On a hot summer day in 1947, 
a rancher noticed some kind of 
wreckage on a homestead outside 
Roswell, New Mexico. Then the 
Army came. And so the theories 
of extraterrestrials emerged. The 
mystery of this small New Mexico 
town has captivated us for seventy 
years now. If The CW’s new teen-
soap would have you believe, the 
key to this small-town mystery is 
that Liz Ortecho (Jeanine Mason, 
“Grey’s Anatomy”) is having some 
very close encounters with Roswell’s 
undercover alien/sheriff’s deputy.
After a decade, Liz returns to 
her hometown, where her dad runs 
the Crashdown Café. The Ortechos 
have become outcasts after Liz’s 
sister killed two local girls while 
driving under the influence. This 
reputation inspires random, unseen 
vigilantes to go after Liz — shooting 
up a diner late at night and killing her. 
Liz’s crush from high school, Max 
(Nathan Parsons, “The Originals”), 
now a deputy, resurrects her with his 
alien powers by touching her wound, 
making very uncomfortable faces and 
spraying her down with ketchup. It’s 
the meet-cute Hollywood has been 
too afraid to give you. Liz is certain 
she was shot, though — the clue being 
a bullet wound — and sets out to 
figure what Max is hiding.
“Roswell” is an impressive feat 
of mediocrity. The narrative is 
elementary. If you’re afraid you 
won’t understand the underscored 

complexities 
of 
this 
interracial, 
extraterrestrial love affair, fear not. 
All the characters announce exactly 
who they are and what is happening. 
We are told with effective bluntness 
that Liz’s arrival coincides with the 
10-year anniversary of her sister’s 
accident. Along with archetypal 
characters, the show also boasts many 
complex characters. Characters like 
alien-sheriff Max, who says “I stay 
here because I like it” one minute, and 

“I want to leave” the next, because 
who cares about genuine motivation 
or character? This inconsistency 
makes him dynamic and brooding. 
Rest assured, this show requires 
absolutely zero brain power to 
understand.
If the possibility of potential 
political undertones also intimidates 
you, don’t worry. As much as the show 
tries to be politically-relevant, it never 
fails to fumble. Any political jabs 
flounder and serve only to distract 
from plot inconsistencies. When 
political commentary is made, no one 

reacts or seems to care, making any 
attempt to be subversive benign.
This show is perfect for fans of 
NPR. Not because of its reliability and 
impressive journalistic reputation, 
of course, but because the characters 
deliver every line without inflection or 
emotion, like static or keeping the fan 
on while you sleep, making “Roswell” 
the perfect show for easy-listening. 
At the same time, the show knows 
it needs a little spice. Flashbacks 
provide this through fuzzy, sunset-lit 
images that tell us nothing about the 
characters or plot. These enhance the 
mystery by being completely useless.
The show also doesn’t assume 
its viewers are dumb, or that it even 
has viewers. “Roswell” doesn’t insult 
them with complex plot devices, 
explanations or even coherency. 
Alien sheriff Max drinks nail polish 
remover to rejuvenate his alien powers 
— no explanation required. The show 
distinguishes itself for having not one, 
but two secret hideouts: an alien nest 
and a secret military base. Both of 
these are completely out in the open 
where anyone could find them, but no 
one does, because the show does not 
need to explain logical fallacies. 
If you’re pursuing a thrilling, 
methodical series with well-executed 
twists and dramatic shocks, if 
you 
seek 
consistent 
character 
development, acting that extends 
beyond one stagnant facial expression 
per character, and convenient plot 
devices that only briefly matter, don’t 
even bother with “Roswell, New 
Mexico.” You wouldn’t grasp its 
understated complexity and brutal 
simplicity. I know I didn’t.

MAXWELL SCHWARZ
For the Daily

Entering 
the 
Taubman 
Biomedical 
Science 
Research 
building, I was unsure how the 
sterile space of a medical building 
could cater to the creativity of a 
fashion show on Jan. 19th. But 
my preconceived misconceptions 
were disproved, shattered by 
the 
energetic 
and 
extremely 
successful runway show put on 
by EnspiRED Runway, a fashion 
and charity student organization 
at the University of Michigan. 
EnspiRED has evolved into 
the student-led force behind a 
yearly fashion show that donates 
all proceeds to a selected charity. 
Said 
Public 
Relations 
chair 
Skylar Wilkes, “This is a great 
opportunity 
for 
students 
to 
showcase their talents through 
art, fashion and design and really 
put on a show that benefits the 
community and exposes them to 
things that they don’t otherwise 
have access to during their time 
at Michigan.”
And showcase they did. The 
title of the show was Allure 
and included six energetic and 
dynamic scenes, each showcasing 
a collection inspired by different 
artistic visions: youth innovators 
and go-getters, the hues of 
the Earth, the Vitruvian Man, 
Gianni 
Versace, 
the 
broken 
column and Kehinde Wiley. Each 

collection had its own distinct 
style manifested through both 
the clothing and the models. 
Creativity saturated the event, 
from the pre-show that included 
dance, spoken word and musical 
pieces, to the closing collection, 
The Red Scene, which allowed 
members of EnspiRED to show 
their own inspiration for looks 
they styled themselves. 
In addition to the fashion and 
art, attendees were reminded 
of the main purpose of the 
event: giving back. This year 
all proceeds from the show 
were donated to Ozone House, 
a community based nonprofit 
organization that helps young 
people in Washtenaw County 
through housing and support 
programs, teaching essential life 
skills, improving relationships 
and enhancing their self image. 
“It’s bigger than just fashion and 
arts, helping people is our top 
priority and I wouldn’t change 
it for the world,” said EnspiRED 
president Vivian Obia.
The show concluded with 
an extremely powerful spoken 
word piece by two volunteers 
from Ozone House, as well as 
closing regards from EnspiRED’s 
talented Executive Board. 
The ability to combine the arts 
and charity is no small feat, yet 
EnspiRED executed this balance 
flawlessly 
and 
will 
continue 
to stylishly empower and help 
those beyond Michigan’s campus 
through fashion.

TV REVIEW

THE CW

Music is a really broad art form. There 
are so many different elements that come 
into play when we traditionally think of 
what makes up music: lyrics, melodies, 
chord progressions, arrangement. The 
list could be endless. The greatest 
challenge for artists is not only finding a 
way to perfect each of these elements, but 
also finding a way to skillfully mix these 
elements into their works. I think when 
an artist is able to do this, they’re able 
to transcend genres in a way that allows 
their work to be viewed purely as art.
When I was introduced to Gregory 
Alan Isakov the summer before college, 
I was very much not in a “folk phase” of 
my life. I was listening to a lot of emo and 
pop-punk (as an angsty freshman does) 
and couldn’t be bothered with genres 
like folk that my parents had brought me 
up with. However, one summer night, 
right before I was about to leave the 
home I’d grown up in, I put on Isakov’s 
album This Empty Northern Hemisphere 
and found myself more immersed in the 
music than I had been in a while. Isakov’s 
voice struck me in a way that not many 
voices have been able to.
This week, Isakov will be heading to 
Ann Arbor as a headliner for the Ann 
Arbor Folk Festival on Fri., Jan. 25th. 
Mostly known for folk music, the South 
Africa-born 
singer-songwriter 
also 
spends half of the year tending to his 
farm in Colorado, something that not 
every musician can claim. Although it’s 
Isakov’s first time at the Ann Arbor Folk 
Festival, it’s not his first time playing in 
Ann Arbor.
“I’ve always really loved Ann Arbor,” 
Isakov stated in an interview with The 
Daily. “I had a good friend that worked 
in the farmer’s market, and I loved it. 

The first time we were there we played 
(at) the Michigan Theater, and we’ve also 
played (at) The Ark a few times.”
Isakov is no stranger when it comes to 
folk festivals, or festivals in general. His 
group has also played at Bonnaroo and 
the Newport Folk Festival, both unique 
in their own right.
“We’ve played a lot of festivals 
throughout our time touring, and I’ve 
always found them a little bit challenging. 

Our music is so intimate, and our 
subtleties are sort of our strong suit, and 
it’s kind of hard to do that when you’re 
playing next to a porta potty at 1:00 PM.” 
Isakov said.“When I was a kid, going to 
a festival seemed so sweet because I got 
to see all my favorite bands in one day. 
But then you start playing them and 
you realize, especially at the giant ones, 
that you’re not seeing every band, you’re 
seeing every band kinda stressed out 

with no sound check.”
But the singer-songwriter doesn’t 
feel this way about every festival. “I’ve 
always wanted to play the Ann Arbor 
Folk Fest,” Isakov stated. “I love playing 
theaters and venues inside. It’s much 
more intimate.”
This event is also special for Isakov 
because he doesn’t get a chance to play 
as many festivals anymore. During the 
summers, he works full time on his farm 
in Colorado, leaving little time to tour and 
attend festivals, making this opportunity 
that much more of a treat for him.
“When I record something, I kind of 
think about one person listening to it, 
like you’re having a conversation with 
one person, like you’re there in their ‘89 
Toyota pickup truck,” Isakov explained. 
“And when you’re in front of a crowd … 
That’s a different medium so you can 
get away with different things.” But 
although 
recording 
and 
performing 
are two totally separate activities for 
Isakov, he appreciates the spontaneity 
that comes with live shows, saying that 
he loves how live shows can be “different 
every night.”
Folk is a genre that can be inherently 
intimate, and Isakov recognizes this, both 
when recording and when performing.
“When I was in high school I was in 
a metal band … and when I was playing 
in bands like that, I would always come 
home and write songs that were really 
quiet, and I don’t know why that is. And 
I would go, ‘OK, what kind of music is 
this? This isn’t metal, this isn’t rock … 
it’s not what I want to play but it’s just … 
happening,” Isakov said.
Gregory Alan Isakov is one of the 
strongest voices in modern folk today, 
and continues to grow with each album. 
Isakov will be performing at the first 
night of the Ann Arbor Folk Festival 
this Friday night, Jan. 25th, along with 
Brandi Carlile and a whole slew of other 
talented artists.

STYLE EVENT REVIEW

When I started this column 
in the fall of 2017, I pitched it to 
the then-managing arts editors 
as “The Neverending Column 
on 
the 
Neverending 
Story”: 
an entertainment and media 
column centered around the 
complete sequelfication of mass 
media and the idea that in the 
current marketplace, any story 
that is profitable will never see 
its end. Over the past year and 
a half I’ve branched out a bit 
into other topics as well, but 
this notion of stories without 
end has continued to fascinate 
me, for if a story doesn’t have 
an ending, can it even really be 
called a story? Since the days 
of first-grade writing, we are 
taught that everything we write 
must have a beginning, middle 
and an end. Take one away and 
you lose that structure. Lose 
that structure and you risk 
losing the story. I have the spent 
many words in this column 
bemoaning this phenomenon, 
decrying Hollywood’s increased 
to desire to squeeze every last 
drop it can out of an idea, until 
the idea has become little more 
than a bad parody of itself. And 
yet in 2019, as the decade draws 
to a close, it appears that three 
of the biggest entertainment 
products of the last decade may 
end as well: Marvel’s “Avengers,” 
Disney’s new “Star Wars” trilogy 
and of course HBO’s “Game of 
Thrones.”
Each of these properties will 
spend most of the year marketing 
their next installment as the 
final chapter of their respective 
series. In all three cases, this 
will be misleading at best and an 
outright lie at worst. Let’s take 
each one individually, starting 
with “Avengers: Endgame.”
Last year’s “Avengers: Infinity 
War” was marketed as though 
it was “Harry Potter and the 
Deathly Hallows Part II” when 
really it was “Harry Potter and 
the Deathly Hallows Part I.” 
“Endgames”’s marketing looks 
to be a little less misleading since 
the film (due to be released on 
April 26) will presumably wrap 
up the cliffhanger from the 
last movie and is ostensibly a 
capstone to the overall Thanos 
arc that began with 2012’s “The 
Avengers.” But the claim that the 
film will be an “ending” in any 
sense is somewhat debatable. 
Part of it definitely depends on 
what the actual storyline of the 
film consists of, which may or 
may not be the deaths of a handful 
of beloved characters (such as 
Robert Downey Jr.’s Iron Man or 
Chris Evans’ Captain America). 
But 
because 
the 
“half-the-
universe-disappears” 
gimmick 

that concluded “Infinity War” 
has already been somewhat 
undercut by the trailer for 
“Spider Man: Far From Home” 
— showing Spidey back in action 
(you can’t keep a good spider 
down for long) — it’s hard to see 
how much impact “Endgame” 
will have on the wider MCU. 
Will there really be no more 
“Avengers” movies? We know 
there’s going to be more Black 
Panther, more Doctor Strange 

and more Spider-Man. Even 
Loki, who was last seen being 
impaled by Thanos with a sharp 
tool, will return for a streaming 
series on Disney+ next fall. 
On the face of it, “Star Wars” 
may be coming to a more 
conclusive 
ending 
than 
the 
MCU. 
Unlike 
the 
sprawling 
Marvel saga, Lucasfilm has not 
announced any more films after 
the release of “Episode IX” 
next Christmas. But if anyone 
out there actually believes that 
there won’t be, then they clearly 
haven’t been paying attention. 
Back in 2012, Disney bought 
Lucasfilm to the tune of 4 billion 
dollars, so they’re not about to 
pack up and call it a day after 
one trilogy. How successful 
“Star Wars” will continue to 
be, though, beyond the sequel 
trilogy remains to be seen. Last 
year’s Han Solo prequel did not 
fare well at the box office, and 
it’s an open question whether or 
not audiences will continue to 
flock to “Star Wars” movies that 
don’t feature legacy characters 
like 
Luke, 
Han 
and 
Leia. 
“Solo” seemingly proved that 
recasting such characters may 
not be advisable either, and it’s 
anyone’s guess what direction 
the franchise will go in. At one 
point in time, Lucasfilm had 
announced a trilogy from “Last 
Jedi” director Rian Johnson as 
well as a new trilogy with the 
“Game of Thrones” showrunners 
at the helm, but since those 
announcements over a year ago, 
nothing more has been said 
about those plans. Regardless, it 

seems improbable that “Episode 
IX” will be the last “Star Wars” 
movie, and depending on how 
well it does, don’t be surprised 
if episodes X, XI and XII aren’t 
closer than we think.
As for “Game of Thrones” — 
the last water cooler show, king 
of television, heir to Tolkein and 
protector of the HBO realm — the 
final set of six episodes premieres 
in April and then the world of 
Westeros will be left behind. 
That is, until the release of one of 
the five different spin-off series 
that HBO has been developing. 
The first of these, tentatively 
titled “The Long Night,” already 
has a cast and crew lined up, 
and could be ready as soon as 
summer 
2020. 
Meanwhile, 
George R.R. Martin still claims 
to be working on the next book in 
the “Song of Ice and Fire” series 
upon which the show is based. 
Like Star Wars, I’m skeptical 
of the prospects of a “Thrones” 
spin-off. Will audiences really 
care about a very similar story 
with a bunch of characters they 
don’t know anything about? Is 
the ancient history of Westeros 
really 
that 
interesting? 
If 
Martin’s recent tome “Fire and 
Blood” is anything to go by, the 
answer may be no. 
No matter how it all shakes 
out, it seems perfectly plausible 
that come 2020, all three of 
these 
blockbuster 
franchises 
will be past their glory days. If 
the 2010s have been defined by 
superheroes and dragons, by 
legacy sequels and the return 
of decades-old series, what will 
the entertainment landscape of 
the next decade look like? It’s 
hard to say. Always in motion, 
the future is. When Walt Disney 
bought Lucasfilm in 2012, the 
same year “The Avengers” came 
out, they couldn’t have known 
how strong brands like Netflix 
and Hulu would become, or how 
important streaming would be 
to the overall entertainment 
landscape. “Game of Thrones” 
has been HBO’s biggest show 
since it premiered in 2011 and 
it’s hard to imagine what the 
network will be like without its 
flagship program going forward. 
In a way all three of these brands 
will face the same problem when 
the dust settles and “the end” 
has come and gone. What is “Star 
Wars” without a Skywalker? 
Can the Marvel Universe still 
soar without Robert Downey 
Jr. at the helm? And will there 
ever be a show like “Game of 
Thrones” again? There’s no way 
to know. For now, though, fans 
and executives can just sit back 
over the next year and enjoy the 
final lap.

IAN HARRIS

DAILY ENTERTAINMENT COLUMN

Trilogies: Is 2019 the end?

For the EnspiRED

MARGARET SHERIDAN
Daily Style Editor

42nd Ann Arbor Folk 

Festival

Friday, Jan. 25th & 
Saturday, Jan. 26th

Doors @ 6 p.m.

Hill Auditorium

$42-$60 single night,

$75-$110 series

“Roswell” is not very good

“Roswell, 
New 
Mexico” 

Pilot

The CW

Tuesdays @ 9 p.m.

COMMUNITY CULTURE PREVIEW
Isakov on 42nd folk fest

RYAN COX
Daily Arts Writer

5A — Wednesday, January 23, 2019
Arts
The Michigan Daily — michigandaily.com

