ROSWELL
Season 1, Episode 15: Independence Day
Michael, who had escaped into the bathroom, tries to escape into a stall as Max walks in. Max tricks Michael into thinking he has left the bathroom, and gets a surprise in return. Michael tries to hide his black eye, but Max is instantly worried. The two end up at the railroad tracks, where Michael confides in Max. His bad excuse for a father, Hank, had been abusing him again; Max encourages him to seek help. Michael, obstinate as usual, refuses. "I don't want anyone feeling sorry for me," he says firmly, before telling Max to keep his family troubles a secret.
At the Crashdown, while Maria continues to encourage Liz's independence from Max, Max sits down to talk with Isabelle. Betraying Michael's trust in hopes of helping him, Max tells her everything. When Michael walks in and realizes what Max has done, he storms out. The remaining aliens follow him; Isabelle is especially worried. She suggests he talk with her father, who is a lawyer and could help him become an independent minor; Michael refuses, telling her that it would only bring unneeded attention to them. Isabelle continues, telling him he could use his powers against Hank; Michael again retaliates, telling them that he cannot control his powers as well as the other two. She continues to plead with him, and finally convinces him to stay at the Evans' for the meantime.
Funny scene: Liz and Maria arrive at Maria's home from a long day at the Crashdown, only to find Maria's mom, Amy, and Sheriff Valenti, who I guess we can call Jim now, stirring up the passion again.
Michael does not really blend in with the Evans' upper middle class behavior. In the middle of a Monopoly game, Michael walks out, convinced that he doesn't belong there. Max holds Isabelle back, telling her that Michael just needs to be let go.
At the trailer, Michael finds an unhappy (and probably drunk) Hank. Trying to find comfort in his room, Hank interrupts and begins to order him around. Michael's temper erupts, as well as Hank's; at that moment, Max and Isabelle walk in. When he spots Isabelle, he begins to turn on the charm (yuck), and Max and Michael become defensive. Isabelle, however, seems capable of taking care of herself, as she plays along with Hank, then throws the offered drink in his face and threatens to kill him. By this time, Hank has got his hands on a shotgun, and aims is threateningly at the three. Michael is now hyper-defensive and finally lets his alien powers loose; though they are uncontrollable, they are enough to scare Hank. "I knew it! You're a freak!" he exclaims amidst the poltergeist-like results. The aliens rush out of the trailer, but after they drive to the Evans', Michael is even more the tortured soul. "I know Hank's a jerk, but he was all I had, and you guys screwed that up for good," he tells them finally. He continues to feel ostracized from them and their perfect family; Michael also refuses to seek help, citing that he doesn't want to become "poster child for domestic abuse." Max again holds Isabelle back, as Michael walks alone into the nighttime.
Meanwhile, Maria and her mom are having a heart-to-heart, only this time, Maria is lecturing her mom. Maria warns her mom against that type of guy who "can't open up, can't admit they have emotions, refuse to open up."
Absolutely unmissable scene: As Maria gets ready for bed, she looks out into the rainy night. She is surprised to find Michael there, looking soaked and vulnerable. "No, you can't come in," she yells through the glass. The next thing we know, she's drying him off. When she realizes how drenched he is, she tells him to take off his jacket. Maria then looks into his face, and sees that he is shivering. She brings him over to her bed, and lets him lay down. Michael follows her, and as he rests on her pillow, he slowly begins to cry. Maria holds him, comforting him quietly, "Shh, it's okay. You don't have to tell me it's okay."
In the morning, the two, who had fallen asleep, are abruptly awakened by a surprised Amy DeLuca. She is undescribably hurt and angry at Maria, though Maria tries to explain to her the real circumstances.
To continue his bad day, Michael is called out of class later on. Sheriff Valenti questions him about the whereabouts of Hank, who has apparently disappeared. Valenti asks Michael about late last night, where neighbors heard screaming, animal-liked, torturous sounds. Michael is a bit confused, but does not tell the sheriff that he was at Maria's.
Once again at the Crashdown, Liz is telling Maria about her efforts to forget Max. Maria, though, is not listening. When Isabelle walks in, concerned about Michael, she agrees to tell Maria and Liz his circumstances, in return for their help. Maria is surprised to hear about his father's abuse, and Isabelle and Liz are equally surprised that Michael and Maria spent the night together! Max then walks in, telling them all that Valenti was holding Michael for Hank's disappearance. At the DeLuca's, Maria waits for her mom to get home. When she does, Maria asks her to appeal to the sheriff, since she knows that Michael was at the DeLuca's the entire night before. Amy agrees after a heartfelt plea, and they go down to the station and set Michael free.
The aliens are once again at the railroad tracks, discussing matters of Michael and finding Nesaro. Isabelle has seemingly become annoyed at Michael's continuous whining of his foster situation, while Max thinks Nesaro is dangerous. Michael again feels alone, and decides to leave Roswell in search of the fourth alien.
While Liz looks through her telescope late that night, she hears a knock on the window. Max awaits outside, and it seems he just wants to talk. He confides in Liz his fears of Michael leaving suddenly, without saying goodbye; it is obvious that Liz feels the same way about Max.
Max shows up at Michael's later on, in time to see him packing. Michael starts to leave, telling Max to say 'goodbye.' Max refuses, telling Michael that he needs to stop being selfish, and that the three of them are a family. Max gives Michael a package, telling him that the contents "mean nothing without you." Michael takes it, then leaves.
Roadside, Michael finally hitches a ride. The driver makes light conversation, calling Roswell "a joke." The driver smiles to himself, mentioning the lack of aliens. When he says, "There ain't nothing in that town," Michael begins to have flashbacks of Max and Isabelle. By this time, he has opened the package, finding all the alien paraphanelia he and the other two had collected up until then.
The next morning, Isabelle is surprised to find Michael making breakfast in the Evans' kitchen. Michael's parents are also pleasantly surprised, and Michael finally asks Mr. Evans about legal help. Later on (must be a few days later on, realistically speaking), Michael and Mr. Evans appear in front of a judge. The judge grants him the Petition for Emancipation; he tells Michael that his decision was partially based on the appearance of two friends of Michael's who "showed confidence" in him (those two friends being Max and Isabelle, of course). Meanwhile, Hank shows up at Valenti's office, telling him that he found a new job in a different city. He mentions that he'll be leaving, but without "that boy." He asks the sheriff if there are any papers to sign, but Valenti replies that everything has already been taken care of. Hank shrugs carelessly, then turns to leave. When Valenti urges him to leave "quickly," Hank replies, "Don't worry, Sheriff. I'm already gone."
Late that night, in a remote area of the woods, a car pulls to a stop. Hank gets out, looking around suspiciously. He opens the trunk, revealing the body of Hank! (Now this is weird...) "Hank" drags Hank to a nearby spot, and begins to dig. After burying the body, "Hank" gets back into the car. He focuses his energy in his hands, and a bright light swallows the car. Afterwards, a different man appears in "Hank"'s place! He downs a couple pills, then drives away into the darkness.
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