Alien Menace Attacks Roswell!
For dedicated fans of the sci-fi soap Roswell, missing the Feb. 19
episode would be like sleeping through a mass-UFO sighting -- everything
happens. "We want to sort of clear the decks," says executive producer Jason
Katims of the fourth and final chapter of the mystery-blasting "Hybrid
Chronicles" story. "We also got excited about the human side of these hybrid
aliens, and their search for the part of themselves from the other world.
That was the inspiration for this arc."
Hybrid Michael (Brendan Fehr) takes on the truth about runaway hybrid
Laurie, forming what Katims calls the episode's emotional side. "Laurie's
grandfather was the donor for Michael's human half, so, essentially, Michael
is Laurie's grandfather!" he notes. The action side permits the much-maligned
town of Roswell, where Max and his heroic teen team battle the Gandarium --
deadly crystals from the hybrid kids' homeworld that, Katims says, "have been
using their power to create the hybrid in Laurie." Jock Kyle and wimp Alex
accidentally learn how to stop the parasitic force that could destroy the
Earth -- but they're being buried alive with the knowledge.
The havoc doesn't stop there: "Michael is shot, Isabel is kidnapped by
Grant," Katims previews. As for the long-running question of whether the
geologist is evil or just misunderstood, he offers, "Yes (laughs). You
understand why Grant has been involved in some shady behavior."
For those wishing to jump into this intense but down-to-earth series,
future episodes feature stand-alone stories, including a fun trip in Las
Vegas, and a school prom. Then on April 30, Katims warns, "One of the main
characters is killed. It raises the stakes for everybody else on the show for
the rest of the season."

--- Marc Wilkofsky