Roswell 2.20: "Off the Menu"
Written by Garrett Lerner and Russell Friend
Directed by Patrick Norris
In which an electrical surge makes Brody think he’s really Larek, and as a result, he holds several people hostage, including Max and Tess, demanding to know the truth…
Status Report
As mentioned in the review for the previous episode, the network made the assumption that the audience wouldn’t be able to remember details over a long period of time. In this case, it wasn’t something subtle that the audience would have to remember in context for more than a few months; it was something that was completely rehashed in the season finale. The inevitable question is whether or not the flawed and unnecessary rearrangement of the final episodes helped or harmed the narrative flow.
There’s no question that it disrupted the story in a number of ways. In retrospect, moving “Off the Menu” from its proper slot in the episode order (before “Heart of Mine”) to the spot between the last two episodes destroyed the strong lead-out from “Baby, It’s You”. The audience was prepared to see the possibility of the hybrids’ return to Antar play out, and instead, there was a flashback to a time almost completely forgotten, before Alex was killed and relationships altered. Since the episode itself wasn’t changed, beyond the quick and dirty intro with Maria, there was no way for the writers to tweak the episode to make it easier on the audience.
Frankly, the only thing that the episode contains that might be important comes at the very end, when Tess mindwarps Amy. This is later used to clue the other characters into the truth about Alex. But what’s the trade off? A number of things in this episode directly lead into the events of “Heart of Mine”, thus making the jump from the Vegas trip to the Prom a bit easier to understand. Moving this episode essentially threw off the narrative of the entire final arc, and all for something the network didn’t really need to have.
The treatment of the episode and its place in the schedule quickly leads one to the conclusion that it wasn’t entirely necessary in the first place. While the transition from “Viva Las Vegas” to “Heart of Mine” was somewhat abrupt, it wasn’t any worse than the pacing of the first several episodes of the season. The episode doesn’t really address the fate of Brody, either, despite the fact that this is the character’s final appearance on the series. Once pulled from the schedule, the network could have easily (and more appropriately) decided to take the two-hour version of “The Departure” and split it across two weeks; it would have represented a better use of existing material, without the negative impact of mixing up episodes out of context.
Very quickly, one becomes concerned about the quality of the episode; the teaser’s use of “virtual reality” doesn’t even begin to make technical sense. The writing staff has always admitted that the science fiction angle was supposed to be a veneer under which the true drama could operate, but that’s no excuse for blatant liberties. There’s no program on the planet that could give Brody that kind of specific and detailed response to literally a spattering of guidelines.
But as concepts go, this is an interesting one. The idea is that Larek taps into the “unused” portion of the human brain (a rather silly myth, based on a bad interpretation of old science), and in a certain sense, “downloads” himself into Brody’s brain so that he can properly interact as Larek in the human world. Brody’s approach is to use specific triggers through virtual reality to uncover the memories that are otherwise out of his “normal operating range”, perhaps based on dream imagery. Technical issues aside, this does much to explain how the whole “abduction” thing works.
Once Brody’s memories are mixed with the “downloaded” version of Larek, the story moves along in a highly contrived manner, all dependent on where the writers want the story to go. Very little follows logical progression; every shift in Brody’s approach can be explained away, but the same cannot be said of the other characters. For instance, why would Max use his powers to deflect that bullet, when Tess could have attempted to mindwarp Brody first?
If the doors to the UFO Center automatically locked upon the loss of power, then how do Amy, Maria, and Sean get in? There’s no sign of any difficulties in getting inside, and they surprise Brody, so he didn’t let them in. It’s all about getting those three into the hostage situation, and little to no thought is given to whether or not it makes sense in the process.
Similarly, it’s quickly established that Hanson is the new sheriff of Roswell, and that Valenti has no real authority anymore. In the real world, while Hanson might generally discuss the particulars of his new role with Valenti, if only to keep a good relationship with a “friend”, Valenti would have no authority to access equipment or resources of the Sheriff’s Department. That places Valenti’s role in this episode in a rather dubious position.
While Brody struggles with his memories, Maria’s cell phone goes off. While Maria comes up with a logical reason to answer the phone, she is far too obvious in her attempt to send Liz a secret message. In general, one should not emphasize a coded phrase when standing three feet from the insane lunatic with the gun! And if Brody had remembered his favorite sandwich, Maria would have been toast. (Convenient, then, how he forgets that little detail.)
Tess’ idea to use the mindwarp is a little late; it would have made much more sense if she had tried it before anyone else was pulled into the situation. Doing it in front of Amy and Sean is a huge risk, and in a way, no less a risk than Max simply tossing Brody across the room and taking his chances. So why doesn’t Max do that? It’s not like his hands need to be free to knock Brody silly, and frankly, he has no reason to think that Brody can be cured. In a lot of ways, the writers make it seem like Max lets the situation get out of hand.
One aspect that comes across as even more contrived in this shuffled episode order is Liz’s inability to understand Maria’s message. Setting aside how obvious Maria was, the writers establish Liz as having a far more direct intuition regarding subtle and even non-existent hints regarding Alex’s death. If Liz could make those leaps in logic, why can’t she pick up on Maria’s far more obvious message?
When Michael and Isabel break into the UFO Center, they don’t have the use of their powers. The assumption is that the trithium amplification generator wipes out their powers while they are within its range. However, that doesn’t quite match what was shown earlier in the episode, when the generator clearly emitted a wave that struck Max and Tess, thus temporarily limiting their powers. How this works is hard to understand: if the powers are based on optimization of human genetic potential, then the power itself cannot be removed; it only works if thought of as a temporary inability to access the energy used when the abilities are tapped (as per “The Balance”).
One of the better moments in the episode concerns Brody’s memories of Antar and the first time Xan and Ava met. This is when the whole idea of Larek “downloading” his own memories into Brody’s head becomes useful. It’s clear that Tess remembers that moment, and that it cuts her to the bone when Max says that it never happened. But in another sense, it causes a problem later in the episode, because the manner in which Larek’s memory is presented to Max doesn’t make sense.
Valenti’s conversation with Hanson, meant to ramp up the tension, only manages to expose the issues with Valenti’s post-termination characterization. Valenti is using resources that should be available for the department’s use during such a crisis; why does Hanson allow that to happen? At the very least, Valenti should be arrested for theft; when the truth comes out, he really ought to be charged with obstruction. Valenti and his status would remain, through the end of the season, horribly undefined.
This is compounded by the fact that Valenti sends a civilian into harm’s way. If anything were to happen to Liz, Valenti would be responsible for her fate. Valenti’s methods aren’t all that clever, and it certainly doesn’t help that Liz is so obvious when using the camera. And why wouldn’t someone clue in on the fact that the fryers wouldn’t work without power? That makes it way too easy for Brody to accuse Liz (which, of course, is the point).
Sean’s wound is used to add to the tension, but it’s treated inconsistently once it is in play. Max’s warning seems designed to place Liz at odds with him, since Sean’s life is nearly sacrificed in the process. But was that the only way to keep Sean from killing Brody? Did Max really think that Sean would kill someone? All it would have taken is a knife to the throat at best or a slash across the wrist at worst to get Brody to drop the gun, and that was the only goal. Considering how conveniently the wound is used, it comes across as another contrivance.
More drama is manufactured when a SWAT team is assembled in record time (despite the overall emergency), forcing Valenti to conspire against his old department. Sure enough, Michael and Isabel get to use their powers (suddenly working just fine) in a last-minute effort to shut the SWAT team out of the UFO Center.
Somehow, Max figures out that Brody’s brain was affected by the short-circuiting of the VR helmet, which means that the injury can be healed. Suddenly the characters begin thinking again, and Maria gets to have a talk with Brody about his daughter and the kind of man he’s supposed to be. This is another good scene that helps to remind the audience that there is something of continuity in play, despite all the shuffling of episodes. It still seems a bit odd that Brody would agree to the healing so quickly, but at this point, the writers have already asked for enough from the audience to make this a minor consideration.
Unfortunately, in the process of healing Brody, Max sees the memories that Brody previously mentioned. Those memories center on Max and Tess as Xan and Ava, and yet, the two are human in those memories. Human sensory experience dominates. Why would Larek have memories of Xan and Ava in human form? The simple answer is that they don’t; Tess, in the interests of getting Max to “remember” their love on Antar, must be using her mindwarp. So how did Tess know that her powers were restored, and when to trigger the mindwarp so Max would “see Larek’s memories”?
Somehow, while it’s clear to everyone that Amy needs to be mindwarped to keep her silent and happy, the same is not considered important for Sean. Is Liz and her promise of a date that compelling? And why would Sean later keep that promise? It’s a perfectly valid question, since Liz blows off Sean in the previous episode, set after these events. Once again, the shuffling of episodes makes a mess of character continuity.
Oddly enough, the episode ends with Brody and Maria closer than ever, or so it seems. But Brody’s function as a temptation for Maria, during Michael’s “lonesome soldier” phase, had long since passed. Why bring it back, even in the intended episode order? This could have been re-shot, at the very least, to give Brody an exit and an end to the “relationship”. Instead, it jarringly clashes with the later closeness between Michael and Maria.
Though the episode does make more sense out of Max’s decision to explore memories with Tess in “Heart of Mine”, the intention of giving the audience vital clues to the “key to everything” never seems to be fulfilled. Instead, the episode disrupts the proper narrative flow of the final episodes. The network should have filled this hour with the first half of the true season finale, instead of this contrived and sloppily plotted mess. The episode would have been bad enough with the proper scheduling; slapped into the schedule without consideration for the plot, the effect is far, far worse.
Memorable Quotes
BRODY: “I want these aliens out of my head!”
AMY: “Maybe it would be better if we left your aliens alone…”
LIZ: “That was weird.”
MICHAEL: “What was?”
LIZ: “Maria just hung up on me.”
MICHAEL: “Happens to me all the time.”
MARIA: “Liz is my best friend. We have our own language. She’ll understand. Trust me.”
LIZ: “The Galaxy Sub with Pepperjack…does that mean anything to you?”
ISABEL: “I don’t really listen to Maria when she’s talking. I’m probably the wrong person to ask.”
LIZ: “Michael?”
MICHAEL: “I don’t really listen either…”
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode is a major disappointment, filled with endless plot contrivances that make its improper place in the episode order even more damaging. While it does much to explain the events of “Heart of Mine”, it’s not enough to justify its existence. The cast does what it can with the material, but the network would have been better served running the full season finale instead of bothering with this error in judgment.
Writing: 0/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 1/2
Style: 0/4
Final Rating: 3/10
Directed by Patrick Norris
In which an electrical surge makes Brody think he’s really Larek, and as a result, he holds several people hostage, including Max and Tess, demanding to know the truth…
Status Report
As mentioned in the review for the previous episode, the network made the assumption that the audience wouldn’t be able to remember details over a long period of time. In this case, it wasn’t something subtle that the audience would have to remember in context for more than a few months; it was something that was completely rehashed in the season finale. The inevitable question is whether or not the flawed and unnecessary rearrangement of the final episodes helped or harmed the narrative flow.
There’s no question that it disrupted the story in a number of ways. In retrospect, moving “Off the Menu” from its proper slot in the episode order (before “Heart of Mine”) to the spot between the last two episodes destroyed the strong lead-out from “Baby, It’s You”. The audience was prepared to see the possibility of the hybrids’ return to Antar play out, and instead, there was a flashback to a time almost completely forgotten, before Alex was killed and relationships altered. Since the episode itself wasn’t changed, beyond the quick and dirty intro with Maria, there was no way for the writers to tweak the episode to make it easier on the audience.
Frankly, the only thing that the episode contains that might be important comes at the very end, when Tess mindwarps Amy. This is later used to clue the other characters into the truth about Alex. But what’s the trade off? A number of things in this episode directly lead into the events of “Heart of Mine”, thus making the jump from the Vegas trip to the Prom a bit easier to understand. Moving this episode essentially threw off the narrative of the entire final arc, and all for something the network didn’t really need to have.
The treatment of the episode and its place in the schedule quickly leads one to the conclusion that it wasn’t entirely necessary in the first place. While the transition from “Viva Las Vegas” to “Heart of Mine” was somewhat abrupt, it wasn’t any worse than the pacing of the first several episodes of the season. The episode doesn’t really address the fate of Brody, either, despite the fact that this is the character’s final appearance on the series. Once pulled from the schedule, the network could have easily (and more appropriately) decided to take the two-hour version of “The Departure” and split it across two weeks; it would have represented a better use of existing material, without the negative impact of mixing up episodes out of context.
Very quickly, one becomes concerned about the quality of the episode; the teaser’s use of “virtual reality” doesn’t even begin to make technical sense. The writing staff has always admitted that the science fiction angle was supposed to be a veneer under which the true drama could operate, but that’s no excuse for blatant liberties. There’s no program on the planet that could give Brody that kind of specific and detailed response to literally a spattering of guidelines.
But as concepts go, this is an interesting one. The idea is that Larek taps into the “unused” portion of the human brain (a rather silly myth, based on a bad interpretation of old science), and in a certain sense, “downloads” himself into Brody’s brain so that he can properly interact as Larek in the human world. Brody’s approach is to use specific triggers through virtual reality to uncover the memories that are otherwise out of his “normal operating range”, perhaps based on dream imagery. Technical issues aside, this does much to explain how the whole “abduction” thing works.
Once Brody’s memories are mixed with the “downloaded” version of Larek, the story moves along in a highly contrived manner, all dependent on where the writers want the story to go. Very little follows logical progression; every shift in Brody’s approach can be explained away, but the same cannot be said of the other characters. For instance, why would Max use his powers to deflect that bullet, when Tess could have attempted to mindwarp Brody first?
If the doors to the UFO Center automatically locked upon the loss of power, then how do Amy, Maria, and Sean get in? There’s no sign of any difficulties in getting inside, and they surprise Brody, so he didn’t let them in. It’s all about getting those three into the hostage situation, and little to no thought is given to whether or not it makes sense in the process.
Similarly, it’s quickly established that Hanson is the new sheriff of Roswell, and that Valenti has no real authority anymore. In the real world, while Hanson might generally discuss the particulars of his new role with Valenti, if only to keep a good relationship with a “friend”, Valenti would have no authority to access equipment or resources of the Sheriff’s Department. That places Valenti’s role in this episode in a rather dubious position.
While Brody struggles with his memories, Maria’s cell phone goes off. While Maria comes up with a logical reason to answer the phone, she is far too obvious in her attempt to send Liz a secret message. In general, one should not emphasize a coded phrase when standing three feet from the insane lunatic with the gun! And if Brody had remembered his favorite sandwich, Maria would have been toast. (Convenient, then, how he forgets that little detail.)
Tess’ idea to use the mindwarp is a little late; it would have made much more sense if she had tried it before anyone else was pulled into the situation. Doing it in front of Amy and Sean is a huge risk, and in a way, no less a risk than Max simply tossing Brody across the room and taking his chances. So why doesn’t Max do that? It’s not like his hands need to be free to knock Brody silly, and frankly, he has no reason to think that Brody can be cured. In a lot of ways, the writers make it seem like Max lets the situation get out of hand.
One aspect that comes across as even more contrived in this shuffled episode order is Liz’s inability to understand Maria’s message. Setting aside how obvious Maria was, the writers establish Liz as having a far more direct intuition regarding subtle and even non-existent hints regarding Alex’s death. If Liz could make those leaps in logic, why can’t she pick up on Maria’s far more obvious message?
When Michael and Isabel break into the UFO Center, they don’t have the use of their powers. The assumption is that the trithium amplification generator wipes out their powers while they are within its range. However, that doesn’t quite match what was shown earlier in the episode, when the generator clearly emitted a wave that struck Max and Tess, thus temporarily limiting their powers. How this works is hard to understand: if the powers are based on optimization of human genetic potential, then the power itself cannot be removed; it only works if thought of as a temporary inability to access the energy used when the abilities are tapped (as per “The Balance”).
One of the better moments in the episode concerns Brody’s memories of Antar and the first time Xan and Ava met. This is when the whole idea of Larek “downloading” his own memories into Brody’s head becomes useful. It’s clear that Tess remembers that moment, and that it cuts her to the bone when Max says that it never happened. But in another sense, it causes a problem later in the episode, because the manner in which Larek’s memory is presented to Max doesn’t make sense.
Valenti’s conversation with Hanson, meant to ramp up the tension, only manages to expose the issues with Valenti’s post-termination characterization. Valenti is using resources that should be available for the department’s use during such a crisis; why does Hanson allow that to happen? At the very least, Valenti should be arrested for theft; when the truth comes out, he really ought to be charged with obstruction. Valenti and his status would remain, through the end of the season, horribly undefined.
This is compounded by the fact that Valenti sends a civilian into harm’s way. If anything were to happen to Liz, Valenti would be responsible for her fate. Valenti’s methods aren’t all that clever, and it certainly doesn’t help that Liz is so obvious when using the camera. And why wouldn’t someone clue in on the fact that the fryers wouldn’t work without power? That makes it way too easy for Brody to accuse Liz (which, of course, is the point).
Sean’s wound is used to add to the tension, but it’s treated inconsistently once it is in play. Max’s warning seems designed to place Liz at odds with him, since Sean’s life is nearly sacrificed in the process. But was that the only way to keep Sean from killing Brody? Did Max really think that Sean would kill someone? All it would have taken is a knife to the throat at best or a slash across the wrist at worst to get Brody to drop the gun, and that was the only goal. Considering how conveniently the wound is used, it comes across as another contrivance.
More drama is manufactured when a SWAT team is assembled in record time (despite the overall emergency), forcing Valenti to conspire against his old department. Sure enough, Michael and Isabel get to use their powers (suddenly working just fine) in a last-minute effort to shut the SWAT team out of the UFO Center.
Somehow, Max figures out that Brody’s brain was affected by the short-circuiting of the VR helmet, which means that the injury can be healed. Suddenly the characters begin thinking again, and Maria gets to have a talk with Brody about his daughter and the kind of man he’s supposed to be. This is another good scene that helps to remind the audience that there is something of continuity in play, despite all the shuffling of episodes. It still seems a bit odd that Brody would agree to the healing so quickly, but at this point, the writers have already asked for enough from the audience to make this a minor consideration.
Unfortunately, in the process of healing Brody, Max sees the memories that Brody previously mentioned. Those memories center on Max and Tess as Xan and Ava, and yet, the two are human in those memories. Human sensory experience dominates. Why would Larek have memories of Xan and Ava in human form? The simple answer is that they don’t; Tess, in the interests of getting Max to “remember” their love on Antar, must be using her mindwarp. So how did Tess know that her powers were restored, and when to trigger the mindwarp so Max would “see Larek’s memories”?
Somehow, while it’s clear to everyone that Amy needs to be mindwarped to keep her silent and happy, the same is not considered important for Sean. Is Liz and her promise of a date that compelling? And why would Sean later keep that promise? It’s a perfectly valid question, since Liz blows off Sean in the previous episode, set after these events. Once again, the shuffling of episodes makes a mess of character continuity.
Oddly enough, the episode ends with Brody and Maria closer than ever, or so it seems. But Brody’s function as a temptation for Maria, during Michael’s “lonesome soldier” phase, had long since passed. Why bring it back, even in the intended episode order? This could have been re-shot, at the very least, to give Brody an exit and an end to the “relationship”. Instead, it jarringly clashes with the later closeness between Michael and Maria.
Though the episode does make more sense out of Max’s decision to explore memories with Tess in “Heart of Mine”, the intention of giving the audience vital clues to the “key to everything” never seems to be fulfilled. Instead, the episode disrupts the proper narrative flow of the final episodes. The network should have filled this hour with the first half of the true season finale, instead of this contrived and sloppily plotted mess. The episode would have been bad enough with the proper scheduling; slapped into the schedule without consideration for the plot, the effect is far, far worse.
Memorable Quotes
BRODY: “I want these aliens out of my head!”
AMY: “Maybe it would be better if we left your aliens alone…”
LIZ: “That was weird.”
MICHAEL: “What was?”
LIZ: “Maria just hung up on me.”
MICHAEL: “Happens to me all the time.”
MARIA: “Liz is my best friend. We have our own language. She’ll understand. Trust me.”
LIZ: “The Galaxy Sub with Pepperjack…does that mean anything to you?”
ISABEL: “I don’t really listen to Maria when she’s talking. I’m probably the wrong person to ask.”
LIZ: “Michael?”
MICHAEL: “I don’t really listen either…”
Final Analysis
Overall, this episode is a major disappointment, filled with endless plot contrivances that make its improper place in the episode order even more damaging. While it does much to explain the events of “Heart of Mine”, it’s not enough to justify its existence. The cast does what it can with the material, but the network would have been better served running the full season finale instead of bothering with this error in judgment.
Writing: 0/2
Acting: 2/2
Direction: 1/2
Style: 0/4
Final Rating: 3/10
posted by John Keegan | 16:40
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