The Invisibles

This is a pretty good episode with a kind of clichéd plot. As has happened many times in B sci fi movies, an alien becomes one with a citizen for the purpose of domination. In this case a group of "nobodies" is recruited to be impregnated (sort of) by things with legs (that don't actually propel the things). They are shaped like trilobites. One of the young men is an agent sent to infiltrate this operation. Eventually, he becomes the right hand man, working for the governor, chauffeuring his wife. It's all about being chased. At some point, the wife accidentally runs over the guy, breaking his leg and this leads to major complications. Apparently, these intergalactic forces have broad scope and are a substantial threat. One interesting thing was seeing Richard Dawson (Laugh In and Family Feud Richard Dawson) as the guy who keeps an eye on things for the governor. I have to say, however, that the little alien creatures were so silly and so slow, it's hard to imagine them being much of a threat.

Spain, Plannetta, and Castle are the outcasts of society. However a secret society called the Invisibles has uses for them. As long as they pass the initiation test.

They will be innoculated and a parasitic alien will bite them and take over their mind. If the crab like creature is attached to their back, they fail the test as they will be deformed.

Their purpose is to take over key figures in government, politics, finance and business. Eventually take world control by infecting key people.

Only Spain (Don Gordon) is a government agent sent in to infiltrate the Invisibles. Only he is suspected of being a spy very early on.

The Invisibles is a very creepy episode, atmospherically made. It is very much inspired by the Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

The crab like monster is eerie with its little legs being moved by a motor. The slow movement lets it down.

Gordon is very good as the agent who knows they are on to him and fears that he has no one to trust. At times the story is let down by some unnecessary melodrama. Spain is badly injured but manages to get so far even though he is in great pain.

Deep space creatures need humans so they may live. Humans being controlled like addiction. Good cast George Macready, Don Gordon, & Walter Burke. Has a revolting subject of losing control to a evil space alien.

This is my vote for the best show of the entire series. In fact, it might have made a great pilot episode for its own series. I know that some spin off shows were made for "The Outer Limits" but none were picked up by the networks.

Don Gordon stars in this episode as a government agent who has infiltrated a secret organization of evil. It's purpose is to take over the world by inserting weird alien beings into the bodies of unsuspecting government officials. It's a lot like "Invasions of the Body Snatchers" as well as the "Star Trek the Next Generation" episode "Conspiracy"--so perhaps it isn't 100% original--but it is expertly, well-acted and compelling throughout. In addition, it's darn scary and didn't need great special effects or especially scary monsters, as the story itself was the star.

By the way, look for the particularly good performance by Neil Hamilton as well as a nice cameo by Richard Dawson. Both did great jobs (particularly Hamilton) and were in top form.

As I watched this episode, I realized how much it had to say about terrorist organizations long before 9/11 ever happened. The unrealistic beliefs the "recruits" had about their rewards, as well as the dispersal of them across the country seemed prescient. Think about the way Al Quieda recruited disaffected men and the way they indoctrinated them to perform their "mission." As usual, TOL was way ahead of its times.