The X-Files (TV Series) Max (1997) User Reviews

The Crux of the Myth-Arc

[AudioFileZ · 8/10 · 15 May 2013]

The two-part episode, comprised of Tempus Fugit and Max, is in a nutshell what the crux of The X-Files is made of. That would be there are EBEs, the government knows and protects that knowledge fiercely, and sometimes it gets out and has to be contained at all costs.

These two episodes make a mini-movie of sorts, and it's a good one taken as a whole. While very predictable, Chris Carter isn't afraid to visit the core of so many episodes condensed into this two-parter. It works even though you can guess the eventualities. Beyond the writing there's the production which is on a quite good level as a plane with Max Fenig, the season one abductee, is taken with subsequent tragedy as the plane is caused to crash killing all aboard due to the government's attempted interception of the alien UFO which is in turn abducting Max right from the plane. It looks right with all the fear that proper lighting, cinematography, and effects join to provide.

Here too on full-display are the ethos that constitute Mulder and Scully's dynamic yin and yang. They are bound together by their care of one another on a human level made livelier by their obvious level of alien acceptance. Scully has the logical part that keeps her from wildly looking outside the realm of what she sees, but she now realizes Mulder has a much keener insight into the aliens she struggles to finally accept exist. This is a powerful thing that has taken four years to develop into the storyline and it really endears the viewer in these two episodes.

So, in the end we get no startling revelations: just a fantastic mini-movie which on occasion The X-Files does well and treats the steady faithful with. Highly recommended.

Death of a Hero

[Muldernscully · 8/10 · 15 September 2006]

The Tempus Fugit/Max two-parter is quite unique to mythology episodes. It deals with the alien conspiracy, but in a very small, concentrated way. I think it loses a little something without the syndicate or Krycek being involved. It just resolves around the mysterious item that Max Fennig was carrying and the nameless man trying to cover it all up. The suspense and drama are still what carry this two-parter, because the story really doesn't advance the alien conspiracy mythology at all. But with Rob Bowman and Kim Manners directing these episodes, they are still fun to watch. I like Kim's use of showing Mulder and Scully's reflections while watching the Max Fennig tape. Showing the back flash of the passengers getting sucked out of the airplane was quite amazing, like a big budget film. It's nice to see Scully show a sense of humor again(these two episodes are kind of unique in that way), when she expresses that she fears the mental institution might lock Mulder up as well. Finally, it is sad that they killed off Agent Pendrill's character. He was so fun to watch with his crush on Scully. I wish they hadn't done that, but no one is safe from dying on the x-files. No one.

Conclusion to the Max arc

[SleepTight666 · 8/10 · 3 December 2008]

A very good conclusion to the Max arc. The only problem was the lack of an ending to be honest, but at least we weren't left in confusion.

Everything that happened on that plane was explained, except about why the alien vessel took the man that killed Pendrell. Not that I care, I hope that he gets anally poked to death.

My favorite parts of the episode were probably the plane scenes, they were very well done, spooky, realistic and just plain awesome.

Max got his final goodbye, 'I'm just a man', his taped video was a great way to give the character his final honor.

The saddest part of the episode was Pendrell's death, he may have been a minor character but I always liked him and his cute crush on Scully. I am glad that it appeared to have affected her.

The final scene was very touching, and funny at the same time. Some great acting from Gillian as always.

FOUR stars for this one.

"Well, where I come from, that's what we call a whopper."

[classicsoncall · 8/10 · 27 June 2017]

Maybe I'm being naive, but why would the assassin who shot Agent Pendrell (Brendan Beiser) by mistake, and who got shot by Scully in return, not bother to change his pants before getting on the plane with Mulder? I mean, really, he had to travel from Washington, D.C. to Syracuse for starters, to get on the same outbound flight. Don't you think a ticket handler or some member of security staff would question a guy walking around with a bloody bullet hole in his trousers? Gosh, that was just so stupid.

Not only that, but the bullet in his leg was a blatant tip off to Mulder that the guy was coming after him. I liked the way Mulder dealt with the situation in his own unique and professional manner, as well as the alien aircraft that abducted the assassin right off the plane. That's one way to get rid of a troublemaker.

So this episode, along with the prior 'Tempus Fugit' puts to rest the fate of Max Fenig (Scott Bellis), the redoubtable UFO conspiracy theorist we first met all the way back in the first season's 'Fallen Angel'. He died in the ill fated commercial air liner when returned as an abductee by aliens aboard a UFO that also crashed at the same time, a result of downing by a military aircraft. The fate of Agent Pendrell is put to rest as well when we learn of his death from the aforementioned assassin's bullet. Too bad about Pendrell, he was a likable character, who's crush on Scully always made for some unintended humor.

He caught a connecting flight.

[Sanpaco13 · 10/10 · 28 July 2008]

Max is a very entertaining episode. The whole concept of being abducted by a UFO while on a plane in mid-flight is interesting. Max is the sequel to the episode Tempus Fugit where we found out that Max Fenig from season 1's Fallen Angel has died in a plane crash. Turns out that the military was ordered to intercept a UFO which was in the process of abducting Max from the plane and when the military shot down the UFO before they could return Max and seal the cabin of the plane, it crashed to the earth killing everyone aboard. Mulder finds out that Max was about to be intercepted by the government as well while on the plane. Max sure is a popular guy. They were after Max because he stole top secret UFO technology in order to prove the existence of ETs. He stole more than one however so even though one was taken from him on the flight, Mulder finds a baggage claim ticket containing the other. He sneaks onto a plane where the Agent Pendrell's murderer is also ready to take Mulder down. Mulder locks the man in the bathroom and calls Scully telling her to be ready when he lands to take said man into custody. The episode ends with a similar scenario to what happened to Max. The plane is intercepted by a UFO which is there to take back the bag with the radioactive UFO piece. Mulder puts it down and murderer man picks it up and in abducted along with the evidence not to be returned. Mulder lands and has had his memory erased of what happened and informs an angry and confused Skinner that the man caught a connecting flight. I like this episode a lot. I like Max too. I like the music Max has in his trailer. Soul Coughing is awesome. 10 out of 10.

A very strong episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 19 August 2022]

Mulder and Scilly continue to search for the truth, why on Earth did that plane crash, and just how far are the powers that be prepared to go, to keep important information top secret.

Such an impressive conclusion to the two part story, I loved the characters, the complexity of the story, and the dialogue. There was something impressive about the scale of it, it looked mighty strong.

So many questions seemed to be answered here, but so many more were asked, I loved Max Fenig, I really wished we'd gotten more from him, Scott Bellis was great I thought.

Even with so much evidence from this case presented to him, I still get the impression that Skinner, along with Scilly, will continue to remain hugely sceptical.

Anatomy of an in-flight abduction

[XweAponX · 10/10 · 13 March 2022]

This episode gets into the actual and exacting details of what possibly could happen during the interception of an airplane by a UFO. We are given a relatively believable scenario, with Max Fenig in the starring role.

In the previous episode I didn't mention it there but the investigator of the crash told Mulder about a "second crash site".

There was also a little side scenario about Max's "sister", who's hotel room looked like it had been visited by an aircraft at 30,000 feet- but the hotel room was actually at sea level. Door blown off of the hinges, not one sign of Max's sister.

The two incidents connect here.

Mulder had actually found that secondary site, and basically the same thing happens to him here as what had happened during the Deep Throat incident. Minus the removal of a few memories via eyedrops.

It all comes down to a meeting between Mulder and Scully and the crash investigator, this is where they have the discussion of exactly what had happened at 30,000 feet in the air, it is as if you can imagine UFOs with the ability to basically park in the middle of the sky. And then move people around, like chess pieces. This is where that missing time stuff comes in...

All through the Ecks-Files we have heard about missing time, we have seen time vanish, we even saw Mulder identify on a road where his car was stopped and nine minutes of his time spirited away.

But we have never seen a visual image of what happens when this time goes running away and our watches are left nine minutes in the past.

And it was done beautifully in this episode. It is basically one of the central focuses of the show, this is what the show is all about.

Now remember; we mentioned the skinny "man in black" who looked like Stephen McHattie? We are also shown what becomes of people like this.

Because Mulder was being chased because of what Max had been hiding in an airport locker, chased by that very man in black.

And we get the impression that one of Mulders hearts desires is to be abducted himself, because he wants to be with his sister and he thinks that that would happen if he were to be abducted, and so this is going through his mind every time he shakes his fist at the sky and yells "Take me! Take me!"

Believe us, Fox, you don't want to be taken. Well, you get to find that out later, don't you?

So many questions get answered here but so many questions don't get answered and so much evidence just falls right through Mulder's fingers and his grasp.

You would think that he would load himself up with devices that could record things, they had technology like that even back in 1997 or so. But we also get the distinct impression that even if he were to load himself up for bear with gadgets that could record everything happening around him, it would be just like the tape that he picked up from Arecibo: Blank.

A beautiful pair of episodes that unfortunately end the story of Max Fenig. And possibly starts a new story about his "sister", but we never came back to this, even though we should have.

Instead, we got sidetracked by black oil, bees and bee husbandry, viruses being delivered in train cars full of margarine, and of course "long clawed spacelings" which have peel-away-skin and become little grey aliens from Reticula...

Max & Pendrell will not die in vein

[devonbrown-90649 · 8/10 · 7 June 2023]

Great end to a two part series which ends in a massive cover up. But a win for the opossing aliens that retrieve the technology that secret agencies where willing to kill hundreds on passengers for.

I feel as though the secret service man in this episode was quite brazen and took no precautions in finding the equipment max and his accomplis stole. It was a shame that agent Pendrel was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It seems all those who are close enough to Scully and Mulder meet some terrible fate as a result their search for the truth.

Rip Max Fenig too. From his video recordings he seemed to be very knowledgable on the military industrial complex and syndicate. I wish we could see him tag team with Mulder expose the syndicate.

It seems Mudler wont fid his definitive evidence in Max's device he has no memory of what happened to it. Only thing he knows is he lost 9 minutes of time.