History Series / TheInvisibleMan

* AlasPoorVillain: The Catevari

A SciFi channel series that aired in 2000.

* RequiredSecondaryPowers: Unlike most fictional [[{{Invisibility}} invisible men]], there is a fairly believable in-story explanation as to how Darien sees while invisible: when the Quicksilver bonds with his eyes, it allows him to see light outside the visible spectrum, which isn't bent (the downside being that he can only see in monochrome). This also explains why he can be seen via thermal imaging.

** In the pilot, Darien attempted to spy on a security guard and a [[HospitalHottie nurse]] about to [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean get it on]], when he involuntarily becomes visible. Needless to say, the security guard did not appreciate that and threw him out, although not before punching him in the face. However, this was more due to inexperience in controlling his adrenalin levels, which is rectified by Kevin teaching him yoga.

** In the pilot, Darien attempted to spy on a security guard and a [[NightNurse nurse]] about to [[IfYouKnowWhatIMean get it on]], when he involuntarily becomes visible. Needless to say, the security guard did not appreciate that and threw him out, although not before punching him in the face. However, this was more due to inexperience in controlling his adrenalin levels, which is rectified by Kevin teaching him yoga.

http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/I-man.jpg
[[caption-width:300: Remember, before you turn invisible, you have to turn into [[strike:mercury]] Capri Sun. This is why invisible men go mad.]]

[[BoxedCrook In exchange for a pardon]], professional thief Darien Fawkes agrees to let his brother Kevin use him as a test subject for a [[GeneticEngineeringIsTheNewNuke synthetic gland]] that allows him to secrete a light-bending substance called "quicksilver" from his skin and turn into an InvisibleMan. However, the gland was sabotaged before the operation by Kevin's right hand man, Arnaud [=DeFöhn=], forcing the host to receive regular injections of a counteragent, or slip into a deeply unpleasant state of "Quicksilver madness".

* PowerIncontinence: Darien has much more control over his ability than most versions of the InvisibleMan, but occasionally it kicks in involuntarily...most notably, when he's having sex.

* RequiredSecondaryPowers: Unlike most fictional [[InvisibleMan invisible men]], there is a fairly believable in-story explanation as to how Darien sees while invisible: when the Quicksilver bonds with his eyes, it allows him to see light outside the visible spectrum, which isn't bent (the downside being that he can only see in monochrome). This also explains why he can be seen via thermal imaging.

* UnusualEuphemism: Borrowed frell from ''{{Farscape}}'' (which it aired immediately before).

* NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished: How Darien was caught in the pilot: while Darien is getting ready to leave after robbing a safe, an elderly person walks in and has a heart attack. Darien tries to give him CPR when suddenly he is walked in on in a [[NotWhatItLooksLike compromising position.]] Not only do we get a paper headline reading "Gerontophile Thief Caught", but the guy ''actually testifies in court'' that Darien was ''trying to molest him!''

** Speaking of Arnaud, while he's normally very composed, he has this look on his face when he winds up being held at gunpoint by a Quicksilver Mad-Darien.

* ActorAllusion: In "Exposed," Darien opens an SWRB cell door expecting to free Hobbes and Alex, but instead frees a man that he's pretty sure he knows. The man is played by Adam Storke, who co-starred with Vincent Ventresca on the short-lived series, ''Prey''. To play up this moment, before the first airing of "Exposed," the Sci-Fi Channel aired the series finale of ''Prey'', which ended with Storke's character (Tom Daniels) being locked in an actual cell. It is left to viewer to decide if Storke is actually reprising (however briefly) his old role, however.

* AndIMustScream: As noted below, the experiment that created the Catavari paralyzed him for decades. Thing is, he was completely conscious the entire time, but no one knew that.

* GoneHorriblyWrong: The plot of some episodes, most notably "Catavari" wherein a spy who has undergone a surgical procedure to make him ''sweat'' poison. It works, but the damage done to his central nervous system paralyzes him for decades. This also happens to the first person to have the quicksilver gland implanted.

* ActorAllusion: In "Exposed," Darien opens an SWRB cell door expecting to free Hobbes and Alex, but instead frees a man that he's pretty sure he knows. The man is played by Adam Storke, who co-starred with Vincent Ventresca on the short-lived series, ''Prey''. To play up this moment, before the first airing of "Exposed," the Sci-Fi Channel aired the series finale of ''Prey'', which ended with Storke's character (Tom Daniels) being locked in an actual cell. It is left to viewer to decide if Storke is actually reprising (however briefly) his role in "Exposed", however.

* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: In an episode where Darien poses as a little girl's [[ImaginaryFriend invisible best friend]] 'Ralph', a sniper is shooting at her while she's hiding behind some rocks. Darien is on the edge of quicksilver madness when he goes invisible and beats the living piss out of the sniper.
--> '''Sniper:''' What ''are'' you?!
--> ''Darien becomes visible''
--> '''Darien:''' I'm Ralph.
* CrowningMomentOfFunny: While in Quicksilver Madness Stage 5, Darien beats up a [[AcceptableTargets mime]].
** While in the midst of Quicksilver Madness, rather than outright kill Arnaud (whose knowledge Clare needs at the time), Darien takes his anger out on his house.
--> '''"DIE CUCKOO CLOCK! DIE!"'''
* CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming: when [[spoiler: Gloria gets reunited with her family after ten years. *sniff*]]
** Hobbes putting a flag by Kevin's grave, which he had earlier said was always done for heroes.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: Eberts, who was promoted to regular cast in Season 2.

* SpecialEffectsFailure: The computer-generated effects were probably very impressive in 2000. Nearly a decade later... not so much.

** When Darien and Hobbes get wrongly sent to the Community (where all the retired spies are sent to), they bump into [[TheAvengers a British man with an umbrella]]. When Darien comments on it, Hobbes said the show was based on him.

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<<|InvisibleMan|>>

-> ''There once was a story about a man who could turn invisible. I thought it was only a story...until it happened to me. Okay, so here's how it works. There's this stuff called quicksilver that can bend light. Some scientists made it into a synthetic gland, and that's where I came in. See, I was facing life in prison, and they were looking for a human experiment. So, we made a deal. They put the gland in my head, I walk free. The operation was a success, but that's where everything started to go wrong...''

* FridgeLogic: Who in their right mind in any position of authority would approve giving an invisibility gland to a man who has been convicted twice of theft?
** And once for [[NotWhatItLooksLike molesting the elderly.]]
** Someone who is a) under pressure from the project's irreplaceable head scientist and b) frankly in need of an expendable test subject, given what happened to the last one.

* IChooseToStay

* BlessedWithSuck: Invisibility is cool. The regular descents into screamingly painful homicidal insanity? Not so much.

* BuddyCopShow: With Darien and Bobby as the cops.

* TemporaryBlindness: A one-shot CareerKiller had a modus operandi of rendering witnesses unable to identify him by blinding them instead of killing them. Darien was a witness. [[IGotBetter He got better.]]

* [[CrowningMoment/OtherShows Crowning Moment Of Awesome]]: In an episode where Darien poses as a little girl's [[ImaginaryFriend invisible best friend]] 'Ralph', a sniper is shooting at her while she's hiding behind some rocks. Darien is on the edge of quicksilver madness when he goes invisible and beats the living piss out of the sniper.

* FlowersForAlgernon: Hobbes does this in one episode, appropriately titled "Flowers for Hobbes".

*WesternTerrorists: Arnaud's group, also Chrysalis