Main Plot: Michael and Maria help Laurie escape from the FBI and the three of them end up on an impromptu road trip to meet Michael’s new found "family".

Laurie: Laurie is still an enigma to me. How much of her schizophrenic behavior is due to her fright, the drugs they have been giving her, and/or the gandorium (green blob stuff), and how much is her real self? When she first saw Michael (in We Are Family) she thought he was her grandfather and started screaming "You’re DEAD", so obviously she was aware that her grandfather was dead. Then in this episode, after she and Michael talked and she started trusting him, she was aware that he was not her grandfather, come back from the dead or reincarnated. When she told Michael he was in Tucson (I knew IMMEDIATELY that would be their next stop J ), I thought she was going to show him his gravesite, so I was really surprised when she and Michael seemed to expect to actually see him. Showing signs that she’s delusional and Michael isn’t sure what to believe. I have to admit, at one point I wondered if Michael and Maria were being led into a trap.

That was one tough decision she had to make - do you go with someone you know is an alien (he used his powers in front of her), after aliens have hurt you, or do you stay with someone who is shooting at you and once buried you alive? Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place and having to choose between the lesser of two evils (in her mind).

I thought Maria’s approach of letting Laurie know she was free to leave was good thinking on her part and the best way to earn Laurie’s trust. It was another sign of her delusional state that she choose to leave when she had no money for food, shelter or more appropriate clothing, for that time of year.

Amy: Finally!! They made some acknowledgment that the parents have noticed the long absences of these kids! Diane Farr had the best scenes in this episode and kudos to her for being able to display Amy’s anguish over Maria’s behavior (it was written all over her face), but at the same time, inject humor into the scenes.

Did Amy feel she couldn’t demand that Maria, come home at once or be grounded for life, because Maria knows, and pointed out to her, that she did such things herself? Or does Amy feel she needs to let Maria start making such decisions for herself and she’s just hoping she makes better ones than she did? How would Amy react if she knew what Maria was really up to? I think Amy would support the Royal Four but if she’s freaking out about the possibility of Maria getting tattoos, or something pierced, I think she’d be a basket case (and possibly Laurie’s roommate at Pinecrest) if she knew that Maria has been shot at and attacked by aliens!

Maria: It was a very cute scene when Maria was trying to convince Michael he needed to "bond" emotionally with Laurie, to get her to trust him, but (I’ve said this before, but it behr’s repeating) she needs to temper, with praise, the constant put downs and criticisms. Yes, they are funny and occasionally needed, but they can be psychologically damaging as well. Michael’s self esteem is low enough and when you don’t receive praise from those you love, you lose confidence in yourself and you lose the desire to try to improve. It brings us back to his question to her in Crazy - "What I want to know is, If I’m such a loser, then why do you want to be with me?" She never did answer that question and I think it’s high time she let’s him know what she LIKES about him. He said it himself - he has feelings - and she’s stepping all over them!

Maria, what were you thinking? Couldn’t you come up with a better excuse than camping? Everybody knows you HATE camping. Didn’t you say (in Into the Woods) that your idea of the great outdoors is "rolling the windows down in my car on the way to the Mall."? Liz had to PAY you to come with her. No wonder your mom was suspicious! Gheesh!!

Michael: At first I wondered why he balked at telling Laurie the truth, since she already knew he was an alien, but then I realized that in her unstable condition, the less she knows the better. I thought Michael chose the right route, that they are family, and I thought he did a great job expressing his feelings.

I thought it was very sweet of him to take Laurie’s hand, to show moral support, when they were heading towards the house. And, I was proud of him for vowing to stick by her, when it became obvious that she was not in good hands with her/his family. Poor Michael, he hasn’t had much luck with family; first Hank, then Nasedo, Laurie may be schizoid, and what a piece of work Mary and Bobby are! I suspect Laurie is the rightful heir and they had her locked up in a mental institution to get the money.

My favorite scene was the conversation in the car between Maria and Amy and Michael and Amy! I just cracked up, especially when she told Michael she would hunt him down and kill him like the mangy dog he is! But, did Michael tell Maria her mother wanted her to have fun because he didn’t want her to know all of what she said or because that’s all he got out of the conversation? J

Jim: So, Jim does woodwork. I just love a man who can work with his hands J .

I found it interesting that when Jim was making the baseball bat he intimated that his job had kept him from doing such things for his family (Kyle) before, and he seemed to regret what he had lost because of it. And yet he leapt at the chance of getting his job back when Agent Duff said she’d help. I’m guessing that, when he goes back, things won’t be any different. Jim identifies himself, his self worth, by his job, (that’s why he was in such a dark place from losing it) so his job is more important to him than time with his family.

Max: If Max thought the gandarium was a virus or bacteria, why did he keep it in an OPEN glass? I really enjoyed seeing Max and Liz working together as a team, but why did he say he didn’t want to involve her, after he just finished telling her she still was, and always would be, a part of the group?

General: Why was there such a violent reaction when Isabel connected with Brody? And how was Larek reached so quickly? I’m still not sure that Brody isn’t really Larek and I’m suspicious of Larek telling them they have to leave the planet. Probably the only way to do that would be to use the granilith, so he could be trying to get them to expose where it is hidden. We’ve learned that the green blob is called gandarium and is a parasite, but can we believe Larek when he says it is dangerous? Max said he felt no ill effect from it and implied that it had shunned him, as not being tasty enough, but will he develop symptoms later? What was that green stuff the nurse put in Laurie’s IV (in We Are Family)? Has she been infected? Is it contagious or do you need to be in direct contact? Has anyone who has been to Frazier Woods or Pohlman Ranch been infected? By the way, I thought in Four-Square, Michael said Pohlman Ranch had been removed from maps by the government, so how did it end up on the water table map? (Continuity blooper?)

So, is Grant being possessed by a Skin, like Larek supposedly possesses Brody? That would explain his taking Tess, if he actually did (in Surprise), and Jim’s impression that Grant wasn’t himself when he attacked him.

I thought the pillow fight between Liz and Sean was totally contrived. It was staged just so Liz would be found in a compromising position with Sean when Max came in. It didn’t seem the least bit natural to me.

Maria and Amy don’t strike me as the video game type, so was that Sean’s game? Where did he get the money for it?

Boy, Grandpa (Charles) Dupree sure came a long way from the farm! Did he strike oil while plowing the north 40 or what? The maid recognized Michael immediately; did Grandpa keep a picture of himself as a young man in full view?

Are Bobby and Mary Dupree brother and sister or husband and wife? I got the impression they were brother and sister.

Kyle: Loved the leather jacket. He was looking especially gooood in this episode! J

Tess The lambskin vest has got to go!

Amy: Each time leaving out on the open road, another piece of her innocence, and my Jetta.

Michael: I’m not completely emotionally retarded. I have feelings.

Maria: All right, then walk ‘em over there and give them a work out.

Amy: Call me if you need bail money!