by Kate Ancel
copyright February 10, 2000

"Ladies and Gentlemen, who is M.E. and what has he done with our Dream Girl?"

'Blind Date' was written by Thania St. John and directed by Keith Samples. The dissention in the ranks predicted by Topolsky is starting to show itself as Michael and Max draw their lines in the sand. Max makes it plain that he thinks further investigation into the identity of the other alien is dangerous and foolish. And Michael makes it equally plain that it's too soon to make that judgement and he's determined to continue the quest with or without Max.

Max, meanwhile, has issues of his own to occupy his night as Liz prepares to embark on a very public blind date arranged by a local radio station. The date, whose description is uncannily familiar, attempts to woo her with promises of a normal date while Max and Kyle do their best to make sure his efforts are in vain.

Random Thoughts:
As Max and Michael were coming to loggerheads again over the 4th alien, I found myself wondering if these two would even acknowledge each other if they weren't tied together by the whole alien thing.

We've seen very little real friendship between them. They've come to each other's rescue; they've argued; they've shared secrets.

But when have we ever seen them laugh together and just have fun and be friends? Granted, they do spend a lot of their free time together, but how much of that is simple mathmatics? Neither one of them seems to have an over-abundance of friends in their lives.

Isabel and Michael genuinely care about each other, but Michael and Max seem to have such an adversarial dynamic.

They can count on each other to cover their backs, but it's becoming clearer that the basis of their relationship is changing and they are going to have to deal with it.

As Michael comes closer to the answers about Nacedo, he becomes more convinced that he will find a father in the 4th alien.

Max has been so used to being Michael's father figure, I don't think he quite knows how to approach Michael in any other capacity. Michael and Max need understanding and compassion from each other so much now…more than either one of them seems to want to admit.

You'd have to be pretty hard-hearted to not have been touched by Michael's defeated, resigned assertion that no one ever comes for him.

I like how we're discovering bits and pieces about Nacedo as the kids do. The mysterious peek we get of him at the end of the episode was a good teaser.

I was a little confused about the significance of the picture, however. If it was supposed to be a sign to Michael, why burn it?

The only point I could see for leaving it was for the audience to see that he's been keeping an eye on them.

So Max can become invisible and levitate when he's been drinking. Or is it just that he can make ladders out of thin air? Nice trick.

I must admit, I was disappointed we didn't get to see Max make Doug into a blonde. I'd like to have seen him talk his way out of that one.

And I want to know where Liz buys that fantastic lip gloss. It manages to stay put and glossy even after being thoroughly kissed not once but three times. And not a speck of it ended up on the lips of the ones doing the kissing. I'm definitely shopping in the wrong places.

Liz needs to be taught a few things about fire safety. It's not generally a good idea to leave lighted candles burning unattended on your balcony.

Anyone else catch the Mulder and Scully dolls on Liz's cabinet?

Dislikes:

I was absolutely loving this episode right up until the inevitable Max-coming-to-his-senses scene. Must the writers toy with us this way? I should have suspected something like it was in store for us when they hit us with Liz's daydream kiss with Max.

It would have been bad enough for Max to take everything back, but to add insult to injury, he denies even remembering it.

Please. Who does he think he is, Bobby Ewing? I thought this was a weak ending for this story. I would have much preferred to see Max and Liz dealing with the consequences of his unguarded admissions in the cold light of day.

I didn't like having the whole Nacedo storyline relegated to the C story. I thought there was some really valuable information revealed in that ongoing story, but layered in with the blind date and band storylines, it lost its impact.

Doug seemed a bit old for Liz. After all, he's a sophomore in college and she is only a sophomore in high school.

And where were Liz's parents during all of this? We're expected to believe that their daughter is going out with a complete stranger who also happens to be a college boy and they don't even show up to meet him? Especially after they made a point of showing us a Jeff Parker who was a concerned, involved parent in 'Into the Woods.'

I have some issues with teenagers solving their problems with alcohol and pressuring others to do the same. Although a drunken Max and Kyle were undeniably cute, I don't think teen drinking should be presented in quite such a light-hearted manner.

Do you really think Liz would hear the name of the Crashdown on the radio during the prize announcement and just continue to sweep the floor as if nothing out of the ordinary was happening?

I have to give a serious thumbs down to misleading trailers. We were led to believe that Max had gotten himself in trouble with the law yet again when we see him running away with a siren in the background. And yet, it turned out to be as innocent as a foot race.

This one is unrelated to this episode...just an overall gripe. Whatever happened to the FBI anyway? Do you suppose the whole hacking incident instilled the fear of God into them and sent them packing for good?

Likes:

I liked the bonding we got between Isabel and Michael. This is the first time their friendship has been spotlighted and it provides some valuable insight into their relationship. I do wish she'd spoken up at the Crashdown on Michael's behalf when he was there to hear her, but it's clear she doesn't like being in the middle between him and Max. Their scenes together were sweet and tender. Michael doesn't let himself show Isabel how much she means to him when there are others around. It was nice to see real feeling between them. Isabel understands him better than anyone else in his life. She alone seems to understand that the hope of finding a real father is what keeps Michael going.

I like how they worked in the musical talents of both Majandra Delfino and Colin Hanks.

Who would have thought Max would be a cheat when he's drunk?

You know we've entered a serious alternate universe when Kyle is playing guard dog so Max can spend some quality time with Liz.

I got a kick out of both Kyle and Liz treating Max like a disobedient puppy when he was drunk.

It was cute how Max superimposed himself over the images of Alex and Maria in the picture in Liz's bedroom. It made me wonder if that indicates a bit of jealousy on his part at the roles they both play in her life that he is unable to play.

Max looked so proud of himself for flagging down the KROZ van to give them a ride.

I liked symbolism of Max viewing Liz out of focus and then suddenly have the image become clear as his head suddenly cleared and everything crystalized around him.

I was absolutely enchanted with the magical evening Max gave Liz. He makes himself a hard act to follow. How can some normal college boy hope to live up to mirrorball street lights, car alarm serenades and a heart with initials that spontaneously light up? Not to mention sparkling parking meters. And let's not even get started on the whole connection thing they make when kissing. Doug did not stand a chance. I hope we get to see a bit more of light-hearted, carefree Max. He deserves to have some fun once in awhile.

For me, though, the highlight of this episode was Kyle. Nick Wechsler deserves a round of applause for his performance in this one. I loved the bonding between Max and Kyle. Let's hope they really can bury the hatchet once they've both sobered up. I'd like to see them actually (gasp!) become friends. Max could use a friend outside the tense trio and who better to understand what he's going through than someone who's been there himself? Every scene they had together made me laugh.

Favorite Quotes:

Kyle: Every line he uttered qualifies as a favorite quote in this episode. I've listed a few of my favorites below, but in the interest of space, let's just say every word out of his mouth was a classic. And most of Max's were as well.

Liz: "Do you guys sound this good plugged in?"

Liz: "Ok, embarrassing, humiliating, mortifying...I don't know...pick your SAT word."

Announcer: "What's running through your mind right now?"
Liz: "Yeah, nothing I can say on live radio."

Kyle: "Evans, I know your pain, man."

Michael: "Fine. Both of you sit here with your cherry colas and your high school fantasies."

Michael: "It was clear in my hallucination."
Max: "Hallucination would be the key word there."

Liz: "What am I going to do?"
Maria: "You're going to get some phone numbers, that's what you're going to do."

Liz: "I guess that's sort of a contradiction of terms...being normal in Roswell."

Kyle: "In case you haven't noticed, we're here in the gutter while she's out smooching with dog boy."

Kyle: "You tell me and I'll tell you. How far did you and Liz get?"
Max: "We saw into each other's souls. How about you?"
Kyle: "Second base."
Max: "Well, we can't win 'em all."

Kyle: "We can't leave now. Look where we are…Liz's bedroom. It's Mecca."

Alex: "What are you doing?"
Maria: "I'm hyperventilating."

Maria: "They have no style.."
Alex: "We have a very specific style. It's called normal, not thrift shop freak."

Michael: "Well, it's either the concert or discovering where we come from."

Michael: "The only father I need is the one out there waiting for us to find him."

Max: "She's going to forget all about Mr. Shallow and come back to us."
Kyle: "How do we split her up exactly? Every other week? Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays? Alternate Saturdays?"

Kyle: "There is no ladder."
Max: "Well, yeah, now."

Isabel: "I'm just afraid you won't find what you're looking for. Or that you will and you won't need Max and me anymore."
Michael: "That's not possible, ok?"

Kyle: "Girls always like that meaningful stuff. I suck at that."

Liz: "This can never be normal, Max."
Max: "What's so great about normal?"
[setting off the parking meters like sparklers]

Michael: "Just forget it. He's not coming."
Isabel: "Maybe not tonight."
Michael: "Not ever. No one ever comes for me."
Isabel: "I will. Whenever you need me."

Isabel: "Michael needs his hope. It's the only thing that keeps him going."

I give this episode 4.75 UFOs out of 5.
The sobering-up cop-out was the only thing that kept this from being a perfect episode for me.