Roswell-Season 2 (1999)

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General		Extras
Category	Action	Main Menu Introduction Main Menu Audio & Animation Menu Audio Audio Commentary-Filmmakers - Three Episodes Additional Footage-A Little Something Extra For The Fans Storyboard Comparisons-Area 51: Behind The Scenes Of Roswell Featurette-Making Of-Here With Me: The Making Of Roswell 2 Featurette-The Shiri And Majandra Show Featurette-Art Of Composing Roswell Trailer-Roswell Season 1
Rating
Year Of Production	1999
Running Time	841:00
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered Multi Disc Set (6)	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Menu
Region Coding	2,4	Directed By	John Behring Arvin Brown Rodney Charters James A. Contner
Studio Distributor	Twentieth Century Fox	Starring	Shiri Appleby Jason Behr Katherine Heigl Brendan Fehr Majandra Delfino Colin Hanks Nick Wechsler Emilie de Ravin Adam Rodriguez William Sadler
Case	?
RPI	$84.90	Music	Zan Passante Julius Robinson W.G. Snuffy Walden

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) French Dolby Digital 5.1 (384Kb/s) English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0 (192Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	1.78:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired French French Titling English Audio Commentary French Audio Commentary	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

    I have a confession. Roswell is a fan's show and I am not such a fan. I remember watching a couple of episodes in the deep of night as a teenager and thinking they had a nice mix of geeky cool and adolescent angst. Now, a handful of years later I am not so sure. The people reading this review will probably know and love the show so won't want or need me questioning its quality. Those who won't be reading this article probably won't miss me not offering an in-depth analysis. So instead, I offer a breakdown of the episodes that make up the Second Season.

Skin and Bones
A geologist finds the buried bones of Agent Pierce and brings them to Sheriff Valenti. The lawman then tries to cover up the case, but encounters interference from an eager Deputy Hanson. Meanwhile, Nasedo discredits the Special Unit during televised Congressional hearings.

Ask Not
Max struggles with his new role as the sole leader of the alien quartet. Michael aggravates the situation by questioning Max's plan, which calls for them to "try to blend in." Meanwhile, Kyle returns home from football camp with a new attitude, and Max discovers that Milton has left the UFO Center.

Surprise
Isabel's friends throw her a surprise birthday party at the Crashdown Cafe, but a mysterious headache and hallucinations of Tess in jeopardy grip the alien teen during the festivities. Meanwhile, Liz discovers that Congresswoman Whitaker has been recording Liz's personal phone calls at work.

Summer of '47
Michael interviews a WWII veteran from Roswell for a school paper and gets a firsthand account of the alien crash of 1947. Cast members portray the tale's participants in flashback segments.

The End of the World
Max travels back in time from the year 2014 to the present to warn Liz that their personal relationship will result in Earth's conquest by alien forces. Meanwhile, Michael begins to suspect that Courtney is not who she appears to be.

Harvest
Max, Liz, Isabel and Tess head to Arizona to find a secret organization called the Universal Friendship League that Congresswoman Whitaker belonged to. Meanwhile, Michael and Maria hunt for a missing Courtney.

Wipeout!
Most of the residents of Roswell disappear after a green pulse from the sky descends on the town, leaving only the alien quartet, Courtney, Liz, Maria and the Valentis behind to solve the mystery. The situation gets worse after Liz finds evidence of a Skin in the area.

Meet the Dupes
After murdering their leader, aliens resembling Michael, Isabel and Tess travel to Roswell from New York to persuade Max to attend a summit with leaders from other planets. Elsewhere, Brody is attracted to Maria, whom Michael begins to take for granted.

Max in the City
Max and Tess travel to New York City, where Rath takes Max to meet an enigmatic individual called the Emissary, who tests Max's claim to the throne. Elsewhere, Maria tells Liz about a rumour going around school that Liz slept with Kyle.

A Roswell Christmas Carol
Max is haunted by the ghost of a man killed in a car accident---a man he could have saved, but didn't for fear of being exposed. Michael ponders what to get Maria for Christmas. Elsewhere, Maria discovers that Brody has a 5-year-old daughter with cancer; Isabel is overburdened with Christmas activities; and Tess learns that the Valentis are none too festive about the holiday season.

To Serve and Protect
Isabel suffers from nightmares depicting a girl bound, locked in a trunk and screaming for help. Sheriff Valenti is questioned about the year-old shooting of Everett Hubble. Elsewhere, Maria's cousin Sean arrives in town, fresh from a prison stint.

We Are Family
A judge suspends Sheriff Valenti for his actions during the investigation of a missing girl. Valenti's authority is then partially restored by an FBI agent who requires his assistance with the same case. Meanwhile, Michael finds evidence related to the disappearance that may be extraterrestrial in origin.

Disturbing Behaviour
Laurie (Allison Lange) escapes from an ambulance on her way to a mental facility and unwillingly joins Michael and Maria, who were following her and witnessed her getaway. Meanwhile, Isabel is questioned by Agent Duff about her involvement in Laurie's case.

How the Other Half Lives
Maria and Michael learn that Laurie is the heir to her family's estate, which may be the reason her aunt and uncle want her to believe that she is mentally ill. Meanwhile, Kyle and Alex discover a cave full of alien crystals that turns into a trap when the crystals seal them in.

Viva Las Vegas
Michael's nerves are shot, so he decides that he and Max should take a trip to Las Vegas to blow off steam. Isabel and Maria discover the boys' plan and invite themselves along. Tess, Kyle, Liz and Alex also hear the news and join the road trip.

Heart of Mine
Max and Liz agree to go to the prom together as friends, while Michael tells Maria that the festive event is "totally bogus." Isabel considers asking Alex to the dance and Kyle sets his sights on taking Tess.

Cry Your Name
Jim Valenti breaks the news to the aliens and their friends that Alex was killed in a car accident. Max attempts to revive the teen, but his efforts fail. The group is then forced to deal with the loss of their friend. Maria and Isabel respond emotionally, but Liz remains oddly stoic.

It's Too Late and It's Too Bad
Liz continues her investigation into Alex's death and she enlists Sean's help in breaking into the school guidance counsellor's office, where she makes a photocopy of Alex's personal file. Meanwhile, Isabel tells Max that she received a letter from a college that she hopes to attend in the fall.

Baby, It's You
Max and Tess disclose the new level of their relationship to their friends, but it's the alien leader who gets the real surprise when he learns that Tess is pregnant---with his child. Meanwhile, Maria discovers that Alex never left New Mexico for his alleged trip to Sweden. Pop singer Nelly Furtado and centrefold Jodi Ann Paterson appear as themselves.

Off the Menu
An electrical shock knocks out power throughout Roswell, causing Brody to recall his alien abductions. The frantic man then takes Max, Tess, Maria and her family hostage at the UFO Center. Michael and Isabel come looking for Max...and stumble into the crisis.

The Departure
The second season ends as the aliens prepare the Granilith for the journey to their home planet. Max and his pals are left with only 24 hours to say their goodbyes to their families and friends in a series of emotional encounters.

Video

    This video transfer was surprisingly good. It is presented at its original aspect ratio of 1.78:1, with 16x9 enhancement.

    Sharpness levels are uniformly good without being fantastic, with commendable levels of shadow detail.

    Colours are well controlled and look terrific. Skin tones look terrific. Dark nights were well handled.

    There are some instances of grain, but compression artefacts are kept to a relative minimum. Aliasing and other film to video artefacts are also minimal.

    Film artefacts are absolutely minimal.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

    There are two audio tracks on offer, both Dolby Digital 5.1 - one in English, the other in French.

    Audio sync is terrific.

    Dialogue is clear and easy to understand.

    There were no dropouts, clicks or other audio blemishes to speak of.

    The surrounds and subwoofer are put to some good use.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Audio Commentaries (3) 

    The three commentaries included are insightful and detailed, but quite boring to listen to.

    Series co-executive producer and writer Ronald D. Moore comments on two shows, Ask Not and Cry Your Name. There is also a commentary by executive producer/writer Jason Katims and director Patrick Norrris on the episode A Roswell Christmas.

Here With Me: Making of Roswell Season 2

    This featurette is over half an hour long, and was the best bonus material included with the set. It has various cast and crew members commenting on a number of shows from the second season.

Storyboard to Scene

    A two minute comparison between the actual scene and the storyboards for the episode Wipeout.

Art of Composing Roswell

    Composer Joe Williams talks about how he created the background music for a particular scene, followed by the completed version of the segment he discusses.
 
The Shiri and Majandra Show

    This 11 minute featurette had the two female leads talking about their characters, how they felt about them, and how they went to the producers and asked for some changes. It was a little long for me, but it had some interesting parts.

A Little Something Extra for the Fans

    A relationship trailer set to music. Yeah, not such a fan.

    The editions appear to be the same, apart from the NTSC/PAL differences. Buy the cheaper version, which will change based on exchange rates.

    Roswell is good TV sci-fi, which is hard to find.

    The video and audio are excellent.

    The extras are not bad, but not that good either.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall