Alex
Whitman
Birthday: Unknown
Parents:
Siblings: None
Character History: Alex became best friends with Liz Parker (and assumedly Maria DeLuca) in the fifth grade when Liz first "noticed him" (they actually met in fourth grade). The three of them went everywhere together, and hung out all the time, until September 18, 1999, when things changed. Liz and Maria started avoiding him and acting secretive all the time.
Alex, though hurt, seemed to take it in stride until Maria asked him if he took Liz's diary, which helped cement the distance among the three of them. He began trying to start his own band (he plays bass guitar).
Max and Liz got into a car accident one day, and Maria brought Alex down to the hospital where Max was still unconscious. Liz asked if he would do her a huge favor and Alex's response without hesitation was, "Of course. Anything." Liz then told him she needed his blood. Though uncertain and confused about what was going on, Alex allowed Isabel to draw his blood to replace Max's with it. When he finally demanded to know what was going on, Liz told him that Max was into drugs. Alex felt used, angry, hurt, and guilty that he'd just helped cover up for Max when Max had nearly got both himself and Liz killed in a car accident.
The school counselor, Kathleen Topolsky began asking him questions about what was going on, and finally told him she knew that he'd been involved in replacing Max's blood at the hospital. She assured him that if he wrote down everything he knew, she would make sure that he didn't get into trouble and neither would Liz. Confused, Alex asked how she'd avoid police involvement if Max was into drugs. Later, Liz had left a note in his locker, asking him to meet her at the Crashdown so they could talk. She still wouldn't tell him what was going on, but begged him to trust her. He agreed to help her find out who Topolsky really was. Alex went to see Topolsky and Liz distracted her while Alex hacked into her laptop computer. As it turned out, she was an FBI agent. Upset that she'd been found out, she warned them that they were way over their heads without her there because she was on their side. Then she left town. Alex told Liz that if she didn't tell him what was *really* going on with Max and the FBI, he was done being friends with her. When Liz still wouldn't tell him, he walked away from her, dejected.
Since Alex was the last person to see Ms. Topolsky, Sheriff Valenti began questioning him about what the two of them had talked about. Alex lied and said that they'd only talked about his class schedule next semester. Even though he was angry, he continued covering for Liz and her "new friends."
Alex had a dream about Isabel Evans. The two of them were at a formal but private dance at school. She was wearing a beautiful red dress and Alex was wearing a tuxedo. The two of them danced to Save Ferris's song, "Let Me In." Alex had no idea that the real Isabel had chosen that night to dreamwalk into his mind and see what he was thinking. The next day at school, he was stunned when Isabel asked him to the rave at the old soap factory. Later, however, he realized that she was trying to prevent him from talking to Sheriff Valenti, and walked away from her feeling like a fool. There was an electrical fire at the rave, and when some kids shoved bottles of booze into his and Liz's hands, Sheriff Valenti arrested them both for being underage and in the possession of alcohol.
At the jail, he informed Liz that he was going to tell Sheriff Valenti everything he knew about replacing Max's blood at the hospital and what he knew about Topolsky being FBI. A tearful Liz finally told him that she was protecting Max, Michael and Isabel because they were aliens. He didn't believe her at first. However, when Sheriff Valenti came back to question him about what his involvement was with Liz, Max, Michael and Isabel, Alex told him that he and Liz were being held in jail under false circumstances and that if the sheriff didn't release them immediately, he was going to find a lawyer and sue for abusive treatment to a minor. Without another choice, Valenti released them. Alex and Liz hugged outside the police department, and she commented that he didn't believe her. Alex replied, "I believe that you believe. Let's leave it at that."
Later, after much thinking, Alex talked to Isabel, asking her questions about where she came from and who she was. He didn't believe that she was an alien until she touched a bottle of ketchup and turned the ketchup yellow.
Michael got sick soon after, and the group had to perform a healing ritual using stones from Isabel's planet. Alex was the first to step forward to help out.
It was no secret that Alex had a crush on Isabel, but she kept telling him that she couldn't be anything more than friends with him, and continued pushing him away.
Alex finally managed to form a band called "The Whits." The group performed at the blind date concert, and were a success as Maria sang lead and Alex played guitar.
Liz began having visions (or "flashes") as she and Max kissed. Alex generously offered to be the subject of experimentation should Isabel want to find out things "in the interest of science." She was amused, but said no. Then Isabel showed up on his doorstep one morning. She told him that Max and Liz were both missing, and that she wanted to try and get a "flash" of their location by kissing him. He was stunned, but didn't protest. They kissed but no "flashes" occurred. He assured her he was available anytime for "further experiments."
Topolsky returned out of the blue, and warned them that they were all in danger from an FBI special unit of alien hunters. Alex was scared that something was going to happen to all of them, but he was especially afraid for Isabel. He and Liz both wanted to meet with the former guidance counselor and hear what she had to say, but they were out-voted by the others. Alex was nearly abducted by Pierce one night after being rejected yet again by Isabel, who had chosen to spend time with the new girl, Tess Harding instead. Luckily Sheriff Valenti showed up in time to save him and drove him home without asking any questions.
Alex was the key figure in finding out who Tess really was. He reprogrammed the camera found in Michael's apartment so that they could spy on her to learn the truth.
Not long after they learned Tess was an alien, Isabel told Alex she was ready to move their relationship to the next step. Alex wanted to take things slowly and "do the romance thing" (dinner, dancing, etc). Isabel, however, began kissing him passionately to his surprise.
When Max was abducted and Isabel had to dreamwalk into his mind to try and find out where he was being held captive, Alex held Isabel in his arms so she didn't "get lost."
After they had Max back, the aliens and Liz were going to go and heal Nasedo. Alex hugged Isabel and told her good luck.
Picture: Alex and Isabel's first kiss in "the name of science" during the episode "Sexual Healing."
Some of My Favorite Alex Quotes:
"Ok, I want some answers, all right? Because, first of all, there are rumors going around that last week you were shot here in the cafe. And then at the Crash festival, you were seemingly run over by a car, but then you weren't. And everytime I walk up to you two, you go all silent or make up some ridiculous story about Czechoslovakia, which is a country that has not existed for 10 years. So I want the truth, and I want it now." -Alex to Liz and Maria, "The Morning After."
"So I'm off to gym. Dodgeball!" -Alex to Liz and Maria, "Missing."
"Ok, I'm making a point here. The point here is, *musicians* get the ladies." -Alex, "Blood Brothers."
"If I had a therapist, he'd say talking to you is detrimental to my mental health." -Alex to Liz, "Blood Brothers."
"Liz, I'm not kidding. All right? Now either you tell me the truth, or I walk." -Alex to Liz, "Blood Brothers."
"What do you want from me? More blood? A urine sample? How about my kidney?" -Alex to Liz, "Heatwave."
"It's amazing. You wanna know what? A couple weeks ago, if someone were to ask me who I would trust with my life *other* than my parents, I would have said you without skipping a beat. And now...now I feel like I don't even know who you are." -Alex to Liz, "Heatwave."
"Where are they from?" (Liz points up) "What? Like Wyoming?" (she points higher) "Oh. Okay, fine. Canada. They're Canucks. So what, you're saying the FBI is all over them because they're like...illegal aliens?" -Alex to Liz, "Heatwave."
"Well, part of me...uh, part of me feels like you've gone insane, and the other part of me feels like I want some of the massive doses of hallucinogens you've obviously been taking. But...I don't believe in aliens." -Alex to Liz, "Heatwave."
"Well, I've got two theories. One is that...uh, you and Liz have been brainwashed by a drug cult...and the other is...I'm trapped inside some extremely long, extremely weird nightmare." -Alex to Maria, "The Balance."
"What I really need is a sedative." -Alex, "The Balance."
"It's amazing...staring at the stars with you. I mean, I used to look up there, and stars were just stars. One was just as good as the next one. Somehow with you...I mean...It's so wonderous, you know? I mean...each star is...is a mystery, you know, and so full of possibility. This is so much better than seeing a movie." -Alex to Isabel, "Into the Woods."
"Well, I was just wondering, you know, in the interest of science, kissing being purported to provoke these certain insights, I wanted to, you know, offer myself as a...as a human subject available for experimentation." -Alex to Isabel, "Sexual Healing."
"Everything gets easier when you're not alone." -Alex to Isabel, "Crazy."
The character of Alex Whitman is played by the very talented Colin Hanks.