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PLOT In a hallway at school, Liz tries to explain to Maria what it was like to kiss Max. Maria tells her to stop and squirts a herbal remedy into Liz's mouth to calm her down, telling her to use it whenever she feels herself spiraling out of control, adding that now would be a good time since Max is walking towards them. Liz tries to talk to Max, but Isabel interrupts and tells Max that Michael is acting weird, and that he practically ignored her. She asks Max to see how he is. In the boys' bathroom, Michael tries to avoid face contact with Max, but eventually he lets him see that he's got a black eye. Later, he admits to Max that Hank did it while he was drunk, and that it's not the first time it's happened. After Max has used his power to remove it, Michael tells him that he doesn't want anyone else to know about any of this. At the Crashdown, Liz is getting some advice from Maria, who tells her that they have to stick together and hold their ground. Max enters and looks around for Liz, then Maria's mom shows up to deliver some pies. Maria is not impressed when Valenti and Amy start flirting. The pair agree to have dinner that evening, and Amy reminds the Sheriff that on their last two outings, he didn't make it to dessert. Max and Isabel are discussing Michael, who comes in and overhears the last past of their conversation. He guesses that Max has told his sister and prepares to leave. Isabel tells him that he should report it, but Michael doesn't think telling someone like Valenti would be a good idea. Isabel suggests he talk to her father, who's a lawyer and who could help him get permission to live on his own. Michael doesn't want to draw any attention to them. Isabel then suggests that he uses his powers, and Michael admits that he nearly did but since he can't control them, he'd probably end up killing Hank. After all the pressure, he gives in and agrees to stay at the Evanses until Hank has calmed down. At dinner, Michael has difficult fitting in, and has to suffer Isabel constantly answering Phillip and Diane's question for him. After work, Liz and Maria go to Maria's house to study. They find a half-eaten coconut pie, which Valenti previously told Amy was his favourite, then Maria accidentally sits on the Sheriff's hat. They hear laughter coming from the next room and tiptoe back to the door, which they open and close before Maria calls out that she's home. Amy emerges looking dishevelled, followed by Valenti in a similar state. Michael doesn't take losing at Monopoly too well and starts to leave when he's bankrupt. Isabel tells him that her dad could help him, but he still doesn't want to know. Max tells her to stop treating Michael like a child and trying to make up in one night what he's never had in his life. Michael returns to the trailer and ignores Hank when he asks where he's been. Maria and Amy have a talk. Maria tells her mom that she's just trying to look out for her, while Amy tells her that Jim Valenti is really a nice guy. Maria points out that her mom's a hippy and Valenti's a cop, to which Amy replies that opposites attract. Maria says that he's the sort of guy who can't open up, or admit that he has any emotions, and Amy tells her that Michael will come around. Maria says that she wasn't talking about Michael, she was just talking hypothetically. Hank is arguing Michael when Max and Isabel show up, claiming they heard some yelling. Michael tells them to leave. Hanks starts to come onto Isabel, who ends up throwing his drink all over him, promising to kill him if he touches Michael again. Hanks grabs his gun and points it at Max, who tries to calm him down. Michael uses his powers and gets called a freak by Hank. Max and Isabel drag Michael away. Outside, Michael rounds on the others for making it worse, but Isabel points out that Hank was so drunk he won't remember anything. Michael tells her that he can't return now, and that although Hank was a jerk, he was the only thing he had, and now Max and Isabel have screwed that up for him. Max tells Michael to come and stay at the Evanses, promising that they'll sort something out. Michael tells him that he doesn't belong there. Isabel tells him that he finally has a chance to change things, and asks whether it would kill him to ask for help. "Yeah...it would," Michael tells her, before walking out. Maria looks out of her window and sees Michael standing outside in the rain. She sniffs some oils to make sure she's not hallucinating and then looks outside again - she isn't. He walks over to the window but she tells him that she knows why he's there and that her answer is "no". She lets him in anyway and, realising that he's soaked, tells him to take his shirt off before he gets pneumonia. She wipes away a tear from his cheek before hugging him as he starts to cry. The next morning, Amy comes into wake Maria for school and freaks when she sees her in bed with Michael. She starts bashing him on the head and tells to get out of the house. Michael beats a hasty retreat. Maria tells her mom to wait, but Amy orders her in the kitchen. There, Amy paces around, believing that Maria is having sex, which she denies, claiming that they just slept. Amy replies that she's used that excuse herself. Maria claims that Michael was upset about something and sex was the last thing on his mind, which is why she let him stay. Amy tells Maria that no 16-year-old daughter of hers is going to have sleepovers with boys and that while her own history with men has pretty much been a train wreck, she doesn't want Maria to make the same mistakes. Michael is hauled out of an exam and taken to see Valenti, who tells him that the neighbours at the trailer park heard shouting. Michael denies knowledge of it. Valenti tells him that he was the last person to see Hank since he didn't showup for work. Michael suggest that he's passed out somewhere. Valenti also tells him that the neighbours heard screaming, crying and tortured sounds. Michael claims that he was out. At the Crashdown, Liz is talking to Maria when Isabel shows up and asks if they've seen Michael. Maria won't say, so Isabel tells her that it's really important. Maria says that in this case, Isabel can tell her since she's worried about him as well. Isabel says she can't, but eventually tells her what's been going on between Michael and Hank. Maria shocks Liz by admitting that Michael spent the night with her but that he took off when Amy found him. Max arrives and tells the others that Valenti's got Michael because he thinks he had something to do with Hank's disappearance. Maria waits for Amy to come home and then tells her that Michael is in jail because he won't say that he was with her the previous night. She persuades her mom into talking the Sheriff into letting Michael go. After Michael and Maria have gone, Amy asks Valenti whether he would have believed Maria. Valenti replies that she'd say anything to protect her boyfriend, but that he was just doing his job. Amy tells him that his job keeps coming between them. Valenti tells her not to give him up. Michael meets up with Max and Isabel, who asks him whether he had anything to do with Hank's disappearance. He says he didn't. He tells them that the sheriff is going to find him a new foster situation, but no matter what home he gets, it's just a substitute for the real one. Max tells him that he can't just run away, but Michael is adamant that he wants to be anywhere but Roswell, and that he's going to find Nasedo, who he believes is his family. Isabel asks what she and Max are and tells Michael that it's time to put up or shut up and that he should stop blaming everyon else. Max tells Michael that, based on what Hubble told them, he thinks Nasedo is dangerous and that they should stick together. Michael doesn't agree. Liz is stargazing on the Crashdown roof when Max stops by. He tells her that he thinks Michael is going to leave without saying goodbye. Isabel is in her room with the stones River Dog gave them in the cave when Michael was sick. They're the only thing they have from their home, but they don't mean anything without Michael. Max goes looking for Michael and finds him packing his stuff up at the trailer park. Michael points out that everything he has fits into a single bag, but Max tells him that he also has him and Isabel. Michael tells him to say goodbye, but Max tells him he can't. He tells Michael that in many ways it's harder for him if he screws up because he has a great home and great parents and Michael can just blame it all on Hank. But without Hank, it will all be down to him. Michael suggests that Max leaves it to him to screw up, but Max tells him that even if he does he and Isabel will be there for him. He hands him a package containing the stones, repeating what Isabel told him. Michael leaves anyway and hitches a lift with a guy driving a pickup. As the guys starts telling him what a joke town Roswell is, Michael opens the package Max gave him, and starts rolling the stones around in his hand. He sees flashbacks of the balance ceremony, with him and Max and Isabel together. The following morning, Isabel comes down to find Michael making breakfast. When her parents come into the kitchen, Michael asks Mr. Evans if he can help him find a way to live on his own. He replies that it's complicated, but Michael is determined to go ahead. Sometime later, in a judge's inner chambers, Max and Isabel look on as Michael and Mr. Evans present a petition for emancipation. The judge questions Michael before agreeing to grant his petition. Hank walks into the sheriff's office and claims he's been down in Carlsbad, putting the gunshots down to the fact that he was cleaning a gun after he'd been drinking. He tells Valenti that he's got a job off in Las Cruces and since his lease is up, he's hitching up the trailer and leaving town. He wants to know if he has to sign anything regarding Michael, but Valenti just tells him to make sure sure he leaves town soon. At night, Hanks pulls up by a tree and walks round to the boot of car, from which he drags the body of the real Hank, who's clearly been dead for some time. Nasedo buries the body then shapeshifts into someone else before driving off. CAST Robert Katims, who plays the judge is Jason Katims' father. He previously guest starred on MY SO-CALLED LIFE and returns to ROSWELL in season two's The Hybrid Chronicles arc. Eddie Kehler who plays the driver who picks up Michael plays Paul Potts in two episodes of ALLY McBEAL's third season. CONTINUITY Several elements from previous episodes are referenced - Michael's unsatisfactory home-life, River Dog's stones from THE BALANCE, Michael helping Amy out in THE CONVENTION and the Amy DeLuca/Jim Valenti relationship. Michael uses his unstable powers against Hank, including shattering a chair, opening and closing the fridge door and discharging the gun. NOTES Amy DeLuca justifies her relationship with Valenti by telling Maria that "there are like three single guys in all of Roswell. And two of them live in the Desert Inn Retirement community." Nasedo swallows what look like Tic-Tacs (or something similar) when shapeshifting. Would Michael really be granted emancipation (especially so quickly)? COMMENTS Michael's less than satisfying home-life (especially when compared against Max and Isabel's) has been hinted at before, but INDEPENDENCE DAY explores further his relationship with Hank, who clearly is only interested in picking up the monthly cheque. Brendan Fehr is great, making the scene where Michael makes breakfast for the Evanses touching (the "sir" he uses with Philip is very effective). The Monopoly game highlights Michael's frustration and inability to deal with others and the scene where he turns up outside Maria's demonstrates his helplessness. Isabel has previously been shown to regard Michael as family, so her attempts to bring him into the Evans household are understandable, but Max's conversations with him provide some nice development. Amy DeLuca continues to be a great character, as shown by her interaction with Valenti and Maria (and the roles in their relationship are almost reversed, with in many ways Maria being the more self-reliant of the two). Yet again the episode ends with Nasedo, this time with the revelation that he was Hank at the end of the episode (implying that he killed him, which ties in with Hubble's warning). As usual, there are some nice humorous scenes, including Maria and Liz almost walking in on Amy and Valenti and Amy's reaction to finding Michael in bed with her daughter. BACK TO THE TOP |
INDEPENDENCE DAY |
