Our rating: 3 out of 5

Rated: TV14

reviewed by Charity Bishop
 

Among fans of this three-season series, the second year is not a favorite. Maybe because it had so many characters and complicated plot lines or perhaps (and this is more likely) because in it, Max and Liz were no longer a couple and spent a good portion of the latter half of the season arguing. Whatever reasons, the season remains as interesting and character driven as the first.

The murder of the FBI agent bent on unearthing their secrets has forced Max (Jason Behr), Michael (Brendan Fehr), Isabel (Katherine Heigl), and Tess (Emilie de Ravin) to plot an extensive cover-up with the assistance of local law enforcement. Their guardian Nasedo shape-shifts into the agent in order to tie up loose ends in Washington, but it soon becomes apparent that they cannot keep this ruse up for long. Another, more serious threat against the human-aliens has arisen in the form of an ancient alien race known as the Skins. From a rival group that forced a takeover of Max's original planet, the Skins hope to annihilate or corrupt their enemies in to working with them against mankind. With her protector gone, Tess moves in with Sheriff Valenti (William Sadler) and his son Kyle (Nick Wechsler) and soon finds the unusual arrangement problematic.

The discovery that Tess is a member of the original royal four and the former wife of Max's alien counterpart on their planet has forced Liz (Shiri Appleby) to abandon her relationship with Max our of the fear of getting hurt. Just when it seems their romance might reignite, she receives a visitor from the future to warn her that if she marries Max per the original plan, their future selves will be destroyed and all will suffer as a result. Michael is also attempting to piece together facts from the past surrounding the crash and learns that the Skins may not be the only peril they have yet to encounter. There is another adversary, one that will stop at nothing to prevent them from learning the truth, even at the cost of the ones they love.

For my part, I admit that the first several episodes were less than compelling. I was disappointed that Max and Liz had drifted so far apart since the first season's finale and that is a theme that carries throughout, even putting them at odds in the last four episodes. They are so sweet together that watching them scream at one another after the death of a friend is painful. There are several painful aspects about this season -- the death of a semi-main character is one of them. On occasion, characters do die off in television shows and almost every time, the audience is impacted, but I think this is the first instance in which we really feel the agony of loss. It's more than tears of sympathy but also understanding, because the cast and writers did a tremendous job of making us realize just what had been lost -- years of memories and friendship, along with what the future might have held. Most of the characters mourn right away but it's Liz who impacts us the most, when toward the end of the episode her stoic countenance breaks into a torrent of tears.

I did not really enjoy some of the twists in the plot, because I felt bad for the characters involved, but overall the season has the same charm and humor of the first, from Michael's deadpan humor to the pranks Tess occasionally plays on Kyle. It's hard not to reveal spoilers in talking about content but I will do my best. There is less making out this time around, and it's implied through dialogue that most of the main characters are still virgins. Two of them toward the end of the season do sleep together (the montage is of romantic kissing, and a far off shot of clothing removal, and then the next episode has them waking up together) but there are consequences -- the boy feels as if his actions were wrong, and the girl is pregnant. In the finale, two other characters consummate their love. The girls sometimes wear revealing clothing (short skirts, plunging necklines). There is a moderate amount of sexually-related comments and conversation about sleeping with people. In order to make Max believe their relationship really is over, Liz arranges for it to appear as if she has slept with Kyle. Max catches them in bed together.

Some mild language intrudes along with alien violence but none of it is too grotesque. Explosions, shoot-outs, and occasional fistfights make up the worst of it. One thing that might make Christian audiences a little uncomfortable is that whenever an alien entity from the home planet needs to speak with the gang, he "inhabits" or "possesses" the body of a human. (Thus, stories of abduction -- because people have "missing hours" from their life.) Isobel has the power to "dream walk" -- she can enter other people's conscious minds and explore their dreams. In one instance, she witnesses a brutal kidnapping. Tess can also manipulate her surroundings and have power over people's perceptions. Early in the season, Liz and Maria visit a fortune teller to learn about their long-term love lives. Kyle has become a Buddhist and often makes references to his newfound "philosophies of life."