Because they’re cosmic, baby.
Alex Manes (Tyler Blackburn) and Michael Guerin (Michael Vlamis) have been putting us through the ringer for two seasons on Roswell, New Mexico. Every scene between them turns into soapy relationship drama, even though they’ve only been an actual couple on screen for one episode (three if you include flashback scenes.)
One. Episode.
We can’t exactly blame them though.
Homophobic abusive fathers, murder cover ups, and alien secrets kept them apart romantically, despite having a million scenes together. They’re really making us work for this one. As one of the more prominent queer couples on television, it especially hurts.
Season two they each had other love interests. Maria (Heather Hemmons) and Michael needed each other; Michael, to believe in a future that’s possible without all the baggage of the past, and Maria, to be a little selfish in love. Even though they eventually break up, their journey together in season two was necessary.
Alex meets Forrest Long (Christian Antidormi), a blue-haired history nerd that allows Alex to learn how to be himself without the shadow of his father and the violent events that plagued Alex and Michael’s relationship before it ever really got to begin. Alex and Forrest officially start dating in season two’s finale, so they’ll likely be together for the beginning of season three.
However, despite this, Roswell, New Mexico is riddled with proof we’re heading to an Alex and Michael endgame. Since the show has already been renewed for a fourth season, it might not happen in the upcoming season three. But you know what? It should. We deserve it. Case in point, the top Malex moments that prove we’ve been through enough.
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“I loved you.” Too many episodes to count
Listen, past tense doesn’t mean a whole lot when it’s constantly repeated throughout the series. Almost every scene between Michael and Alex turns into a love confession. They’re really good at saying the past tense to each other, not so much the present tense version. Those, they usually admit to when confiding in someone else (Isobel, Maria) about the other. At this point, the more they say “I loved you,” the more I’m expecting an “I love you” in season three.
“I never look away. Not really.” Season 1, episode 2: “So Much for the Afterglow”
How considerate of Michael to give us this confession so early on. We didn’t quite know their history yet, but this line made it obvious that whatever went down between them ten years ago wasn’t quite over yet. It’s also a great line because it works as a substitute for typical love confessions, creating a theme that resonates throughout all of their interactions moving forward. So, they breakup an episode later? Or they have a conversation in season two about officially being over? Who cares, as long as one of them never looks away, we’re all good.
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“We connected like something …” “Cosmic.” Season 1, episode 9: “Songs About Texas”
Alex knows Michael’s an alien. He’s known for six weeks. So when he finally confronts Michael about it in “Songs About Texas,” the sci-fi nature of Michael’s answer lands for Alex. “Cosmic” is this show’s version of “fate,” and though this scene is more about Alex learning about Michael’s history and his involvement in Rosa’s death, it’s the first time fate is brought into their relationship. They might not understand the implications yet, but they both agree “cosmic” is the right word.
“You’re a miserable liar.” Season 1, episode 12: “Creep”
In season one, Michael does say “I don’t love you” to Alex. Screams it, in fact. But hey, they were about to be blown up, along with Michael’s mom and the other aliens in Claufield prison. Emotions were high, Michael was trying to get Alex to leave him behind. Alex saw right through him. He calls Michael a “miserable liar,” and Michael never has a comeback to that. In this same scene, Alex tells Michael he’s his family.
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“When I was kid, I thought because of my high IQ, my species was superior to yours. Then I fell in love with your son. And I didn’t feel superior anymore.” Season 2, episode 11: “Linger”
The problem with Michael and Alex is that they often give great speeches about their love for each other … to other people. This scene in “Linger” gives us a lot of insight to Michael and his feelings for Alex when they first met. A couple of lines later, he also confesses to Jesse Manes that Alex is also “past him.” He looks upset at that, giving us more insight into how feels now. This is one of the best scenes from season two, mostly because of this line, but also because Michael hits Jesse Manes over the head with Jesse’s own cane that he actually doesn’t need.
“I know what he means to Alex.” Season 2, episode 12, “Crash Into Me”
Gregory Manes knows what he’s talking about. And this time, it’s present tense! Though he’s standing between Michael and his father, in front of a gun Jesse Manes is pointing at Michael, Greg proves that at some point, Alex and his brother had a conversation about Michael, and he seems to imply there’s definitely still feelings there. I would like to know when this conversation went down, please.
“This place sucks.” Season 2, episode 13: “Mr. Jones.”
What was once a sanctuary for both Alex and Michael, the tool shed became an absolute nightmare when Jesse Manes took a hammer to Michael’s hand after he caught them together. It’s a really tough moment to watch on screen and it directly led to a lot of their problems moving forward. But in the season two finale, Alex and Michael confront that place of violence together, tearing the cabin down with the very tools Jesse used to inflict violence on them. It’s a cathartic scene for many reasons and a great representation for how far they both have come in accepting their past and their future.
“It was as if we were built from the same star, drawn together by something cosmic.” Season 2, episode 13: “Mr. Jones.”
Who doesn’t love a good parallel? Alex reads Tripp Manes’ story out loud to Michael and Isobel—the story of how Tripp and Nora, Michael’s mother, fell in love in 1947 and how he tried to keep her and Louise safe from the U.S. Army. In Tripp’s words, their connection was “cosmic,” as well. The word is familiar to Alex, for when he reads that line, Michael and him look at each other, aware of the significance of that word when it comes to their own relationship. Even though Nora and Tripp’s story ends in tragedy, perhaps Michael and Alex can change the course of their fate.
“It’s a sad story, me and Alex. I have to walk away so we can start a new one someday. It’s not our time right now.” “But it will be.” “I think so.” Season 2, episode 13: “Mr. Jones”
Now, this one’s almost too much. It’s also the best evidence of a Malex endgame. Even while Alex performs his original song “Would You Come Home” in front of a crowded bar that includes Forrest, Michael and Isobel’s side conversation acknowledges Michael’s recognition that Alex needs to move forward in his own story for now. It also speaks to Michael’s belief that they’ll find their way back to each other. Michael Vlamis’ performance is heartbreaking here, but the scene doesn’t come across as sad at all. There’s a certain contentment evident in Michael—for the first time, he’s settled in this non-resolution, patient as the story plays itself out.
Bonus: in the same scene, Alex’s song is about Michael, with lyrics that reference a past conversation of theirs:
“No, you never looked away, now I can’t look away.”
This is a lot of angst for two seasons of a soapy alien drama. We’re ready for some joy for these characters, and we hope it comes in many forms for them, but especially if it’s with each other. They deserve it.
Roswell, New Mexico season three premieres 7 p.m. CST Monday, July 26 on The CW.
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