One more Invisible Man--The 2000-2002 SyFy version, this time . . .

We’ve looked at two TV series titled The Invisible Man, the 1958 British offering and David McCallum’s 1975 incarnation. Today, we’ll explore the SyFy Channel version that ran from June 10, 2000 to Feb. 1, 2002.

Created by producer Matt Greenberg and Developed by Carlton Prickett and Breck Eisner, the third version of another invisible TV spy debuted to the largest audience viewing an original program on the SyFy Channel to that date. For fans, the title was often shortened to “The I-Man.”

In the two-part pilot, French-Canadian Darien Fawkes (Vincent Ventresca) was a convicted thief forced to be a guinea pig in a secret government experiment. A synthetic gland secreting light bending quicksilver was inserted into his brain allowing him to become invisible. But it also began destroying his higher mental capabilities. A loose cannon by nature, the new chemical aggravated his stability, driving him slowly insane, dependent on counter drugs administered by Claire, “The Keeper” (Shannon Kenny). Fawke's quest in the series was to find a means to have this gland safely removed.

The personality of the mysterious organization Fawkes worked for was seen through the various supporting characters including his partner, Bobby Hobbs (Paul Ben-Victor), a bantering buddy who was streetwise but unsophisticated. A gun lover, Hobbs was noted for his intense paranoia and sense of under appreciation. Alex Monroe (Brandi Lanford) was the lead female agent. She'd transferred to the unnamed Agency after her newborn son was kidnapped and her ongoing quest was to recover him. She had considerable difficulty working with others, so Monroe typically operated alone. Albert Eberts (Michael Mccafferty) was the verbose computer nerd wishing for opportunities to perform field work. Administrating this small and under budgeted group was “The Official,” Charles Borden (Eddie Jones) who controlled all the secrets.

While rough-hewn, Faulks was clearly well read, often inserting quotes from famous authors in off-camera asides or in final moments when he commented on the meaning of his latest adventure. For example, one 2001 quote was “As Tennessee Williams once said, we have to distrust each other. It’s our only defense against betrayal.” This observation would fit many episodes as Faulks, like Number Six in The Prisoner, was on the receiving end of many biological and chemical weapons. For example, in one 2001 episode, the enemy organization, Chrysalis, infected him with a nano-bug allowing them to see and hear what he does. This was done by having the bug transported through sexual transmission.

Chrysalis was the 21st century version of THRUSH, the arch-nemesis of The Man From U.N.C.L.E. Like THRUSH, Chrysalis raised many agents from birth. Fawks infiltrated a school for such children stolen from their mothers who’d been implanted with anti-aging DNA from Chrysalis masters. In one outing, Alex Monroe learned her lost son was in fact the child of the alleged head of Chrysalis, Jarod Stark (Spencer Garrett). In the series finale, viewers learned the super-children were the primary aim of Chrysalis, a technological superpower able to patiently wait its turn to take over the world.

Similarly, like The X-Files, the Agency had adversaries within the U.S. government itself. In “Insensate,” Fawkes met the leaders of the S.W.R.B. (Secret Weapons Research Branch), an agency so ruthless it intimidated and frightened the official. In that episode, Faukes learned his government was conducting illegal chemical and biological experiments on innocent civilians, resulting in a secret building of humans robbed of their senses. (“Insensate” received special promotion from the SyFy channel as it featured a rare guest appearance by Armin Shimerman, the former Ferengi bartender, Quark, on Star Trek: Deep Space 9).

The most personal theme developed as Darien uncovered both his family history and the background to why he was the chosen invisible agent. He learned his brother Kevin (David Burke) developed the Quicksilver gland and gave it to his brother to keep him out of prison before His murder by Arnaud DeFehrn (Joel Bissonnette). Appearing in nine episodes, Arnaud was the terrorist who implanted the RNA responsible for the invisibility madness. He gives himself a gland without the defect, but became permanently invisible. Later, Kevin’s memory RNA was injected into Darien in the hopes his resurrected mind could find out how to remove the gland. He declined, feeling Darrien was now a better man for it.


From the beginning, the series' producers avoided overworked science-fiction subjects like aliens or alternate universes, so the show kept close to its secret agent foundations without veering off into overused subjects on other series. Geared for a broad audience, especially 18-49 year olds, the dark themes were tempered with well-written humor, characterized by departmental bickering. In one episode, the agency tracked down stolen sperm from a Noble Prize winner’s sperm bank, re-capturing, as it were, the “crème de la crème.” One running gag was the names of continually changing cover agencies “absorbing” the department—whose budgets the Official drew from—completely unrelated to espionage. Thus Fawkes and Hobbs were rarely taken seriously when they announced they worked for the Department of Fish and Game, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, or the United States Post Office.

The last four of the 45 episodes were aired in Jan. 2002, the show ending due to high costs and differences between the SyFy Channel and its parent company, USA. The cancellation inspired an on-line letter campaign including postcards and fliers ready-made for use by disappointed viewers. This led to an unusual request from the network after the 2001 anthrax scare. the network posted a note to "Invisible Maniacs" asking they not send "packages of Kool-Aid and glitter (or any other powdery substance). Due to the state of heightened security throughout the country and the U.S. Postal system, any and all questionable mail is being met with extreme scrutiny." (Powdery substances were symbolic of the gold flakes that fell off Fawkes’ body after he returned to visibility.)

Universal Studios released the first season on DVD in March 2008 with extras including commentary tracks and interviews with participants.
https://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Man-...

You can see the full pilot episode at YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6904W...


You can also watch the series at Hulu:
www.hulu.com/the-invisible-man