ROSWELL on PLANET-SF

PLOT

September 27th. I'm Liz Parker and I'll never look at the stars in the sky the same way again. I'll never look at anything the same way again. What did Max Evans mean when he said, 'I'll see you in school'? Was it, 'I won't be able to breathe until we met again' or was it just something someone says to, like, fill space. And what is he thinking right now? Is he also obsessed, tortured, going from one sleepless night to the next wondering what's gonna happen between us?

The Evans house. Max is asleep until he hears an intruder climbing through the window. He's just about to smack him with a flashlight when he sees that it's Michael, who claims that he couldn't sleep.

Max unrolls a sleeping bag for Michael and gets back into bed but Michael doesn't want to sleep. He talks about the picture that Valenti showed to Liz and says it's the key to their entire existence. Max wants to know more too but Valenti has the picture, it's impossible for them to get it. However, the next morning, Michael scopes out the sheriff's station.

At the Crashdown, Liz and Maria are getting ready for work. Maria is concerned about how little they know about the three aliens and what powers they might have. Liz, who is totally casual about it, tells her not to say "aliens" in public, so Maria continues , but now refers to them as Czechoslovakians, only for Alex to overhear them and ask who they're talking about. The two girls reply together and manage to fob him off with a claim that a new kid at school is Czechoslovakian. Once they've left Alex, Maria spots Michael peering into the cafe, and tells Liz that he creeps her out.

The thing about Czechoslovakians that you have to sort of factor in is they have these incredibly soulful eyes.

Geometry class. Kathleen Topolosky, substituting for the absent Mr. Singer, asks the class if anyone actually believes in aliens before taking the roll. Michael is absent and she asks Max if he knows where he is. "Michael's not really into geometry," he tells her. She says she can understand that since it's pretty uninspiring stuff.

After class, Liz asks Max if he thought Topolsky's behaviour was weird. "She was just taking attendence," he says before telling her not to worry. No one's suspicious of Michael, only him.

Valenti shows up for work and notices a strange man sitting on a folding chair in the station. Deputy Hanson tells him that he is an FBI agent on assignment who told him just to go about his business as usual. Valenti asks the man, Agent Hart, for identification and tells him that having an FBI agent in the station isn't business as usual before telling him to leave since he has no jurisdiction.

Liz and Maria discuss Topolsky over lunch. Maria says that it's suspicious because no substitute teacher takes attendance and that she's obviously there to find the Czechoslovakians. She thinks that they need to get a little perspective on the situation and that they should tell Alex, who is trying to impress some girls with a double-jointed trick, forcing Maria to admit that "he's not James Bond, but he's all we've got right now."

Later, the pair are stood by Liz's locker when Maria warns that Kyle Valenti is heading in Liz's direction. Liz tells Maria that she just saw him over the summer and it was casual and that she's sure he thinks she was just a summer fling. Kyle's opening of "How's my girl?" seems to disprove this, so she tells him that she's busy with school stuff. He tells her that he thinks people should be honest and that she agreed to meet him at the Crash Festival and that if you care about someone, as he does, then you should be on time.

Whilst he's talking, Liz notices Topolsky leaving the Student Registrar's office carrying a pile of files. She walks after her and bumps into her, causing Topolsky to spill the files. Liz notices that she has a picture of Michael pinned to a file and goes to the trailer park where he lives with his foster father Hank to tell him.

Later that evening, Valenti is on the phone. He wants an explanation as to why Agent Hart was sent but they hang up on him. He opens a filing cabinet and pulls out a folder containing the photographs of the corpse. In the back of the folder is a small envelope containing a key which he hides in a thermos flask that he then puts in his drawer before leaving the building.

Michael emerges from a store carrying a large brown paper bag under one arm and goes into the sheriff's station. He's stopped by Deputy Hanson but say that he's selling candies for charity, which Hanson declines to buy. He then says that he'll just take a look to see who else is around, but Hanson tells him that no-one is and that it's usually pretty empty at night.

At the Evans house, Isabel asks if the cops bought the story and Michael tells her that they did. She proceeds to tell him that she's got a date with a guy that she likes and that she likes her life in Roswell and doesn't want to end up running from the law.

Michael wants to break into Valenti's office, find any information in the file and put it back again before they're discovered. Isabel doesn't even want to consider the idea, but Max hypothetically runs through the plan before claiming that it's not feasible. Just as Max and Isabel's parents return home, Michael tells them that government agents are after then and tells Max to speak to Liz.

In geometry class, Liz corrects Topolsky over the number of degrees in a triangle and shares a look with Max. After class, he asks her about Topolsky pulling Michael's record and advises her not to wind up Michael because he's too impulsive. Liz thinks that Topolsky is some sort of alien hunter while Max thanks her for looking out for them and says that they all need to be careful now, her included. As he's walking through the hallway he notices Topolsky, Sheriff Valenti and another man and wonders if Liz could be right.

Max gives Liz a note to meet him in the 2nd floor eraser room during sixth period. Maria warns her that it's just not cleaning erasers and kissing that goes on in the eraser room and that they don't know what it's like to kiss a Czechoslovakian. Liz replies that Max isn't even interested in her.

Agent Stevens shows up in Valenti's office and tells him that all they found on Liz's uniform was ketchup. No spaceship landed in 1947 and no aliens are currently residing in Roswell. He tells Valenti that the governor has given him authority to remove anything about UFOs and alien sightings from the station.

Valenti realises that they did find blood on the uniform, why else would they want to remove his files? Taking the thermos that contains the key, he tells Stevens he's going to lunch and leaves him to it. Michael watches him leave the building with the thermos and later as the agents load the files into a car.

In the eraser room, Max tells Liz that Topolsky isn't who she claims to be. While they wait for her to return to an office adjacent to the eraser room, Liz asks him how he's only 16 if the crash happened in 1947 and Maria's question of whether they're really three feet tall, green and slimy. She tells him that sometimes she wishes she could be invisible because everyone in town knows her because her parents own the Crashdown. Max replies that sometimes he wishes he didn't have to be invisible.

Topolsky returns to her office and Max and Liz watch as she tells an unknown man that Michael hasn't shown up at school since she arrived and that she'll have to go and see him.

Max parks the jeep outside the Crashdown. Michael tells him that he saw the files being taken out - it's now or never. Inside the cafe, Liz asks Maria to cover for her and that she'll tell her what's going on later. As she's leaving, Alex stops her and asks why they keep talking about Czechoslovakians when the country hasn't even existed for 10 years. He wants to know the truth. "Cramps," replies Maria while Liz adds that they didn't say anything because they thought it would make him really uncomfortable, which it does.

Outside, Max tells Michael he wants to protect what he's got in Roswell. Michael asks if he's ever thought was it's like for him in the town. Max tells him that Topolsky has pulled his records and says that Isabel is waiting for him at the Evans house. He tells Michael not to do anything stupid, but he walks off.

Max and Liz drive to the trailer park, followed by Kyle. Kyle watches as Liz moves closer to Max so she can see Topolsky and gets angry as she ducks down to retrieve her ring. He heads over to the jeep and demands to know what's going on. Max and Liz claim they're waiting for Michael and then they're going bowling but when Topolsky, who has been asking Hank where Michael is, hears them Max ducks down beneath the dashboard. Kyle does the same, but Topolsky sees Liz. Later, when Max walks Liz from the jeep, he suggests that they have lunch once this is all over. "Okay, great!" says Liz. "It's a date - no! It's not a date, it's a lunch."

Isabel calls Max over and tells him that Michael's gone AWOL. The pair drive to the station and Isabel is concerned that Michael can't control his powers.

Michael has climbed up to the window, which is barred. He uses his powers to open the grate, but overdoes it and nearly falls off before slipping into the office.

Arriving outside the station, Max and Isabel notice the open window and see Valenti pull up. Isabel tells Max to get Michael out of the building while she tries to stall Valenti.

Inside the station, Isabel asks Valenti to help because she's got a flat tyre and is "so not mechanical." The deputy offers to help instead because Valenti is off duty, but Valenti agrees to help.

In his office, Max climbs through the window just as Michael finds the thermos. Picking up the key he gets a powerful vision that knocks him backwards, and the three downstairs hear him fall. Valenti tells Isabel to stay put while he and the deputy check it out.

Max and Michael climb out through the window and Max seals it back up before the pair jump into an open dumpster. Finding the office empty, Valenti checks out the grate, but it's locked.

Later, once Valenti has got Isabel on her way again, Max tries to get a vision from the key, but fails to get anything. Isabel tries and pretends she's getting something. Michael asks what she saw. "Ricky Martin in the shower," she replies. Michael takes the key and heads towards the trailer. Max goes after him and admits that he doesn't really know what it's like for Michael. Michael tells him that they always have to be ready to leave town and advises him against getting in too deep.

The next day at school, Ms. Topolsky calls Liz over. She's not a substitute teacher, but the new guidance counsellor and Michael is in serious danger of being expelled. She wants Liz to get him to go and see her soon. Liz promises to tell him.

Ever since I found out about Max and Michael and Isabel, I've been thinking a lot about secrets. That for everyone who has a secret, there's someone else who needs to know what that secret is. How sometimes secrets keep people from feeling like they belong. And sometimes secrets make you feel like you do belong. And now even I, Liz Parker, the smallest of small town girls with the simplest of lives - even I have something to hide.

CAST

Julie Benz who makes her debut in this episode as recurring character Kathleen Topolsky is probably best known in the UK for her role as Darla on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER.

CONTINUITY

Max tells Liz that he, Isabel and Michael emerged from the incubation pods in 1989, looking like six year olds, but they didn't know how long they'd been in the pods.

Liz confirms that her parents own the Crashdown.

According to Maria, the eraser room is where Greg Coleman gave Marlene Garcia "that hickey the size of a softball" and where Richie Roher and Amanda Lourdes consummated everything. She also tells Liz that it's "taken some of the best of us."

NOTES

Bartley and Collins are two students in Max and Liz's geometry class.

Amongst the Crashdown's offerings is hot fudge blast-off, which may or may not contain 80 grams of fat.

Liz's voice-over at the end of the episode is accompanied by appropriate shots of Valenti discovering the key is missing, Michael watching the Evanses playing basketball and Max and Liz in the eraser room.

COMMENTS

As with the opening episode, Shiri Appleby continues to be a delight to watch as Liz. There are some sweet scenes that show her feelings for Max, such as her wondering just what Max meant by "I'll see you in school", her comment about Czechoslovakians having "incredibly soulful eyes" and her disappointment that Max has only asked her to meet him in the eraser room so that they can spy on Topolsky. The scene where Kyle mistakes her and Max spying on Topolsky as something else - in particular when she retrieves her ring - is simply hilarious.

We also learn more about the three aliens, building on what we saw in the pilot. Max is the obvious leader at this stage, looking out for both Isabel and Michael. Isabel clearly likes the life that being adopted by the Evanses has given her and doesn't want to change anything. On the other hand, Michael's life "sucks" (hardly surprising given what we see of his relationship with Hank) and he wouldn't be sorry to leave town. He's also impetuous, eager to discover more about his alien background and cannot control his powers to the same extent as Max and Isabel. Liz's closing diary entry where we see Michael watch the Evanses playing basketball shows how little he's got going for him, Max and Isabel excluded.

Maria continues to be mostly a comic foil for Liz but without descending into silliness. Her use of the word "Czechoslovakian" (which alerts Alex to the fact that something's up) could have proved annoying, but manages to avoid doing so. Her logic that Topolsky's insistence on taking attendence means she's an alien hunter is charming, as are her warnings about the eraser room. Is she speaking from person experience when she says that it's "taken some of the best of us"?

The major plot development concerns the arrival of Ms. Topolsky at the school. Despite Maria's usual wackiness, she's obviously neither the substitute geometry teacher or guidance counsellor that she claims to be, and her unheard conversation with Valenti and the one that Max and Liz overhear in the eraser room provide plenty of questions for future episodes. Further questions are asked when the FBI takes away all Valenti's files and by Michael's vision when he takes the key from the thermos.

So another winning episode as the series continues to get off to a cracking start, with plenty to keep the viewers guessing as to which way things are headed. BACK TO THE TOP

THE MORNING AFTER

Written by JASON KATIMS

Directed by DAVID NUTTER

STARRING
SHIRI APPLEBY
Liz Parker

JASON BEHR
Max Evans

KATHERINE HEIGL
Isabel Evans

MAJANDRA DELFINO
Maria DeLuca

BRENDAN FEHR
Michael Guerin

COLIN HANKS
Alex Whitman

NICK WESCHLER
Kyle Valenti

and WILLIAM SADLER
Sheriff Jim Valenti

GUEST STARRING
JULIE BENZ
Kathleen Topolsky

MICHAEL HORSE
Deputy Owen Blackwood

MARY ELLEN TRAINOR
Mrs. Evans

MICHAEL O'NEILL

and RICHARD SCHIFF
Agent Stevens

CO-STARRING
ROBERT F LYONS
Hank Whitmore

JASON PECK
Deputy Hanson

REGGIE HAYES
Agent Hart

CHRISTOPHER HOLLOWAY
Paul Aronson

EBONIE SMITH
Genoveve

MARC BRANDON DANIEL
Boy in Class

PAUL GOEBEL
Heavy-Set Customer

DEBRA CONNOLLY
Customer

US/UK TRANSMISSION DETAILS
The WB: 13 Oct 1999
Sky One: 20 Jan 2000
BBC2: 14 Sep 2000

EPISODE RATING: 9/10

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