Main Plot: The death of Alex, in a car accident, is devastating to all, but Liz refuses to believe it was an accident (or suicide, as Jim thinks it may be). She believes he was murdered.

Alex: God, I’m going to miss this character so much. He was so funny, touching, sweet, caring, insightful (this is who Liz should have been going to for consolation, not Sean!) and cute. The retrospective clips, while Liz was sorting through the pictures, were so poignant. It was great to see all these wonderful scenes again (especially the strip tease dance) but so sad that there will be no more. Also, because there wasn’t any dialogue, we missed hearing all those wonderful lines Colin delivered with perfection.

I think we can agree Alex’ behavior with the pizza guy was extremely odd, and so not like Alex, but I have to admit that it never occurred to me, until Liz mentioned Kivar, that he was probably possessed by an alien. The question is - why? And, are the other humans in the group next? A very chilling prospect. Alex said to Kyle, in How The Other Half Lives "We not only met aliens, but they killed us. How many people can say that?" Prophetic? Then again, since no time passed between his being with the girls and being with the pizza guy, he would have had to have been possessed when he was with the girls and on the phone talking to Isabel. So, why didn’t he behave strangely then? If the alien wanted people to think he was suicidal, he should have acted strangely in front of friends, not strangers.

When Alex picked up Leana’s picture, I wondered who he wanted more. Although he loves Isabel, basically worshipped the ground she walked on, it was Leana, not Isabel, that helped him achieve more of his potential and feel good about himself. She touched something inside of him. His conflict between the two would have made a great story line, but now we will never know.

Liz: Everyone grieves in their own way and I was glad that they showed the different approaches. I loved that Liz never stopped believing in Alex and that she focused her grieving on clearing his name. However, I was very unhappy that she unleashed her repressed anger out on Max. Telling him that, if Alex was killed by an alien, it would be Max’ fault, was hitting way below the belt and completely uncalled for. Yes, knowing them has put the humans in danger, but it was their decision to stay and face the danger. They knew they may pay with their lives. This is not to say that 16 and 17 year olds are mature enough to make those kinds of decisions but the Royal Four never coerced them. In fact, Max tried on many occasions to keep Liz, and the others, out of his problems. He never wanted them to get involved to the point they were in danger. They volunteered. Liz herself insisted, telling Max "We are a part of this now." in 285 South, "You should let me in, Max." in Into The Woods, etc. Alex knew the risks and he told Kyle that his experiences with the aliens had been one hell of a ride. He asked Kyle "You really want to step out of this cave if it meant you were gonna be another dumb jock?" and Kyle replies "You know what, I wouldn’t." I understand Liz is in pain, but that was a very cruel blow, to Max and Isabel, who are both feeling shades of responsibility. I felt so sorry for The Royal Four. They have never done anything but help the humans, and they already feel guilty for the danger they have brought to Earth, and now their best friends are turning on them, making them feel even more guilty. Best friends are supposed to be there for you in the bad times - that’s when you find out who your true friends are. I don’t believe Liz isn’t a true friend. I feel, even though she’s in pain, it’s still out of character for her to accuse Max like that. Part of it may be her own guilt. I think Liz blames herself as well, because if Max hadn’t saved her life then, if it was an alien that killed Alex, he would still be alive.

When Max came out of the van and Isabel ran off crying and Liz stoically agreed with Tess that he should go to her, I was saying "No, Max, no!" As much as Isabel needed him, Liz needed him more. Her strength was just a facade. She had been closer to Alex than anyone, and a piece of her died along with him. That’s why I was really glad that she went to Max for comfort but I was wishing she had said "I need you" instead of "I don’t want to be alone". I also loved the bonding between Max and Liz reminiscing over Alex’ antics in school. Too bad it was spoiled by bringing up Tess. I’m having a hard time understanding Liz’ behavior. Her tone, when she speaks to him about Tess, implies that she thinks it’s all his fault. Yes, she’s in pain, yes it’s hard to watch Max with Tess, but she’s the one who told him he had to be with her. And let us not forget that in Heat Wave Max said to Liz "Liz, I think that what I'm afraid of isn't that we try this and it works out really badly. What I'm afraid of is we try it and it works out really well. I'm afraid of feeling everything that I know I would feel. Because I know it's not meant to be. And somewhere down the line, we're gonna get hurt. I can live with that. I just couldn't bear to hurt you." Liz responded "But that's not your decision, is it?" She made the decision; she has no right to blame Max, he has been nothing but honest with her. Supposedly, according to Future Max, Liz became, once again, her old loving self, but we, and Present day Max, never got to see that. It’s all been about her pain; she has no room for Max’ pain. This is not the Liz I thought I knew from Season 1. (psst, Liz, mean people suck!) It’s almost as if TPTB are trying to make us dislike Liz, the way they have portrayed her this season. What a switch; we’re supposed to dislike Liz and like Tess. What’s up with that? Is there a point to it, or are they just manipulating us? Or have I been reading Liz wrong all along? Was she never as strong ,loyal and loving as I thought she was? At least she finally admitted she wants to be his friend, even if they are not together, but, based on the promos for next week, it seems like it’s just a set up.

Liz was too light and dismissive about Tess when Maria brought it up. Maria and Alex are the very people she should open up to and talk to about her feelings in this matter. If she did, maybe she wouldn’t be so caustic to Max.

On a lighter note, when Max asked "How does frozen macaroni and cheese sound?" my first thought was "disgusting", especially since she had been dry retching just prior. But perhaps it’s comfort food for some.

When Mr Whitman told Liz how much she and Maria meant to Alex I expected her to reply "We thought the world of Alex". Mr Whitman would have liked to hear that.

Liz was sooo cute when she was miming to Alex to "stay strong".

Max: I loved that they had Max and Michael debating the merits of a movie. We don’t get to see them discussing every day things very often. It was a perfect analogy too, with Michael choosing The Matrix and Max choosing Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (great movie btw).

When Liz brought up Max kissing Tess, I wanted him to explain why he kissed Tess and was disappointed that he didn’t. It’s understandable that he would succumb to her advances at that time. He had just been hurt, to the quick, once more by Liz, and someone he had once loved (real or not) was offering comfort. That would be difficult to resist. But did he reflect on what he did, and why, later? Did he compare what he feels for Tess (real or not) for what he feels for Liz (very real)? Does he even wonder if what he feels for Tess is real or forced (either by Tess’s mind warp or by genetic engineering). If he has those doubts, he should have mentioned them to Liz or she will think that what they had was not real. His not saying anything tells her he has moved on, which would never happen if what they had was real. Yes, he could force himself to mate with Tess, for the good of his people, but he would never stop loving Liz and he could never love Tess as he loves Liz. We only get one soul mate in life.

I found it interesting that they touched upon Max having qualms about touching Alex. Many people would find it very disturbing to touch a dead (probably mangled) body covered in blood, and to see a friend in that condition would be doubly hard, but I bet very few of us gave that a second’s thought when Max went in the van, alone, to try to bring Alex back. Sometimes I think we expect too much from him. It’s good the writers remind us that, although he has superior abilities, he is just a kid and he’s half human.

Isabel: Isabel’s dreams affected me the most. Especially the one where she begs Alex "Please don’t go" and he responds "I’m already gone". A whole new set of tears came flooding out. I began to fear I would run out of tissues, long before I ran out of tears.

I find it a little hard to believe that Isabel never told her parents or Max about early graduation until now. When Liz hears about her going to San Francisco, will she say anything about them having to stay together to prevent the end of the world?

Michael: I just loved the whole Amy/Michael scene and that she got to see his softer side. I was really impressed with the way Michael rallied to Maria’s side and was there for her when she needed him the most. Which was why I was so shocked that he just abandoned her, so abruptly, in the end. I found that whole us vs them ending very disturbing.

Jim/Kyle: I though it was a bit trite to have it be Kyle’s birthday, and they never really went anywhere with it. But Jim handled it as best as something like that could be handled.

BTW, are we supposed to assume that Jim got his job back?

Max: You simply can’t prefer Keanu Reeves to Michelle Yeoh. You can’t. I won’t let you.

Amy: Welcome, on the couch.