Alpha and Beta

One of the biggest trump cards in Roswell was the relationship between Max and Michael. It was rough, it was edgy, it was fraught with tension throughout the entire series. As a viewer, it was fascinating to see these two characters struggling to forge their path and work with each other for a common goal, all the while knowing just how different they were from each other. 

As the audience got to know these characters, it was obvious that Max and Michael didn't understand each other's motivations as well as we did.

The first time we saw this friction was in "Morning After", when Michael wanted to get the photograph that Valenti had about the dead man with the silver handprint. For Max, knowing what that picture meant was mere curiosity, while for Michael, it was a change he welcomed, a change he sought, something that could finally give his life meaning. This is why Max and Michael clash; because Michael is looking for a missing family in outer space, while Max already has the luxury of a loving home environment.

Besides, both Max and Michael have a very different approach on how to search for their origins, which further complicates their relationship. Michael's impulsive actions juxtapose with Max's more cautious approach results in a fascinating relationship between two people who (ironically) want the same things in life.

Disclaimer: Written for love, not for profit. The characters do not legally belong to me. They belong to: Melinda Metz and Laura Burns who created them, Jason Katims who developed them, 20th Century Fox Television and Regency Television who produced them and the WB and UPN who broadcasted them.

Images taken from Google search.

Michael Guerin

Versus

Max Evans

     The Evans home was quiet. Max had just fallen asleep, but was startled by a light sound – someone was opening his window. He wasted no time and picked the baseball bat he kept next to his bed, watching the burglar manipulating his window. With the bat on one hand, a flashlight on the other, and his heart ready to jump out of his chest, Max approached the window on tiptoe and when the robber came through, he was ready for the strike. “Hold it there! Don’t... hit me.” Max recognized his friend’s voice. “Argument with Hank?” Max asked, pointing the flashlight at him. “Couldn't sleep,” Michael replied. Thinking that he wanted to stick around, Max turned the light of his lamp on and laid out a sleeping bag, before returning to bed, but Michael’s silence disturbed him. He got up again: Michael was looking at him reproachfully. “Hey, I was sleeping!” Max said. “Amazing.” “What’s amazing?” “That you can sleep when the key to our entire existence is out there.” Max rubbed his tired eyes; this was a conversation he really didn’t want to have at two in the morning... “Michael...” “Max, listen: that picture Valenti showed Liz means there’s someone else out there. Someone who was here in 1959. That means he was here when it crashed. He knows where we come from, he knows who we are, he knows why we’re here. Maybe he knows how to get back.” Max didn’t want an argument with his best friend so late at night. “Michael, I know how you feel. Believe me, I want to know too! But the sheriff has that picture so we’ll never see it. I mean, that would be impossible... Right? Michael?...” Michael looked right at him; his eyes were resolute – there was nothing impossible anymore!

     Early that morning, Michael stood guard at the Sheriff's office window until he showed up for work. He had to learn the habits of everyone working at the station, before trying to get in...

WE WANTTO BELIEVE!