming. And so are aliens! Well not really because here we are in 2011 and we’ve yet to see aliens. In fact the only “aliens” we truly see in Roswell are the ones that seem to be running amok at parties or in praise of their town’s heritage. But in Roswell, aliens really do exist. And I’m not taking about the explicit mention of “beings from outer space”, I’m talking about the prejudices created by the older townspeople. It’s an inherited prejudice in Roswell. But not where Liz is concerned.

Through voiceover narration, diary entries and a focus on her views, and life, we see Liz’s perspective. We also see her half naked a lot in the Pilot…but that’s beside the point.  Liz represents the millennial generation. She’s a working teen, a smart girl, who wants to be a scientist. But more than anything, she sympathizes with these “visitors” from the outside, or “Czechoslovakians” as her friend Maria EXPLICITLY refers to them. Yes they are “different” as Liz points out, but that doesn’t dismay her. In fact, she’s looking to cast that aside. She asks that they all “ work together”. It is the essence of teamwork that millennials so gravitate towards. And it doesn’t matter that they’re aliens or humans; they’re all collaborating to help get Max out of the hands of the police. ( I like the pattern of main characters in teen shows as children of sheriffs, i.e veronica mars).  They represent a generation seemingly more socially accepting than the previous generation.  Max Evans has the ability to change Liz’s perspective by the end of one episode. No longer does she conform to Roswell’s  fear of foreignness. They’re kids who seem to take matters into their own hands.   I was intrigued by Michael’s situation with his foster father. While at first he seemed like just a sidekick, I was struck by the (social commentary) role he carries.  The show in this sense also touches on another kind of cultural anxiety about what seems like unstable families. In this way the emotion the show means to carry is definitely subtler. Max tells him, “ maybe I don’t really know what it’s like for you.”  But that doesn’t mean he won’t try to help him; and that is millennial empathy. It is here how I understand the deep connection/following the show garners. Especially in the scene with the burning alien bodies at the “dance” ( or was it a demonstration/hate crime?), the show certainly pushes for a reaction in its viewers.  As stated by Professor Stein,“ Roswell fans sent in thousands of bottles of Tabasco sauce

(the Roswellalien drink of choice) to the WB and UPN networks to save

Roswell from cancellation on three different occasions. “ The fans are those who take action. They don’t stand by and let things just, whether it is in Roswell, or in the real world- it encourages participation. The commentary and intimacy of shared thought by Rosewell fans on 9/11 is really amazing. That says a lot about the kind of atmosphere the show creates with its viewership.

As a side note…teens with cell phones in 1999? How revolutionary!