The Invisible Man
"It Hurts When You Do This"

Airdate: August 18, 2000

During a takedown, Hobbes is injured and requires hospitalization, but the swiss-cheese-like state of his memory makes him think he's on a mission. The funny thing is that there is something not-so-funny going on, but while his head trauma doesn't hamper his ability to investigate, it does leave him unable to let Fawkes know that there are some people at the hospital are doing some very bad things.

It seems that the neurological genius that is assigned as Hobbes' doctor is not only an old colleague of The Keeper, but he's also making moral judgments that lead him to help some people while leaving other, less important people in a near-catatonic state. His victims are a group of homeless who come in for other procedures and end up making a deposit to the brain-gunk bank. The bad doctor excuses his actions by pointing out that people that make a genuine contribution to society -- like Hobbes -- are more worthy of help than the homeless folk from which he extracts the magical goo.

The continuing joke of having Hobbes restart conversations every few minutes, while amusing at first, gets a bit tired. However, the near panic he experiences when he realizes that his recovery may be due to the near lobotomizing of his former female hospital roommate, Sarah, was a great touch. The dismay and guilt were understated, but definitely there.

While the moral of "It Hurts When You Do This" is important, like most episodic television, The Invisible Man sort of glosses over the subject matter of the homeless. This was not unexpected though as I fear that The Invisible Man has abandoned its dark roots and has decided to take a more watered down approach to the issues it explores. The cynical outlook that permeated the early part of the season gave the show a mature, definitely more science fiction bent and is sorely missed as each week the series has become less unique and more action-oriented.

The current crop of villains are mere cardboard cutouts and unlike their predecessors have nothing in common with Darien. Their vanquishing requires only standard TV action and doesn't result in as much introspection from Fawkes as in the first few episodes. Additionally, the threat of Quicksilver Madness has seemingly been overcome with Fawkes going invisible at the drop of a hat and getting a shot of counteragent whenever he wants. Or at least whenever the plot calls for him to talk to The Keeper. The uninspired adversaries and the loss of the danger involved in using the gland has for all intents and purposes neutered this once very edgy show. Dammit.

As depressing as the pilot, "The Catevari", and "Tiresias" were, at least they had more brain and soul than the latest crop of light episodes.

-- Linda M. Najera

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

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