Max Haters & Apologists

Don't get me wrong here, I know some people don't like the character Max and never did. These are not the Max haters mentioned here.

Max haters on this page are people who were Max fans that came to hate him in late season 2 and continuing into season 3.

Here is a brief explanation of what the two groups believed.

Max Haters

So why do some fans hate Max?

Toward the end of season 2 when Max started getting together with Tess and then treating Liz and Isabel so badly, a lot of fans started hating Max.

He was acting like a jerk, pushing people around, treating people badly. He told Isabel he would pretty much do anything to stop her from leaving town. He tried to force Liz to stop investigating Alex's death, and when that didn't work, he told her he wouldn't be her friend any more if she continued.

Fans were horrified when Max slept with Tess. Sure, Liz had pretended to sleep with Kyle and then broken up with him at the prom, but no matter if they were together or not, the fans felt he was cheating on his soul mate. He still loved Liz, he knew they were soul mates, but he betrayed her, himself and any love they had shared by screwing the hussy.

People hated him even worse after Alex died and he treated Liz so badly. Not only did Max not believe Liz, but he wouldn't even listen to her at all. They were outraged that he grabbed Liz's arm in the hall at school and demanded that she stop asking questions. I remember the reaction of the fans on the boards after that episode. People were livid that he would manhandle her.

And then when he yelled at Liz at the Valenti's house for asking Tess questions, a lot of people thought he could never be forgiven for his actions. He basically bullied Liz, using his size to tower over her and intimidate her, taking out his frustration and hurt on her.

Not to mention he completely discounted that Isabel and Liz grieving for Alex. Sure Max was grieving over Alex too, and scared, and regretting his relationship with Tess, but he was cruelly taking his hurt out on everyone, especially Liz and Isabel.

Fans were just as horrified when he ordered Isabel to stay in town. Then when she refused, he blackmailed her, telling her that he would say she was on drugs and cheated her way through school. People thought it was despicable.

It seemed like the caring, loving Max we all knew and had grown to love was gone, and replaced by Max the asshole. Some fans started calling him MIAA (Max the Irredeemable Alien Ass). I called him Max-hole.

For some people, Max couldn't have done enough in three lifetimes to make up to Liz and Isabel, and they never forgave him.

Here is a conversation I saved between two Max hater. One was obviously a fan of Sean.

But yeah Liz should definitely have that as her purpose! Get away from Max and go to Sean!

How about, just get away from Max! Getting away from Max is purpose enough!

I know that's right! If I was stuck with him, I think that would be *my* purpose in life!

Hmm...you know Liz could accidently kill Max and go on the run with Sean????? But of course Max would probably merge back together like that liquid robot in Terminator 2!

Yeah, we'll never be rid of him!

No matter how many times we kill him off HE KEEPS COMING BACK!

Max Apologists

Of course not everyone hated Max. Some people thought his behavior it wasn't his fault or he was justified. They said Max was going through a bad time, or he was just a victim of circumstances. They came up with all kinds of reasons to forgive him for his jerky behavior.

- Some people thought it was the fact that Max and Liz were not together that was causing him to spin so wildly out of control. They thought Liz was the balance in his life. Even before they were together, she was always there, always something for him to dream about and strive for. But after they broke up and he was without her, he became hopeless and depressed and lashed out at everyone.

- Others thought Tess was manipulating Max's feelings at the end of season two, possibly even mindwarping him to do what she wanted. She was pushing him away from everyone but her, making him feel alone so he would turn to her. They saw Max's behavior as her influence on him, and thought he was able to break out of her 'spell' after Tess was revealed as Alex's murderer.

- Others thought that Max was justified in everything he did. They pointed out that Liz was the one who walked away from him at the pod chamber. He had been tortured by Pierce and told he was expected to save a planet. Imagine the pressure on him. Max and Liz had also finally declaired their love, and Max told Liz she meant everything to him, but she felt she was standing in the way of what he needed to do, so she left. She then left town for months. She was the one person he trusted and needed but she left him to deal with everything by himself.

No one seemed to care that he was tortured, but it was obviously affecting him so much that his parents put him in therapy. Michael, Isabel, Tess and Nasedo seemed like they just wanted him to forget what happened and be a leader. It was certainly never mentioned by any of the characters on the show again, but Max had to be damaged by that.

When Liz did return, she continued to push Max away, and even told him things couldn't go back to the way they were. Then she pretended to sleep with Kyle. Of course Max was devistated by that, and when he asked Liz about it she lied over and over, and he knew she was lying. But he started to get over it and then Liz broke up with him at the prom. She told him she was being suffocated by him.

What is the poor guy supposed to think? Liz, the one person who he thought he could trust more than anyone, continually pushes him away, lies to him for months, sleeps with someone else and then dumps him at the prom she invited him to. No matter how much he loved her, he must have thought he had no chance with her, so he moved on.

Max haters thought he was cheating on his soul mate no matter if they were together or not, but Max apologists believe he had every right to move on.

They also thought Liz was being reckless in bringing attention to them, and so he had to stop her.

They thought Isabel was being stupid and making a rash decision to leave town when she was grieving, and Max may have gone too far with how he made her stay, but Isabel wasn't hearing him otherwise.

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