I haven't watched Million or Passage yet, so my commentary is only on Roswell:
I actually hated Parsons less in this episode. Like, it became really obvious that they're less romanticizing Max as they are presenting him as someone with Really Fucking Strong Feelings (good, bad, whatever) and that he's capable of making shitty-ass decisions. That is definitely not original!Max at all.
That said, I totally agree that Kyle is more interesting and Michael Trevino is a much more compelling actor. In the original, Kyle sort of existed on the edges as a plot device until they realizes how much people liked him, and then he got to have a bigger role. I think for this, they're recognizing that Kyle's character is inherently interesting, and using that. Also, I lovelovelove that he has his own independent morals that aren't necessarily consistent with the people around him. He's not swayed by other people, he makes his opinions, and while he doesn't act on all of them (he appears to be a rational adult, holy shit), he sticks to them. I like Kyle.
Of all the aliens, Michael is honestly the most interesting to me right now. Max's issues are fuzzy and strange and part of the mystery, Isobel's are just sort of annoying?, and Michael actually has More Life Going On. Only he manages to keep it to himself? Isobel shares her feelings and people know her drama. Max's drama is SO BIG that he can't keep it to himself, and also he's a whiny little ass, so everyone hears about it. Michael sort of keeps his shit to himself and still manages to support the other characters. He has flaws and they're fantastic. He doesn't have the same Absolute Moral Compass as most of the other characters on the show (which was awesome with his character on the original, too), and so he's generally more rational. I like how this plays over into his relationship with Alex, too. Michael is pretty willing to forgive Alex for, you know, anything, which is definitely a character flaw, but at least it seems like Michael recognizes it, even if he can't really control it. I like him!
The Liz Ortecho / Rosa Ortecho mystery plotline is interesting? But having seen the original, I'm pretty sure where they're going with it. It would be really cool if I was wrong, but hey. I loved that Liz just straight up asked Max if he did it, instead of wandering around being suspicious. SO MANY MISCOMMUNICATIONS were avoided. Like, this show just does that, confronts things head-on, instead of making everything as emotionally tangled as possible to an obnoxious degree. The plot itself is emotionally tangled; no need to add in preventable drama. (It also presents them as the adults they're supposed to be to a much higher degree.)
I'm annoyed that Maria isn't more important? Like, her importance seems to have been replaced by Kyle's? I did like her participation in this most recent episode, though it felt a lot like she was just a plot device.
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branchandroot
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Date: 2019-02-03 02:31 pm (UTC)I actually hated Parsons less in this episode. Like, it became really obvious that they're less romanticizing Max as they are presenting him as someone with Really Fucking Strong Feelings (good, bad, whatever) and that he's capable of making shitty-ass decisions. That is definitely not original!Max at all.
That said, I totally agree that Kyle is more interesting and Michael Trevino is a much more compelling actor. In the original, Kyle sort of existed on the edges as a plot device until they realizes how much people liked him, and then he got to have a bigger role. I think for this, they're recognizing that Kyle's character is inherently interesting, and using that. Also, I lovelovelove that he has his own independent morals that aren't necessarily consistent with the people around him. He's not swayed by other people, he makes his opinions, and while he doesn't act on all of them (he appears to be a rational adult, holy shit), he sticks to them. I like Kyle.
Of all the aliens, Michael is honestly the most interesting to me right now. Max's issues are fuzzy and strange and part of the mystery, Isobel's are just sort of annoying?, and Michael actually has More Life Going On. Only he manages to keep it to himself? Isobel shares her feelings and people know her drama. Max's drama is SO BIG that he can't keep it to himself, and also he's a whiny little ass, so everyone hears about it. Michael sort of keeps his shit to himself and still manages to support the other characters. He has flaws and they're fantastic. He doesn't have the same Absolute Moral Compass as most of the other characters on the show (which was awesome with his character on the original, too), and so he's generally more rational. I like how this plays over into his relationship with Alex, too. Michael is pretty willing to forgive Alex for, you know, anything, which is definitely a character flaw, but at least it seems like Michael recognizes it, even if he can't really control it. I like him!
The Liz Ortecho / Rosa Ortecho mystery plotline is interesting? But having seen the original, I'm pretty sure where they're going with it. It would be really cool if I was wrong, but hey. I loved that Liz just straight up asked Max if he did it, instead of wandering around being suspicious. SO MANY MISCOMMUNICATIONS were avoided. Like, this show just does that, confronts things head-on, instead of making everything as emotionally tangled as possible to an obnoxious degree. The plot itself is emotionally tangled; no need to add in preventable drama. (It also presents them as the adults they're supposed to be to a much higher degree.)
I'm annoyed that Maria isn't more important? Like, her importance seems to have been replaced by Kyle's? I did like her participation in this most recent episode, though it felt a lot like she was just a plot device.