I keep hoping that Shaun Cassidy will get a break. It seems to me that some of the studios give him the opportunity to do something great, and then when he does… they abandon him. I realize there are some who dismiss his creativity and only remember him from days as a Hardy Boy (opposite Parker Stevenson) or his foray into pop superstardom. But just because the guy had a hit single of the song 'Da Do Ron Ron', that doesn’t mean he can’t grow up and get serious. (Of course I say that while remembering that I owned a '45 of the song…) A few years back, the grown up Cassidy caught my attention by producing a series called "American Gothic." The series was one of those little seen, often pre-empted shows that ended up being cancelled well before its time. I was an unabashed fan of the show, which was kind of a cross between "Twin Peaks" and "The Andy Griffith Show."

Even without last year's release of the complete series, I always remembered the whispered line, "Someone's at the door." Since the cancellation of that series, Cassidy has been involved with a few others, but none as memorable as "American Gothic."

But then, last year CBS premiered "Invasion", which once again brought out the darkly creative side of the ex-Hardy Boy. The series dealt with the denizens of a Florida town in the aftermath of a devastating hurricane. In the midst of a catastrophe of such proportions, it isn't unusual for secrets to be dredged up… but here the secrets may lie in the winds of the hurricane itself.

In the pilot episode, we are introduced to Russell Varon (Eddie Cibrian), a park ranger whose sole purpose is to save as many people as he can, including his own family. Unfortunately, his extended family includes an ex-wife (Kari Matchett) married to the tough town sheriff (William Fichtner). So his priorities include the two children whose custody he is in a constant battle for and his current wife (Lisa Sheridan). During the storm strange lights are seen and several people disappear, including Varon's ex-wife Mariel. But when some of these people start re-appearing, that's when things get really odd. Once the people of the town start the job of rebuilding, a few notice that some of the residents aren’t acting like themselves. Something is different, but no one can quite put their finger on what. In the case of Varon's daughter, Rose, she simply states that mommy smells different.

Of the three 'alien invasion' shows that were vying for attention (none of which I watched during their initial airings - so I guess I didn’t help the Nielsen Ratings), "Invasion" was definitely the most intriguing. I only know this because I had a chance to watch all three over the past few weeks due to their releases on DVD. Admittedly the series started off a little slow, but by the time it got to about the 6th episode I was completely hooked. In many ways, the series seemed like a modern day version of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." The idea that some people from town were taken away and replaced by aliens is prevalent and the writers do a great job of keeping you guessing as to who is… and who isn’t… themselves.

Unfortunately, as is usually the case with smartly written shows, it was cancelled shortly after the end of the 1st season run. So the fact that the series ended on a cliffhanger is a huge source of frustration to me, and any one else who watched the show or will see the DVD. I want to know how the story ends up, but I know that there won’t ever be an episode that ties everything up. I hear from a lot of frustrated fans of shows that get cancelled that they feel that the studios owe it to viewers to at least create a 'wrap-up' episode. While I'd love to see that happen with more shows, the reality is that they don’t owe us a thing. The idea of creating a 'final episode' is a costly endeavor for the studio, and knowing full well that they won’t make any of the money back means it ain't gonna happen.

So anyhow, Warner Brothers is releasing the complete 22 episode run of "Invasion", which includes a couple of episodes that never aired. The discs also include an extra feature that claims it delves into the mind of Shaun Cassidy, when in reality it looks at the concepts of the series as they are perceived by the cast, crew, and Cassidy himself. There is also a pretty funny Blooper reel as well as some deleted scenes.

My first instinct would be to recommend this full series set of "Invasion" to everyone who is a fan of decent sci-fi storytelling, but I have to temper that with the knowledge that the series end on the aforementioned cliffhanger. So while you might (and probably will) enjoy the series as it is presented on the DVD set, you'll also feel a tremendous amount of frustration following the last episode.

Episodes:
Pilot
Lights Out
Watershed
Alpha Male
Unnatural Selection
The Hunt
Fish Story
The Cradle
The Dredge
Origin of Species
Us or Them
Power
Redemption
All God's Creatures
The Nest
The Fittest
The Key
Re-Evolution
The Son Also Rises
Run and Gun
Round Up
The Last Wave Goodbye

Starring: William Fichtner, Eddie Cibrian, Kari Matchett, Lisa Sheridan, Tyler Labine
Extras: Missing scenes, Invading the Mind of Shaun Cassidy, Gag reel
Specifications: Widescreen (1.78:1), Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Warner Brothers
Release Date: 8/22/2006
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website

We'll give Invasion: The Complete Series a B.