Post Graduation: Theories of Closure | |
Holy Grail of Roswell
-- see also: Season 1 Arthurian
Connection Liz's journey represents the successful completion of the Grail Knightís quest. Her prize: The King. If we go back to the Grail Legends for a moment, we know that "the king and the land are one". For Liz, she's completed her trials successfully and her reward (simply put), as Grail Knight, becomes Grail Queen. She receives complete fulfillment and becomes the Queen, Keeper of the Grail Castle. Her contribution to the King, Max, is that she initiates his rebirth, or that is, the continuing cycle of birth, death, rebirth. In essense, really, they both were reborn. On one hand, we have the death of the King (Zan), buried in the Pod Chamber (the substitute Avalon), who is reborn (Max) and wallows in a constant state of inertia (much like the wounded and/or ill Fisher King/King Arthur). Along comes a pure, noble knight -Liz (Percival/Gawain/Gahalad) who must face horrific challenges and extreme sacrifices in order to find a way to save the king. Sorely tested, she rises to the occasion by her faith alone, and in the end, literally saves the king with her love (the kiss in Chant Down Babylon). The King is reborn. The cycle is complete. And the cycle begins again ,,, as we have seen it again and again in Roswell.
Keep in mind this cycle also applies to Liz. In the beginning, Liz is wounded, dies, is healed by Max.
I always thought the Madame Vivian got it right in EOTW. Alex's fate was sealed that night; Maria's still in flux; and Liz "destined" to get her man. In the deck of the Tarot Cards, the Ace of Cups (The Grail) represents complete fulfillment. And as Madame Vivian assured Liz that night in EOTW, in spite of everything, Liz did get Max in the end. Perhaps, if many of us were listening to the subtext going on amid all the Arthurian drama, we might have realized that Liz and "might for right" or "justice" would win in the end. Certainly, the other factor that we must look back to goes back to Topolsky. Ironically, it is Topolsky who sets in motion the possibilities and some of the life-long lessons to set up Liz and Max for a future together. If you recall, Topolsky says to Liz: "You like to make plans". Liz: "Of course, you have to have a plan." Topolsky: "What about going with the flow?" Liz, emphatically, "No." However, that is exactly what Liz has learned to do -- "go with the flow, lose control, improvise" -- live life as it was intended to be lived. How many of us really wanted to see Liz locked in a research lab for the rest of her life in absolute "nerd"dom, content with her lot, settling for less and not really appreciating "the living of life". Even Maria knew that what they discussed her relationship with Kyle in "Pilot". And ... Topolsky is the first to suggest that Max "come from behind the tree" and through years of fighting against that, by Graduation the lesson is finally driven home: I have to be who I am. Topolsky is the first to suggest Max take his baby steps. Max, to Topolsky: What did you do? Topolsky: I started a conversation with this boy I liked. Topolsky, by that little and large nudge, promotes Max to "come from behind the tree" ... to Liz, the first outsider to accept Max for who he was, warts and all. And by being together, Max and Liz, took some of their worst qualities and turned them into some of their best qualities. Topolsky, the guidance counselor had it right, too. The beginning told us the truth, the middle told us the truth, and the end told us the truth -- Max and Liz were soulmates. In the end, they passed their test. But did we? |
Liz is (???) an Alien
With all due respect to Qfanny, this theory was a staple of Zero's original premise of Liz Being Important To The Alien Mythology. And, of course, a theory is not a fact. So...
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Last modified July 10, 2002