Missing (Roswell)

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Missing is the fifth episode of the television series Roswell.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

1 Plot Summary
2 Episode Overview
3 Cast
4 Powers Used
5 Songs Used

[edit] Plot Summary

Liz's journal goes missing, in which she wrote details of how Max saved her life, what he really is, where he's from, and what she feels for him.

[edit] Episode Overview

The episode begins with Liz walking home at night, reflecting on how her world has changed since Max Evans saved her life. She is quite paranoid, and then realises that perhaps she's the only one that's changed, and the world is still the same. However, when she arrives home, she alarmingly discovers that her journal is missing, starting to wonder if her paranoia wasn't necessary after all. Liz tells Maria about the missing journal.

That night, Michael suddenly awakens from sleep and hurriedly rummages about for a pad of paper, obviously wanting to draw something. He picks up a blunt pencil, and instead of using a standard sharpener, he sharpens it with his powers. He then sketches something on the paper.

Michael goes to the Evans household and wakes Max up, who is unimpressed since it's three o'clock in the morning. Michael shows him what he drew: a semicircle, which he saw in a dream. Still unimpressed, Max asks if they can talk about it in the morning. Michael reluctantly okays his suggestion. He then asks if he can sleep there; Max agrees. Michael rolls out Max's sleeping bag and they both go to bed.

At school the next day, Liz and Maria discuss the missing journal. Maria begins to suspect Alex of having stolen the journal while studying with Liz the previous day. Liz denies it and decides that it's simply misplaced, but Maria persists, saying that Alex had both opportunity and motive: "...until we ask ourselves, "Why would Alex want the diary?" Has he been feeling ignored, curious, asking questions we don't answer, seeking explanations we don't give? Come on. And what better way to find those answers than in your journal? Now that's a motive." Alex approaches his friends then, and they both dodge his questions, as they have been having to do a lot lately. Alex obviously feels left out, upset and annoyed. He leaves and Liz asks Maria how she should tell Max.

Later, Liz tries to tell Max about the journal, but Michael interrupts them and coldly brushes Liz off, to Max's dismay. Liz walks away and Max confronts Michael about his attitude towards Liz, reminding Michael that he promised to be nicer; Michael replies that Max said he would stay away from her, and that they should call it even.

Liz sits alone in a dark classroom, thinking hard and attracting Ms. Topolsky's attention. She tries to get Liz to confide in her, by telling her that she is not alone. She tells Liz that she is not just a guidance counsellor. Liz, attention piqued, asks Ms. Topolsky what she is, hoping for answers to her suspicions; she is disappointed when the other woman says she is a friend. Once again, Topolsky tries to find out what's wrong, but is unsuccessful as Liz tells her that everything is great.

Maria talks to Alex, who asks her what's wrong, or if it's one of those things she can't talk with him about anymore. Realising that he's annoyed, Maria asks if his feelings would cause him to do anything odd. She then tells him about the missing diary. Alex easily sees what she means and is hurt and angered by her accusation. He storms off and Ms. Topolsky cleverly manipulates him into telling her about Liz's journal. Alex leaves, unaware of what he's just done. Ms. Topolsky's face darkens and she makes a mysterious phone call to 'Control'. She relays that she has made an interesting discovery and inquires if she can have some backup, thus revealing that she is in fact a government agent.

Michael makes a rare appearance in art class and begins to sketch his vision in great detail. Elsewhere, Kyle coldly confronts Liz about her relationship with Max and their breakup. Ms. Topolsky, ever the watchful one, witnesses this.

In the UFO centre, Max looks at some books, and Milton notices. He recommends a book called 'Among Us' as reading material, and calls Max a true believer. He is also aware that Max wants answers, though he doesn't know how true his observation is. Liz appears and hovers nearby. Milton dimisses Max, knowing that she's the more interesting one. In the backroom, Liz nervously tells Max about her diary and asks him to give her one day to find it, and also not to tell anyone.

Liz searches frenziedly for her journal at home, and has a confrontation with her mother after Alex calls. When her mother mentions how she was quite sure Liz might not want to talk to Alex, Liz begins to suspect her mother of stealing her journal. Mrs. Parker has no idea what she's talking about and Liz realises she's being very suspicious. She resumes her search for her diary.

At the Crashdown, Michael is obsessively drawing his vision. Isabel tries to persuade him not to draw it in public, saying it's putting them in danger by his sketching it in the Crashdown. She asks Max for backup but he is reading 'Among Us', the book that Milton directed him to. Max makes a somewhat offended comment on some of what Atherton, the author, writes, and Isabel despairs over both him and Michael and their careless actions. Kyle and group of his friends walk into the cafe then, and Kyle informs Max that he is, "on to him".

Panicked, Max goes to see Liz and tells her that Kyle stole her diary. Liz tells him that it's misplaced, not stolen, as well as making a reference to how he is acting rather like Maria. Max remains steadfast in his belief that Kyle took her journal. Liz tells him that Kyle's remark was about his and Liz's breakup, not about Max's being an alien. Whilst in her room, however, Max has a vision of Kyle wandering around in there.

Michael continues to enthusiastically work on his drawing. Liz confronts Kyle at school; his responses don't make it quite clear if he stole the journal or not, but he sounds like he could have done. Finally, she tells him that what he has, she wants back. He replies with: "We all want something back, Liz."

Finally finished, Michael's picture is on display. Isabel mentions how its being on display isn't good. Max agrees. Isabel tells Michael what she thinks of his 'thing'. Michael says it's not a 'thing', though he doesn't actually know what it is yet. Max backs Isabel up; Michael angrily refers to how Max was allowed to take a dangerous chance when he healed Liz, and that the rules are obviously different when it comes to Max. Max tells him that it was different because he saved someone's life; he didn't 'dabble in the arts'. Michael walks away, upset.

Ms. Topolosky meets with some government agents and tells them about the journal. One is skeptical, but she convinces him by explaining that Liz is an A+ student, not some crackpot or a drunk. She also mentions that Liz has been having problems with Kyle, and dispatches the agents, saying that's where they should start looking.

Max and Liz have the same idea. They search the Valenti household, unaware that a shadowy figure is also there. They don't find the diary, but Max find a photograph of Kyle and Liz together under Kyle's bed. Kyle comes home and Liz and Max leave without him ever realising they were there. The shadow figure watches them go.

In art class, Michael continues to draw his vision. He still has no idea what it is, but his teacher tells him it's a geodesic dome. His teacher also says that maybe Michael should sketch something else, like the statue the rest of the class is drawing. Quietly defiant, Michael complies by drawing a stick person. His teacher tells him to stick with the dome.

Outside, Max, Michael and Isabel talk about Michael's painting. Max says it's not their biggest problem, and tells them about what Liz had written in her journal. He then tells them they can't blame her for losing it.

After hours at the Crashdown, Michael goes to see a very worried Liz, acting very cold and nasty in an underlying way. Michael tells her in a very calm manner that he knows about the journal, and he knows what she wrote in it. He then says that she needs to know it wasn't smart to write such things down, and that he knew it a week ago. Liz asks what he means.

A flashback to a week ago reveals that Liz was writing in her journal at the Crashdown counter, and Michael saw it. He reveals that he had to know the risk, so he took her journal. He returns it and says that it's good to know they have at least one friend in Roswell. He tells her not to tell Max he took it, though. Liz asks why he didn't just destroy it, since anyone who read it would know about them. He replies that they'd only know all about her, and says thankyou for giving him one more reason to envy Max Evans. This is a real character bonding moment for those two, which we don't see for a while.

Liz tells Max all is well, simply saying that a good friend returned it. She also explains that what she wrote in her journal wasn't about science, it was about how he made her feel when he healed her. Max wants to know if he can see it. She tells him it's probably not such a good idea, because if he did he would know how Liz really sees him.

At school, Max is once again reading 'Among Us'. Michael is thinking about his painting and how it seems to mean nothing. Max is in a good mood, so Isabel realises the diary is safe and sound. When she asks where it was, Max tells her and Michael that Liz only said a good friend gave it back. Michael smiles to himself - Liz kept his secret. Isabel flicks through Max's book and discovers an important picture in the back. Stunned, she shows Max and Michael the photograph: the author, William Atherton, standing outside a geodosic dome just like the one Michael saw, in Marathon, Texas.

Liz thinks about recent events, and how bigger secrets lead to bigger problems, as she hides her journal behind a loose brick behind the wall.

[edit] Cast

Jason Behr as Max Evans
Shiri Appleby as Liz Parker
Katherine Heigl as Isabel Evans
Majandra Delfino as Maria DeLuca
Brendan Fehr as Michael Guerin
Colin Hanks as Alex Whitman
Nick Wechsler as Kyle Valenti
William Sadler as Sheriff Jim Valenti (doesn't appear in this episode)
Julie Benz as Kathleen Topolsky
Steve Hynter as Milton Ross
Jo Anderson as Nancy Parker

[edit] Powers Used

Michael uses his powers to sharpen a pencil.
Michael uses his powers to erase a line of paint on his drawing.
Michael hints at how that he used his powers to unlock Liz's window to take her journal, but we don't see this.