What happens when you discover the human race is being secretly infiltrated by aliens? When youre architect David Vincent, you risk your career, reputation and life to fight this unknown force. He roams the country exposing these faux-people that want to destroy the American way. The public must know that the world is in jeopardy. However most of the time, Vincent finds himself with no physical evidence at the end of the day. These spacemen are sneaky. The Invaders: The Second Season brings us the final 26 episodes of this captivating cult series. The first season had Vincent treated as a crackpot with his talk of space ships and vaporizing aliens. This sophomore outing has him find other believers that know theres something wrong with their neighbors, co-workers and lovers. Theres even a rich guy who buys Vincents crusade. With a growing force, will Vincents warnings be taken seriously?
“Condition: Red” opens with the wife of an Air Force major having a fatal horse riding accident except she doesnt die. She walks away as if nothing happened. Vincent gets word of this medical miracle and arrives on the scene. He senses that shes an alien whos fooled her husband into letting her compromise the Air Forces air defense system. Will any husband admit their wife is an evil alien? During that time of the month, she might seem possessed by a beast from outer space, but a husband wouldnt tell her. “The Saucer” lets Vincent get his hands on one of their spaceships. He has to keep it secure until the authorities arrive to document that it really exists. Things get messy when the Invaders want their craft back. He has to deal with Dabney Coleman (9 to 5) and Anne Francis (Honey West). “Valley of the Shadow” puts an entire town in jeopardy when they arrest an alien. The Invaders plan to wipe the town off the map. Its up to Vincent to save them. Ted Knight (Too Close for Comfort) is the evil Invader. How can he be a threat to humanity? Why didnt Cosmic Cow prevent this?
“The Trial” has a man up on charges for killing an alien. He has no proof that his victim wasnt human since the district attorney swears the guy was tossed in a furnace. Vincent is brought in to clear this innocent man. It gets creepy when the Invaders send a set of fake parents to vouch for their alien son. After their testimony, they insure they wont be called back to the stand. The episode is packed with stars including Russell Johnson (Gilligans Island), Harold Gould (Rhoda and every show made in the 60s, 70s and 80s) and Lynda Day George (Mission: Impossible). “The Spores” has the aliens attempting to grow new human forms with seeds. What makes the action extra cool is that Gene Hackman is an Invader protecting the spores.
“The Believers” gives Vincent a reason to feel that hes not completely alone in his struggle. Hes got a group to rely upon including millionaire Edgar Scoville (Kent Smith). Things are turning around for getting his message out to the masses. However his crusade might be stomped by a psychologist. Did Tom Cruise ghost write this episode? “The Ransom” has Vincent capture an alien. Karen Black (Eight Easy Pieces plays a major role in this hostage game. “The Organization” has the aliens tangle with mobsters. Can the mafia protect their turf against UFOs? Fans of Mystery Science Theater 3000 will get a hoot from seeing Ross Hagen (The Sidehackers). “The Peacemaker” has the military finally capture an alien only to lose him when a deep agent blows the operation. A general wants to make peace, but he secretly wants to kick E.T.s butt. Can Vincent prevent this mutually assured destruction? Proving that the Invaders have no problem duplicating a good human body design, Suzanne Pleshette (The Bob Newhart Show) returns as one of them in “The Pursued.” This time shes being used to test human emotions. Shes gone rather screwy and dangerous. She flips out at a quaint hotel and turns it into a homicide scene. Can Vincent calm her down? “The Inquisition” wraps up the series with Vincent and Scoville uncovering a major alien infiltration. The senator they warn is killed by a bomb. Vincent has to prove his innocence and expose the guilty party.
The Invaders: The Second Season makes a case that this cult series earns its reputation on good work and not fuzzy nostalgic memories. It holds up after four decades without relying on kitsch. The paranoid nature of the show made up for the primitive special effects. When an alien dies, they glow red and vanish. Nothing fancy, but amazingly effective. Roy Thinnes plays Vincent at the proper tone. He has a dogged restraint that keeps his character credible. The Invaders was never syndicated on my local TV stations which is a shame. The Invaders: The Second Season makes me feel sad that David Vincents mission to protect us didnt last another season.
The Episodes
“Condition: Red,” “The Saucer,” “The Watchers,” “Valley of the Shadow,” “The Enemy,” “The Trial,” “The Spores,” “Dark Outpost,” “Summit Meeting” (two-parter), “The Prophet,” “Labyrinth,” “The Captive,” “The Believers,” “The Ransom,” “Task Force,” “The Possessed,” “Counter-Attack,” “The Pit,” “The Organization,” “The Peacemaker,” “The Vise,” “The Miracle,” “The Life Seekers,” “The Pursued” and “Inquisition.”

The video is 1.33:1 full frame. The transfers push the color levels. Skin tones vary depending on the episode. A few episodes have a slight jump in the image which isnt that bothersome if you sit back from the screen. Word is the original source materials arent in mint shape. After decades of hearing about The Invaders, Im not going to let them prevent me from following the action. The audio is Dolby Digital Mono. The levels are good without going out of control on the sound effects.
Episodic Intros feature David Thinnes setting up the shows. He gives a quick behind the scenes story now and then.
Commentary Track on “The Peacemakers” is from producer Alan Armer. This is the first time in 40 years that hes seen the episode. He worked on the series after finishing up The Fugitive. He takes his time between talking points. This isnt a 51 minute lecture. He declares his role as a producer was working on the scripts to make sure the stories work. He only went to the location when things werent going smoothly.
Interview with Roy Thinnes (36:21) is a continuation of his talk from The Invaders: The First Season. He discusses the joy of getting his first private parking space. That turned out to be the same day he saw David Janssen attacking a light pole with a baseball bat.
The Invaders: The Second Season wraps up a series worthy of its reputation. Theres nothing foolish in David Vincent racing around the country trying to stop the aliens from destroying America. If you like Star Trek or any stuff that gets rerun on the SciFi Channel, do yourself a favor and invest in The Invaders.
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CBS DVD presents The Invaders: The Second Season. Starring Roy Thinnes. Boxset Contents: 27 episodes on 7 DVDs. Released on DVD: January 27, 2009. Available at Amazon.
