Max is a what now?

After a rather lengthy delay, Roswell, New Mexico Season 3 Episode 1 picks up right where Roswell, New Mexico Season 2 Episode 13 leaves off and offers up a pretty wild explanation about the Max doppelganger that's been chilling out in a cave for decades.

Jones is the savior, and Max is the clone. Okay? That's a pretty big bomb to drop, and yet, the entire hour goes by without any further explanation.

Welcome back to Roswell, New Mexico.

Choosing not to make the Jones reveal the focus of the premiere is a gamble that pays off because instead of just focusing on the pod squad, the series instead allows us to check in with everyone and set up their storylines for the season.

The year-long time jump from Jones's emergence means that some people are thriving, some are spiraling, and some are stagnant.

After the breakup heard around the world, Max is off his rocker. Now his issues aren't only about Liz, but it's not like the pain of losing Liz is helping his failing heart.

Considering that Max barely came back to life and needed an electric push from Rosa to make it happen, there was always a very real chance that the heart in his body would have issues. And it's now gotten to a point where he's knocking on death's door and needs a near-constant supply of acetone to make it through the day.

It's clear something is a bit off with Max right away, and it's a wonder that a whole year passes with Isobel and Max seemingly finding his behavior normal. 

His decision to keep quiet and not tell anyone about his health issues, sans dependable Kyle, who continues to be the doctor of our dreams, makes sense to a degree because he didn't want to put anyone's life on hold again.

But is it fair to hide something that major from the people you love most? Isn't it up to them to decide what they want to do?

You know, it was the craziest thing. My girlfriend dumped me. I'm broker than I've ever been. Alex took off. There was a global pandemic, and yet, I was happy. Because this, because us three, we were good. And I was wrong.

Michael [to Max and Isobel]

• Permalink: You know, it was the craziest thing. My girlfriend dumped me. I'm broker than I've ever been....

One has to think that Max's health issues, coupled with the fact that Jones is now out of the pod he was snoozing away in and is now in some makeshift alien cage, will have Liz rushing back to Roswell in no time, and the show will be much better for it.

Her Los Angeles scenes are fine, and the whole idea of Liz leaking her patent to keep it out of the wrong hands is completely on-brand for her, but it felt so odd having her away from Roswell. And that's to say nothing of Heath, who is nice enough but not bringing a whole lot to the table thus far.

The best part of Liz's story is the time she spends with Kyle, someone who knows her and can see right away that she's not exactly thriving in the land of sunshine and palm trees.

She's plugged into her job, but that's about the only thing she's plugged into. And if she's been using work as a coping mechanism, it hasn't been working all that well. Even a year later, she has yet to embrace her new life, most likely because her heart is still in New Mexico. 

These two may be soulmates, but they couldn't be further apart at the moment, both physically and emotionally. Liz needs to get herself back to Roswell because it feels a bit like you're watching two different shows when she's off in LA.

Someone else who left Roswell for the year? One Alex Manes, who saunters back into town looking like a million bucks and like the weight of the world, is no longer firmly attached to his broad shoulders.

He comes back with a lightness and a wide smile reserved for his maybe, sort of boyfriend, Forrest, who has apparently made it through the year as a confidant for Alex even though he hasn't been in Roswell at all from what we can tell.

Of course, we get Michael witnessing the Alex and Forrest reunion because of the drama of it all, but it feels like this will be the season Michael and Alex can give it the old college try -- finally. Michael has taken the year to purchase some warm sweaters and firmly put the relationship with Maria behind him for starters.

While a bit awkward, Michael and Maria's only interaction definitely seemed like two people who cared for one another but were far removed from the romantic aspects of their relationship.

I'd be shocked if Roswell tried for anything beyond platonic acquaintances moving onward because a back and forth with them doesn't make any narrative sense.

Malex has been set up since the pilot, and being in Season 3 now means that the time for forward progress is well overdue. If they're not consistently working toward a relationship now, I officially have no idea what the show is doing with this pairing. 

For his part, Alex seemed happy with Forrest but not happy enough to leave town with him and leave everything behind. Forrest's departure not only frees up Alex's social calendar but also puts in on a collision course with a new kind of project. 

Deep Sky was mentioned a few times in Roswell, New Mexico Season 2, but it's still a relative mystery. Having Forrest be a part of it was something the audience had suspected for some time, so that reveal wasn't a shock, but hearing that Alex was being recruited by them was.

Alex's curiosity was always going to get the better of him, but diving headfirst into a secret paramilitary group sounds like it will be….complicated. Alex has a kind heart, and surely a part of him needs to get into Deep Sky and find out what they potentially know about the aliens, but hopefully, he doesn't get in too far over his head.

We know Deep Sky isn't "good," but Forrest makes it sound like an idealistic secret society versus a blood-hungry group of assassins.

Also, the harping on the isolation of being in Deep Sky sounds ominous, and like Alex is going to be off on his own this season which would suck.

Forrest: Think of it like the Pentagon. The deeper you go, the more answers you find.
Alex: You afraid I won't be able to resist those answers.
Forrest: If you go deep, you'll be cut off from everyone. And I don't want to lose you to them.

• Permalink: If you go deep, you'll be cut off from everyone. And I don't want to lose you to them.

They have this fantastic group of characters, and it's like they're allergic to letting them all share a screen at the same time. It's okay to let them all have their own arcs but bring them together every once and a while, so the audience remembers all these people are supposed to have longstanding relationships with one another.

Elsewhere in Roswell, Maria hasn't changed her stance on wearing the bracelet that suppresses her visions, and her vision about an upcoming funeral is wild.

The two visions rule out several people as being in the casket, but there's still a lengthy list of people potentially dying soon. Though, Alex's proclamation that they're covering up a murder as they did with Noah ignites a whole host of new questions.

Of the core gang, Liz, Rosa, Kyle, and Michael aren't featured as being there, and considering only Isobel and Max seem to be broken up about the death, that automatically screams Michael as being the one in danger.

But one would think Alex, and Maria for that matter, would also have a pretty visceral reaction to that, so perhaps it's not the other alien.

But then who?

If this is going to play out all season, and they're going to tease out things by showing us a new little scene of the funeral each week, it's going to be a really long season. Because while these visions bring a lot of mystery, playing the guessing game will get old quickly.

It would be much better to learn whose funeral it is and then see the group work to try and prevent that death from occurring, but that's not what we're getting.

Either way, things are set in motion, and after a season full of missteps, this one feels like a step in the right direction.

Loose Ends

• It's shocking it's taken Rosa this long to run into Wyatt Long, considering how small Roswell is. Stabbing him with butryicol will surely have some consequences, but Rosa did what needed to be done. How that sociopathic bigot escapes jail is beyond me.

• New couple alert! Maria and Gregory Manes seem awfully chummy, and it looks like they used the last year to become better friends. Gregory had all the heart eyes, and Maria looked to be picking up on what he was putting down, so let's see what happens next. What's their ship name going to be?

• Who attacked Maria? And was that an attack just to spur another vision, or is there something bigger at play?

• Michael took the bandana off for a scene at least, but why?

• Having Liz and Max's duel hookup scenes play out back-to-back felt like cruel and unusual punishment for all the Echo lovers out there!

• Steph and Kyle broke. And while no one wants to see Kyle broken-hearted, this could be a good thing because his storyline was very stilted with that relationship last season.

• Michael fluffing up his curls to look just right when he sees Alex was such a small moment but also so endearing. 

A LOT was happening during that premiere, but it's setting the stage for potentially the best season yet if they can pull everything off. The stories are right there, just waiting to be explored, so give the people what they want!

The floor is now yours, guys. Let us know what worked and what didn't work in the premiere.

Did you enjoy Liz's LA story?

Were Isobel and Michael right to break Jones free and get answers?

What romantic pairings are you most looking forward to seeing?

Drop a line in the comment section below, and remember you can watch Roswell, New Mexico online anytime your heart desires via TV Fanatic!

Whitney Evans is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. She is a lover of all things TV. Follow her on X.