It is commonly seen on television for a mentally ill character to be pushed aside or portrayed as an outcast. In Roswell, New Mexico the writers and showrunners, for the most part, help to change this portrayal by injecting characters with mental issues into the heart of the storyline. While at times the show does not go far enough to fully represent people with mental illness, as will be seen with Mimi, overall, the vitality to the plot to which the mentally disabled characters have in Roswell, New Mexico reveals the desire of the showrunners to go against typical depictions of mentally ill characters in television. The first prime example is Rosa Ortecho. She is the daughter of illegal immigrants, a drug and alcohol addict, and has anger management issues. She is the epitome of mental issues. At times Rosa is an example where the showrunners fall into typical stereotypes surrounding the mentally disabled. In multiple scenes, the show gives off the notion that Rosa, and others with abuse and mental issues, are to be left alone in their struggles. This depiction can be harmful because those who are struggling with mental illness need to have a strong support group. Roswell does a better job than most shows because the writers provide a fuller image and characterization of the characters with mental issues- the characters are defined as more than their disabilities. Rosa, the mentally ill drug addict was the one that saved Max, not either of the two doctors nor either of the two aliens with superpowers. Having Rosa be the hero, she became more than her mental issues, she became as important as the rest of the characters. Along with Rosa, Mimi Deluca also has mental issues and plays an important role in the show. The ambiguous aspects of Mimi are highlighted in her sparse yet great knowledge concerning aliens. In the series, when Mimi is talking she comes across as scattered, but she always has an underlying sense of true knowledge surrounding what she says. While these moments when Mimi is depicted as a typical grandma suffering from dementia do evoke a sense of sympathy for her, this representation of Mimi goes to undermine all of her other aspects. Unlike Rosa, where her multitude of dimensions concerning her struggle with her mental health is better balanced, in Mimi’s case her episodes of great confusion outweigh all of her other characteristics. This representation goes to hurt her because as more and more is learned about the aliens the validity of her knowledge is continually met with greater suspicion due to her episodes of dementia. To counteract this, the show must represent Mimi as a figure with an important role to play, and insert an image that will remain in the viewer's head reminding them of the character’s importance despite their at times mental ineptitude.
