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Roswell
"Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." But what do you do when the enemy is your own father?
"Behind The Music"
Episode 3.08
Written by Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner
Directed by Jonathan Frakes
This week's episode opens with Max and Liz reviewing the board his dad set up to check up on him -- everything from the trip to Utah and Los Angeles to the disappearance of Tess and the jeep are on it. It seems that Philip Evans is able to piece together quite a bit of information in a relatively short period of time, as he even hires a private investigator to follow Max around the town. Worrying that his father is getting too close to the truth, Max decides to take a little fishing trip with him. Unfortunately, he did not succeed in dissuading Philip from continuing this little project of his.
Meanwhile, Maria is getting a visit from someone in her past -- a guy named Billy whom she met during band camp several years ago and whom she'd shared her first kiss. It turns out that Billy is a musician on his way to New York to start his career. Gifted and cute, his presence is certainly making Michael a bit insecure. Maria has no trouble reconnecting with Billy, sharing memories and chatting about the good old times, and the two of them have a lot in common. She later confides to Billy that she gave up on her music and songwriting after the death of Alex, but he encourages her to pick them up again rather than letting her talents go to waste.
After recruiting Jesse into his investigation, Philip finally locates whatever is left of Max's jeep (recall that at the end of season 2, the car was set on fire and driven off of a cliff to make it look like an accident when Max was getting ready to leave.) Knowing that his father would not trust him any more, Max persuades Isabel to lie about what happened. Wanting to reveal their identity, she decides at the last minute to tell them only the partial truth. Isabel informs their parents that Max got Tess pregnant, but Tess took off before the child was born, and in a fit of rage Max destroyed the jeep. She states that the reason Max didn't want them to know is because he's afraid they would be disappointed.
On the other hand Maria has her hands full with Billy and a very jealous Michael. After missing his bus on purpose Billy admits that he has feelings for her and they share a passionate kiss. Deciding that he had had it with Billy, Michael finally requests Maria to ask him to leave. She agrees to accommodate to Michael's wish, but not before she tells Billy that she is thinking of joining him in New York after graduating from high school. In the closing minutes of the show, Maria meets Michael at a park bench and breaks up with him. She explains that she loves him very much, but during their relationship together Maria feels that she's not herself, and now Billy has reawakened something in her - something that she needs to rediscover.
Finally, Majandra's fans can rejoice, as her character has been continuously underused since the beginning of the season, and while this episode clearly demonstrates her talent as an actress, she is also a great singer. So what will happen between Maria and Michael? Will they get back together again considering Michael was willing to give up going back to Antar to stay on Earth with her? Does Philip Evans really believe what Isabel revealed? At the end of the show we see him in his office putting up a picture of Isabel on the board with all the clues about what Max is hiding. Does he suspect her participation in the cover up as well? This is definitely a good episode done right, with lots of character development and tight pacing, although I would've liked to see more of Kyle and Jim Valenti in the future. Unfortunately, Jesse remains the dullest person ever, as long as he doesn't have a lot of screen time I guess I can overlook it. There will be about a month's worth of reruns coming up, but I've read that there will be a special Christmas and a New Year episode, so don't forget to tune in then!
Episode rating: 8 out of 10
- Zalasta
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