The Invisible Man
"Reunion"

Airdate: September 8, 2000

In order to continue with this review I have to get out a little rant first. So, Arnaud The Amazing can't use a computer to look up property tax records to figure out just what Kevin and Darien's uncle owned? Not much of a mad genius if you ask me.

Darien and his brother Kevin.

But since no one asked me, I'll just move on.

Darien gets a call from his childhood doctor regarding an accident that his brother Kevin has just been in. That's his dead brother Kevin, mind you. Certain that such an old family friend would be incapable of making a mistake, Darien heads home to find out just what the hell is going on.

But first he has to get some time off, so instead of telling the truth, and being considered whacked-out, he lies to everyone and heads off home, alone. During his adventures he speaks with 3 people who saw and spoke with his brother, including the aunt that raised them and gets a peek at what he's certain is his brother Kevin. Still alive and still eating nasty sandwiches made from peanut butter and bologna. But that part comes in later.

His Fish and Game credentials garnering no respect whatsoever, Darien is thrown in the slammer for an accident involving a local peace officer. He uses his invisibility to escape, only to be caught by Hobbes in a pair of night vision goggles. The partners head back to Fawkes' childhood home and discover that someone's been sleeping -- and eating -- in Kevin's bed. And it wasn't Little Red Riding Hood neither.

A search of the rest of the house reveals that Darien's uncle's laboratory has been broken into. They find all of the records scattered about and a picture of The Fat Man, as Hobbes likes to refer to The Official. There's a confrontation, an explanation, a coffin dug up, and finally a showdown between Arnaud and Darien at the family's vacation cabin.

Zee evil Arnaud.

You know, the one Arnaud had no idea about? Cause he can't go down and check with the County Records Office or nothin' like that much less hire someone to break into their database.

Anyway, Darien's uncle's notes on his early work in the Quicksilver Project are found, but Arnaud takes off with them. In the end, Fawkes must make a decision, either bring back his arch-enemy or the research. Of course he chooses the research and [begin fake Swiss-French accent] The Phon [end fake Swiss-French accent] escapes to ruin another day.

Unfortunately, as usual, Darien makes the wrong choice. After intense study, The Keeper informs him that the notes could help them create another gland, but are of no use in aiding her attempts to figure out a way to safely remove it from his noggin.

The peek at Darien's childhood gives a better understanding of his current and even past situation. His flirting with the dark side was probably both a reaction to the loss of his parents and an attempt to garner attention from his uncle and aunt. Instead of being the good boy that Kevin was, he took to heart the maxim that says, "The squeaky wheel always gets the grease" and became a problem child, always getting in trouble and always needing extra attention. Including The Official in Darien's now-more-complex past was a nice touch as well.

There is also some good teamwork in this episode. Bobby Hobbes, thinking that Fawkes may need someone to lean on, goes to help, despite being told not to. Although it isn't the kind of help that he had assumed, Darien does end up needing his partner to solve the mystery surrounding his brother's reappearance. Hobbes may not end up being all that helpful in the final showdown, he proves, by his last act, to be a real friend.

-- Linda M. Najera

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

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