Crazy is Roswell going at full speed. It’s the start of one of the show’s greatest runs of episodes that showcased all of the positive attributes it had in the most advantageous way. The dialogue was sharp, the writing almost perfect (for this show anyway), and the excitement the best it’s ever been. This episode kick-starts that arc in appropriately brilliant fashion, as storylines of the past 16 episodes caught up with the new and present ones.
Topolsky’s re-emergence is like the shot of adrenaline the show needed after the sombre past few weeks. She brings with her a whole bucket of wig-swapping, wild-eyed craziness that only serves to make things darker and much more intense. Of course, the episode plays up that craziness as we’re faced with the possibility that she might be just that; crazy. It’s a possibility that seems almost immediately benign, this is television after all, but it’s an interesting take.
Whenever I think of Julie Benz, I always flash-back to her performance in Crazy. She brings that manic desperation that makes it easy to believe that she might be totally kukoo, or scared shitless. She maintains that panic through every single scene she’s in here, even when she’s not screaming like a mad-woman, through to that campy and scary final scene when Topolsky’s proven right to the audience. It feels like the perfect way to settle into the teenager’s scariest experience yet.
Michael and Maria’s relationship never looked so terrible than when it’s looked at alongside Max and Liz’s nuclear one. It also really hones in on what a terrible idea it is for Maria to even be near him. I’m not saying I don’t like the idea of them being together, but when she’s treated like dirt, forced to pay for him, and subjected to the most condescending of attitudes, you can’t help but wonder why she doesn’t just put her hands up and walk away. Any sane person would. But, you can’t forget that she’s one of only a handful of people who’s seen his sensitive side.
Emilie de Ravin makes her debut in Crazy as Tess, looking all young and sultry, trying admirably to stifle her strong Aussie accent. You can tell that there’s something amiss with her almost straight away. For those of you reading who haven’t seen the series yet, I’ll keep that secret tight-lipped for now, but rest assured, she’s more than just a passing face.
It’s hard not to sit back and let this episode pull you in, as the intensity is amped with tension forming in the ranks among the teens and mysterious people running around Roswell covering their tracks. I can’t wait to see where the story takes us next.
10/10
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