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Invincible
Invincible
Air date August 15, 2006
Written by Dan E. Fesman
Directed by Michael Grossman
Episode guide
Preceded by
"Alienated"
Followed by
"Dr. Nobel"
Cast | Transcript
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Season 1
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7 8 9 10 11 12
Season 2

"Invincible" is the fifth episode of the first season of Eureka.

Synopsis[]

The Artifact imbues scientist Carl Carlson with wondrous healing powers, but at a terrible price.

Plot[]

Jack has put off his physical three times and Allison has decided to take matters into her own hands to make him get examined so that he can be insured, and they don't have to find another sheriff. He manages to elude dropping his pants in his office when a Dr. Carl Carlson, a phobia-oppressed genius at Global Dynamics, calls the station. When Jack arrives, he tells him that Sheriff Cobb used to drive him to work on "very important days," and that he won't get out of the house until Cobb comes to pick him up. He is supposed to be exhibiting his new project but calls Sheriff Jack Carter's office for a "germ-free" ride there.

Beverly appears and convinces her patient that Jack is just as qualified as Cobb because he used to be a US Marshall. At Carl's insistence—and dodging Allison Blake (who needs to give Jack a physical examination for insurance purposes) -- Jack Carter accompanies Dr. Carlson into the lab. In the lab, Carlson begins his experiment and accidentally drops all of his solution into the centrifuge, causing an explosion that throws Jack through a window.

The explosion causes Stark to revoke government funding from Carlson and have Jack kick him out of town. While Carlson is getting back on his feet, Jack offers to let him stay at his place because it's hermetically sealed. Outside of Carlson's house, Allison slaps a "portable physical" that monitors vital signs on Jack's neck and gives him three boxes of forms for Carlson to sign. In the meantime, Carlson continues to try to contact Beverly, who refuses to pick up because he's no longer a viable candidate for her plans.

At his home, Jack gets a phone call from Carl from the DaVinci Bridge. Jack races to Carl in order to talk him down from the ledge, but right when Jack manages to achieve it and the two begin to become borderline friends, they fall off the bridge. Carl is mysteriously unhurt and breaks Jack's fall, although Jack is still hurt and may have broken something according to Allison's readings. Carl makes his way to Henry's gas station and discovers that his wound from the bridge has healed instantly. Carlson runs away and Jack makes chase after him.

Carlson finds his way to Cafe Diem, where he orders a beer and announces that he no longer is constrained by the fears that he was once plagued by. He spots Beverly at the bar and explains that she was right about him taking risks. He kisses her to demonstrate that now that he doesn't have the fear anymore, he can do all the things he wanted to. When he leaves the diner and sees Nathan at his car, he picks up a knife and stabs himself in the hand to show off his spontaneous cellular regeneration to Stark and Jack. Stark gives him his job back and, at the lab, finds that it wasn't just Carlson adding too much of his solution to the centrifuge, but a breach in Section 5 which may have caused Carlson's spontaneous regeneration. Carlson comments to Jack in his lab that, in a way, it feels lifechanging.

Later, Carlson finds himself having trouble recreating the results of the experiment that made him invincible. The next morning, Henry discovers from Carlson's blood work that he was exposed to some radiation that he thinks may have come from another lab. Meanwhile, in Carlson's lab, Carlson knocks a tray out of his lab assistant's hands telekinetically. Henry theorizes that Carlson's mutation is causing his brain to work at 100% of the possible capacity and he's continuing to evolve.

Jack and Nathan confront Carlson in his lab and find him sketching the artifact that is behind locked doors in section 5. He tells them that he's starting to be able to sense feelings and thoughts, but he refuses to let Nathan study him like he attempts to study the thing in the vault. Carlson goes to Beverly's house and discovers her plans for section 5 with his newfound telekinesis. Nathan calls in a strike team to take Carlson back in by force.

A blast from an energy weapon is deflected by the wary scientist, unfortunately into Sheriff Carter's chest, severely wounding him. In order to save his life, Carlson requests that Stark take him and Carter to the artifact in Section 5. Once in the chamber, Carlson puts one hand on the door to the artifact and the other on Carter, channeling the power of the artifact to heal. After the sheriff is helped out of the chamber, Carlson closes the outside door, and returns to the door of the artifact. Before entering, Stark begs Carlson to tell him what the artifact is.

Carlson says that he will find out one day, but the issue is whether Stark will be ready for it or not. He enters the door, and then seems to disappear in the mist, either merging with the device or dying. However, Stark tells the others that Carlson was "reassigned" to some classified place.

Memorable Quotes[]

[Carl prepares to step into the Artifact chamber]

  • Nathan Stark: Carl, I have to know... what is it?
  • Dr. Carl Carlson Someday, you will know. The question is, will you be ready? I am.

[Carl steps into the chamber and the door closes behind him]


  • Dr. Carl Carlson: You're not Sheriff Cobb.
  • Carter: Ah, no. Sheriff Cobb retired. I took his place. (awkward pause) There was a town meeting, and, uh, uh, everything. I gave a speech.
  • Carl: I don't get out much.
  • Jack: Yeah, I'm gathering.

  • Carter: But since I'm here, what is your emergency, exactly?
  • Carl: I have to get to work.
  • Carter: You called 911 to bum a ride?

  • Carl: Vincent! A beer.
  • Vincent: Okay. But you don't drink alcohol and I don't serve you anymore since you brought in the health inspector.
  • Carl: There was a fly in my soup.
  • Vincent: You sensed a fly in your soup.
  • Carl: I may have overreacted.

Trivia[]

Saul Rubinek plays Dr. Carl Carlson in this episode. Saul Rubinek will go on to play Artie Nielsen in Warehouse 13 (2009) which is a sister show to Eureka (2006) and had character crossovers in two episodes.

Notes[]

This episode repeats the false claim and belief that "humans on average only use 10% of their brain" as the explanation for Carl's newfound "powers". This has been proven incorrect by neurologists and there have even been intensive studies over it. We also don't use 100% of our brains either. A prestigious neurologist from Johns Hopkins School of Medicine was quoted in Scientific American as saying:

"We use virtually every part of the brain... [Most of] the brain is active almost all the time."[1]

References[]

This page uses content from the English Wikipedia. The original content was at Invincible (Eureka).
The list of authors can be seen in the page history of Invincible (Eureka).
As with the Eureka Wiki, the content of Wikipedia is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.

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