The Invaders - The First Season
starring Roy Thinnes, Hank Simms,
William Woodson, Kent Smith
Great Family Entertainment
If they’re really after you, you’re not paranoid is a lesson The Invaders
David Vincent has learned all too well. Vincent (portrayed by Roy Thinnes)
knows that aliens from a dying planet have come to Earth and are planning
to take over; having lost his way and fallen asleep in his car in the remote
woods one night, he saw their flying saucer land. What’s worse, the
invaders know he knows. And worst of all, the rest of the world is willfully
oblivious, and little interested in the rantings of this madman. Thats the
premise of this series from producer Quinn (The Fugitive) Martin, and even
if the 16 episodes from the show’s first season (1967) don’t always match
the promise of the concept, this is still an intriguing, entertaining ride. The
aliens, crafty critters that they are, look exactly like us, save for a slight
disfigurement of one finger; they also completely disintegrate when killed,
a convenient little conceit that prevents anyone from figuring out who or

what they really are. Their dastardly schemes for eliminating the Earthlings
are many and varied, ranging from nuclear bombs, plagues of locusts (and
carnivorous butterflies!), and manufactured hurricanes to brainwashing and
mind control experiments. Standing against this implacable foe is just one
man--an amateur (Vincent was an architect before all the craziness began)
who works alone (the other true believers he encounters almost invariably
end up dead) and is often stymied by his own impetuousness and lack of
preparation. Admittedly, the concept doesn’t hold up under close scrutiny;
even if the aliens are trying to take over by stealth instead of one massive
invasion, it doesn’t make a lot of sense that they can’t eliminate a guy who
doesn’t even own a gun. There is no series arc; each episode is stand-
alone, so by the end of the season the invaders still have barely
established a foothold. Moreover, while there are plenty of fistfights and
chase sequences, the special effects are ludicrous, the alien technology
looks like something out of a high school play, the stories are obvious, and
the acting is melodramatic (notwithstanding guest appearances by the
Jack Warden and familiar TV faces like Suzanne Pleshette, Arthur Hill,
Joseph Campanella, Jack Lord, Ed Asner, and many others).
Nevertheless, with the help of Dominic Frontiere’s music and the
portentous narration that begins and ends each episode, The Invaders
manages to consistently maintain its paranoid, Kafka-esque vibe, and that
alone makes it compellingly watchable. Thinnes’ episode intros and a new
interview with the actor are the main bonus features. --Sam Graham
Personal Review: The Invaders - The First Season starring Roy
Thinnes, Hank Simms, William Woodson, Kent Smith
Though I enjoyed both seasons of THE INVADERS, Season One is my
favorite. As with most first season shows, Season One of THE INVADERS
is when the production team did some experimenting before it settled on a
"formula." As such the beginning of the season is fresher and a little more
raw than the series' second year run.
In the first season David Vincent bears the burden of his crusade against
the alien invasion alone. Although each show adds additional witnesses to
alien activity, Vincent is seemingly the only one dedicated enough to give
up his personal life, employment, and reputation in the pursuit of the
aliens. This is very different from Season Two where Vincent is a member
of a larger organization of believers.
The plot: Aliens from another galaxy have landed on Earth slowly
establishing their network. Their goal is to acquire the Earth as a
replacment planet for their dying world. The aliens have taken human form
both to survive in the oxygen rich environment and to infiltrate society. In
the pilot episode "Beachhead" Architect David Vincent accidentally
witnesses one of the alien landings and finds that no one believes him.
Worse is that police treat him as a kook and the aliens are out to do away
with him all together. Ultimately Vincent takes up his lonely pursuit of the
aliens. Vincent is played by handsome blue-eyed Roy Thinnes. Thinnes

had alreay appeared in several prior Quinn Martin television productions
and ended up landing the starring role in THE INVADERS.
The pilot episode was a bit of a disappointment in that Vincent's initial
encounter with the alien saucer is little more than what we are show during
the beginning credits, theme music, and narration. In fact the beginning
narration and credits of each episode show us the saucers traveling past
the moon toward Earth, something that is never seen in the pilot. Still it
was a fitting beginning to the series.
In terms of infiltration the Invaders are certainly successful in that aliens
are already well established -- in most cases the story lines give them at
least a year of tenure -- in law enforcment, industry, the military and
government agencies. In terms of their appearance we are only treated to
the Invaders in human form. We never see them in their original alien
state.
There is no rhyme or reason for why the Invaders take one particular
human form or another. You would think they would be best served
appearing as strapping young healthy men and women. Instead the
Invaders show up as young and elderly, heavy and petite, or any other
common human form. Though the Invaders sometimes borrow the identity
of a deceased individual it is more the case of identity theft than one-for-
one replacment ala INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS. In most
cases the Invaders are experts at forging certificates, identification and
other documents allowing them unimpeded access across the country.
One of the alien prime directives appears to be to prevent the general
public from finding out about them. As such the Invaders generally restrict
themselves to standard firearms and make use of Earth-bound technology
such as radios and rotary phones -- though I am sure there were
production budgetary reasons as well. When cornered the aliens will not
hesitate to take their own lives to prevent their capture. Episode three is
the first episode where we witness the aliens incinerate when they are
dying or badly wounded. Thus when the aliens die they leave no trace
behind. Even the items they are carrying incinerate with them.
Each of the episodes are stand alone stories with conflict and resolution
within each episode. Though the aliens schemes are normally foiled by
Vincent, sometimes it is difficult to determine the victor. Season One has
some great and very familiar guest stars, several who would appear again
in Season Two as totally separate characters. Included in Season One are
J.D. Cannon, Ellen Corby, Roddy McDowall, Suzanne Pleshette, William
Windom, Jack Lord, Michael Rennie, James Whitmore, Burgess Meredith,
Ralph Bellamy, Joseph Campenella, and others.
The DVD does feature a few special features such as audio commentary
and optional introductions to each episode by a contemporary Roy
Thinnes. In the Thinnes introductions there was a missed opportunity in

that the introductions are limited to a short synopsis of the episode
highlighting the appearance of a guest star. It would have been better to
allow Thinnes to elaborate on behind the scenes aspects of each episode.
Season One is also limited to 17 episodes. Remember that the first
season of THE INVADERS was as a midseason replacement. The second
year was a full 26-season season.
For More 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price:
The Invaders - The First Season starring Roy Thinnes, Hank Simms, William Woodson,
Kent Smith 5 Star Customer Reviews and Lowest Price!