#erikholmer

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Toxic Masculinity in Roswell, New Mexico

During a class discussion very early on in our watching of Roswell, New Mexico, we were tasked with giving examples of any notable characteristics that we felt the main characters of the show possessed. When it was time for Nathan Parsons' character, Max Evans, to be discussed, I immediately blurted out,

"Emotional!"

While on the surface this may be the exact opposite of what toxic masculinity entails, the emotional behavior of Max is less about expressing innermost desires and more about thoughtless, emotion-driven, selfish action.

Whenever someone needs saving, Max is always there. While this fairytale hero may sound perfect, he's really being reckless and often putting others he loves in harm. Surely he could save more people if he wasn't constantly putting his heart at risk of dying (again). He will immediately save anyone without a thought to himself or, more specifically, the impact that his recklessness will have on the others that need to take care of him. Whenever he goes through the process of healing another, he will greatly weaken himself. He once did this so much that he ended up dying, forcing Liz and Michael to genius out a way to bring him back to life. Even though it eventually ends in a happy ending (as we do still have a Max with us) the trauma that this inflicted on not only Liz and Michael, but Isobel and Rosa and all main members of the cast, is incredible. Then, later on, when his newly transplanted heart begins dying, instead of telling the incredibly smart people in his life so that they might try to save him yet again, he waits and pretends that nothing is happening so as to enjoy the time he has left with them. In this case, Max was only thinking of himself, even when he may have convinced himself that it was in the interest of his loved ones. He didn't think about how his sudden passing might effect the people who deeply care about him. How shut off from emotions does one have to be in order to ignore these impacts?

It turns out that there are many toxic tropes that occur in male film roles, particularly those in the police force. While Roswell, New Mexico does do a good job of including non-males in the police force (such as Sheriff Valenti and the new one that succeeded her) there are still some stereotypes that they couldn't help but hit on. One common occurrence is the male policeman neglecting the needs of his wife and kids for the greater good. While not directly applicable, Max still manages to hurt his family in the pursuit of what he thinks is right. In season 1, Max greatly risks the secret of his alien family getting out because he couldn't resist telling Liz. While his love for Liz is commendable, he told her about Isobel and Michael without first consulting them, taking it upon himself to decide the right time to expose them.

To Max's credit, he isn't the only male with pent up emotions in this show. Michael never admits his feelings for Alex for a very long time. He also pushes Maria away in what ends up as a tug of war between Alex and Maria for Michael's love, with him helping pull for both sides at whatever time that he deems fit. Michael also isolated himself from his siblings for years, going long spans of time without so much as a phone call. He didn't want to talk about his want for home or the questions he so desperately needed the answers to; he'd rather drink away his sorrows.

Now, in season 3, we find that all the siblings ought to have empathic abilities, but Isobel proves to be the only one to successfully do it. Are Michael and Max's emotions so blocked off that they can't bring themselves to realize the emotions of other people, even when their alien abilities should allow them that insight? While RNM proves to be a progressive show heading in the right direction, there are some tropes, it seems, that even those with the best intentions can't help but reflect.

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3 Favorite Fics

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

I liked this one because it was short and sweet and offered a glimpse of Alex and Michael that we otherwise never got to see.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

This one gives us a really cool perspective of a scene we don't really get in the show.

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

This one was a nice extrapolation of a picture from the show. I like getting these different perspectives.

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RNM Fan-vid Analysis

In Firework Holly’s fan-vid Max & Liz – Hold on (Roswell, New Mexico)- Chord Overstreet, the creator makes the argument that Max and Liz still need each other, even after all their arguments and seemingly bad timing.

The video starts out with just music which sets the stage for some beautiful story progression throughout the video. We begin by looking at Liz and Max’s first encounter in the pilot episode, and then immediately flashing back to them as kids – which is what the two must’ve been thinking about at the time. This cut wonderfully shows what might’ve been going on in each other’s minds during the scene. Then the video begins cutting back and forth between seeing the couple in the present and then to a memory that the present scene reminded them of.

For example, when Max sees Liz dancing through the diner window, the video then cuts to him watching someone else dance with Liz through that very same window back when they were in high school.

The video then goes on to show traumatic moments during their relationship, such as the diner shoot-up which caused Max to save Liz and set the course for the plot of the show, to arguments they had, to Liz finding out that Max was an alien.

There is also plenty of matching up between the scenes shown and the lyrics heard. The very first words of the song are “loving and fighting” which I think perfectly describes Max and Liz’s relationship. At 0:37 we hear “lying on the floor” while we see Max hurt on the ground with Liz attempting to do something. At 0:57 we hear “come back I still need you” while we witness Max running out of the diner after saving Liz. At 1:08 we hear “I swear to love you all my life” while they show scenes from them in high school to them in the present. And, perhaps the most touching moment, at 1:45 we hear “feel your heartbeat” as Liz looks at Max and touches her chest where Max’s alien handprint would be. There are plenty more of these lyric/scene matchups throughout the video.

All these little details greatly add to the story which the video is attempting to portray. On the technical side, the video also did a great job of cutting the scenes on beat with the music and choosing clips that were reactionary shots which didn’t feature much talking. Although there was one noticeable one of Max yelling, this was done over the music mentioning “screaming” so I feel it was appropriate. While these may be subtle things, they collectively make for a much smoother viewer experience.

I think that Firework Holly did a brilliant job of telling the story of Max and Liz throughout the seasons of Roswell, New Mexico, and that her fan-vid should serve as inspiration for all those thinking of attempting something similar.

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The Limits of Infinite Scroll: GIF Sets and Fan Mixes as Evolving Fan Traditions

"'For me, putting the songs in the ‘right’ order is just as important as picking them.'"

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Michael Fan Mix

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Spock/Kirk - "Closer"

I liked how in the beginning when the lyrics were talking about violating, the video was showing Spock doing the mind meld. That is definitely an intrusive procedure, so I liked how the scenes and lyrics matched up thematically.

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Bass/Miles "The One Crazy After All"

I really loved the emphasis put into changing the scenes on beat with the song. It makes for a much more impactful video. Also, the scenes themselves would often correlate with the lyrics or energy of the song at that particular point. The detail that went into it is commendable.

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Fowler - "The One Crazy after All"

"I wanted each to hit on a word 'pain' 'I’ve' 'caused' 'you'—with an image of Miles grieving/in shock for each of the 'you' hits.”

I've worked very minimally with video editing, but this quote reminded me of just how in depth it can get. It's always cool to get a little behind the scenes of a creative work like that.