Mind Control with Derren Brown (Syfy)

After spending years perfecting his unique combination of people-reading skills, intuition, misdirection, and suggestion, the self-proclaimed "master mentalist" has developed an uncanny ability to size people up and tell them what to do. Derren Brown has been a phenomenon in the United Kingdom for several years; now he brings his act Stateside in MIND CONTROL WITH DERREN BROWN, a collection of vignettes demonstrating his varied and impressive talents.

Like any good magician, Brown won't say how he does his tricks -- though he sometimes drops a few hints. Part of the fun of Mind Control is trying to figure out just how he pulls off his outrageous stunts. In one sequence, for example, he asks random strangers on a crowded street to hand over their wallets -- and they do! Later he convinces shopkeepers to accept blank pieces of white paper instead of money and walks out of a jewelry store with a ring worth several thousand dollars. Brown can even guess how much cash people are carrying, and what pickup lines will work with a group of women.

But this isn't exactly a magic show; in fact, Brown never really defines his act, other than to announce that everything is real. The show might benefit from just a bit more explanation. When he makes a crowd of people raise their hands in unison, for example, it might have been even more entertaining if Brown had told the audience that they were watching a massive exercise in the power of suggestion. Still, Brown is unlike any other magician, and Mind Control is fascinating to watch -- even when he seems to be taking a bit of mean-spirited delight in fooling people.