If there is one thing that can make a good series GREAT, it is a SOLID script. "The Innocent" represents just that. The "Invaders" in an attempt to rid themselves of David Vincent, kidnap him and use mind control to convince him that they are benefactors and not Colonists.
A terrific cast spearheaded by Michael Rennie as "Magnus" , the head Alien in this caper, who tries to convince David Vincent(Roy Thinnes) that being an "ALIEN" is not a bad thing, and that they will help more than harm the Earth and its' inhabitants. The DREAM sequence is filmed primarily in Laguna Hills, now Laguna Woods Village, before it was completely saturated with numerous buildings and massive communities and roads. It REALLY was a dream or paradise as the story suggests, ironic , isn't it...? The spinning globe was moved several times before being dismantled and sold for scrap in 2005, after a dispute between the previous owner and the new foundation. The white building with the tall columns and fountains is still there ! It is called the "Taj Mahal." True story. Now encumbered and less aesthetic to the surrounding environment, it still stands tall but less majestic than when in its' glory. So watch carefully, because that illusion is gone.
Anyway, be that as it may, the story is solid, as Roy fights back with the triumph of his will, and overcomes drunk driving with his unintended partner, William Smithers. In an against type role for him, his wife and child are being held hostage, until he recants his testimony of seeing aliens. A young Dabney Coleman as a military leader who learns of the aliens by eliminating one of them, and then seeking Roy's help.As good as TV sci-fi as you could get for the time. The trouble with the series was that it was never given a chance to gain an audience. Roy Thinnes continues his sci-fi ways 30 years later on the X-Files, where he plays an benign Alien. More irony. The series was never resolved, unlike "Coronet Blue". So, for what it is worth, watch "The Invaders" at your own risk, no final answers is worse than never being.
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