The Most Epic Quotes from Roswell, New Mexico: Season 2

The second season of Roswell, New Mexico was full of memorable moments that made us feel all the feels. Seriously, all of them. Thankfully, the show will return for a third season so we won’t have to wait all that long to learn more about Max Evans’ doppelganger. Until then, we took some time to unpack some of our favorite quotes and memorable moments from Season 2.

 

“Stay (I Missed You)” (2×01)

Liz Oretcho: “I chose regenerative medicine when you died, because I was broken. And I wanted to repair the irreparable. It’s an ethics nightmare. I have been spit on by protestors and shut down by the government. I’ve worked on tiny rat hearts my whole life, waiting until someone in power would believe that I could do this with people too. And over and over, old men on boards have told me to stay in my lane. To calm down. To wait. But I can do this. Noah’s heart is shriveled and weak. Just like he was. But I’m going to fix it. Max gave me back the only thing I’ve ever lost that mattered to me. Now it’s my turn.” 

Liz Oretcho channels the late, great Carrie Fisher with this quote. Carrie Fisher once said, “Take your broken heart, make it into art,” and Liz listened. Liz sets herself up as the hero of Season 2. Her brain, determination, and passion are her superpowers. This quote launches Liz’s journey for the season, which will eventually lead her to California. Liz Ortecho is a freaking superhero, and she makes gorgeous, scientific art of broken hearts.

 

RUNNER UP:

Isobel Evans: “You know, what I really want to do here today is tell you about someone who I love very much. He was a man with an unrivaled capacity for love, who could hold you in his heart despite distance or rejection. He made mistakes but he was noble. And he dedicated his life to righting his own wrongs, and the wrongs of others. My wrongs. He was my other half, my better half. I don’t think I’ll ever let him go.”

 

 

 

“Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space” (2×02) 

Rosa Ortecho: “Everybody in this town is haunted. They pretend everything is fine, but they’re all fighting these secret battles with shadows and hoping the scars will eventually fade. They’re all dragging their demons around, and trying to make it look like their backs aren’t breaking under the weight of it all. Maybe that’s what growing up is. Grieving in secret for all the stuff you can’t get back. For the people you lost. For the person you used to be. Everybody in this town is haunted. Except for me. I’m the ghost.” 

This quote is a great reintroduction to both Roswell and Rosa Ortecho. Season 1 started with a very similar quote by Liz, and Rosa’s words echo her sister’s in a lot of ways. It shows that even though so much has changed with the characters we’ve come to know and love, the fabric of their being hasn’t changed. Roswell is still the same, and the people who inhabit it haven’t changed much either. This also leaves Rosa in a weird place, because she’s finding her footing in a town where people mourned her and others shunned her. She positions herself as Roswell’s ghost that does the haunting rather than someone who is capable of being haunted. Rosa’s journey over the course of Season 2 repositions herself as someone who is haunted, just like everyone else, and has to learn how to deal with her own ghosts. Rosa’s journey is powerful because it’s through that process that she realizes she’s not alone, she’s not just an apparition with no depth. Rosa is so much more than that, and it’s quite moving to watch her fight for herself. 

 

 

 

“Good Mother” (2×03)

Isobel Evans: “Motherhood isn’t what this is about. I might want to be a mom someday. Not like this. Not when it’s been inflicted on me. I can’t have Noah’s baby. I can’t recover from what he did until I put an end to the parts of him that are living inside of me. I have to do it on my own terms. Do you get that? The only person who will always love me and come to my rescue is me. That’s what this is about.”

This Isobel quote comes at one of the most pivotal moments for her character over the course of the season, and likely the series. Not only does Isobel speak truth to her decision in this moment, but she also voices the experiences of so many other women. Isobel’s experience with abortion could make someone else feel less alone in their journey or give someone the courage they need to make such a life-altering decision. For Isobel, this moment is about reclaiming her body and making decisions for herself, which Noah took away from her without her consent. It’s reaffirming to see Isobel recognize the courage she’s always possessed.

 

 

 

“What If God Was One of Us?” (2×04)

Steph: “Did I just wake up in a YA novel?”

Kyle Valenti: “Trust me, with our history, you can fill a whole series.”

This exchange between Kyle Valenti and Steph is pure perfection. This moment is very meta in its reference to the Roswell High book series by Melinda Metz, and it’s a quick nod to the source material. It doesn’t feel too forced, because it also works as a fun icebreaker for Kyle and Steph’s budding romance. 

 

RUNNER UPS:

Isobel Evans: “The idea of God always freaked me out. Like, apparently, he made people in his own image, which first of all, get over yourself. But also, does that apply to us? Does every planet have its own god? Let’s say that we’re all clones of the big guy in the sky. Well, then doesn’t it stand to reason that we’re all capable of slinging light. Well I guess by that same token, we’re all capable of tremendous wrath. We’re walking contradictions. A never-ending, mercurial rise and fall. Darkness and light. I guess the real miracle is choosing the light. Despite the ever-present darkness.” 

 

 

 

“I’ll Stand By You” (2×05)

Michael Guerin: “First thing I remember is the three of us. We woke up terrified and lost but together. And then all of a sudden I was alone. And I got real good at being alone. I had given up on people entirely. And then you found me again. Hell of a hero move. You showed up just in time. When you are a kid who nobody loves, kindness is a currency. Friendship doesn’t mean jack. Family just lies and hurts and leaves. I’ve only ever known love to be temporary. So, yeah, I push people away. Every time someone threatens to care about me, I test their love until they have to leave. Connection is conditional. Everybody eventually gives up on the guy who refuses to be rescued. But you were the only one that I could never run off. You never believed me when I tried to be something I wasn’t. So this thing in your chest, it might give your heart a pretty solid kick every once in a while. Consider it payback. It’s my hero move, Max. If you wake up, you consider us even, okay? If you wake up, we can be a family.”

Michael Guerin is a superhero, there we said it. He made a pacemaker that would work on an alien heart, saved Max’s life, and gave this epic speech. Beyond that, this quote is a moving moment shared between Max and Michael, even if Max isn’t awake and alert for it. This moment is Michael admitting that Max knows him better than he’d ever say to Max’s face. It’s one of Michael’s vulnerable moments in Season 2, because he bears his soul to one of the people he loves the most. It’s unforgettable.  

 

RUNNER UPS: 

Liz Ortecho: “When I got back to town, I asked Max why you and your brilliant mind hadn’t changed the world yet. He said you didn’t care enough about the world to bother changing it. He believed you could. Good luck getting his car up and running.” 

—-

Rosa Ortecho: “These bitch ass aliens.”

 

 

 

“Sex and Candy” (2×06)

Max Evans: “The first time you waited on me, I asked for a Peanut Butter Blast Off, and you brought me a Little Green Man. But I was so in love with you that I didn’t even care. And the second time, you walked by my table and you pointed at me and you said, “Little Green Man,” but I was just so happy that you remembered, I never corrected you.” 

This moment and this quote from Max Evans are so memorable for a long list of reasons. This is the moment Max gets his memories back after his resurrection. This is the moment Liz realizes that Max still loves her — and has always loved her. This shows that Echo’s love spans across planets, lifetimes, and milkshake preferences; they’re that powerful. 

For fans of the TVD Universe, it’s also an incredibly sweet nod to (former) showrunner Carina MacKenzie’s time on The Originals. Hope Mikaelson has an affinity for Peanut Butter Blast Offs, and Landon, her boyfriend, put that to memory very early on in their relationship. 

 

RUNNER UPS: 

Alex Manes: “Nice ring. Does that keep you from burning up in the daylight?”

 

 

 

“Como La Flor” (2×07)

Isobel Evans: “That’s a black hole. An unstoppable force of destruction, and it’s getting closer. I see a girl looking into her own doom. She thinks it’s inevitable, that she can’t stop it, but she can. See, she created it. That means she can destroy it.”

This quote is a part of a larger conversation between Rosa and Isobel, but this part is a standout. Both Isobel and Rosa are finding their way in the world again after being abused and manipulated for a prolonged period of time. Both of their journeys are unique in their content and pacing, but there are similarities that bind them together. There’s a commonality that lends themselves to Isobel’s words so they don’t seem hollow. Isobel can give this advice, that there’s a way out of the black hole, because she’s finding her way out. Isobel shows Rosa that she can reclaim the power of her narrative, and that’s monumental. That’s the opposite of a black hole, that’s freedom.

 

RUNNER UPS: 

Isobel Evans: “He’s like if the heart-eyes emoji and the cowboy emoji had a little emoji baby.”

—- 

Rosa Ortecho: “Where’s my red jacket? Did you borrow it while I was dead?” 

 

 

 

“Say It Ain’t So” (2×08)

Alex Manes: “I cannot tell you how badly I want to be done with this frickin’ closet.”

Forrest: “But you’re not. And that’s okay. Really. Listen, if that voice in your head ever shuts up, give me a call. Because between you and me, making out with a hot guy in public is only made hotter when it pisses off all the bigots and homophobes.”

One of the most interesting parts of this season has been watching Alex Manes step into himself even more. No matter how much we ship Malex, it’s hard to look past how great he and Forrest are for each other right now. This moment is a real turning point for Alex, because Forrest says all the right things. Forrest gives Alex further permission to take his time, because Forrest will wait since Alex is worth waiting for. Michael Guerin can understand that sentiment. Basically, it’s really nice to see people love and appreciate Alex, it’s what he deserves. 

 

 

 

“The Diner” (2×09)

Sanders: “I came to the group home twice, you know. They weren’t too keen on letting a junkyard dog who smelled like bathtub gin adopt a child. I don’t blame them, I would have messed you up even worse. But I tried. I got one year, three months, and four days with Miss Louise and Miss Nora. No matter what, I can’t pay you back for that. Keep the money.”

This one is as heartbreaking as it is healing. Honestly, Walt Sanders really brings the whole episode to its knees with this revelation. Michael always thought he wasn’t good enough, that he wasn’t wanted. That was only enforced by the Evanses taking Max and Isobel home and leaving him. Sanders turns that all on its head when he reveals that he wanted to adopt Michael but didn’t think it was for the best with the state he was in. Michael Guerin was wanted, ya’ll!

 

 

 

“American Woman” (2×10)

Tripp Manes: “They’re not from around here. They’re from up North.”

This one is so great because this quote is pulled right from the WB’s original series, Roswell. Jason Behr, who played Max Evans, plays Tripp Manes on Roswell, New Mexico. This alone is a wonderful gift to fans, and it only makes the larger, Roswell universe stronger. 

 

RUNNER UPS: 

Louise: “Please, it is hard to be a woman on your planet. It’s only going to be harder still for her. Roy Bronson believed in meeting hatred with compassion. And I want her to be like him. A light in the darkness. A little star on the ground. I want that for both of my girls.” 

—-

Gregory Manes: “If you can forgive him, you should. Cast off the stone. Let me hate him for you. I owe you that much.”

 

 

 

“Linger” (2×11)

Michael Guerin: “When I was a kid, I thought maybe 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. I am angry. And smashing things, it’s easy. Alex has evolved past that. He’s past you. And he’s past me. Despite you slapping him around, shoving that Manes Man crap down his throat, he still loves. He even loves you. You don’t deserve to call him your son.” 

This quote is really interesting because it juggles a lot of overarching topics at once. Not only does Michael scoff in the face of Jesse Manes’s reductive ideas of white supremacy and homophobia, he dismantles his own personal biases. To make the moment even better, Michael commends Alex for rising above and beyond every low bar his father set. Jesse Manes is vile for a long list of reasons, and one of them is his inability to love the way Alex loves. Alex’s heart is forever larger than his father’s shriveled one, and Michael voices that in a beautifully seething declaration. 

 

RUNNER UPS:

Liz Ortecho: “When I was a kid, I felt trapped in my life. I was just thinking about what this would have meant to me then. To know that the person I am existed. This isn’t what the world teaches girls like me to dream.”

—-

Diego: “Anger’s not so bad. It reminds us that something’s not right, and then we change it. And you are going to change everything. I’m so glad I get to stand beside you while you do.” 

 

 

 

“Crash Into Me” (2×12)

Liz Ortecho: “I know you’re on my side, but you don’t get this. And that’s not your fault, that’s just the reality of our experiences. If I mess up…if I so much as roll through a stop sign, it reflects badly on any Mexican who came before me. And it hurts any Mexican who comes after me. I used to think that nothing would ever change that, but lately I think maybe if something extraordinary happened, it could.”

Roswell, New Mexico has never been afraid of tackling social justice issues. They are embedded into the very core of the show from its creation. It’s not like issues of sexism and racism are discussed once and then a box is checked for the series. Instead, these issues are always present on the show, just like they are in real life. Max’s white privilege has been an issue on the series from the beginning, most glaringly when he was able to cover up Rosa’s murder and pin it on her — a woman of color. This moment between Liz and Max is a long time coming. They need a moment where Liz can tell Max that things aren’t ever going to be the same between them because of their different experiences, their different beings, change the way they walk through the world and the way the world treats them. It’s a must-see moment from “Crash Into Me.” 

 

RUNNER UPS: 

Mimi DeLuca: “You all think I’m losing my mind. But I just slip out of my time and into a different one every once in a while. Sometimes Maria’s. Or Mama’s. Other women in our future or past. I saw you when you were a baby. The sky was red.” 

 

 

 

“Mr. Jones” (2×13)

Liz Ortecho: “I apologized. I stopped. Max, you died this year. I was all alone because of a choice you made, but still, every single thing I did was for you and about you and with you. So when you were back, when I could finally touch you, when I could finally breathe, I needed to take just one moment to remember where I end and where you begin. To just be whole in who I am. I am a scientist. I am fighting for something that is bigger than me. I am trying to leave this world a better place. And I am in love with you. And right now, I hate it.” 

Just as Liz’s first quote of the season launched where she would go in Season 2, this one gives us a glimpse of where she’s headed in Season 3. Liz Ortecho is a freaking superhero, and she’s not going to let anything stop her from saving the day. It’s also gratifying to see Liz choose herself when all she spends much of Season 2 prioritizing Max and his health. 

 

RUNNER UPS: 

Maria DeLuca: “You have it wrong. Mimi hasn’t disappeared. Yes, she can be inconvenient, she can make people uncomfortable, but maybe she’s supposed to be an uncomfortable inconvenience that saves lives. And now, I need to be inconvenient and I don’t want to be someone that hurts you. I think we should find out what’s next, apart from each other.”

—-

Kyle Valenti: “You know, Socrates thought that death was a blessing, because only one of two things could happen. Either consciousness ceases, and it’s like falling into a dreamless sleep. Or, you go to where all who have died before you have gone. Your loved ones, people you admire. If you lived a good and just life, you will be surrounded by goodness and justice, in a place without fear. Sorry, I thought a lot about this when my dad passed.” 

 

 

Season 2 of Roswell, New Mexico had no shortage of memorable and shocking moments. We are on the edge of our seats to see what happens next season. In the meantime, find us on Twitter and let us know your favorite Roswell, New Mexico quotes!

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Roswell, New Mexico airs on The CW. Seasons 1 & 2 are available to stream now on Netflix.