What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1090741
T10 WHATS UP! March 10 - 16, 2019 Liz, the daughter of undocu- mented immigrant Arturo Ortecho (Carlos Compean, "Contraband," 2012), who runs a local UFO-themed diner, the Crashdown Cafe. He and his daughter are often the subject of suspicion, especially since Liz's beloved sister, Rosa (Am- ber Midthunder, "Legion"), died in a car accident that also took the lives of two white girls. The official report claimed Rosa was high at the time, but a skeptical Liz is de- termined to find out what real- ly happened. Max's fellow aliens include his sister Isobel (Lily Cowles, "True Story," 2015), a lawyer who is intensely secretive, even with her husband, Noah (Karan Oberoi, "Counter- part"). Their friend Michael (Michael Vlamis, "Spiral," 2018) hides his alien identity under his tough, bad-boy image. In addition to Liz and her fa- ther, the town's human popula- tion includes her best friend, Maria (Heather Hemmens, "Hellcats"), a local bartender completely oblivious to the ex- istence of aliens. Liz's former beau, Dr. Kyle Valenti (Michael Trevino, "The Vampire Dia- ries"), is the son of Sheriff Val- enti (Rosa Arredondo, "Quan- tico"). Master Sgt. Jesse Manes (Trevor St. John, "One Life to Live") sits at the head of a far- reaching government conspir- acy. His son, Alex (Tyler Black- burn, "Pretty Little Liars"), has recently returned to Roswell after service overseas, but he's unaware of his father's true mission. All the while, Alex strives to meet his father's ex- pectations. In Roswell, many of these characters face hatred and fear that threatens to tear their families apart. Unlike other sci-fi programs, "Roswell, New Mexico" doesn't focus on the dangers aliens pose to humans. In this case, they're the minori- ty trying to avoid persecution like many of their friends and neighbors. Max and the other aliens may possess supernatu- ral powers, including healing abilities and psychic links to those around them, but, for the most part, they try to lay low for fear of being outed, choos- ing instead to try to lead quiet, helpful lives. "Roswell, New Mexico" has promising qualities, but it's been slow to pick up in the rat- ings department. The first cou- ple of episodes averaged 1.3 million viewers — a respect- able showing but not stellar. In contrast, the first seasons of CW's hits "Supernatural" and "The Vampire Diaries" each averaged more than 3.5 million. Pitted against ABC's sitcoms "Black-ish" and "Splitting Up Together," as well as the CBS drama "FBI," Fox's game show "Mental Samurai" and NBC's critical darling "This Is Us," "Roswell, New Mexico" will have its work cut out for it on Tuesday evenings. Luckily for the cast and crew, some of the industry's biggest powerhouses are associated with the project. Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, along with Amblin Television and Bender Brown Productions, all have a hand in the show. If nothing else, the show's setting is sure to attract some viewers as the site of one of the world's most famous alleged UFO incidents. In 1947, a news- paper headline from the Ro- swell Daily Record read: "RAAF Captures Flying Saucer on Ranch in Roswell Region." The military, however, soon addressed the confusion by clarifying that a weather bal- loon had crashed in a farmer's field. Over the years, many conspiracy theories have claimed that aliens crash land- ed in Roswell that summer and the government covered it up. To this day, the area is a desti- nation for UFO seekers. Whether or not real aliens have ever been to Roswell, TV viewers can catch up with Max and the others in a new episode of "Roswell, New Mexico," air- ing Tuesday, March 12, on CW. Nathan Parsons as seen in "Roswell, New Mexico" continued from page T2 Out of this world: Aliens hide in plain sight in 'Roswell, New Mexico' TV FEATURE