‘Roswell, New Mexico’ Season 4 Episode 9 Recap: “Wild Wild West”

By
Rebecca Murray
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Roswell New Mexico Season 4 Episode 9 Recap
Jeanine Mason as Liz Ortecho and Michael Vlamis as Michael Guerin in ‘Roswell, New Mexico’ season 4 episode 9 (Photo: Michael Moriatis © 2022 The CW Network, LLC)

The PodSquad race to save Liz (Jeanine Mason) after Shivani forced her to inhale the performance-enhancing alien solution on The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico season four episode nine. They’ve got Kyle on the phone and are doing their best to follow his instructions as Liz remains unconscious.

Kyle suggests a specific drug that could reverse the effects but it’s all just guesswork at this point. The injection doesn’t do the job and it’s decided they’ll tackle this like an alien problem, meaning Isobel (Lily Cowles) and Max (Nathan Dean) will jump into Liz’s mind to see what’s going on.

Once inside they discover Liz has cowboy bodyguards who drag Max away and shoot Isobel. (Liz’s mindscape is taking place in what looks like an old Western film.) Isobel is jerked out of the mindscape, and they’re shocked to see Max hasn’t come to. The gang figure out that now both Liz and Max are trapped inside her mind.

Liz stumbles around inside her own mind and is surprised to discover she’s in the middle of a 10-year anniversary celebration. It seems this version of Liz has been a sheriff for 10 years! She jokes that she’s the sheriff of her own mind and learns Max is out on his book tour for his third novel.

Liz attempts to wake up but can’t and confirms to herself that she’s in a mindscape.

News arrives that Max has been kidnapped and Isobel Evans has been murdered. Plus, in this mindscape, Liz learns her dad, Arturo, is a retired deputy who volunteers to help in the investigation. Rosa (Amber Midthunder) arrives and says she questioned the bartender. Isobel, who is a gunslinger, never got off a shot before being killed.

Liz puts together the pieces and knows she’s trapped in her own mindscape after inhaling the alien cure. This must mean she has something she needs to figure out.

They spot smoke and Rosa and Liz race to Liz’s place. The words “surrender sheriff or the real Max dies” are on fire in her front yard. Liz realizes this means Max came in after her and that she must be dying in the real world. If she dies before waking up, then Max dies too.

Isobel can’t get back inside Liz’s mind and Michael’s learned Shivani’s intelligence has increased to the point that she’s writing formulas on subjects she never studied. All this leads to Isobel, Maria, and Michael reaching the same conclusion as Liz – if she dies, Max dies.

Rosa slipped away and fetched Heath (Steven Krueger), who has apparently temporarily returned to Roswell. Heath’s not only a scientist but is back in med school, so he’s their best hope of helping Liz at this point. He administers steroids, believing it’s possible the mist is causing her body to attack itself. It sort of works but Heath needs to leave to concoct a different formula.

Because Liz is in the alien equivalent of a coma, it’s decided talking to her – like you would a coma patient – might help.

Maria (Heather Hemmens) sings and in her mindscape, Liz and Maria arrive at the bar where Maria is singing that same song. Rosa reminds her sister she’s raided this place multiple times and it’s usually filled with outlaws. If so, Liz thinks one of them might know who took Max.

Liz recognizes the song and knows Maria only sings it when something’s wrong. Liz and Rosa head upstairs to the poker room where Michael (Michael Vlamis) and his sidekick Sanders (Nicholas Ballas) are holding court. Heath’s the bartender and he gives Liz a drink she describes as tasting like medicine. She deduces that in reality, she’s overdosing.

The bad guy Liz is looking for is, of course, Clyde. She demands he tell her where Max is, and he suggests a bet. If she wins, he’ll reveal what’s up with Max. If he wins, he gets the engagement ring in her pocket. She’s stunned he knew it was there and Clyde says, “A little birdie told me. Said that’s what it’s all about for you.”

She doesn’t understand but has Michael play for her anyway. Clyde goes all in and Michael wins. But Clyde was bluffing and says Max isn’t his to give.

Rosa races off to get Kyle as Liz chases after a fleeing Clyde. Rosa returns with a horse and Liz is confused. Where’s Kyle? Kyle is the horse, of course.

Roswell New Mexico Season 4 Episode 9 Recap
Jeanine Mason as Liz Ortecho in ‘Roswell, New Mexico’ season 4 episode 9 (Photo: Michael Moriatis © 2022 The CW Network)

Liz gives chase through the desert and past the drive-in theater’s marquee that announces Cowboys and Aliens (the 2011 film starring Daniel Craig) is screening. Liz draws her gun and Clyde explains Max will be okay if she makes the right choice. Liz’s evil doppelganger – who shall be referred to as Outlaw Liz for the remainder of this recap – rides up to explain the right choice is surrendering.

Liz is knocked off her horse and Outlaw Liz and Clyde ride off.

Back in the real world, Heath continues to try and figure out how to help Liz. Heath has just learned Dallas is missing and Rosa apologizes for not telling him over the phone. Heath thought it was okay to go to med school because Dallas now has the PodSquad watching his back, and he’s pissed at himself that Dallas has gone missing.

Michael arrives with coffee just as Heath and Rosa are hugging. Michael stalks off after tossing out that he can tell they’re busy, and Rosa follows him outside. Michael thinks Heath and Rosa are a couple and that she came with him to Roswell. R Rosa explains that actually they’re not dating, and he came to town yesterday after she called him.

Rosa confesses she’s been turning to Heath for months to help her figure out who she is. She didn’t want to admit to Liz, or anyone else, that she was feeling lost. Rosa blames herself for what’s going on now and feels helpless. Michael admits he feels exactly the same way.

Michael thinks he should cannonball into the sinkhole after Alex, but Rosa reminds him of his history of making rash decisions. She suggests instead that he step up and help Heath in the lab. Michael suddenly has an idea – reengineer Max’s blood to bolster the steroids.

Back in the mindscape, Liz turns to the old sheriff for help. And it turns out the old sheriff is…wait for it…Allie Meyers (Shiri Appleby, the original Liz on Roswell). Liz asks why there are two of her and Allie replies, “You really need to conjure me to tell you that in most big choices in life are of two minds?”

Liz admits that before this she was thinking about the alien cure and how it’s dangerous but could also accomplish so much. The other part of Liz created this scenario so that Liz could weigh her options and determine which path to take.

In order to escape, Liz needs to follow the path and find out what it is that she doesn’t want to confront.

Roswell New Mexico Season 4 Episode 9 Recap
Nathan Dean as Max Evans in ‘Roswell, New Mexico’ season 4 episode 9 (Photo: Michael Moriatis © 2022 The CW Network)

Outlaw Liz returns to where Max has been left tied up, and he tells her she needs to wake up. She refuses, and Max realizes this isn’t his Liz. Outlaw Liz has been using Max as a pawn and now that Liz wants to meet, Outlaw Liz is hoping that means Liz has agreed to surrender.

Outlaw Liz and Liz meet, and Liz wants to parlay. Outlaw Liz doesn’t and both Liz and Rosa get the drop on her. Liz wants to take out her dark self and wake up, saving Max in the process. But Outlaw Liz explains that without her, Liz will always be just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Liz shoots but Outlaw Liz stops the bullet and deflects it. She sends Liz flying against the wall and promises a real High Noon showdown as she grabs Rosa and flees.

Isobel pleads with Max to wake up as Maria confirms Heath and Michael are busy mixing up an elixir. Isobel blames herself for getting Max into this situation and takes the blame for Kyle being out of town. Maria realizes Isobel slept with Kyle, and Isobel admits it was kind of “spectacular.” However, Isobel thinks she destroys everything she touches and warned Kyle away.

“Stop trying to convince yourself that you’re less than what you are, Isobel. You are a warrior,” says Maria.

Outlaw Liz and Max argue over Liz, and Max is certain Liz is stronger. Plus, he also knows even the Outlaw Liz loves him deep down. Outlaw Liz calls Max their biggest obstacle to greatness and claims he’s locked them into a life of mediocrity.

Michael arrives with info on Max’s location. He followed a trail to an old ghost town and thinks that might be where Outlaw Liz took Max. He volunteers to help her search and Liz realizes she’s been missing her squad.

She assembles the mindscape version of her normal gang – Arturo, Michael, Heath, Maria, and Sanders – and claims the ring in her pocket that Clyde wants actually represents her family. When she doesn’t lean on them, things go wrong. She’ll need her team to help her out of this situation.

They head outside and prepare for a shootout. Clyde meets Liz, backed by her gang, in the middle of town and although Sanders initially disarms Clyde, the alien uses his powers to retrieve his gun and take him out. Michael reacts by gunning down Clyde, proud of himself for taking out the threat.

Unfortunately, Clyde appears – alive – behind them and kills Heath and Michael before anyone can react. Maria gets the jump on Clyde, but Liz realizes he’ll be back. She hears her dad scream in anguish and finds him bent over Rosa’s dead body.

Liz shoots the next Clyde that appears and then Arturo kills the next one. Outlaw Liz grabs Maria and threatens to cut her throat as Liz screams for her dad to run. It’s too late and both Arturo and Maria are killed.

In reality, Liz is convulsing and Max’s heart is racing. Michael uses his powers to hold Liz still while Heath administers what he hopes is the antidote. As he presses the syringe, Heath says, “Hang tight, Liz. I’m sending in backup.”

In the mindscape, backup arrives in the form of Allie who shoots Outlaw Liz, grabs Liz, and pulls her into a lab. She orders Liz to think about what this all really means, and Liz goes through all the clues. Max…marriage…family…the other shoe… Liz figures it out and is ready to face herself in a final showdown.

Allie takes out Clyde by blowing up the lab.

Liz locates Max who is still tied up and under Outlaw Liz’s control. He explains Outlaw Liz has a weakness: she still believes in them, just like he does.

Outlaw Liz demands Liz explain the “other shoe.” Liz confesses she’s the other shoe; she’s afraid of herself. She’s afraid of failure and that she won’t be able to save her friends or Max next time. She turned down Max’s proposal because she was afraid of building a perfect life and then having it torn away.

Outlaw Liz suggests she surrender to the drug, but Liz says that will ultimately make them weak and destroy their mind and body. Liz has to make a decision about what to do with the one bullet left. She decides to rid herself of her other self.

Liz is healed but she doesn’t remember anything. Heath thinks her body stopped fighting itself, but she credits his steroid-alien concoction. Liz promises to find Dallas and Rosa joins them to reveal she and Heath have become friends in New York. He’s helping her control her powers, and she demonstrates how she can bend sound waves to basically cancel noise.

Michael and Maria drink beer by a fire, and he praises her for being the only one who didn’t fall apart today.

Max and Isobel also have a private chat and Max describes the final moments in the mindscape. Liz joins them and wishes she could remember what happened. Isobel leaves to check on Tezca and Max thinks it’s time for Liz to relax with wine and the cowboy of her dreams.

The final scene is a brief flashback that shows Liz firing into the air and allowing Outlaw Liz to take control.




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