by Kate Ancel copyright May 16, 2000

Random Thoughts:

I thought it was very clear right from the beginning that Max is the leader of this group. As soon as they all gathered at the mine and regrouped, he was the one they all looked to for the answers and the plan. Everyone was involved, but he seemed to give them a direction and a cohesion they had been lacking while they were attempting to rescue him. It came as no surprise to any of them, except maybe Max, when it was revealed that he was the leader of their people. Michael and Isabel have always known that Max had the leadership qualities, no matter how much they may have chafed against it.

I was so sad for Michael that when they finally found a link to their home, the parental figure belongs to Max and Isabel yet again. Although, it strikes me as a little too coincidental that the two who just happened to be brother and sister in reality were both adopted by the same couple and raised as siblings. It would have been so nice if this loving, benevolent mother figure could have been all for Michael.

Michael really seemed to step into the role of second in command naturally, didn’t he? All the hostility that has been present in his relationship with Max just took a backseat to all the things going on. They were really working as a team and look what they can accomplish when they work together instead of against each other.

Tess was working awfully hard to keep the aliens separated from their human counterparts, going out of her way to make sure they felt like they were hindering efforts to get the aliens to safety.

I thought it was interesting that Max took the same approach interrogating Pierce as the agent had taken with him. There were definitely shades of Nacedo-as-Max in his demeanor during that scene.

Max is getting a lot better at that healing touch. This time he even managed to make the blood disappear on Kyle’s shirt. Think what messy questions they could have avoided if he’d done that with Liz’s dress.

How inconvenient for Nacedo that he retains the shape he’s shapeshifted into if that shape dies. Lucky for him the trio had already recovered the magic stones.

I wonder if anyone is ever going to tell the kids the name of their home planet?

Why do you suppose Tess wasn’t involved in the rescue effort when they went back for Nacedo? She was the one insisting they go back for him, after all.

Did anyone else notice that in order for the communicators to work, Max was paired up with Tess and Michael was paired up with Isabel? I wonder if they can make them work with any other pairing?

I really like the idea of Nacedo as Pierce working his magic from the inside. They’ll never know what hit them. I’d love to be a fly on that wall as he makes them jump through his hoops.

The bait and switch at the UFO Center was fun. Valenti really had me going there for a bit. And there was something very ‘Pulp Fiction’ about Max and Michael holding them at gunpoint.

• The intensity was immediate and lasted through the entire episode. The opening scene grabbed us by the collar and held us there for the whole ride.
• I liked how Michael continued to distrust the sheriff even when faced with overwhelming evidence that he could be trusted and didn’t fully set aside that distrust until he’d had a chance to talk to him face to face and get an answer that satisfied him.
• I loved the Mommagram from the home planet.
• They did a good job keeping us guessing right up until the end what side Valenti was really on. I wanted to believe that his double-dealing with Pierce was all part of the set up, but I still found myself wondering which way he’d go to protect Kyle.
• I loved the way they involved Kyle in this episode. And it about time! It was good to see the lengths he went to to protect his dad, too. I’m glad Max came through and healed him. I loved how that whole story played out.
• Even though the consequences were extreme, Michael’s energy burst power is very cool. Once he gets that under control, it will be a very useful power to have. Although I did wonder how he managed to bypass Max and Liz and just send the first energy bolt directly at the Hummer.
• Speaking of the consequences, I’m glad they showed how hard it was for Michael to deal with having killed someone he wanted to kill. That will be something he has to come to terms with and learn to control without ‘giving in to the dark side’. I wish they’d had time to explore that a little more fully. Especially Michael’s perception that he’s the bad one and Max is the good one. He’s been living with that perception entirely too long and was just starting to get out from under it. He’s gotten as far as he has emotionally because of Maria. It will be interesting to see how he deals with all of this without her loving influence.
• Michael telling Maria that he was walking away from her because he loves her too much to stay was wonderfully bittersweet. The look on Maria’s face went from stunned amazement to sad acceptance in the blink of an eye. Kudos to Majandra.
• The symbolism of Sheriff Valenti taking off his sheriff’s badge once he’d made his decision to continue helping the kids was well done and subtle.
• The interaction between Max and Liz in this episode was fabulous! They were everything I love about them as a couple. Their chemistry was so incredibly apparent and they were able to convey their complete support and love for each other with looks and touches and just the occasional kiss. The final goodbye scene was wrenching and well played by both Jason and Shiri. I was very glad that the decision to leave was hers and not brought about by some mind manipulation on the part of Tess. It was much more powerful for her to realize that this is something Max needs to pursue on his own, I thought. The complete devastation Liz was experiencing was heartbreaking.

• I found myself wondering why Max and Liz went off alone in the slowest car. It seems strange to me that Michael and Isabel would have let him out of their sight even for a minute, much less put him in Maria’s old clunker. And the decision to get out of the car and run in Max’s condition seemed less than wise as well.
• Those have got to be the slowest FBI agents on earth. They were right behind Max and Liz and yet the kids had time to climb the railing, kiss and hesitate before jumping into the river and the agents didn’t even get there until after they’d jumped. What happened to those big guns they were hauling around?
• So they’ve saved Max from a fate worse than death and after running through the woods and jumping from a bridge to escape the death squad, Max and Liz finally have a moment alone. Max is weak from the torture and the running and when they kiss, he allows Liz to see some of the hell he’s been through. After all this, the only thing she wants to do is…talk about their relationship? I realize that the fact the he’s destined for another woman is devastating to her, but let’s get some perspective, shall we? The boy almost died, for heaven’s sake. Surely she could have held off on the relationship conversation until he’d had a chance to get a little bit of his strength back and found some comfort in her arms.
• I wish there had been more time to explore the psychological impact of the torture on Max. I know there was too much to tell in a short amount of time, but I suspect that by the time we return next fall, that aspect will have fallen by the wayside. That would be a shame to just let that fall through the cracks. It would be worth exploring, in my opinion.
• Jeers to the old soap opera trick of cutting away to a commercial and leaving us hanging about whether Kyle is going to die and whether Max is going to save him or not. The hesitation on Max’s part didn’t make any sense to me from a story perspective. What possible reason would Max have for hesitating? Valenti had just saved their butts at no small risk to his own, not once but twice. So in return for that, we’re expected to believe that he’s just going to let Kyle die from a gunshot wound that everyone knows he’s capable of healing?
• I have not warmed up to Tess at all. She comes off as whiny and selfish and completely unconcerned about anyone but herself. I got the impression she only wanted to go back for Nacedo because she was afraid to be left alone. And her timing leaves a lot to be desired too. She’s been witness to the unmissable emotion passing between Max and Liz and is aware that they believe they are soulmates. And yet when the ‘mommagram’ is done, the first thing she does is cozy herself up to Max right in front of Liz and tell him she knew it was meant to be. I got a kick out of Max firmly putting her back in her place, though.
• Favorite Quotes:
• Max: "Knowing you has made me human."
• Liz: "The day you saved my life, your life just ended."
  Max: "No, that’s the day my life began."
• Valenti: "We’ll be safe here for awhile."
  Michael: "There is no safe anymore."
• Kyle: "Who the hell are you talking to?"
• Liz: "Do you just do that with everyone? Make them see things that aren’t even there?
  Tess: "Sometimes it’s easier to do that than to make someone see something that’s right in front of her."
• Agent: "What just happened here?"
  Kyle: "I was kind of hoping you could tell me."
• Valenti: "If I’d wanted you dead, you’d be dead."
• Michael: "I always thought you were out to get us. I’m glad I was wrong."
• Michael: "Just get out of here. It’s not safe."
  Maria: "It’s never been safe. What difference does it make now?"
• Maria: "You can just throw me away just like that. Why is that?"
  Michael: "Maybe because I love you too much. Goodbye."
• Isabel: "Are you sure this is him?"
  Michael: "Well, this is who he was the last time I saw him."
• Michael: "Why are you helping us?"
  Valenti: "There’s a right side here and a wrong side and I don’t think Pierce is on the right side."
• Michael: "The bottom line, Maxwell - I kill people. I kill people and you heal them. You’re good and I’m bad."
  Max: "That’s not true, Michael."
• I give this episode 5 UFOs out of 5. They have certainly gone out with a bang.