‘Roswell, New Mexico’ Season 2 Episode 5 Recap: “I’ll Stand by You”

Roswell New Mexico Season 2 Episode 5
Michael Trevino as Kyle and Jeanine Mason as Liz in ‘Roswell, New Mexico’ season 2 episode 5 (Photo: Richard Foreman © 2020 The CW Network, LLC)

Rosa and Liz’s dad is adjusting to the return of his deceased daughter as The CW’s Roswell, New Mexico season two episode five opens. Rosa (Amber Midthunder) tries to convince her sister to move into Max’s place and as they talk, the radio shorts out. Liz (Jeanine Mason) realizes it’s possible being in the pod altered Rosa’s DNA.

Liz wonders if Rosa’s developing abilities. Rosa shows off Max’s handprint and it’s obviously fading. That may not be a good thing.

Over at the pod, Michael (Michael Vlamis), Isobel (Lily Cowles), and Liz try to figure out why Max’s pod won’t charge anymore. Liz thinks it’s possible that because the mark is fading on Rosa’s chest, Max could be going braindead as the connection fades.

Rosa arrives and reveals her big secret: Max was visiting her way before she ever told Liz about it. She also confesses Max has been begging to be allowed to die. He’s in pain inside the pod and Michael realizes Max pulled his own plug.

Maria (Heather Hemmens) pays a visit to Alex (Tyler Blackburn) and even though she’s still pissed at the others, she’s no longer mad at him. After all, she did hook up with Michael so they’re sort of even. She needs help getting into her laptop and Alex can’t resist her charm and agrees to try and break into it.

They talk about their attractions to Michael, and Alex tells her not to give up on him yet. A flashback shows a younger Alex and Michael making out in the back of a truck. Alex believed Michael changed after his dad found them together, even turning down a scholarship to college. He wondered if the reason Michael and Max hadn’t been hanging as much is because Michael’s in love with Max.

Michael quickly shot that down. He said they were friends when they were kids but Max reminded him too much of things he’d rather not think about. Then he made a creepy joke about being in love with Isobel.

The younger Alex didn’t want Michael to waste his life.

Maria figures out Michael was just pushing Alex away to see if he’d let him go. Alex admits he didn’t need much pushing because Michael’s anger was just too much for him to handle.

Alex breaks into the computer and Maria confesses it’s actually her mom’s computer. Maria wanted to see if she could figure out who her mom’s been talking to, but they discover she deleted her browser history. Maria decides she doesn’t want to know what her mom’s hiding, but Alex wonders what she got rid of.

Maria believes her mom has a right to her secrets.

Their computer work ends when Kyle texts Alex with a 911 message that the heart transplant’s on for tonight. Maria wonders how Alex was able to forgive Kyle who was horrible to him when they were in school. Alex assures her he’s doing this for Liz.

Kyle (Michael Trevino) shows up at the secret lair after Liz calls him, and she needs to know what’s up with Noah’s heart. Kyle says it’s still too weak. They have to wait at least eight weeks to do the surgery. Liz wants reassurance that Max isn’t always in pain, but Kyle can’t give it to her. However, he reminds her she was able to work on Noah’s heart to get it to begin healing which is an impressive feat.

Kyle warns Liz she needs to prepare herself for saying goodbye to Max. She needs to give herself a chance to live through this.

Michael and Isobel have a heart-to-heart, and Michael tells Isobel it’s going to be her decision what happens to Max. They have a mini argument about Michael always viewing himself as an outsider while she and Max have always thought of him as family. Michael makes light of it, but then the siblings get serious.

Isobel confesses she was pregnant and after Noah died she got through the decision process by imagining Max was there. But, ultimately, what to do about the pregnancy was a decision she had to make on her own. She knew what was the right choice. This decision about Max isn’t their decision – it’s Max’s. If Rosa’s right, then Max has decided to end his suffering.

Isobel cries as the truth that Max will die today sinks in.

Liz and Rosa reunite at their favorite spot – the roof of the diner. Liz confesses she dreamed of Rosa a lot after she died and eventually those dreams faded away. She’s never dreamed of Max since his death and she’s heartbroken she hasn’t seen him. Rosa says Liz wouldn’t want a visit from him the way he is now. He’s in pain and messed up.

Liz isn’t sure how she’ll live after he dies. She never told him she loved him. (I’m not crying, you’re crying!)

Max (Nathan Parsons) is alone in his pod when Liz shows up in the cave to have a one-sided talk. She tells him she thought she could fix his heart since he fixed hers.

Isobel wants to have a chat with Max via Rosa, needing to confirm for herself that it’s actually Max communicating with Rosa in her dreams. She wants to mind-meld with Rosa through the handprint, but Rosa reminds her that only happens when she’s asleep. Isobel, being Isobel, knocks Rosa out. Problem solved.

Isobel slips into Rosa’s dreams and Rosa’s super pissed she got knocked out. Her current nightmare feels broken and weird, and Max is nowhere to be seen. They hear music and take off toward its source.

They arrive at a busted up, broken down version of the diner. Max is in a booth and Isobel runs to him. She gives him a hug and he tells her she can’t be there. He doesn’t know what will happen to her if she’s in his head when he dies. He admits he couldn’t stand it anymore and released a surge of energy. “You have to let me go,” says Max.

They hug and Max asks Isobel to tell Liz something. Rosa breaks in and reveals he can pass on the message himself when Liz and Kyle do the heart transplant. Max demands they stop this and Rosa explains it will only be a short while to say goodbye and then they’ll let him go.

Isobel figures out something’s up. Max says he’s dangerous and whatever Liz brings back won’t be him. “It’s just some broken shell,” says Max.

Max thinks there’s an energy to death and when he healed Rosa, he absorbed 10 years of emptiness. If he’s brought back now, they’ll be bringing back an infection. He doesn’t want to be a monster or hurt anyone.

Isobel becomes angry and reminds him they’ve been hurting since he died. She claims they don’t work without him, but he disagrees. He wants them to stop this now and, surprisingly, Isobel says okay. She tells him she loves him and they hug again.

Isobel disappears from the dream and Rosa apologizes. Max is now chained in place and he knows Isobel was lying. She will not give up, but he needs Rosa to convince them there’s darkness in his head. Max wants her to stop them to save them.

She wakes up with a sore head and locked in a closet.

A flashback shows Michael and Max arguing over who should take the blame for the triple murder. Max wants to tell Isobel it was him, but Michael reminds him he’s always been the hero. He needs to embrace his reputation.

Back to current events and Michael’s taking out his anger over Max’s impending real death by hammering on the jeep he was fixing for when Max returned. Liz shows up and she’s also in a mood. She’s decided they will do the transplant tonight no matter what. Noah’s heart will probably only keep him alive for a few minutes but that’s enough time for them to let him know just how much he was loved.

She wants Michael to be there when Max wakes up, even though Michael seems to think Max has heard enough from him for one lifetime.

Michael gets back to work on Max’s car and recalls one night when Isobel showed up and needed help with Max. Max passed out on their 21st birthday from drinking too much tequila and she blamed Michael for Max’s drunkenness. It wouldn’t have happened if Michael agreed to go to the bar with them in the first place.

A very slurry Max explained it’s always supposed to be three. He showed his tattoo of the strange symbols, explaining Michael should always be there because there has to be three.

Flashback over, Michael’s finally fixed the car. As he explains what was wrong with it to his boss and how he fixed it, he has an epiphany and hurries off.

Once at the secret lair he gets busy working on the idea that just came to him.

Isobel joins Liz in the operating room as Liz is preparing for surgery. Isobel’s still pissed about her brother’s motivations and can’t believe he doesn’t want to come back because he’s afraid he might hurt someone. She knows he has to expel the dark energy and realizes what they need is someone stronger than Max to take that hit. She thinks Max is underestimating how capable they are.

Isobel tells Liz to bring Max back and she’ll handle the rest.

Roswell New Mexico Season 2 Episode 5
Tyler Blackburn as Alex in ‘Roswell, New Mexico’ season 2 episode 5 (Photo: Richard Foreman © 2020 The CW Network, LLC)

A while later the operating room’s set. Alex has convinced the hospital staff there’s a VIP in the room who doesn’t want to be disturbed so no one will bother them. Michael hasn’t shown up but Kyle’s there and so is Isobel as they move Max’s pod next to the operating table.

Liz inserts her hands into the pod and pulls Max out. They lay him on the table and the surgery gets underway after Liz gently kisses his forehead.

Kyle reminds Liz they’re risking everything to do this surgery – a surgery that will only bring Max around for a minute or two before Noah’s heart quits. Liz says that’s all the time she needs.

Kyle’s worried about Liz operating on a loved one, but she says she’s fine. She also acknowledges nothing she can do will ever repay him for what he’s about to do. Kyle tells her not to apologize; they’re family.

Michael rushes in and he’s figured out they need three of them. He runs into the operating room with a small box that will nudge Max’s pulse and keep it steady and strong. It should buy them time…maybe even years.

Michael realized Max wouldn’t have pulled his plug to end his own suffering. It had to be that Max thought he was saving them from suffering. “I’m a little sick of his heroic martyr crap,” says Michael.

He built an alien pacemaker in just seven hours.

They transplant Noah’s heart and a pulse appears on the machine. Next, they add the pacemaker and Max seems to crash.

Michael’s outside the operating room waiting as Rosa runs in. She won’t stop and talk and instead rushes into the OR with Michael hot on her heels. As they push their way in, Kyle and Liz are using a defibrillator to try and start Max’s heart. They shock him and he’s still flatlining.

They turn up the voltage and he remains flatlined.

Isobel slips into a dream state and rushes to Max. She tells him she’ll never let him go alone. She hugs him and cries as he slips away.

Kyle thinks they’re not getting enough power. Unfortunately, they can’t crank up the defibrillator any higher.

Michael sinks to the ground as Liz bursts out sobbing. Kyle wants to call it, but Rosa tells him to do it again. As he yells, “Clear!” Rosa places her hands inches above Max’s heart. Electricity sparks around his heart as his heartbeat returns.

Hours later, Max is still asleep but now he’s in his bed with Liz at his side. Michael arrives to check on him and he asks what would have happened if the pacemaker didn’t work. Liz reveals she would have kept him comfortable and told him she loves him. If that was the end, she would have said goodbye. But she reminds Michael they saved him and eventually he’ll wake up. Max is alive and will be in a coma until he’s strong enough.

Liz gives Michael time alone with his brother and he remembers how Max saved him after he completely gave up on people. Michael tells his sleeping brother, “When you are a kid who nobody loves, kindness is a currency. Friendship doesn’t mean jack. Family just lies and hurts and leaves. I’ve only known love to be temporary.”

He admits he always pushes people away, and people eventually give up on him. Michael knows Max is the only one he could never run off or push away because Max refused to leave. He says the pacemaker might give him a kick sometimes and that’s just payback. The pacemaker is Michael’s hero move and he wants Max to now consider them even.

“If you wake up, we can be a family,” says Michael in a whisper.

As Michael’s pouring out his heart to his brother, we see Maria reuniting with Liz and Rosa. We also see Alex and Kyle sharing a drink from Alex’s flask outside the operating room.

When Maria asks about Isobel, Liz says she’s getting ready.

Three weeks pass and Max wakes up. Isobel informs him he’s been in a coma for 12 years and Taylor Swift is president. Max is still upset they brought him back and the rage builds up as he feels the dark energy inside him.

Isobel believes they can deal with the energy and he needs to fight it. She won’t let him leave and he tosses her into a cabinet. He walks outside and Isobel uses her powers to stop him from leaving. She promised she’d kill him if he came back and hurt people. She’s ready to take on this darkness.