So, I started writing this months ago. Like, maybe early summer? Never finished... But after watching Songs About Texas today, it seemed like a good time to come back to it, so here we go!
This weekend, watching Songs About Texas, I got mentally stuck on the passage Max reads at the beginning, from Frankenstein. Mostly I found myself considering the passage in the context of where the season ended and all of the religious imagery in Recovering the Satellites. In case you, like me, haven’t spent too much time thinking about it, here’s the passage:
“Even broken in spirit as he is, no one can feel more deeply than he does the beauties of nature. The starry sky, the sea, and every sight afforded by these wonderful regions, seems still to have the power of elevating his soul from earth. Such a man has a double existence: he may suffer misery, and be overwhelmed by disappointments; yet, when he has retired into himself, he will be like a celestial spirit that has a halo around him, within whose circle no grief or folly ventures.”
― Mary Shelley, Frankenstein
First off, let me caveat this by saying that a decade ago when I was studying for my totally useful (haha) English degree, I think I studied Frankenstein for at least two, maybe three classes - and I didn’t mind at all. It’s one of my favorites. Just as a quick summary for anyone unfamiliar with the novel, yes Frankenstein is the scientist, not the monster. But also that's not really the point of the novel. The novel is really more about man's connection to the natural world, to their own emotional state of being, and a huge metaphor for parental abandonment. It's not a horror book at all.
Typically, when studying it, discussion regarding this particular part of the book focuses on the romantic period of art and literature, and how it connected man to nature in a soul inspiring way that could feel almost like a religious experience. Other typical themes of the overall book include illusions of "loss, guilt, and the consequences of defying nature" (quoted text just pulled from the Wikipedia page for the novel).
On the surface, when it first aired, I just interpreted this as Max reading one of his favorite books to Isobel. Because, of course Max would relate to Frankenstein. I can see this on so many levels. There’s just the pure and simple fact that Max is a man who feels his emotions so deeply and doesn’t try to hide them away - very characteristic of Frankenstein. Max seems to enjoy a lifestyle that allows him to be close to the natural world - he lives on the outskirts of town, wanders the desert, drives the Jeep, etc. And of course there’s the obvious metaphor of the man and the monster within him that he creates, that in turn destroys him.
We’ve all talked about Max’s guilt, how he hid for years from his alien side, wishing he was normal. All of this is logical to me. Which is why...haha..one of my fics-in-progress even has a whole scene with Max thinking about romantic period themes in literature. Yes, I’m a huge nerd.
But now, in the context of the finale and that whole religious imagery thing...there is SO MUCH MORE there. Of course there’s all of the negative emotion, which certainly can be related to Max: broken in spirit, suffering misery, and overwhelmed by disappointments... these all tie directly back to his lingering guilt over Rosa’s death, his role in it, and the resulting danger that it caused to Ortecho family. This is something that he hasn’t been able to let go of. It keeps him up at night, “I see her every time I close my eyes.” This is why he became a cop. It’s his penance for his mistakes, “I like protecting people. It helps me sleep at night.” And this guilt is something that he can’t let go of. Even with Liz’s forgiveness, he doesn’t feel like he deserves it. And as every post-finale meta has discussed, this, combined with all of the feels from the connection with Liz, is what drives him to try to bring Rosa back.
The consequences of defying the laws of nature...another clear theme in Frankenstein that runs through Max's character arc in RNM. It starts from the very beginning as Max struggles with his emotional control and power in the wake of healing Liz, an act of defiance of the natural order of things. And upon his recovery from that incident he retains control...until of course another defiant act (killing Noah) causes him to lose control again, which leads him to the most unnatural act of all, resurrecting Rosa, which has the ultimate consequences.
Defiance aside, there is also this religious imagery in the specific passage that is somewhat fascinating to me. "When he retires into himself" (i.e., dies) "he shall be like a celestial spirit that has a halo around himself" (Jesus imagery, self sacrifice, almost soul cleansing...).
Also, do I even need to talk about the whole man living a double existence line? Obviously that's something that has always been a part of his life as he juggles his alien identity with his human life...and I have a feeling that this is only going to get harder for him as they learn more about whatever this alien Jesus savior thing means for him versus the quiet life he wants (and deserves) being Liz's house husband. 💚💛
