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Roswell
Just when you think things are starting to settle down and getting back to normal in Roswell, something else comes along and stirs up trouble. Max, Michael and Isabel just can't seem to get a break.
"Panacea"
Season 3, Episode 13
Written by Russel Friend and Garrett Lerner
Directed by Rodney Charters
So, Liz finally decides to leave Roswell for the Winnaman Academy, while at the same time Maria is out chasing her dreams in New York. It's funny because in their letters to each other, both mention that they've finally found what they were looking for, and it feels like coming home to them. While Liz is learning the ropes at the boarding school, making friends and trying to fit in, Maria meets up with her old friend Billy at the Big Apple and decides to take him to her recording session. Back in New Mexico, Michael's job at Meta-Chem takes a turn for the worse when his partner Monk is killed during one of the shifts. Determined to find the shooter, he seeks help from Jim Valenti who agrees to assist him in the investigation by applying for the security guard vacancy due to Monk's untimely death.
Wanting to check up on how Liz is doing, Max decides to give her a call. On the phone Liz reveals that since she arrived she hasn't experienced any recurring symptoms, but just after he suggests for her to go back to Roswell, her hand starts to glow with green charges again. Taken by surprise, she quickly ends the conversation, but the damage is already done. Under the intense heat, the receiver has been bent from its original configuration with smoke coming out. It seems that no matter how far she runs, she still cannot escape the effects Max has on her. Meanwhile, Maria's singing career comes to a screeching halt when she refuses to make any more compromises. Apparently, the stuff she wrote isn't number one hit material after all, and the talent scout wants her to record songs composed by professionals instead. Leaving New York, Maria makes an unannounced visit to Liz. Not sure whether she should go back to Roswell so soon, Liz invites her to stay for a couple of days.
Jim has no trouble getting the job at Meta-Chem, especially since he held the sheriff position prior to this. Michael then proceeds to show him the crime scene, and they are able to uncover several clues about what happened that night. First of all, the door that triggered the alarm apparently was opened from the inside, not the other way around as they originally thought. They also find a footprint of the killer in the atrium where the shooting took place. Retracing the steps, it leads them to a laboratory. To their horror, they discover several items including Liz's dress when she was shot two years ago, a file on Michael, and a used bandage with Michael's blood on it. It seems that Meta-Chem is much more than a pharmaceutical company. Quickly gathering up the objects, two lab technicians walk in just as they were about to leave, so Jim distracts the men allowing Michael slip out undetected.
The next day Michael shows the stuff he recovered to Max and Isabel, and all three agree that their identities are no longer a secret to the people at Meta-Chem. A few minutes later Kyle rushes in to inform them that Jim never made it home. Pretty sure that Valenti was caught, they plan to go back to Meta-Chem that night and look for him. Just before the 3 A.M. shift change, Max picks Isabel up to rendezvous with Michael at the plant. After letting the two of them in, they split up to cover as much ground as they can. Max is able to locate Jim in no time, and while they make their escape, Isabel returns to the guard station. Unfortunately, Valenti was shot in the chest on their way out of the building. Not able to go any further, Max proceeds to heal the wound with his power, but just then, several armed men show up to take both of them into custody.
It is then revealed that Meris, (played by Morgan Fairchild) wife to the owner of Meta-Chem, have been looking for the fountain of youth to stop her husband's aging process. After they heard about the Liz's miraculous recovery after being shot, in addition to the children healed of their terminal cancer in phoenix, they came to Roswell looking for answers. At first they mistook Michael for the person they were searching for, so they orchestrated Monk's death. But when Michael could not heal Monk, they realized that the healer is somebody else. She then demands him to heal her husband immediately, despite the protest by Max that he can't save someone from natural death. Having no choice in the matter, Max lays his hand on the old man, and as the process continues, Max begins to age in an alarming rate, his hair turning white and his face wrinkled. A few seconds later, the elderly man breaks the contact and rushes out of the room with Meris, Max falls to the ground as fire erupts from under him. Calling out to him Jim tries to reach Max, but in the blink of an eye his body disintegrates to dust. Miles away Liz suddenly wakes up gasping, "Max is dead!"
Wow, "Panacea" is definitely the best episode so far this season. The acting was so much better, with great dialogue and a cliffhanger ending. What else can you ask for? Furthermore, we see Jesse following Isabel to Meta-Chem. Will he finally find out who Isabel really is? The big question of course is whether Max is really dead, because when Clayton Wheeler pushes Max away, his face was a blur and we couldn't get a clear look at it. So is Clayton still the same person before Max healed him? Katims is really picking up the pace now, and here's hoping that he can get the momentum going all the way till the season finale.
Episode Rating: 9 out of 10
- Zalasta
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