LIZ THEORIES

LIZ'S IMPORTANCE TO THE ALIEN MYTHOLOGY

Zero's August 2001 revision of the Liz Mythology thread intro

First - and foremost - the general consensus is that Liz is important to the alien mythology and the pod squad, and that there is more to the Liz/Max connection than a mere attraction (i.e., a crush). From the first look - Max getting off the bus in Kindergarten, Max has been strongly attracted to Liz. Max often makes comments such as "It was you!" that leads us to believe that her importance to him was beyond the bounds of "normal." How Liz is important is where the fun - and this thread! - comes in.

Most believe that when Max healed Liz and then caused a "reverse connection" (Pilot), that something changed in Liz - whether the change was new or an awakening of something already a part of her is not known. Many feel there is something that goes to the core of who Liz is - maybe from a past life on the pod squads planet, or a previous life encounter with Max's alien "essence" or human DNA donor on Earth, or was Liz the original "4th" podster who "hatched" early and was humanized by her human parents, or was Liz the "second in command" referred to in the Mom'ogram, who somehow was separated from the group, or could it just be Liz's advanced human intelligence that "connects" her to Max - but that the connection that Max had to Liz started the day he first got off the bus and saw her, and was awakened in Liz by the healing and reverse connection that occurred in the Pilot. Some have wondered if the way Max held the back of Liz's neck during the healing could have changed her cerebral cortex - the location that Pierce said the Special Unit had identified as the source of the aliens' powers. Could the number of connections also come into play into "changing" Liz, or awaking an already - yet dormant - power within her? Many have wondered about Liz's origins - are her parents her birth parents, does she have a connection to the Indians, why does she look so much like Sheila Hubble? - and how this plays into the connection with Max. Is Liz totally of human origin or does she have some alien "blood" - literally or figuratively - in her?

"Soulmates" seems to be a continuing term used when referring to Max and Liz, and we all seem to think this is done for a reason. Though much is made of Max's Destiny being Tess, many of us wonder if Liz is actually his Destiny due to the use of the Human DNA and where it came from. The use of that DNA could have totally altered the "planned" destiny. There is also much thought given to whether the alien Max played out his "destiny" on his home planet when killed in the conflict that envelopes that place, and that now has an entire new "destiny" that includes Liz - one that could not have been anticipated by his home planet creators. Most of us draw a clear distinction between someone's "destiny" and "duty." We - mostly - also believe that by using human DNA for the pod squad, and the fact that they were raised as humans, brings the issue of "free choice" into play. The continuing debate of "nature" vs. "nurture" also comes up here - and is the podsquad's "nature" completely "alien" given that all their powers are "human." There has also been an excellent analysis of what "essence" truly means, and can a being's destiny or soul follow the transfer of one's essence. Also, does one's memory follow one's essence? Are those visions Max's alien being's memories, or are they coming from someone or somewhere else? There have also been many wonderful discussions concerning what "destiny" truly means, and how the environment (the "nurture" argument) can affect one's destiny.

In the Mom'ogram, many have wondered if the reference to Max's young bride has to be to Tess (The Evil Shape Shifter - Grace Kel )? Could it be Liz? Though many seem to accept that it probably is referring to Tess, many wonder why they would send his bride in the first place? Was Tess sent solely to provide a "mate" for Max (please - no gagging allowed on this thread), or was there another purpose for her presence? There is also the question of whether the Mom'ogram is authentic, or a projection from Tess? It was hard to tell when Tess' projections left off and reality began. Was it pre-recorded like a video tape (in which case - is the home planet still in existence, or has it been destroyed by war or natural consequences?), or was it a direct communication with the home planet or a hidden spaceship (hidden by the V formation?)?

The same concerns are raised with the "book" found by Tess with respect to its authenticity and reliability. Could Grandma Claudia's book - which is in Liz's possession (we assume) - help decode the alien's book and shed light on the aliens' connection to the Indians in the area? If the alien book is authentic, how did the aliens know exactly what the pod squad would look like when they grew up? (Lots of discussion re: DNA, cloning, etc. - very interesting! )

Liz is also viewed - when the episodes are rewatched (multiple times by some of us! And in slow motion! We fondly call this "Grace Kelled" :D ) - as a critical element to moving the plot along. She is the one who often initiates the actions that help unravel the aliens' mythology (e.g., thinking of the plan to throw Valenti off the trail in the Pilot, finding the way out of the hidden room at Atherton's place, making the initial contact with River Dog, going to Valenti to seek help in rescuing Max, etc.). She is a leader that takes action when it is needed, and is the intellect that comes up with the plan. She could possibly be the equivalent to Max - whom we find out in Destiny is the former leader of his people. Could Liz be the human equivalent of Max that is here to help Max save the human race, as well as free the pod squad's people?

Liz is also "a brain" - which is relevant when we find out in the White Room that the podsters are just very advanced humans (approximately 3000 years ahead of us normal mortals!). Could her intelligence mean that she has the potential to obtain some of the "powers" that the pod squad have? We will have to wait for Season 2, but many have expressed that they would NOT be surprised if Liz is capable of some advanced powers in the future, and that her visions may be just a precursor to these. Will she be the one able to SEE the evil within as the Mom'ogram says the podsters will have to be able to do? Is that what she was "seeing" when she kissed Harding/Max? Does she only get visions while kissing or in a state of heightened emotion (i.e., the hand touching in SH in Chemistry class)? The aliens supposedly get such visions sometimes according to Max in Missing - remember the vision he got of Kyle in Liz's bedroom.

Each of Liz's visions has been examined in-depth, and it is hard to summarize all the thoughts here. Not only has she been able to "see into Max's soul," but also she has seen a (the?) trip through a distant galaxy, the crash on Earth, and her visions were the reason the second communicator was discovered. Many feel these visions were not coming from Max, but from an outside source - or a source internal to Liz just now being released or awakened. Some of the visions seemed to be from the perspective of the communicator itself or an alien hiding it (a deep breathing - out-of-breath alien).

Some wonder if others - aliens? - have observed Liz for some time. The shot came from two "strangers" who mention - "We have to get rid of her" - in the background (listen carefully while Liz shows the alien picture to the tourist couple) right before she is shot. Was it intentional?? Why would anyone (or any being) "watch" Liz prior to the shooting unless she has an importance we are not aware of yet (though we suspect)?

The picture Liz shows the tourists in the Pilot was supposedly taken by her Grandmother at the crash before the military arrived - a connection or just a joke as we were supposed to think?? Many have speculated about Grandma Claudia's involvement and her book about the Ancient Treasures of the Navajo Indians. Could Grandma Claudia have had contact with the aliens previously? Was Grandma Claudia killed intentionally? Did she know that Liz was "special," thus, necessitating the early arrival and that "soulmate" discussion? Is Liz affected or a product of one of these earlier alien contacts? Could Liz have an alien relative? There seems to be many hints connecting ancient Indian cultures to the podsquad or other aliens, including the Machu Picchu in Peru culture highlighted at the UFO Museum, the continuing references to "ancient languages" (e.g., Liz's Blind Date Doug Shellow's major at the UofNM and where the aliens' manual was hidden in the library) and Grandma Claudia's studies. Only coincidence - we think not! Could Liz's review of her Grandmother's possessions in Season 2 reveal those connections? We are hopeful!

Another major topic of interest is Liz's connection to Sheila Hubble! The resemblance between the two is amazing, and other parallels exist (e.g., pictures of both driving in an open-air car with the wind blowing through their dark hair). Plus, the visions that Liz receives from Max/Harding include Hubble's wife at the death scene - meaning it had some significance to him. Did he kill her, or did the handprint come from a failed attempt to save her? Were the fireworks Hubble mentions seeing when kissing his wife the same as the stars Liz sees when kissing Max? Could Sheila Hubble be related to Liz somehow - an aunt, DNA donor, or was Sheila an alien? The fact that Sheila Hubble was three months pregnant with a girl seems to be relevant somehow! Could the DNA from the girl have been used for the podsquad - Max maybe, or Tess - or for Liz? AND why is Tess' mother's name listed as Sheila on her school records? Everett Hubble, Ed Harding - both EH names with a wife named Sheila - INTERESTING! hummmm! :eyespin:

Liz's ability to "see" into Max/Harding's "soul" again points to the possibility that she may ultimately be able to "see the evil within." What is it that she sees in these visions? Sheila Hubble, Lightening, a wormhole, the high desert, clouds rolling in? Some see sea foam, which is related in mythology to Venus. Is Liz the Venus often referred to? The Venus constellation is often referred to in connection with Liz (e.g., Max in response to Liz saying her parents are on a trip to see Venus in the morning sky says "I thought she was standing in front of me."). Could it be that the four squares (pod squad) + plus the fifth star being Liz "complete" the constellation? The numbers 14 and 104 seem to pop up often - why? Some have found a connection between these numbers to Venus in astronomy and mythology, or could it be 1 for Liz, and 4 for the podsquad? Or are they just some writer's favorite apartment number or address? :facespin: We also have the evil aliens' beeper that is a pentagon - 5 sided. Any connection?

And what significance does the cave map have to Liz's connection to the podsters? A number of the symbols in the cave "map" have raised some interesting analysis! What do they represent, and is Liz represented somehow - like one of the "dot" in the series of boxes, one of which is open with the dot outside? Some have tried to identify each of the symbols and draw a correlation between the symbols and the various characters with some fascinating results! We have also begun to analyze the symbols that are "flashed" in the promos - you definitely have to Grace Kel them or you will miss them. Redhawk has done some wonderful screen caps for us to analyze!

Many have wondered if the "bad" aliens might also be from the podsquad's planet, just part of a civil war - therefore, having similar characteristics and powers to Harding's type of alien. Many of us think that the podsquad's people had to have visited Earth before - maybe many times! Could the pods have been planted on Earth at a time separate from the 1947 crash, maybe later on? Could other pods have been planted at other times? Could there be more than one set of podsters that will show up later? Clones? And could some of these earlier visits have some connection to Grandma C or someone else in Liz's family? Was the '47 crash caused by the bad aliens, or another ship of the "good" aliens? How long have the bad and good aliens been visiting or aware of Earth? And what have they been up to on these visits?

Most of us also think that there are more than one alien "watching" the pod squad, and that the tic-tac popping alien (AKA Tic Tac) (i.e., Hank-killer, one that found them asleep in the desert, and Dr. M impersonator) is a different alien, possibly watching out for them (we hope!), than Harding/Nasedo (assuming Harding is Nasedo). And what about the person who burns their picture at the end of Blind Date - another alien or one of the above two? Some wonder if Tess, Doug Shellow, Pierce and/or Deputy Owen might be a shapeshifter, or evil aliens? There is a wonderful observation of the different ways Harding and Tic Tac shapeshift and the different colored light involved! Many feel that Tic Tac is a good alien watching over the podsters, but maybe he is watching over Liz, too! Some wonder if Tic Tac switched the orb in the desert before Liz and Max woke up? If he did, why? The orbs have become a significant focus of discussion - how are they connected to the alignment of the constellations, or to the podsquad, or to the evil aliens? Also - what was with the "visit" during Into The Woods? Was it a spaceship that left the marking, or a single alien? As far as the color analysis goes, generally yellow seems to represent - or be present - evil, and blue seems to represent good - though this is not always true. And then, there is always the green cells and occasional glow!

Harding's connection to Liz has been pondered often! Why was he so eager to kiss Liz - not just in the car, but also in bus after "saving" her? (Horny alien? ) Why did he save Liz and not Max from the house of mirrors? Could he have been Sheila Hubble's lover or had some other strong connection to her, with a later connection to Liz? Could he have known Grandma Claudia? Could GC been connected to Sheila Hubble somehow? Harding has done nothing - we know of - to harm Liz, but MANY are suspicious of his intentions. Is his sole reason for being on Earth to protect the podsquad - an official "worker bee" - and what did he do for all those years?? Some feel he is a bad alien using Tess to infiltrate the podsquad. Why didn't he give them more information about themselves and what he has been up to? There are so many questions he could answer for the podsters! Will the real Ed Harding please stand up?

Finally, some have noted the reoccurrence of handholding as symbolizing the connection between Max and Liz and the other podsters. Handholding has great significance in the books as a form of joining energy, and we believe it does in the show too. The V constellation also looks like the joining of two hands. Also, in The Balance much is made of Max reaching out his hand to pull Michael from the pit, and M/I/M walking away holding hands.