The Vanishing Man
Last Updated 7th June 2002
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 It's morning in the Brinkley household. Richard and Jennifer are sitting down to breakfast, when Richard receives something rather interesting in the post. The photographs show him and a prostitute in some rather compromising positions. Considering Richard is an MEP, this will not only ruin his marriage, but his career as well. Meanwhile Nick is working at his new job as a Department store security guard. He catches a woman, who for all intense purposes looks like she could afford everything she has stolen. Nick tells Marvin and Gavin, his fellow store detectives how he spots the potential criminal. He then notices a woman called Jocelyn, an ex-girlfriend, and gets up to say hello. She mentions that she had tried to call him, but there was no answer. Nick tells her they have since moved (meaning him and Joe). He asks her if she fancies going to dinner with him, just to catch up on old times, not as a date. She agrees, and then leaves. The following day, Alice is round Nick's flat whilst he is ironing a shirt. She asks who Jocelyn is and says she would never go on a date with an ex-boyfriend. It would open up old wounds. Nick doesn't explain that it's not a date, and asks why she came round this morning anyway. She tells him Moreau called her this morning, wanting to know where he was. Nick clearly doesn't want to speak to Moreau, but Alice says she doesn't like being a go-between. Besides Moreau might have a cure. Has he? asks Nick. Well no, she replies but he might do one day. Nick says when he gets a cure, she can tell him where he lives. He then asks what Moreau wanted. H didn't go into details, but it was something about a stripper she tells him. This obviously gets Nick's interested. He tells Alice, she can tell Moreau where he is. Too late, she replies, she already has! Meanwhile Richard is at his office, when he gets a phone call from his blackmailer demanding £500,000 (sterling). Back at the department store, Gavin chases a man called Marvin who has been shop lifting. Unfortunately Marvin seems to be at the end of the road in his life, and he climbs over a rail and then let's go. Instead of falling he seems to hang in mid air, due to an invisible Nick catching him before he falls. Marvin is questioned, but he's very un co-operative. Nick observes Marvin through the window of the interview room, he clearly feels sorry for him. Nick then goes out to dinner with Jocelyn, and is more that a little surprised when she says she's getting married. She rang him earlier to ask him to the wedding! Nick is slightly miffed, and totally forgets that water triggers his invisibility when he pops to the bathroom to wash his hands. Soon he's completely invisible, and he walks out of the restaurant leaving a flower on Jocelyn's table as he leaves. Nick arrives home to find Moreau waiting for him. Moreau brings Nick up to speed about the Richard Brinkley case, and the only lead they have to go on. The stripper involved left a matchbook, with a club logo on. It's in Soho, and should give Nick a nice night out if nothing else. Jacob and Nick arrive at the club, and after a stripper, Marvin comes on stage and does a magician's act. Nick misses his act as he is invisible back stage trying to find the stripper involved. As Marvin comes off stage Danny the owner of the club tells him he's fired. Nick spots Marvin, and stays around to check up on him. Back in his dressing room, Marvin opens a bottle of pills and prepares to take an overdose. Before he can take them, the stripper, Lara, comes in and gives him some money to tide him over. She tells him she and Dominic are coming into some money soon, so she can spare it. As she leaves, Marvin picks up the bottle of pills again to find it's now empty, thanks to an invisible Nick. Richard Brinkley comes downstairs at his home to find his wife has opened some of his mail by mistake. He fears she has seen the pictures, but it was just a landscaping estimate she'd found. At Moreau's office, Nick is explaining about Marvin's problem. He says he'll help with Moreau's problem, if he helps Marvin out. Moreau says he can't do anything, like bribing a judge to help Marvin get off his shop lifting charge. Nick says at least he can give him proper representation, and chooses Alice to do it. She agrees to do it, as Nick reminds him that she told Moreau where to find him. Back at the department store, Nick is talking on the phone to Jocelyn trying to explain why he disappeared the other night. His call is cut off by Gavin, who says he shouldn't make calls during company time. Nick then finds Alice after her meeting with Marvin, and asks what his chances are. She's not encouraging, but she thinks she can keep him out of jail. Nick complain a fine could be too much for him, and they get into an argument. Alice goes to leaves, saying "see you around", and Nick replies, "I doubt it." Alice remembers his date with Jocelyn, and asks how it went. It went well, and they spent all their time discussing the wedding, he tells her. Alice is obviously taken a back by this latest news, thinking that the wedding is between Nick and Jocelyn. Nick doesn't correct her, and she leaves. That evening, Alice phones Nick for a chat, but all she gets is his answer phone. Nick is in Moreau's office discussing the Brinkley case. Lara was a small time crook, until she hooked up with Dominic whose criminal record speaks for itself. Nick leaves the meeting early, so he can help Marvin out with his magic act. The floating ball act goes a bit wrong, but Nick picks up the ball, and it appears to float about the room on its own. Marvin doesn't believe it at first, but then goes along with it, and he gets a huge round of applause. Nick joins Marvin at the bar afterwards, and buy him a drink. Marvin tells Nick that he's in God's hands now, and relates all the times Nick has helped him whilst he was invisible. Marvin thinks it's all down to God's will. Nick and Alice are having a coffee at a cafe, and Nick tells her why he's doing it. He's saved Marvin's life twice now, he just wants to feel that it was worth saving. Alice apologises about going off the handle about Nick's wedding, and asks for an invite. Before he can correct her, Gavin tells Nick to get back to work, and he leaves. Later that night, Marvin does his act with Nick's help again. This time Gavin appears to levitate a woman sitting on a chair with only the power of faith. Back in his dressing room, Alice visits Marvin and tells him that the act was good. The following day, Richard gets another call from his blackmailers, telling him where to leave the ransom. Nick goes to the drop off, and follows the blackmailers. Danny, has since been working to become Marvin's manager, and has booked him a place on a live TV show. Marvin is not keen on the idea, but Danny talks him round, unfortunately Marvin says he'll only do it if he's given a baby elephant to levitate! At the blackmailers flat, they are celebrating getting the payoff. Lara thinks that's the end of it, but her partner Steve has other ideas. He has kept a set of the photos and the negatives, to use in the future. Lara's not totally happy, as she doesn't really want the photos to be published either. Nick finds the negatives and the photos, and then phones Moreau to let them know where he is. Before he can finish the call Steve comes back into the room, he then leaves closing and locking the door behind him. Nick is now trapped in the bedroom, and Moreau is waiting outside. Marvin arrives at the studio to perform his marvellous levitation act on a live chat show. Unfortunately there isn't a baby elephant, only a goat. And, unknown to Marvin, there is no Nick to help him out with his act. While Lara sits down to watch the Jack Docherty Show that Marvin is going to appear on, Nick has now faded back in and is burning all the negatives and photos. Unfortunately, smoke appears under the door of the bedroom, and Steve unlocks the door to see what is happening. Nick hides under the bed when he hears Steve coming so he isn't seen. Steve moves to the bathroom with a gun in his hand, and Lara walks into the bedroom to see what's happening. She starts to cough when she encounters the smoke, and unfortunately so does Nick under the bed. Luckily there is a bottle of mineral water by the bed, and Nick uses it to turn invisible. He undresses, and then walks towards the door. Unfortunately he's not totally invisible, and Lara sees him as he fades out. She looks at her cigarette (which I presume is some sort of drug, not sure which one though!), and wonders whether she should stop smoking it! As Nick goes into the front room, he sees Marvin on the TV trying in vain to levitate the goat and realises Alice was right. e doesn't have time to dwell however, as Steve returns to the living room, with a scared Lara behind him. She's obviously told him what she saw, as he starts shooting at anything that moves. Moreau and his men start to move in when they hear the shots, and soon they arrest Steve and Lara. Marvin, is slightly embarrassed about his trick failing, but upon hearing the audience laugh, he plays it for a comedy moment for all it's worth! Seems things aren't so bad after all. At Jocelyn's wedding, Nick and Alice are sitting watching her exchange vows with her new husband. Alice is furious with Nick, for not telling her that it wasn't him Jocelyn was marrying! She'd bought a present and everything! At the reception, Marvin turns up to say hi. Nick says he heard about the TV show, and that's he's sorry. Marvin says it was the best thing that ever happened to him, as the offers have been pouring in! People like to see the tricks go wrong, a bit like Tommy Cooper. Nick introduces Marvin to Jocelyn, and Marvin asks to kiss the bride. Unfortunately, Alice told Marvin where to come for the reception, so Marvin also thinks that Jocelyn is marrying Nick (which is why he came along!). He tells Jocelyn that he can tell she'll make Nick very happy! Nick and Marvin walk away with Marvin telling him he's got a good girl there.....!
The EndGuest Stars
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Written by Liane Frydland except for quotes which are cited (where applicable).