Roswell

This interesting story of extraterrestrial alienation is a fascinating metaphor of teen angst -- a topic that has often been treated in movies and on TV, but here it is offered with new and insightful perspective.

The show is a way to symbolize common human fears in an imaginative parable. Issues that are woven into the story line include not knowing who you are, the experience of being a foster child, keeping secrets from parents and other authority figures, the danger of making close personal connections with others, and the isolation of being in or from one's own strange world.

ROSWELL is a clever idea with a fresh, interesting young cast. The show is an imaginative cross between, on the one hand, THE X-FILES and THE FUGITIVE, and, on the other, the odd perspective of ALF and THIRD ROCK FROM THE SUN. This is an excellent show in a time when too many shows are carbon-copies or silly assembly-line junk. I give the show an A+.