The Invisible Man
"Liberty and Larceny"

Airdate: July 28, 2000

Disgusted with the agency's treatment, Darien decides to accept the offer of his former mentor, the beautiful and morally ambiguous Liz Parker, and returns to a life of crime. With Hobbes hot on his tail and circumstances not being all that they seem, Fawkes must ultimately make a decision based on his own moral code. Only, by accepting his role as a good guy, he could get both himself and Liz killed.

Darien The Fox... er... Darien Fawkes.

Suspicions that we've had since the pilot about Darien's faulty, but ultimately strong, conscience are confirmed by his old partner in crime, Liz Parker. When the chips are down, she admits that the reason she left him was that his moral code often made him a liability. Even now his hunger for a taste of the freedom he enjoyed when he was back on the other side of the law is tempered by his need to do the right thing. Despite the lure of cold, hard cash, Darien finds that he can't profit at the cost of someone else's life.

The idea behind "Liberty and Larceny" is to show how Darien has always had a streak of conscience that he could not ignore, only this point has already been made in the pilot and in a more subtle manner. Perhaps the only new idea put forth in this episode is that ultimately it is up to Fawkes as to whether the gland is used for good or ill. It might have been nice to have this presented in some other way than to have it spoken by his keeper, but it gives our hero something to chew on. Since his ordeal began, Darien has felt powerless and manipulated, but Claire's words make him realize that he has more power over his life than he previously thought.

There were other problems in addition to the episode's redundant life lesson. As a former love interest of Fawkes, the role of Liz Parker seemed awfully bland. Perhaps it was the writing, or simply a lack of chemistry, but Darien and Liz never came across as anything more than mere acquaintances. The casting of the mob boss was way off the mark. In this post-Sopranos age, it was impossible to buy that skinny little guy as threatening.

There was however one really great twist. The switching of predator and prey roles between the mob boss and the snitch who had been part of the witness protection program was a stroke of genius. Having Hobbes try to continue to protect the witness, even while he was targeting henchmen and mob boss alike, was another bit that was inspired. It wasn't enough to save the episode, but it did make it funny enough to want to watch again.

-- Linda M. Najera

The Invisible Man airs at 8pm EST, Fridays on The Sci Fi Channel.

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