 An important premise of Max's character (and the show itself) is that he's been in love with Liz Parker since the first time he saw her at school when he was just six years old (shortly after emerging from the pod).He keeps himself distanced from Liz, primarily because of his concerns about being an alien and her being a human.This secret ends in the pilot episode when she gets shot at the Crashdown Cafe and he saves her life, risking everything for her and starting the lead plot of the show.