Considering how many moving parts there are to this season’s concluding arc, it goes without saying that an opportunity to lay out the clear enemies in all of this is a necessity. Max to the Max took apart any preconceived notions of murder and made sure that the true antagonist is revealed, but not before it’s too late.
This episode doesn’t feel as explosive as the show has been for the past few weeks, but it’s one that felt like a natural stepping stone toward the season’s final two instalments. Things have been nuts for Max, Michael and Isabel, and the humans too, so it’s nice to be afforded the opportunity to sort through all of this before the story reaches boiling point. Take Nasedo; so far he hasn’t really shown any signs of humanity. The creepy guise of Ed Harding hasn’t done him any favours either, so what reason do we have to trust him?
His kidnapping attempt didn’t make him too many friends either, but as the episode came together, it because more and more obvious that those he had hurt in the past had been collateral in his quest to protect the four aliens. He’s not someone deserving of any kind of empathy yet, but it’s obvious at this point that he’s not the big bad in the story, especially since Liz’s safety was never really in question, it was Max’s.
By this point, Valenti has pretty much shed all of his former antagonistic status and fully embraced his role as an uninformed protector. He’s taken a huge leap of faith for Max, and forked over a lot of trust in order for Max to finally let him in. It’s obvious that he’s more interested in the humans safety over the aliens, there was no hesitation before he agreed to help Maria and Alex, but he’s definitely become a little more accepting of Max now.
With Tess’s true identity now revealed, there was no time wasted in taking the blame for all of our previously established past deaths off of her. She displayed numerous times during this episode that all she’s ever wanted was to be a part of their family, even brushing Nasedo off after all of the time they spent together. The gang clearly don’t feel the same way about her yet, and it’s obvious how much their hostility hurts her. She’s not an official member of the Roswell club yet though, and it may take some work to make her seem like more than a tacked on co-star.
With Max captured, and Agent Pierce’s true identity now revealed (a pre-Ghost Whisperer David Conrad), the show is in prime position for a great alien vs. FBI show-down.
Plus
I really enjoyed that carnival sequence, they made great use of the mirrors during the whole double-Max thing.
He Said, She Said
Michael: “Whether you want to face it or not, we weren’t born, we were engineered.”
Max: “We control our own lives. I won’t let any book tell me what to do.”
Tess: “Liz is human, she has nothing to do with us.”
Max: “No, you have nothing to do with us.”
Max: “Liz's life is in danger, and suddenly we've got rules.”
Michael: “No, there's always been rules; tell no one. You're the one who broke that. You're not going to do that again.”
It’s really hard to take Max seriously when Michael takes him down for doing what he forbid Michael from doing only a few episodes back.
3 out of 4 alien pods.
Previously posted at PandaTV.
I think I missed something. What was the purpose of Nasedo impersonating Max? It seemed like all it did was draw Max out to the same place as the FBI to get captured, which is what happened. Also if Max knows Nasedo looks just like him, why didn't he change his clothes or put a hat on or something to make it possible for Liz and others to tell the difference between the two. Or at least don't split up from the group. (Classic horror movie mistake.)
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