Roswell is a teenage melodrama with a mix of science fiction. The main cast is made up of teenage alien-human hybrids and their human friends. In the late 40s a UFO crashed in Roswell, New Mexico. Later in the mid-1980s, two children, Max and Isabel were found wandering in the desert. Months later Michael was also found. Max and Isabel were adopted into a good home with loving parents, while Michael jumped around in the foster care system. All three are alien-human hybrids--part human, part alien. As they grew up, they soon found out they were aliens with inhuman abilities. The stories are mostly about the events surrounding the alien's lives as they try to hide the fact they are not human from the general populace, while at the same time dealing with high school, jobs, and romantic relationships. For more details about this series please refer to John Sinnott's reviews of season one and season two.

When I first stared watching Roswell, I was at a hindrance because I have very little background with the show. Prior to this review, I have managed to only catch an episode here and there and nothing to really prepare me for what season three had to offer. (Oddly enough I have the first season on DVD, but have yet to open it.) Season three's first episode left me with a mix of emotions, which continued throughout the remainder of the season.

The stories that drive the series revolving around the alien-human hybrids is pretty damn exciting, but when it comes to the interpersonal relationships between Max and Liz, Michael and Maria, etc. it sometimes makes me want to puke. While the intricate relationships between the characters is key to both character and plot development, some of the drama is just so thick I had trouble getting through it. Overall, I was happy with the series and honestly disappointed it ended and even more with the way it ended. What I liked about the stories is that they were racy and gripping. Despite my turn off to the melodrama, it was still a lot of fun.

The third season picks up from where the second season ended. Tess got Max to sleep with her and was impregnated. She left Earth to return to their home planet with their child, tricking Max into believing it was the only thing he could do to save his child's life. Soon Max realizes he was betrayed and Tess handed him nothing but lies. The stories that follow have Liz coming to terms with the fact Max cheated on her and at the same time trying to help Max get his son back. Together they stage a robbery at a convenience store in Utah, where Max believes his spaceship is being held by the government. Liz's parents are distraught with the negative influence Max has upon her. They forbid her to see Max anymore and an overly melodramatic story follows. Their relationship continues to play a key role in the story, with plenty of ups and downs and many eye rolling moments.

At the same time, Max's dad becomes very suspicious about his son. There is something Max is hiding (the fact he, Isabel, and Michael are aliens) and he becomes determined to find out the truth, up until the very end of the series. I thought this was an interesting aspect because it put more than just the government on Max and company's tail. Another important development for this season is Isabel's relationship with a lawyer from her father's law firm. Their relationship becomes very serious and for the first time, Isabel finds someone to share her life with as Max has Liz and Michael has Maria. This brings Jesse Ramirez (Adam Rodriguez) as a permanent member to the cast for its short-lived final season.

For the majority of the season, the story about Max looking for a way to get to his son continues to play a significant role. It becomes a driving force behind Max, which even temporarily takes him away from Roswell to Los Angeles. In L.A. we learn more about the aliens and their past. Midway into the season this story dies off, but returns with the final episodes, where it is concluded with the series.

Overall, I enjoyed watching season three of Roswell. The general alien story was intriguing, but the way it and consequently the series ended, I was disappointed. The series' conclusion felt rushed, haphazard, and not nearly as intricate as some of the previous stories covered. In the end I felt cheated. I wanted more and really think a little more thought could have been applied. In the end, I was happier than not with the episodes in this season. When the stories were focused on the aliens and not the teenage melodrama, it was intense, gripping, and quite fun.

Episode Guide
1. Busted
2. Michael, The Guys and the Great Snapple Caper
3. Significant Others
4. Secret & Lies
5. Control
6. To Have and To Hold
7. Interruptus
8. Behind the Music
9. Samuel Rising
10. A Tale of Two Parties
11. I Married An Alien
12. Ch-Ch-Changes
13. Panacea
14. Chant Down Babylon
15. Who Died and Made You King?
16. Crash
17. Four Aliens and a Baby
18. Graduation

The DVD

Video:
The video transfer included with this release is the same as previous DVD releases, 1.78:1 ratio anamorphic widescreen color. The picture looks pretty good and despite that there are many dark/night scenes, colors and detail remain to look fairly sharp. There are a few traces of edge enhancement and minor compression artifacts.

Audio:
The audio track in this release is in English 5.1 Dolby digital surround. The audio track is dynamic, utilizing the surround sound capability and offer sound effects and music with a rich and vibrant feeling. Dialogue sounds clean and is easy to hear. There are also subtitles in English, Spanish, and French, and closed captioning is supported. The DVD box set case, similar to previous releases, states it "includes new cutting-edge songs selected by the original Roswell music team". Since I never followed the show on TV, I can't point out any changes. As far as I could tell, everything seemed to fit in fine.

Extras:
The first extras include four audio commentaries. The commentaries are for episodes "Secret & Lies" with Executive Producer/Director Jonathan Frakes, "Behind the Music" with Frakes, "I Married an Alien" with Executive Producer/Writer Ronald D. Moore, and "Graduation" with Executive Producer/Writer Jason Katims. I thought the commentaries were decent. I really didn't care for any of them, except the one for the series finale. In general I was disappointed none of the actors participated. The next extra is the featurette "Class of 2002" (13:27), which is a making of season three. It has cast and crew sharing their thoughts on the stories and characters. Finally, there is "Shiri Appleby's DVD Tour to Japan" (8:37). In this featurette Appleby answers questions from her Japanese fan base. Unless you are a big fan of Appleby, this is a pretty dry watch.

Final Thoughts:
Despite not having a strong background with Roswell, I found it pretty easy to get into season three. The overall story driving the season turned out to be pretty exciting; except for the way it ended. Unfortunately there were a few other aspects I had trouble getting accustomed to. The teenage melodrama aspect tended to turn me away more often than not, and not in a good way where it can get so sappy and corny you can't help but like it. Instead the drama felt wishy-washy and it was something I thought didn't always add a lot to the episodes. Overall I enjoyed watching this season and look forward to going back to the first and second seasons. For fans of the series this is an easy pickup, but everyone else might want to rent it.