Roswell

Roswell is a science fiction teen television show that centers on teens in the small town of Roswell New Mexico, where there was an alleged UFO crash. The show follows teen humans and teen aliens, showing how they cope with everyday teen issues in a town where they have to keep a huge secret.

There is a huge stigma against aliens and the UFO crash in the town. In a scene during the pilot, a teacher poses the question “does anyone actually believe in aliens?” All I could think about was if I were the alien, how a comment like that would make me feel. Their whole life is spent trying to keep this secret from getting out, Max even says, “Sometimes I wish I didn’t have to be so invisible.” It seems like such a burden to keep this secret.

While some people didn’t enjoy the show, I sort of liked it. I think that the second episode was necessary to get a better feel for the show. While watching it, I could not help but think of the similarities between Roswell and Twilight. In twilight ware wolves and vampires try to mesh into teen everyday life, whereas in Roswell, aliens try this out.

I can definitely understand how teens really enjoyed the show and how people connected with it. It makes sense that people turned to online communities to discuss Roswell. While Roswell has no direct connection to 9/11, it was argued that 9/11 was a large topic between Roswell fan community members immediately after the attacks. At first I was quick to judge, thinking that it was weird (even inconsiderate) for a TV show based community to be engaged in conversation related to such a serious event as 9/11, but the more I read Professor Steins article, the more I agreed with her. The Roswell fans all have common ground in their appreciation of the show and seemingly the values it projects. Making sense of such a tragedy in such a community makes sense. Internet communities allow people to forge friendships and debate and engage in conversations with others without judging them based on their appearance or background. The Internet allows for a certain anonymity that fosters a sense of comfort. In a community of people who you share common ground with, it makes sense that Roswell fans turned to their Roswell community to discuss 9/11, something that is never even addressed in the show.