)
ANALYSIS
When it comes down to it, I'm sort of an acting snob.
As far as I'm concerned, there's absolutely nothing wrong with most television performances. These actors say their lines with all the professional aplomb and conviction that anyone could ask of them. It's serviceable work.
However, I rarely have much to say about the actors because these workmanlike performances rarely add much in the way of unexplored nuance to the story, especially in an ensemble cast like Roswell's.
Instead, the burden of producing a quality entertainment falls more heavily on the unsung writers and directors, whose job it is to create the words and interpretations that the actors will then embody.
As Sheriff Valenti, William Sadler is doing more than simply mouthing the words that the writers give him to say.
All of Roswell's performers have done at least satisfactory work -- there are no stinkers here -- but an attentive viewer can watch Sadler's brain turn at speeds that we rarely find on television.
When Valenti struggles with his past and his conflicting motives, we can see Sadler playing with expressions and turns of speech to wring every last shade of meaning out of the dialogue he's been given.
When he's on the screen, we see a person who constantly revolves (and conceals) information from scene to scene. We don't see a two-page character sketch from a series bible; we see an evolving character, a person.
And the proof of Sadler's talent is that we have to be watching very carefully to see it happen. Many actors think the secret of getting notice is to over-emote, to make everything bigger than life -- to grab center stage of the viewer's attention and hold it with whatever histrionics it takes.
Sadler knows he's part of an ensemble cast, and, moreover, that the name of the show isn't The Alien Adventures of Sheriff Valenti. He's here for support, to add texture and conflict, so he tones it down, keeps it subtle.
Watch how Sadler's mannerisms resemble those of Kyle (Nick Wechsler), who we've seen more often and in higher focus through his dealings with Liz. That upthrust chin, wary eyes staring down the nose at whoever he's talking to. The Jack Nicholson drawl, the tight-jawed reluctance to share more words than necessary.
Whether this is Sadler imitating Wechsler or the result of careful work between the two actors, this is canny stuff that goes farther than usual to identify Valenti and Kyle as father and son, natural allies in the drama unfolding in Roswell.
Nuances like this are non-verbal, so they're not something that we can lay at the feet of the writers -- they're simply the work of at least one master actor seizing every opportunity to better portray his character.
I wish all actors could be so rewarding to watch.
Otherwise, good episode. Frakes, best known as Will Riker from Star Trek: The Next Generation, keeps the pacing interesting and the storyline fresh. Everyone else put in their usually high-quality performances. But for whatever reason, this was Sadler's week to catch my eye.
WHAT WE LEARN
Sheriff Valenti is really short, shorter than Mrs. Evans. It must run in the family.
The aliens like Tabasco so much because, in Isabel's words, they "all like things extremely sweet mixed with extremely spicy. It's sort of a dietary quirk"
TUNE IN NEXT WEEK
Reruns continue. Liz and Max are having an idyllic joy ride in the desert when he wrecks the jeep. Will she betray his secret to ensure he gets proper medical attention? Find out, in "Blood Brother".
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