Roswell season 2 has its ups and downs, but it’s a handful of moments that make it truly memorable.

If you perused the moments I deemed as the best of Roswell season one, you’ll know that this is my first time watching Roswell. I’d just heard so many good things about the show that I knew I had to try it. And, to tell you the truth, it hasn’t disappointed. In fact, the show’s second season endeared me to it even more!

Shape-shifters, aliens with creepy skin, doppelgangers, an (extremely) obnoxious pregnancy plot… Roswell season 2 is quite a ride (to say the least). There were moments where I found better than season one and other times where I yearned for the simplicity of the first season. Needless to say, I can’t rank the seasons quite yet.

But I have to say that, in between the crazy events and plotlines, there are some really fantastic moments. The moments below are the ones that I found to be the best of the best. The ones that really elevated the season and made me love all of the characters even more (especially my faves Michael, Maria, and Kyle)!

So, while others may have different favorite moments in Roswell season 2, these are the ones that stick out to me most and that I love the best!

‘Summer of ’47’ flashbacks

Michael in an army uniform? Maria as an avid and excitable reporter? Yes please! WWII and the periods surrounding it is the time in history that I’m most interested in. The culture just fascinates me. So when this episode starts doing flashbacks in the time period just following WWII with familiar faces popping up all over the place, I was sold immediately. The parallels between the past and the present day are so well done and everything is just so aesthetically pleasing. Plus, we get to see a bit of Michael’s softer side with the flashbacks (and the episode in general), so there was no way they weren’t making my list.

Everything about ‘The End of the World’

Up until this point, I had been so-so on Max and Liz. They were fine, but not really a relationship I was truly invested in. They just didn’t seem to have the same chemistry as Michael and Maria (my faves). That and the way Liz would constantly yell “Max!” when there was trouble… Not a fan. This Roswell season 2 episode really turned things around for me though. I love Future!Max and the way he interacts with Liz, especially at the end when they’re dancing. I think I just find Max much more interesting when they give him a character to play into (Future!Max, Drunk!Max, etc.). But really, the entirety of this episode (not to mention its consequences) is just utterly heart-wrenching. I want more of this.

Max and the Mariachi Band

Okay, so this moment is technically part of “The End of the World,” which I just gushed over above. But while Future!Max is what really made that episode special for me, I did really love Max’s mariachi band gesture he makes to try to win Liz’s affection. Yes, it’s corny and yes, it does evoke some second hand embarrassment, but it’s also just so adorable and heartfelt. After all, he spent a long time learning the words to that song and then put himself on the line for the girl he loves. I think I like this Max moment a lot because it isn’t something Max would normally do. He takes a risk here and it pays off (at least from where I’m standing).

JASON DOHRING

Ummm so nobody warned me that my marshmallow love Jason Dohring guest-starred during Roswell season 2! I’m an enormous Veronica Mars fan (seriously, it’s something I’m known for and not just because I hosted the Veronica Mars ReWatchable round), so, when I saw this handsome man (or well, at this point, awkwardly cute boy) walk on screen and play the part of a delivery boy, I got SO excited. I could barely keep my attention on anything going on around him. It’s not really a great Roswell moment in general, per say, but seeing a baby Logan Echolls on my screen made me so happy.

Michael’s romantic dinner/confession (also just Michael all season)

Though Michael gets a ton of great character development throughout Roswell season 2 and has numerous wonderful moments, his best moment comes in the season finale when he cooks a wonderful meal for Maria and breaks down in front of her. The date he has planned for them looks so intimate and lovely, but when he fully opens his heart to Maria and tells her that he wants her to see all of him… Oh my goodness, the tears. That scene between them is just so tender and heartfelt that it’s impossible not to love it. And then when he later chooses Maria over going back to his home planet? So amazing. You go, Michael.

Kyle and Buddhism

It was so nice to see Kyle actually doing something in Roswell season 2. In the first season, he was more of an obstacle-like character in that he always seemed to just create unnecessary drama and problems. But this season, he’s really a part of the group and the story. But one of the things I loved best about him in this season was the fact that he’s invested in enlightenment. Watching and listening to Kyle spout Buddhist wisdom and sayings is hilarious yet satisfying. Yes, he comes off as slightly ridiculous but, at the same time, he comes off as intelligent as well. Every moment that has Kyle referencing or practicing Buddhism is a good moment.

Maria at the mansion’s dining room table

Out of all of the characters on Roswell, I think it’s pretty fair to say that Maria is the most unpredictable. It’s hard to know how she’ll react to things, but that’s part of what makes the show so interesting. Maria feasting on fancy food and drinking out of expensive glassware is one of the best moments of the season because it’s just so ridiculous. It’s not completely unfounded (given her and Michael’s behavior poolside earlier in the episode), but it’s so entertaining to watch her attempts at being proper (and the different ways in which she scolds and orders around Michael). The scene with Maria eating in the mansion dining room is one I’ll remember forever.

What are your favorite moments of ‘Roswell’ season 2?

Related: The best moments in Roswell season 1