Sheriff Jim Valenti
Encyclopedia
Sheriff James "Jim" Valenti, Jr is a fictional character
created by Melinda Metz
for the young adults book series
Roswell High
and adapted by Jason Katims
for the 1999-2002 American
science fiction
television series Roswell
. He was portrayed by William Sadler
in the television series.
in the first season, albeit a sympathetic one. His father was also the sheriff
of Roswell
, and was ridiculed for his insistence that aliens live among humans. Valenti inherited from his father an old autopsy photograph from the 1950s of a body killed by inexplicable means, with a silver handprint on the chest.
In the pilot episode, Valenti is called into the local restaurant, the Crashdown Café, where a shooting has occurred. Although no one was apparently injured, and the young waitress Liz Parker
insists that the red mess on her uniform is ketchup, a pair of tourists insist they saw the girl get shot, and a young man ran up to her and did something to her before running off. There is also no bullet found in the café. Valenti notes the presence of empty bottles of Tabasco sauce
on one of the tables, and later notices more in the Jeep of teenager Max Evans
.
Valenti becomes convinced that Max was in the Crashdown that day and that he somehow healed Liz. He steals Liz's waitress uniform, which has a bullet hole in it, and gives it to a friend of his in the FBI for analysis. His son Kyle
then tells him that he saw a silver handprint on Liz's stomach when they were on a date, similar to the one in the photograph, and Sheriff Valenti suspects that Max is not a teenager but rather a decades-old alien and a murderer. The FBI agent returns, telling him there was nothing found on the dress, and proceeds to remove any files on aliens from Valenti's office. Valenti is convinced, however, that the FBI is lying to him and conducting its own investigation.
He continually investigates Max throughout the first season, but gradually becomes aware that, although he is an alien, Max is a good person. When Max is kidnapped by the Special Unit of the FBI, Liz comes to Valenti for help. He helps rescue Max from their stronghold and is let in on his secret: Max, his sister Isabel
and their friend Michael Guerin
are aliens that were raised as humans.
Valenti then helps the group vanquish the Special Unit. When Kyle is shot and dying in the melee, Max heals him, and Valenti expresses his gratitude, promising to always be there for Max and the others.
He is also drawn into Maria's world as he dates her mother, Amy DeLuca, throughout the season without really going anywhere. It also reconciles Maria and Kyle as they often joke about it. Valenti also takes her to the prom as chaperones.
He gets deeply hurt when Tess, who helped remind him about real family traditions, was revealed as Alex's killer. But he was happy that it had brought him back together with his son, Kyle.
In the series finale episode "Graduation", Valenti gets Kyle a job at the Sheriff station. When Kyle rejects it, he also tells his father if he could get a job for his son, he could get one for himself. He becomes the Deputy Sheriff, which helps the "pod squad" because he can give false information to them. Jim says a heartfelt goodbye to his son before Kyle boards a van with the others and leaves Roswell.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
created by Melinda Metz
Melinda Metz
Melinda Metz is an American author of young adult books. Her series Roswell High, about teenage aliens, is the basis of The WB television series Roswell. Another series, Fingerprints, is about a psychic girl who reads thoughts from fingerprints...
for the young adults book series
Book series
A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher....
Roswell High
Roswell High
Roswell High is a young adults book series written by Melinda Metz and published by Pocket Books. The 10-book series chronicles the adventures of three teen aliens and their human friends, who attend the fictional Ulysses F. Olsen High in Roswell, New Mexico...
and adapted by Jason Katims
Jason Katims
Jason Katims is an American television writer, producer, and playwright. He is best known for Relativity, which he created and wrote for; Roswell, which he developed, produced, and wrote for; Boston Public, which he co-wrote; Pepper Dennis, a short-lived dramedy starring Rebecca Romijn on The WB;...
for the 1999-2002 American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
television series Roswell
Roswell (TV series)
Roswell is an American science fiction television series developed, produced, and co-written by Jason Katims. The series debuted on October 6, 1999 on The WB and moved to UPN for the third season. The last episode aired May 14, 2002...
. He was portrayed by William Sadler
William Sadler (actor)
William Thomas Sadler is an American actor who works in film and television. His television and motion picture roles have included Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller in The Pacific, Luther Sloan in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Sheriff Jim Valenti in Roswell, convict Heywood in The Shawshank Redemption,...
in the television series.
Season one
Valenti is frequently the antagonistAntagonist
An antagonist is a character, group of characters, or institution, that represents the opposition against which the protagonist must contend...
in the first season, albeit a sympathetic one. His father was also the sheriff
Sheriff
A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Roswell
Roswell, New Mexico
Roswell is a city in and the county seat of Chaves County in the southeastern quarter of the state of New Mexico, United States. The population was 48,366 at the 2010 census. It is a center for irrigation farming, dairying, ranching, manufacturing, distribution, and petroleum production. It is also...
, and was ridiculed for his insistence that aliens live among humans. Valenti inherited from his father an old autopsy photograph from the 1950s of a body killed by inexplicable means, with a silver handprint on the chest.
In the pilot episode, Valenti is called into the local restaurant, the Crashdown Café, where a shooting has occurred. Although no one was apparently injured, and the young waitress Liz Parker
Liz Parker
Liz Parker is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Roswell High book series and Roswell T.V. series, which ran from 1999 to 2002. The character was portrayed by Shiri Appleby....
insists that the red mess on her uniform is ketchup, a pair of tourists insist they saw the girl get shot, and a young man ran up to her and did something to her before running off. There is also no bullet found in the café. Valenti notes the presence of empty bottles of Tabasco sauce
Tabasco sauce
Tabasco sauce is the brand name for a hot sauce produced by US-based McIlhenny Company of Avery Island, Louisiana. Tabasco sauce is made from tabasco peppers , vinegar, and salt, and aged in white oak barrels for three years. It has a hot, spicy flavor...
on one of the tables, and later notices more in the Jeep of teenager Max Evans
Max Evans
Maxwell "Max" Evans is a fictional character created by Melinda Metz for the young adults book series Roswell High and adapted by Jason Katims for the 1999-2002 American science fiction television series Roswell...
.
Valenti becomes convinced that Max was in the Crashdown that day and that he somehow healed Liz. He steals Liz's waitress uniform, which has a bullet hole in it, and gives it to a friend of his in the FBI for analysis. His son Kyle
Kyle Valenti
Kyle Valenti is a fictional character created by Melinda Metz for the young adults book series Roswell High and adapted by Jason Katims for the 1999-2002 American science fiction television series Roswell. He was portrayed by actor Nick Wechsler in the television series.- Fictional character...
then tells him that he saw a silver handprint on Liz's stomach when they were on a date, similar to the one in the photograph, and Sheriff Valenti suspects that Max is not a teenager but rather a decades-old alien and a murderer. The FBI agent returns, telling him there was nothing found on the dress, and proceeds to remove any files on aliens from Valenti's office. Valenti is convinced, however, that the FBI is lying to him and conducting its own investigation.
He continually investigates Max throughout the first season, but gradually becomes aware that, although he is an alien, Max is a good person. When Max is kidnapped by the Special Unit of the FBI, Liz comes to Valenti for help. He helps rescue Max from their stronghold and is let in on his secret: Max, his sister Isabel
Isabel Evans
Isabel Evans is a fictional character created by Melinda Metz for the young adults book series Roswell High and adapted by Jason Katims for the 1999-2002 American science fiction television series Roswell...
and their friend Michael Guerin
Michael Guerin
Michael Guerin is a fictional character created by Melinda Metz for the young adults book series Roswell High and adapted by Jason Katims for the 1999-2002 American science fiction television series Roswell...
are aliens that were raised as humans.
Valenti then helps the group vanquish the Special Unit. When Kyle is shot and dying in the melee, Max heals him, and Valenti expresses his gratitude, promising to always be there for Max and the others.
Season two
Valenti is first helping the aliens by using his legal powers to cover up their actions. He also accepts Tess Harding into his house when Nasedo dies. But when he helps Isabel find a buried girl, he is also being reviewed and his job is threatened. When he decides to help Isabel, he loses his job. Agent Duff of the FBI, who is reviewing him, promises to help him get his job if he cooperates in telling the story of the crystals and gets his job back. It is unclear as to when he lost his job, because he was Sheriff, but at the beginning of season three, he isn't Sheriff anymore.He is also drawn into Maria's world as he dates her mother, Amy DeLuca, throughout the season without really going anywhere. It also reconciles Maria and Kyle as they often joke about it. Valenti also takes her to the prom as chaperones.
He gets deeply hurt when Tess, who helped remind him about real family traditions, was revealed as Alex's killer. But he was happy that it had brought him back together with his son, Kyle.
Season three
When Kyle tell his father that he can't support the family alone, Jim goes and gets a job as lead singer in the band, Kit Shickers. He often at the party scenes because he's often asked to perform at them. He accepts giving Isabel away at her wedding, but doesn't follow through because her own father steps in. Often in the season, he and Kyle have to deal with their own problems. In the Christmas episode, "Samuel Rising," Kyle has to deal with the fact that Valenti shows interest in younger women.In the series finale episode "Graduation", Valenti gets Kyle a job at the Sheriff station. When Kyle rejects it, he also tells his father if he could get a job for his son, he could get one for himself. He becomes the Deputy Sheriff, which helps the "pod squad" because he can give false information to them. Jim says a heartfelt goodbye to his son before Kyle boards a van with the others and leaves Roswell.