Then one day, their Pretender ran away.
So begins the television series, The Pretender. Jarod, now a man in his forties(?) is loose in the world, trying to atone for the years he spent unwittingly helping the centre to destroy lives. He is chased by Sydney, his teacher at the centre who wants Jarod back because he thinks it is best for Jarod; Miss Parker, daughter of the boss at the center; Broots, the computer expert who uses his knowledge to aid in the search; and Mr Raines, a mysterious man who needs an oxygen tank to breathe. It is this last who is in charge of the search for Jarod, apparently working for a yet higher power (the Triumverate).
The situation is complicated further by the fact that Jarod is searching for his parents and helping his pursuer (Miss Parker) discover the reason for her mother's "suicide" in an elevator when Parker was young. Also, Jarod occasionally tries to help Sydney find a way to revive the man's twin brother from a coma he has been in since Sydney crashed a car they were travelling in together. In addition to all this, now Miss Parker's father is up against another man called My Lyle.
It seems quite involved but it's not really. Each week, Jarod finds a place where an injustice has been done and rights it. Unfortunately, this often leads to an identical plot each week but the creators of the series try to avoid this trap wherever possible.
I see in this elemnts of several television series:
Profit (discussed elsewhere) has a character who is brilliant in much the same way as Jarod. Of course Jim Profit was evil but there are definitely similarities between the two.
Millennium depicts Frank Black, a man who can see inside other people's minds (also discussed elsewhere). Similarly, Jarod can "become" anyone (as long as he has enough data to extrapolate from) essentially getting inside their heads.
Finally, it bears a certain resemblance to Quantum Leap, a series which had Sam Beckett leaping from life to life (Jarod also poses as a new person everywhere he goes, though always using the name Jarod) putting right what once went wrong. The Pretender works from a similar premise.
Despite all this, it's a great show. Watch it.
Cast:
Michael T. Weiss - Jarod
Andrea Parker - Miss Parker
Patrick Bauchau - Sydney Green(NB Patrick also played Archon in Kindred: the Embraced)
Jon Gries - Broots
Links:
NBC's Official Site.
Jarod's Safe House.
Mare's Pretender Page.
Nancy Hua's Pretender Page.
Jeremy's "Ultimate" Pretender Page.
Jessi Osbourne's Site.
Welcome to Blue Cove, DE.
The Centre.
For sounds go to Justin McChesney's Page.
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