The Coming of Tomorrow

Fan Fiction: Roswell And Now For a Brief Message ... copyright as part of:
In These Words ...  © copyright 2014 by Lillian Carrero

A "Roswell" fan fiction featuring Kyle Valenti - author's intro:

Nick Wechsler as Kyle

I never saw Roswell as it aired on TV. More often than not that is the case with me, I watch all the shows later, when they are released on DVD. I blame Alfred Hitchcock—so much for all my grandiose notions of complete ownership of one’s action— hypocritically I turn around and blame Alfred Hitchcock for my reluctance to watch programs as they aired on TV. More specifically it was the Alfred Hitchcock Hour. I remember loving that show as a child and being completely captivated by that big guy with an unusual accent bitching and moaning about commercial interruptions.
     Now I’ve definitely overanalyzed this thing I have against commercials. There is the obvious interruption to the story that can make it difficult for suspension of disbelief. On the bright side it’s the perfect time for a bathroom break. There is also the psychological notion that you really need to be in the market for an idea or you’re just not buying. The subliminal messages of kill, kill, kill, can’t really get you to kill, kill, kill, unless you already wanted to, which as it turns out is a good thing. If I take it to the next level a part of me already disliked commercial before he even said a word. But then I have to worry about the victim mentality and the Stockholm syndrome. Did I inadvertently identify with my captor aka The Alfred Hitchcock Hour and agreed with him as an authority figure, relinquishing all my own opinions to parrot his? Did this in turn set me up for a lifetime of being unable to watch even the “cutest” advertisement without experiencing a gag reflex? Am I Pavlov’s effing dog?

     I know on the surface this appears to have nothing to do with a story I wrote based on Roswell the television series, but I’m con- fident that if you overanalyze and spend an inordinate amount of time thinking about it, you too can get here from there.
     Okay, I’d like to apologize for that brief commercial interruption.
So as I was saying when I finally did see Roswell it had already stopped airing on TV. There were many familiar elements to the story dichotomy. Like these kinds of stories are wont to have, Roswell had its clearly designated villain and hero. Max was the undisputed hero without measure, too good to be true. He was the displaced alien from another planet, struggling with his secret and powers beyond human comprehension.
     Jim Valenti was hands down the villain of the story. Just shy of twirling a mustache Jim was above the law, because he was the law. And it all turns on a dime and expectations are to see the most predictable outcome to a certain set of givens. Jim discovers the truth and low and behold he does the unexpected. He becomes a surrogate father figure and protector. There was no way to see that coming, but as twists go that was a good one.

     But that wasn’t all, there was Jim’s son Kyle. Surprise, surprise Kyle started the series as Liz’s boyfriend. Every other series takes that potential rival and demonizes him until the audience hates him enough to make room for our hero to get the girl, not Roswell. Liz breaks up with him and Kyle walks away with integrity. He becomes a confidant and a friend to everyone.
     Understanding how beloved Liz and Max were, my fan fiction still focuses on Kyle Valenti. Because when all was said and done on graduation day at the end of the series Kyle was still the year book’s epitome of least likely to ... and yet, when the aliens left Ros- well, he went with them. You’ve gotta’ love it.