Everyone’s journey seems to converge this week as the search for the missing ET transitions into an alien intervention. Isobel, Michael, and Max all need Dallas’ assistance with various aspects of the Jones problem. Whether he’ll listen to their Cosmic Tale of Woe long enough to be persuaded is another story.
Before we get to all of that, we’re treated to Dallas’ origin story. Unlike the other members of the Pod Squad, he has no idea he’s an alien. He simply believes he has abilities others don’t. That and he’s being tortured by a mind-splitting noise no one else can hear every 47 days. The only person who doesn’t think he’s crazy is his best friend and fellow outcast, Buckskin, AKA Heath.
Twenty-five years of audio abuse has caused neural damage incompatible with human life. Hopefully, the fact Dallas isn’t human gives him a fighting chance. Heath may not have known about Dallas’ alien status when he vowed to save him, but he’s up to his neck in it now. However, any hope Heath had that Jones would lay hands on Dallas and heal him is gone. Dallas and his fate are tied directly to that of the rest of the Pod Squad.
Speaking of, Isobel just wants to convince the newest member of said Pod Squad that they come in peace. And they might help Dallas with his health issues. Kyle is quick to point out that breaking the news to a man of God that he’s an alien might not be so easy. They agree to approach Dallas together. Kyle’s doubt seeps into Isobel, and when Kyle is delayed, she panics and scares Dallas away.
Izzy isn’t the only one freaking out. Dallas and Michael’s childhoods are nearly identical. Except Michael always knew what he was, and that he wasn’t alone. Dallas didn’t have a clue and all he had was Heath. Still, for all Michael’s growth, he’d rather force a confrontation with Dallas than empathize with his pain. It’s Alex who shows him another way.
It’s by reaching out emotionally Michael and Isobel actually connect with Dallas. And based on that connection, they get what they need; Dallas’ acceptance of his alienhood and his willingness to hear the message the original triad left for him.
It turns out our alien trio was never meant to include Max. It was supposed to be Dallas all along. Okay, I’m down with that. There’s just one teeny-tiny problem. Why build a machine with the Dictator destroying information if you aren’t sure the person it’s supposed to contact is alive? Correct me if I’m wrong, but Dallas’ pod dropped out of the spaceship as it was careening into Area 51. The original Triad did not know what happened to it. Or maybe Theo senses Dallas similar to the way Jones senses Max?
What I’m not down with is Dallas killing Max. Then again, I think it’s going to take more than a message to convince a preacher to take up a sword against his brother. Especially when the message also tells him to trust in his triad. The other members of his triad will have even more issues with Max’s death than I do.
Dallas isn’t the only thing Max has to worry about. The body count related to Jones’ sword has not gone unnoticed. And Sheriff Taylor is smarter than the average bear. She may not be able to prove Max had anything to do with the deaths, but she’s damn sure he’s connected.
Kyle’s unexplained disappearance has only made matters worse. He has no explanation for leaving the scene of the crime without his car or cell phone. And when confronted, his response is to obstruct an investigation by burning evidence.
This is one of the two incidents in the episode that made me wonder. It makes perfect sense Kyle would burn the evidence of Max and Isobel’s alien nature rather than let Sheriff Taylor get her hands on them. So why didn’t he come clean about it when Isobel met him outside the jail? And was he leaving the Wild Pony because everyone had paired off except him? Or was he upset about a specific pairing? Are The Powers That Be hinting at a love triangle with Izzy, Kyle, and Anatsa? I thought that ship had sailed (no pun intended).
The other incident was Izzy deliberately not mentioning Max when she told Dallas that he was an alien. For all intents and purposes, Max is her brother. Why would she leave him out? Were her “triad instincts” affecting her subconsciously, or was it a narrative complication The Powers That Be didn’t want to deal with?
Liz, and by extension Max, bypass all the alien hoopla since all she needs is the location of Heath’s science retreat. Something Dallas is happy to provide since Heath never mentioned his and Liz’s falling out. Unfortunately, they quickly deduce that Heath was working with Jones, and they have used Liz’s tapes to get a head start on the technology needed to sever Max’s connection to Jones.
Together, Liz and Max set off to find Heath and discover another of Jones’ victims. This leaves Max wondering. If clones are biologically identical, is Max destined to be evil? Liz argues nature over nurture. That Max’s human parents raised him to be a kind and decent man. The man she loves.
Jones’ days of pretending to be Max are over. The Sheriff is now aware of Jones and has the bullet hole to prove it. And despite being one of our heroes’ least favorite people, Liz is not willing to see Jones kill her.
Jones has Liz, Heath, and all of Liz’s research. Our heroes have Michael, Alex, Kyle, and the equation. The first one to solve the puzzle wins.
On your mark. Get Set. Ready. Go!
4 out of 5 Telekinetic Happy Faces
Parting Thoughts:
The Powers That Be must be huge Counting Crows fans. Unless I’m mistaken, this is the fourth song of theirs to become Roswell title.
Jesse Manes’ legacy of evil lives on. His “addition” to the Lockhart Machine caused possibly irreparable damage to Dallas’ brain. A fact that would probably make Jesse smile.
Quotes:
Max: “It is rare to see a genius falter.”
Isobel: “Paging Dr. Abs. A hug is needed in Room 2.”
Michael: “A scientist and two aliens walk into a church.”
Taylor: “Oddity surrounds you, Evans.”
Michael: “How do we get Baby Yoda where we need him to be?”
Liz: “No one saw your genetic replica and my ex-partner working together on the bingo card.”
Dallas: “I know people see the collar and think ‘nice guy’ and I am, but unlike fishes and loaves, my patience has an end.”
Isobel: “When you didn’t show I sort of had to go off-book, and I kind of... I froze him!”
Kyle: “You have ice powers now?”
Max: “What if that is my destiny?”
Liz: “Then screw destiny.”
Heath: “There ain’t no way I’m gonna let you die on me.”
Jones: “Well, what’s wrong Liz? Were you expecting someone else?”
Michael: “You sang to me in a crowded cowboy bar. So, I’m here to tell you, Alexander Manes... that I’m home.”
Shari loves sci-fi, fantasy, supernatural, and anything with a cape.
I have to admit I'm finding the plot twists difficult to follow. I do like the story they've given Heath, although the name Tuchman reminds me of tuchas.
ReplyDeleteKyle, fastest setting a file on fire I've ever seen. :)
It's trying to keep track of all the science. Basically, after they find a way to switch Max into the right body, they need to sever the connection that makes injuring one of them hurt the other. And for an added bonus they need to Keep Jones from being able to make more clones again.
ReplyDeleteThey bounce around between those three tasks as if the "equation" solves all of them. Honestly, it makes my head hurt.