The re-opening gala for the town’s UFO Emporium may be the best opportunity for the siblings to reveal the identity of the mystery fourth alien before they can kill again – if they can all make it to the party in time, that is.

Once again I find myself feeling like I’ll never have enough apologies to give to the writers and actors of Roswell for my early harsh words on the show – this is an episode that not only packs in a powerful twist, but does so in absolutely the right way, feeling organic and prepared and never leaving the viewer feeling cheated.

It’s difficult to say too much more without getting into spoilers, because there’s a lot going on here, but let’s concentrate on the character work.

First there’s Max and Michael, who through various circumstances find themselves forced for the first time to actually talk with one another on a real, emotional level. Michael Vlamis has always been one of my favourite actors in the Roswell ensemble and here we get to see more of that as he brings out the wounded, deeply troubled side of the character. Stepping up every bit as well to match him, Nathan Parsons’ Max bares his own soul, and the things about his and Michael’s relationship which have always troubled him. It’s a great interaction, and whereas I doubt they’ll suddenly become best amigos, there’s definitely a sense that something has shifted between them, that perhaps a barrier has broken down, and it’ll be interesting to see what the writers do with that next.

Elsewhere, there’s some fantastic interactions between Liz, Isobel and Cameron which demonstrate subtlety as well as some depressing (if accurate) commentary on the world of today with regards to dating. Still, there are moments here of honesty of the type that can only really occur between people who respect one another without necessarily liking one another. Riley Voelkel in particular deserves praise for her turn as Cameron – she’s been that good in the role it’s taken me until now to realise this is the same actor who played Jenna in The Newsroom – there’s no doubt she has range, and really knows how to inhabit a role.

And there’s Michael and Maria of course. The revelation that Michael was bisexual rather than gay felt sort of glossed over before and the episode does take a beat to deal with it here, but what’s striking is that Michael seems genuinely affected by his dalliance with Maria, and it’s difficult to tell how much of her denial is genuine as well. They have always sparked off one another, and it’s interesting to note that Michael for one seems to think he and Alex are over – I genuinely wonder where the writers might be going with this one.

But amidst all the character stuff, the hunt for the killer is electrically exciting, teasing the viewer along a step at a time. The revelation, when it comes, is simultaneously a major shock while also making complete sense in hindsight. The writers have played very fair with this one – the clues have been there all along, and I take my hat off to them that they were seeded so subtly in there. The only question now is, with two episodes left of this maiden run, where will they take things next?

Verdict: A masterclass in execution and packed full of brilliant character moments. The best episode of what has turned out to be a strong series. 9/10

Greg D. Smith