Max is in heat again and guys all over the country wish they were in Seattle. This classic episode written David Zabel and titled 'Meow' had just the right combination of comedy and hard core drama to make it in the top five DARK ANGEL episodes of all time, and I'm including future episodes in this number.

I know I was laughing at Max's predicament then crying when I realized just how hard it was for Max. Jessica Alba put forth an amazing performance. She really has captured Max and the amazing writing in this series just makes it easier for Jessica Alba. Sci-fi at it's finest deals has a continual undertone of sexual tension. We've seen it in STAR TREK, BUFFY, FARSCAPE, and of course my all time favorite ROSWELL season one. Can't include season two in that and if you’re a ROSWELL fan you probably know why.

Anyway, 'Meow' starts out innocently enough. Logan asks for Max's help, telling a little fib as to exactly why he needs her help. Max of course said she would help and informs Logan that Zack is looking for Tinga and hopes to turn up something soon. Logan then reminds Max that their anniversary is coming up and promises her an evening with an abundance of mirth and maybe a little surprise too. Then things start to get interesting…

Max heads home and falls asleep only to have a rather interesting dream. I was pretty fooled by the dream until the bed showed up in the alley. Of course, Logan appeared in the dream and I'm thinking it's about time Max admits she has feelings for Logan…although while she is in heat is probably not the ideal time for Max.

So Max is in heat…again. Something that has apparently led to some disastrous relationships in the past. We were first introduced to this aspect of Max back in the second episode of the season, remember Eric? One thing you can count on with this show is that if they introduce something early on which is kind of cool or seems important, they will go back and address it again, unlike some other shows…and yes I am talking about ROSWELL, and I think the ROSWELL fans out there know exactly what little tidbit I am referring to when I say that something introduced early on in season two really needed to addressed in season two.

Now back to the good stuff. I guess one thing different about this 'episode' for Max is that she could finally completely confide in someone about her 'problem'. Original Cindy was there for her and had Max's back, helping her out Max when she could. The scenes between the two of them were classic, including Cindy having to hit Max when she was attacking Normal and also the scrabble-like game they played before Max's scheduled dinner with Logan. By the way, kudos to whoever picked out the music for those scenes when Max was lusting after someone. The music added to the scenes perfectly! And J.C. MacKenzie was classic in this episode even though he was in it for a short while. The seen where he was cleaning his shirt…I almost believed that Normal was sexy…almost.

So Max helps Logan get the chip he needs to work the exoskeleton, but bails on the anniversary dinner with him. She doesn't want Logan to see her like that and of course she would probably jump Logan's bones if she were over at his place for an extended period of time. Of course Max doesn't stay at home that night, she goes for a ride on her motorcycle and runs into Rafer, the pizza delivery guy seen earlier in the episode. After jumping Rafer's bones, we see again the more vulnerable side of Max. The side she buries most of the time, the side that thinks she is freak who deserves nothing normal because she can never be normal. The next two scenes are heart-wrenching and beautifully played by Jessica Alba.

So Max felt like she not only betrayed herself, but also Logan. Original Cindy convinced Max that it was time to tell Logan the truth about why she skipped out on her anniversary dinner. So Max explains to Logan about her condition and just when things start to get interesting, guess who shows up? Now I know you all saw that one coming from a mile away. Good old Zack. It's good that he interrupted, they gotta keep that tension going, right? Anyway, we all know Zack, in his own way, has the hots for Max.

So Max and Zack set out to rescue Tinga. Zack gets hurt and it looks like Max will be captured by Lydecker…to be continued?? What are they trying to do to me? Drive me absolutely insane?

I guess I should mention the subplot here. The main plot was so amazing it almost overshadowing to an amazing subplot. In the subplot, Lydecker found a way to track Max. I was afraid that implant from the South Africans would come back and haunt her. This was another example of piece of info introduced earlier in the season being used again. The writer's of DARK ANGEL actually keep track of what's going on week to week and use it in later episodes…go figure.

Lydecker bests Madame X for once and prevents her from succeeding in her plan to kill him. He also finds Max and discovers that there is something going on at Manticore that he knows nothing about. The ins and outs of Manticore are a puzzle, but this battle between Lydecker and Renfro is intriguing and I for one cannot wait to see what happens next!