A review of 'Missing'

Max took the news of the journal very calmly, I thought. It seemed to me that he wasn't angry about it's existence because he completely understands how overwhelming this secret is for Liz and how compelling the need to sort through the whole situation externally. The same reason he didn't get mad at her for telling Maria. This secret of theirs is a huge burden and it's unrealistic to expect that she can deal with it entirely on her own. He seems to understand that she needs to be able to verbalize what's happened. After all, it's been hard for him, Isabel and Michael and they've always had each other to confide in. He also likes the one-on-one communication with Liz, and that it allows him to be closer to her and be her confidant. I think that's also why he tells her she doesn't owe him an explanation about why she wrote everything down. Interesting, too, to see that Liz is more willing for Max to believe she would misplace something that important than to accept the fact that someone may have wanted it badly enough to break in and steal it. A misplaced journal is entirely within her control to fix, but a stolen journal takes away any hope she has of controlling the situation. Our Liz is a bit of a control freak, in case anyone missed that.

But from the very beginning when she tells him it's missing, I got a sense that Max was as much interested in the contents of the journal as he was afraid that their secret was in danger. I loved the culmination of this in the final scene between him and Liz when he finally comes right out and asks her if he can see it. The dawning realization on his face as he begins to understand that to read it would let him see himself through her eyes. Since that's a gift he's already given her, he understands just exactly how vulnerable that makes you to another person. She told him all he needed to know when she said that she wanted to document the experience so when someone touches her the way Max did, she would know what it's suppose to feel like. She gave him an understanding that he holds a special place in her heart without flat-out telling him so.

• I really like that Max is showing just a bit more of a playful side to Liz. It came across especially in the scene at the vending machine and the first back room scene when he was teasing her about the conversation not really warranting the privacy of the back room.
• Which brings me to a small nitpick….how little everyone smiles. I know they're supposed to be in this really serious situation, but come on! They're teenagers for God's sake…they need to lighten up and laugh a little on occasion. They all have great smiles….we need to see them a little bit more.
• I can't help thinking how handy it would be in the real world to be able to tap into all those little tricks their powers allow them do. Seems like there are a lot of practical uses for a power that lets you sharpen pencils with your hand, manipulate a vending machine into giving you what you paid for when it eats your money, and erase paint strokes with a single swipe of the hand.
• I can't help it….I get a kick out of the fact that Max works at the UFO center. The irony of that just works for me.
• I thought Jason played the scene in Liz's bedroom wonderfully! The discomfort of finding himself in her bedroom combined with the curiosity of learning more about her in spite of himself came through beautifully.
• I loved the scene in the diner between Michael and Liz. The flashback was handled very smoothly and the insight we gained into Michael's character was deftly delivered . I like how Michael drew things out to keep Liz nervous and off-balance before revealing that he had the journal. Possibly payback for all the hours he's spent worrying since she learned of their secret? We are made aware yet again of much he envies Max and all that he has going for him….nice parents, a nice home, security and now a nice girl who believes in him and accepts him for who and what he is. Makes me wonder if that envy will come into play down the road and be cause for more serious contention between Max and Michael. This scene was well played by both Brenden and Shiri.
• They did a great job of showing Michael's turn-around in his regard of Liz. His obvious hostility to her in the beginning to the pleased, secret smile when Max told them Liz's journal had been returned by a 'good friend'. However much Michael may be envious of them, Liz's feelings for Max make her OK in his book. If she feels that way about Max, she must be someone they all can trust.
• Michael's sarcastic sense of humor. How can you not love a guy who would draw a nude as a stick figure in art class to get out of an assignment?
• And finally…what I love best about this show shone through with beautiful clarity in the final scene between Max and Liz…the incredible chemistry these two people have. It just radiates between them in every scene together, and this one was no exception. They convey the breathless wonder of the other's presence so strongly it's a physical thing. We can almost see the butterflies flying around their bellies and the thought train derail as they look into each other's eyes.