A hearing convenes. It might be in Washington, D.C. It might be Congress. I'm not really sure. It's very official-looking. The head committee guy talks about how since the transgenics escaped seven months ago, the crime rate has gone up in Seattle, and an unknown viral agent killed a bunch of people in Portland. Cut to Normal stamping papers, watching the hearing on television, and agreeing with what the head guy says. The head guy continues, saying that the committee and the American people want to know how many transgenics are out there, and how they can be contained. Normal talks to the television, answering, "You smoke 'em out and string 'em up, that's how." Normal looks for one of his stamps, but doesn't see it.
That's because two random messenger guys that we've never seen before have stolen it. They stamp something on the bathroom wall and approve of how it turns out. The messengers walk out into the main area of Jam Pony HQ and pass by a random nerdy messenger. They bump into him and, while he's distracted, stamp the back of his neck with a barcode. He asks what's going on, and they dismiss him.
A female messenger walks by wearing a T-shirt with Joshua's police sketch on it that says, "Wanted: Dead or Alive." Max notices it and tells OC that she could do without that shirt. OC says that it doesn't even look like Joshua. A pager goes off and Max quickly checks hers, but OC says that it's hers, then asks if Max was hoping that it was Logan. Max says that it's over between her and Logan, but OC isn't so sure. Max admits that she told Logan that she was seeing someone else. OC asks whom, and Alec walks up and says hello. OC can't believe that Max told Logan that she was seeing Alec. Max says that she knows if she didn't say that, she would eventually forget about the virus and start hanging out with Logan again, which could be deadly. I still say they should just keep a store of Alec and Joshua's blood around, now that they know it works. OC asks if Alec knows that he's Max's new boyfriend, and Max says that he doesn't, and won't if Max can help it.
The two jokesters from earlier tell Normal about the messenger with the barcode. Normal grabs a gun out of his desk. Nerdy messenger is talking to Sketchy, who explains that since the transgenic story hit the mainstream press, the tabloids aren't interested anymore, and now they have him working on "this totally made-up article about some bogus ten-thousand-year-old breeding cult." Remember back in 1993, when Demolition Man came out, and the idea of tabloids telling the truth and no one believing it was a new idea? Normal walks out of his office and trains his gun on Nerdy Messenger, telling him to get down on the ground. Nerdy Messenger is confused, but follows the orders of the man with the gun, which is always a good idea. The other messengers scatter. Max super-speeds over and takes the gun from Normal, unloading it. Max asks Normal what he's doing, and Normal yells that Nerdy Messenger is "one of them" because he has a bar code. Nerdy Messenger feels the back of his neck, smearing the bar code stamp in the process. Normal grabs Nerdy Messenger and touches the bar code, realizing that it's just a stamp. Normal says that anyone could be a transgenic, and they all have to be vigilant. He tells Nerdy Messenger to wash his neck, and orders the jokesters into his office. Alec tries to break the tension by offering to buy everyone a drink at Crash. OC asks Max if she's coming, and Max says no. She tosses the gun back to Normal and stalks off. Normal comments to Sketchy that Max has quite an arm on her, and Sketchy agrees. Did no one notice Max super-speeding over? That would be a dead giveaway, no?
Max sits on the Space Needle, brooding. She voices over that when she first got to Seattle, it felt like home, and she never thought things would get so screwed up. She thinks that things would be just as bad if she had gone somewhere else, but maybe not.
In San Francisco, a girl who looks just like Max (except with wavy hair) walks into an apartment. It's not clear yet whether this is really happening, or if it's Max's dream about what would have happened if she went somewhere else. Max Doppelganger walks in the door and calls out that she's home. A little kid walks up and says that he got a good grade on his spelling test. Max Doppelganger asks if he showed Dad yet, and the father walks up and hugs Max Doppelganger and tells the kid to get cleaned up for dinner. Later, Max Doppelganger reads a book as her husband walks in, having just put the kid to bed. They talk about their upcoming weekend getaway. Just then, a bunch of goons bust into the apartment. Max Doppelganger tosses one of them aside, but another one hits her with a stun gun. Once the husband has been dragged off, White walks into the room and says that Max Doppelganger is a long way from her usual haunts. Max Doppelganger doesn't know what White means. White asks, "Did you think you could hide from me, 452?" Max Doppelganger says that her designation is 453. White checks her bar code, which he can apparently read just by looking at it, then walks away in disgust, saying that Max Doppelganger is a clone.
The Dreaming. Max enters with some groceries. Joshua is busy painting the windows black, and looking sad. Max tries to joke around, but Joshua ignores her. She notices a map on the table with an area outlined in red, and asks him about it. Joshua says that it's Terminal City, an area where there was a biochemical spill. Max says that she's been there, and there's not much to see, but people usually go there when they have nowhere else to go. Joshua says that Alec told him there are other "downstairs people" there, and he wants to go. Max thinks that it's too dangerous, and tries to lighten the discussion by saying that he should forget about Terminal City. Joshua says that everything in the house reminds him of Annie, and The Dreaming isn't his home anymore. Max urges him to hang on, and it'll get better.
Logan starts an Eyes Only bulletin. He gives the usual spiel about how it can't be traced or stopped, and will only last sixty seconds. Logan starts talking about how the transgenics aren't dangerous. Meanwhile, White and his goons are trying to trace the hack, but they don't know if sixty seconds will be enough. Aryan Goon (who I keep thinking will become more important, because he and Otto are the only goons that get any screen time) says that sometimes Logan goes over sixty seconds if he really gets going. Logan concludes the transmission, and the goons are unable to trace it. How come in television and movies, they either complete the trace, or they miss it by only a few seconds? I would love to see a show there they don't complete the trace, and they say, "Wow, we missed that one by a country mile! We would have needed at least five more minutes on that one." White tells Aryan Goon to remind their "Korean friends" that if the technology doesn’t work, they won't get paid. Aryan Goon starts babbling in Korean to the guys sitting at the computers. Otto rushes up with a portfolio containing the results of 453's DNA test.
White tells Max Doppelganger (who is named Sam; we don’t find that out until later, but I'm getting really tired of typing Max Doppelganger) that she's not a true clone, because Max doesn't have any junk DNA, but she does. Sam is wearing this hideous Little House on the Prairie-style skirt. I guess it's better than leather pants. White wants to know where Max is, and Sam claims that she doesn't know, and hasn't had any contact with her. White points out that Max broke her doppelganger out of Manticore. Sam corrects him to say that she was already out, because she was on a deep cover mission for two years. White asks if her husband is just part of her cover. Sam admits that he was at first, but then when Manticore went down, she fell in love and adopted his son. White pretends to be tearing up over the sadness of the story. Sam asks where her husband and son are. White doesn't answer. Sam says that they don't know anything, and White can't believe that she never told them she was built in a lab. Sam begs. White says that they are fine, and she'll see them after she helps him find Max, and he has a lead for her. White explains that Max was admitted to a hospital recently, and he thinks that Max's doctor knows more than he's saying. White wants Sam to find out what the doctor knows, and then find Max. Sam asks about her family. White says that if she pulls this off, the three of them are free to go. Yeah, right. White removes her restraints and comments that he knows that she's thinking she could kill him right now, but she won't, because it might endanger her family. White says that he had family too, before Max took his son away. White gets right in Sam's face and says cheesily that he's really motivated and wants to find Max really badly. He's like Shatner here, with the overacting.
Dr. Carr examines Logan, who is able to move his legs without the leg braces. Dr. Carr points out that the transgenic blood infusion gave him the ability to move his legs, but last time that happened, it wore off after a while. Logan points out that last time, it took a few weeks for him to regain the use of his legs, but this time it happened instantly. Dr. Carr says it might stick this time, but only time will tell.
Sam arrives in the parking garage on her motorcycle. We know it's Sam because she's smoking a cigarette. Her hair has been straightened, and she's wearing a more Max-like outfit. She walks past Logan, who is exiting the building. He says hello, and she just walks right by him with just a "hey," since she doesn't know who he is.
Sam stands in Dr. Carr's office and waits for him to notice her. He finally does, with a start, and then comments that she just missed Logan. Sam comments flatly that it's too bad. Dr. Carr asks why she's there. Sam wants to look at her file. Dr. Carr thinks she's kidding, because he destroyed the file, just as she asked. Sam thanks him. Dr. Carr says that the CDC keeps poking around and asking questions, and he just keeps telling them that he doesn't know anything. Sam asks if Dr. Carr can take a look at her back, because she's having a muscle spasm. Dr. Carr starts to look, and Sam asks if he can write her a prescription. Dr. Carr comments that Jam Pony doesn't have much of a health plan. Dr. Carr finishes examining her and says that it's not unusual for her to have some nerve damage from when she was shot. As he says this, he lifts up her shirt to examine the wound/scar and notices that there's nothing there but smooth skin. Dr. Carr asks what happened. Sam says that she heals fast, but Dr. Carr isn't buying it. Sam quickly grabs the doctor by the throat and advises him that people that sent her won't like the fact that he's lying, so when he wakes up, he should grab his family and get out of town. Dr. Carr is confused, but instead of explaining, Sam just decks him.
Down in the parking garage, Otto and another goon wait for Sam to exit. Sam blows by on her motorcycle and then circles back and stops, facing their car. She pulls out two guns and opens fire. Otto and the other goon duck below the dash. Sam must have intentionally been shooting to miss them, because she's not that far away, and she only succeeds in shooting up the hood of the car. When the bullets stop, Otto cautiously raises his head. Sam says that if she knows they are there, Max will too, and he should tell White that she works alone. Otto nods. Sam shoots out the tires in the car.
At Jam Pony HQ, Normal and Sketchy are telling Alec that they are suspicious because Max was so strong. Alec says that she's just been working out a lot. Sketchy says that he's still suspicious, and he's going to check and see if she has a bar code. Normal points out that she might have had it removed. Alec tells them that it's like a witch hunt, and that either way, Max is going to be found guilty.
Alec walks outside and finds Max just pulling up on her bike. He checks the back of her neck, and her bar code is starting to show again, so he tells her that she needs "a little laser touch-up." Max looks distrustful and thanks him for the tip. Alec fills her in on Normal and Sketchy's suspicions, and advises her to go to Joshua's and hide out for a while. Alec promises to meet her there later. Max sighs and takes off. Sam arrives outside Jam Pony HQ and stares at Alec. I don't know if she recognizes him, or just thinks he's hot.
Max arrives at The Dreaming and scolds Joshua for wanting to leave the house. She asks why he's doing this. Joshua sighs that he can't be with "upstairs people" and doesn't want to be alone anymore. Max says that he's not alone, because she's there. Joshua says that she comes and goes, and he's tired of being alone. Aw. Poor Joshua. Max says that if he goes to Terminal City, she won't be able to look after him. Joshua says that she doesn't have to, and at Manticore, he took care of himself and everybody else. Max says that it's different outside. Joshua angrily yells that he needs to be with other people like him. Joshua's storyline becomes more and more like Mask every week. I guess that makes Jessica Alba into Cher. Heh. Joshua picks up his bag and starts to leave. Max pouts that, fine, he can go and be exposed to toxic waste and eat rats. Joshua looks at her and then walks away. Max calls to him sadly, and he turns around, and then walks back and kisses her on the forehead and says goodbye.
White's government contact comes to their makeshift headquarters. White says that they've been subpoenaed. Man, that is a hard word to spell. Government Guy says that Senator McKinley (the committee chair from the opening scenes) is "determined to blow this thing wide open," and that White will take the Fifth. White protests, but Government Guy says that right now, White's priority is to maintain cover. White asks about capturing transgenics, but Government Guy says that as far as he's concerned, transgenics don't exist. He starts to walk out, and says that he'll see White in Washington on Thursday. Government Guy advises White not to wear a black suit. White looks down at himself as if to say, "What? I think I look good." Heh. White turns and asks Aryan Goon how the tracing is going. Aryan Goon says that they got a partial lock onto Eyes Only's position, and they should be able to get a complete lock on the transmission. Otto and the other goon show up, and White asks why they aren't following Sam. Otto explains that Sam shot out their tires and took off, and said to tell White that she works alone. White says, "That's my girl. Good to know she's on board."
Sam stands outside Jam Pony HQ, observing and smoking a cigarette. Is it wrong that I already like Sam more than Max? Sam watches Logan walk into the building, and then a few moments later sees Max walking out of the building. Sam checks her watch and shakes her head. She walks into the building and immediately runs into Logan. He says hello and asks if she is in fact speaking to him. Sam tries to hide the fact that she doesn't recognize him, until he reveals that he's the same guy she saw outside Dr. Carr's office. Sam realizes that he's Logan. Sam tries to step around him, but Logan says that it's bad enough that she won't return his calls or come over, but now that she's seeing someone else, she's going to treat him like a stranger. He's really being a dick. And kind of creepy. Sam figures out the story and says bitchily, "Yeah, I already told you. It's over." She brushes past Logan and walks away.
Max packs up some things in her apartment. OC asks why she's leaving town. Max says that she can't go back to work, she can't see Logan, and Joshua says that he doesn't need her anymore. OC points out that she's still there. Max says that White and his goons are probably going to bust through the door and OC will get caught in the crossfire. Max softens and explains that she needs to go somewhere new, where no one knows who she is, where she doesn't have to worry about anyone but herself. OC asks if that will make her happy, and Max says that it might. OC asks about Logan, and Max says that he's better off without her in the picture, and that he's got "his whole Eyes Only thing."
Speaking of which, Logan is starting up another transmission. He gives the opening spiel about how it can't be traced. Meanwhile, White and his goons trace the signal. Logan talks about the transgenics, but then his computer beeps to inform him that the signal has been traced. Aryan Goon yells out, "Got it!" Logan tells his audience that this is going to be the last transmission for a while, and logs off. He checks his computer and sees that he's been located.
Normal walks through Jam Pony HQ, which has apparently just closed up shop. As he walks out of the office, Sam sneaks in. She rummages through some files and finds the one for Max. Normal has attached two notes to the outside. One says, "Keep an eye on this one. Won't give home address." The other says, "Rooms with the Nubian princess. Keep an eye on her too." Sam is confused by "Nubian princess." She opens the file and finds OC's address.
Joshua, wearing a hooded sweatshirt, sneaks through a chain link fence and walks into an alley. Once inside, he takes down the hood and looks around. A bottle rolls along the ground, and he bends down to pick it up, only to hear the sounds of guns cocking. A voice calls out that it's all right, because "he's one of [them]." Joshua looks around to see that he's surrounded by mutant transgenics.
Alec walks into The Dreaming and calls out for Max and Joshua. He spots the map on the table and takes a look at it.
The Aryan Goon leads a squad into Logan's pad. He tries to break into Logan's computer, but a message comes up saying that the hard drive has been erased. Aw, come on. Everyone knows that doesn’t mean they can't still get information from it. The goon squad fires their guns around Logan's apartment. Wouldn't it be easier to just set it on fire or set off a bomb or something? Anyway, the apartment is trashed. Logan watches from a nearby rooftop.
Over at OC's place, OC asks Max if she's going to call Logan and tell him that she's going. Max picks up the phone, but then puts it down and picks up her bag instead.
Logan sits in the Asstek, listening to the radio. Wouldn't it be funny if he was listening to something like "Love Hurts" or "All By Myself"? He picks up his phone, and then puts it down and drives off.
Max starts to get on her bike. OC stops her and says, "Max Guavera. You're my sister. You are my family." Max says she loves OC, and they hug. I thought maybe they might make out, but no such luck. Max tells OC to take care of herself. Unknown to them, Sam pulls up nearby and follows Max out.
Logan sits in his car at the border crossing. He sees Max speed by on her motorcycle and comments, "Great, now I'm seeing her everywhere." Moments later, he sees Sam speed by on her motorcycle and looks confused. As you do.
Sam catches up to Max and pulls up alongside her. Max looks over, confused. Sam pulls out a gun and shoots out Max's tire. Max's bike tips over and she crashes.
White walks through Logan's trashed apartment. He sees Logan's white board with all of the names and circles on it, and erases his own name. His phone rings, and Sam informs him that she's got Max in an abandoned building. Sam gives the address, and White says that he's on his way.
Logan finds Max's bike, which is now a twisted wreck.
White answers his phone and speaks to someone from the breeding cult. He says to tell "The Conclave" that he found Max and he'll bring her to them. He hangs up and adds, "Once I find out where she took my son."
Max is chained to a pole. She asks Sam if they've met before. They banter about how they are sisters. Sam lights a cigarette and then says that it looks like she interrupted a vacation, and asks if Max was skipping out. Sam says that Max always runs away, like "when it got too rough for [her] back at Manticore." Sam posits that Max never thought about what would happen to the rest of them who were stuck there, and says that the twins "got the worst of it." Sam says that Manticore figured that the twins were the biggest flight risk, so they were held in Psy Ops for six months. So that means Alec got the same treatment, since he's Ben's twin, right? Sam says that the twins paid the price while Max was out "living the dream." Max says she hasn't really been living the dream. Sam doesn't feel bad about turning her over to White, and says that she's not going to let Max ruin her life again.
Joshua hangs out with the other transgenics in a warehouse. He notes that they have electricity. A runty one asks if Joshua has any skills or special talents. Joshua says that he paints pictures. Joshua asks where they got the guns, and the leader says that they stole them. Runty comments that they keep "the ordinaries" away. Joshua asks what that means, and the leader says that the ordinaries are humans. Various members of the gang reveals that the humans mostly stay away because of the toxins, and that there are various transgenic groups in the area, but everyone tends to stick with their own kind. The leader asks if Joshua had any weapons training, and says that he'll teach Joshua what he needs to know, and hands him a gun. Runty tells another transgenic named Dix that there's someone outside, visible on the security monitors.
Cut to Alec, approaching the warehouse. He stops when he hears guns being cocked. Dix tells Alec not to move. Alec says that he's X5. Runty tells him to head over to Oak Street with his own kind. Alec says that he's looking for a friend of his, and Joshua says, "You found him."
Sam puts her wedding ring on. Max asks if she's married, and Sam reveals that she has a husband and a little boy. Max thinks she's lucky. Sam says that she had a normal life until White came and ruined it. Max apologizes. Sam says that everyone will go back to normal when she turns Max over to White, and that she doesn't have a lot of options. We see that Logan is nearby, hiding behind a pillar. Sam says that Max doesn't know what it means to have a family, and she would probably run off and save herself like she always does. Max and Sam both hear a clanking noise, and Sam goes off to investigate. Max looks around and sees Logan creeping up in the shadows. She tells him to untie her. He pauses, and asks how he knows that it's really her. Look at the gunshot wound! Just then, Sam drops down from about three stories up. Logan can't figure out which one is really Max. Sam walks up and kicks him. Max frees herself. Fight! Fight!
Max and Sam circle each other. They really should have stayed away from the long shots in this sequence, because it's painfully obvious which one is not Jessica Alba. The stunt double is like an inch taller. They fight. Sam gets Max in an armlock and says that it's no use, because she has ten more years of training than Max. Max says, "Yeah, but they didn't teach you to fight dirty." Then Max smacks Sam in the head, which I'm not really sure is fighting dirty, but whatever.
White arrives at the warehouse. I swear to God, I think he stopped too late and bumped the platform with his car. Heh. He walks in, and "Sam" (it's really Max) lights a cigarette and asks where her family is. White bends down to examine the unconscious "Max," and Logan sneaks up behind him and brains him with a crowbar.
Now White and Sam are both chained up. Max says that she should kill White, but she considers Sam a sister. White tells her to get to the point. Good advice. Max says that she's going to trade White for Sam's family. White doesn't think so, and Max says that she'll just torture him, then.
Alec and Joshua discuss Max's whereabouts. The leader comes over and says that Alec can't stay there. They argue about it until Runty calls out that there are more people outside. We see Logan, Max, and White through the video monitor. Logan is behind White, holding a gun to his back, and White's hands are bound together. Joshua says that he knows her, and she's an X5. Runty says that if she's X5, then it's not their problem. Alec points to the monitor and says that "that guy right there" is in charge of hunting them down, so they might want to make it their problem. How do they know he was pointing to White? He could have been pointing to Logan.
Otto and Aryan Goon pull up outside the warehouse. Max demands to see their weapons, and they claim to be unarmed. Max says that she doesn't have much patience, and points out that they probably don't want to stay in Terminal City any longer than they have to. Otto and Aryan take out their guns and drop them on the ground. Max says that they should make the switch. Aryan Goon retrieves Sam's husband and kid. Max says that they'll make the switch on the count of three, and she starts counting. White asks if his son is still alive, and Max says that he won't be if he doesn't start moving. Logan pushes White towards Otto and Aryan. Sam's family starts walking towards Max and Logan. When White reaches Otto's gun (and I don't know why Max left them lying on the ground), he hops over his bound hands to get them in front of him and picks up the gun. Otto and Aryan Goon grab their secondary guns, like, duh -- who didn't see that one coming? Max. White commands Sam's husband and son to stay where they are, halfway between the two groups. More goons pile in, guns drawn. Suddenly, we hear more guns being cocked. It's all of the other transgenics, who have White and his gang surrounded. Max tells White that they can start shooting, but a whole lot of people are going to get hurt. White says that it isn't over, and withdraws. Sam's husband and son are pulled into the warehouse.
Inside the warehouse, Sam comforts her son. Her husband asks what's going on, and Sam says that she'll explain later. I would love to hear that conversation. Max tells Joshua that it looks like he really can take care of himself, and Joshua growls affectionately. Alec arrives, having just stolen an SUV from some gangsters for Sam's family to use to get to Canada. Max thanks him, and Alec says he'll do anything for "the clone of a friend." Max hands Sam the keys and says that they're all set. Sam says she's not going to thank Max, because none of this would have happened if it weren't for her. Max agrees, sadly. Alec walks over and says that if Manticore hadn't gone down, Sam wouldn't be with her husband, and that Max took it down. Sam says, "Not bad." Max and Sam wish each other luck and Sam leaves.
Max walks over to Logan and says that she's sorry White messed up his place. Logan says that he got his files out, but it'll take some pricey equipment to get Eyes Only up and running again. Max says that he'll need "a good cat burglar." Logan looks up, surprised, and says that he thought she was leaving town. Max says that she has some family stuff to take care of.
The Senate Committee meets again. Senator McKinley calls White to the stand and says that he's sure White has been instructed to take the Fifth, but he wants to remind him that the committee is only interested in the truth. White uses my absolute least favorite rhetorical device -- asking yourself a question and then answering it. He says, "Did parties within our government secretly divert funds for genetic experiments? Yes. Did they allow those transgenics to escape? Yes. Did they then choose to withhold that information from the American people? Yes. Are those transgenics dangerous? Most assuredly, yes."
Cut to Jam Pony HQ, where the gang is watching the hearings on television. White continues to talk about how dangerous the transgenics are, and how he couldn't cover up the information any longer. White concludes, "Make no mistake. This is a war -- a war we cannot afford to lose." Max walks up and turns the television off. Normal complains, but Max says that they have to get to work. Normal and Sketchy look at her suspiciously. Max asks if they have anything to say to her, and they continue to stare as they walk by her. Max asks OC if she missed her, and OC says that she did. They hug.
White meets with Senator McKinley in a car. White says that his government contact will want his badge. McKinley tells White not to worry, because when they are done, White will be a national hero. McKinley adds that The Conclave will be in touch, and gives White the traditional Conclave goodbye. Oh, so McKinley is part of the breeding cult. Got it.
Max sits atop the Space Needle, brooding. Max voices over that she wonders if Manticore made any more clones of her, because one is plenty. Max thinks that Sam was right that running away isn't the answer, because as messed up as things have been lately, Seattle is home.
week: Max and the other transgenics wage war on the government. And then the episode after that is the season finale, directed by James Cameron. I can't wait?