The Invisible Man

"The Invisible Man" is a television series which was broadcast on television during the years 2000-2002. It is about a man named Darien Fawkes, a petty larcenist who finds himself in prison facing a life sentence because of his crimes. His brother Kevin, who is a scientist, comes to his rescue by arranging a deal in which Darien agrees to becoming the subject of a scientific experiment in exchange for his freedom.

The experiment consists of introducing a synthetic gland into Darien's brain. This gland, named Quicksilver, has the ability to bend light, thereby making him invisible. Trouble arises when a crooked scientist named Arnaud modifies the gland, causing Darien to suffer from bouts of what is termed Quicksilver Madness. During these fits of madness, his eyes turn red and his behaviour becomes erratic to the point of being violent.

There is a counter-agent available that will reduce the effect of Quicksilver Madness, but it is in the control of The Agency, a government organization which forces Darien into working for it, in return for doses of the counter-agent. The person administering the counter-agent is an attractive young scientist called The Keeper. It is she who later helps Darien get rid of Quicksilver Madness.

The two seasons of this television series show Darien solve multiple cases on behalf of the Agency, all the while hunting for a way to remove the gland from his brain, in order to be free of the hold the Agency has over him. In the end he succeeds, but decides to continue working for the Agency.

PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS

Darien Fawkes (The Invisible Man)
The one around whom the story is based. Once a thief, he changes his ways and follows the path of the straight and narrow.
His character is a bit don't-carish, but he is surprisingly good with children (As evidenced by the episodes Ralph in Season one and Johnny Apocalypse in Season two).
He is determined to do whatever it takes to remove the Quicksilver gland from his brain, and is disappointed on multiple occasions before finally succeeding.

Habits: Fawkes is accustomed to spouting out quotes by famous people, and then interpreting them in his own way, or changing them according to his own life.

The Keeper (Claire Keeply)
She is the scientist assigned to administer the counter-agent and find a way to stop Quicksilver Madness.
Initially, the Keeper seems somewhat distant and even anti-social, but later displays her human side.
Her surname is not actually Keeply, and it annoys Darien that she won't divulge her real name to them. Even her first name was discovered only as a result of him spying on her.
Darien always suspects that the Keeper may be only concerned about the well-being of the gland, but in the end she risks her job to help him.

Habits: The Keeper has the habit of providing long-winded, complicated scientific explanations for everything, forgetting that she is the only one who can understand them.

Robert Hobbes (Bobby Hobbes)
Darien's partner cum mentor at The Agency. He has worked for the FBI, but was kicked out. At times he is depicted as incompetent, while at other times he seems to be very efficient.
He is very loyal to Darien, and is interested in the Keeper.

Habits: Bobby Hobbes has the habit of referring to himself in the third person, generally while boasting about his exploits.

The Official (Charles Borden)
The Official is the head of the Agency. He is alternately kind and understanding, and uncompromising and unpleasant.
He is determined not to let Fawkes leave the Agency, and often manipulates the Keeper into withholding information about solutions for Quicksilver Madness.

Habits: The Official has an assistant named Ebertz, and he frequently instructs him to stop talking. In fact, "Shut up, Ebertz" is the phrase he uses the most in addressing his unfortunate assistant.

Albert Ebertz
The Official's assistant. Generally very efficient, but often rambles on and on. There was one episode in Season two, entitled The importance of being Ebertz, which focused on him as the principal character.

Alex Monroe
This character joined the cast after the first season as a federal agent. Initially her only goal was to recover her baby which had been kidnapped by an organization named Chrysalis. However, later she lends her assistance in solving various cases put forward by the Agency.
She doesn't always see eye-to-eye with the other members of the team, but is an excellent asset nevertheless.

Arnaud DeFehrn
The 'bad guy' in the series. Cruel enough to shoot a man point-blank for disagreeing with him and sadistic enough to pose as Darien's dead brother in order to obtain the formula for the Quicksilver gland.
At one point in the show, Arnaud himself is afflicted by permanent invisibility, but manages to get rid of it.
Although he is the villain, his character is somewhat amusing.