I thought this episode brought Roswell to a whole new level of suspense, as the "Royal Four" and their human friends faced not one individual enemy, but an entire town of the dreaded "skins" determined to destroy them, but, aided by an unforeseen ally, they managed to escape, at least temporarily, to face this enemy another day. This episode also focused on the hurt the Max Evans felt as he dealt with Liz’s betrayal of him, not knowing the real reason behind her deception.

The news that Congresswoman Whitaker, who had been "vaporized" by Isabel two weeks before, had "died in a car accident" came as shocking news to everyone who had been involved, because now it was obvious that a conspiracy was afoot to cover up her death, and the way she had died. Max and everyone else soon learned, through a cryptic letter sent to the Congresswoman’s office, that a mysterious organization called "The Universal Friendship League" from the Congresswoman’s home town of Copper Summit New Mexico had apparently organized this ruse, as her "death" was announced on the stated deadline for her to contact them. This caused Max to decide to embark on a journey that could lead them to their destruction, as "The Universal Friendship League," was, in fact, a "front" for an entire race of "skins."

In the meantime, Michael told a hurt and angry Maria the truth about Courtney, and as always, the banter between them was very amusing to watch, especially when they decided to search Courtney’s apartment, like, as Maria put it, "Scully and Mulder." Once there, however, Maria and Michael soon discovered that Courtney was apparently obsessed with Michael, but not to destroy him, as they had supposed, but for an entirely different reason, as they soon learned as Courtney discovered them spying on her. Courtney claimed that she was one of several renegade "skins" who wanted Michael, or his previous incarnation, to join with them, and side against Max, and lead their people into a new golden age, and Michael seemed very disturbed but also tempted by this news, as Maria stood by incredulously. Michael quickly recovered though, and he knew that he had to help out Max and everyone else, as Courtney revealed that they were driving into a trap.

Meanwhile, on the way to Copper Summit, we had to witness the heartbreaking scene where Max questioned Liz about what had happened with Kyle, but she couldn’t answer him, and later, she had to lie again to Max, telling him that her and Kyle had made love, hurting both him, and herself, further, and driving a wedge between them. I felt bad for both Max and Liz in this episode, because both of them were in a no win situation beyond their control.

Once everyone got to Copper Summit, they encountered a virtual ghost town filled with strange inhabitants that weren’t who they seemed to be, and the episode was filled with a palpable tension as we were slowly introduced to the inhabitants of this town, starting with Congresswoman Whittaker’s "family," the "Crawfords." Isabel, in particular, seemed mysteriously drawn to Nicholas Crawford, Congresswoman Whitaker’s "brother," who, in the guise of an unassuming teenager, was actually the ringleader of this entire race of skins, as she soon learned when Nicholas lured her away from the rest of the group, and took her prisoner. We soon learned that new "husks" or bodies for this alien race were ready to be "harvested," which would give them 50 more years on this planet, and spell certain doom for "The Royal Four." Nicholas taunted Isabel by telling her further details of her previous life as "Vilondra," and how she had betrayed her brother, and spelled doom for their entire planet.

In the meantime, at the "Service" for Congresswoman Whitaker, everyone was exposed, as Liz discovered that the Congresswoman’s "body" was a fake, and Max and Isabel tried to fight off the menacing "skins." In the meantime, Nicholas continued to taunt and torture Isabel, until Michael, Maria, and Courtney came to their rescue, and Nicholas faced Michael, who he recognized as Max’s second in command, but then, just when all seemed lost, Courtney saved the day by starting off a chain reaction which destroyed all the new "husks," and everyone escaped, with the ominous "skins" vowing revenge.

Overall, I found this episode to be suspenseful, albeit a little disappointing, as Roswell seems to venturing more and more into the realm of science fiction, a turn which, while expected, takes away from the "human" story of all these characters.

Jerry D.

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