The Pretender

[fajrdrako]

Went to a video-party at Tasia's today and watched four episodes of The Pretender, a TV series from 1996 - I'd never seen it before. We watched the Pilot, and some episodes from season 1: "The Dragon House" (which was a two-parter), and "Keys". Enjoyed them all, though by the last one I was beginning to think the stories were repetitious. It drove me nuts that the actor playing Kyle was so familiar - I remembered him as being a lead in a cop show, but couldn't remember till I got home that Jeffrey Donovan played the brain-damaged homicide detective Creegan in Touching Evil. Why does my memory have holes like that?

The Pretender combined thematic elements of La Femme Nikita, The Fugitive, and even my old favourite, Nick Mancuso's Stingray. It was interesting the way there was the hero, Jarod, the villain, Raynes, and the trio of Miss Parker, Sydney and Brootz, who were somewhere in the middle, protagonists or antagonists, depending on the needs of the plot. I don't think I've ever seen quite that pattern in a plot before. Cool.

So while I was not enthralled by the show, I had a good time being introduced to it.

Supper was great, too. A potluck. We all outdid ourselves, with a lovely stew from Tasia, spinach-strawberry salad from me (with broccoli cole slaw as a bonus), and borsch from Beulah. Snacked on shrimp through the last episode. Lovely evening.

Comments

[iibnf.livejournal.com]

I loved that show when it was one, but it's not one I'd buy or download. Michael Veis (sp?) was in 'Jeffrey' as the love interest, and I've only seen him play good guys, but seriously, with those eyes? he'd make a great villian.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

He was in "Jeffrey" - ! Yes, I did think I'd seen him before, but couldn't quite place him. He wasn't as annoyingly familiar as Jeffrey Donovan. And yes, he's make a terrific villain. Sometimes I thought his portrayal of Jarod was just a little too naive.

[acampbell.livejournal.com]

I'm very fond of "The Pretender," myself. The eps are pretty much all the same formula, but there is progression, overall. And I have a major crush on Miss Parker!

Did you ever read scribblinlenore's Lex/Miss Parker fic, "Sins of the Father"?

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

there is progression, overall.

Yes - of what I saw, I did like the progression, the way Jarod got to meet or to see his family members. I think if I was Jarod I'd be much more embittered. And I couldnt' figure out Raynes' motivation. He just seemed... bad to no purpose.

I think I read "Sins of the Father" long before I had any idea who Miss Parker was. I must read it again, now I know! Some of the underground bits of the Tower reminded me of LexCorp. In fact, I thought Lex would fit in well there, and I mean that in the nicest way.

I forgot to mentin how good it was to see Patrick Bauchau again; I got to like him in Carnivale and didn't expect to see him in this.

[sraun]

FWIW, Raynes feels he should be in charge of The Center, and has been working towards that goal for ... decades? And he is definitely a sociopath and genius! The twisty plot details on everything related to The Center are truly bizarre.

There were some episodes where George Lazenby was playing Jarod's father. They were fun to watch.

From some of the other episodes, I can understand why Jarod wasn't more embittered. There are two factors - one, he doesn't show just how mad at The Center he is, except on rare occasions. Two, (from what I recall) that calm acceptance of the world seems to be an attribute of Pretenders.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

Raynes was actually quite nicely scary - but in what I saw, he didn't entirely make sense. Miss Parker's father was scary too, in a different way.

George Lazenby - ! Cool.

Kyle didn't seem to show much calm acceptance, and he was the only thing I have to compare to Jarod as a Pretender.

Why did the Center want Jarod back?

[sraun]

IIRC, Raynes had had ... significantly more effect on Kyle than Jarod. Sydney had been very successful in protecting Jarod from the worst excesses of The Center when Jarod was a boy. There was another Pretender who escaped from The Center at the same time as Jarod, who wasn't as good, and went on to become an FBI agent. We didn't see much (if any?) of him in real time - his death was one of the wrong's Jarod had to right - but we did see him when they were escaping, and heard him described by his co-workers.

There's a big gap in what we see of Jarod's life at the center - we see his introduction, and first few years - he must have been 6-8 or so? And then we don't see anything until he escapes. Before he escapes, he's being locked up every night in this steel box with a little furniture - bed, desk, bookshelf - a far different environment from the nice apartment he was in when he first came to The Center!

Jarod was The Center's best Pretender - he did everything better and faster. And The Center had made a lot of money because of him. He's also a great diplomatic tool - if you want to really get inside someone's head, get a Pretender to study and watch them. After a while, the Pretender can tell you all sorts of things about why they do what they do, and what you need to do to get what you want.

An interesting tid-bit - Raynes is the only (living) character from The Center who we ever learn both names of. IIRC, the only other Center related character we know both names of is Catherine Parker - Miss Parker's mother.

And if you want twisted - watch Miss Parker and Jarod interacting! You're never quite certain who's the hunter and who's the hunted, and as to why! Oh, they have a history...

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

efore he escapes, he's being locked up every night in this steel box with a little furniture - bed, desk, bookshelf -

Eeuw! No wonder he wanted out of there.

I can see why Jarod was useful, valuable and important to them while they had him working for them. But once he has rebelled and left - what good would he be to them? His talents are useless if they can't trust him, or if he's working under duress. They clearly weren't trying to keep his mouth shut because he wasn't talking about them. I suppose they might have reason to keep him from meeting his parents - or just want to kill him on principle, or for spite, or as an example to the others - but it seems a little thin to me. Needed to be explained more.

I figure the name of Catherine Parker's daughter was Mississippi Parker.

Yes, I liked the hints of history between Miss Parker and Jarod. I would have liked to have seen more of them together. Had they been lovers?

[sraun]

what good would he be to them?

An awful lot of what The Center used Jarod for could be independently verified. The big advantage Jarod provided was speed! I will admit, this was one of Raynes blind-spots - if he couldn't absolutely control something, he didn't trust it, and he couldn't absolutely control Jarod.

Miss Parker and Jarod are closer to childhood sweethearts. They grew up together - I think Miss Parker was the only girl his own age Jarod got to interact with more than once. The one exception I'm certain of was a girl dying of leukemia - he and Miss Parker sat with her while she died. Miss Parker is quite jealous of any other girl developing a romantic relationship with Jarod - but she won't quite admit it to herself.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

this was one of Raynes blind-spots - if he couldn't absolutely control something, he didn't trust it, and he couldn't absolutely control Jarod.

I can understand that as his motivation, especially if he feels he 'owns' Jarod. It's a slave-owner whose slave escapes - it doesn't matter if the slave can do him any harm, or damage him, it's a matter of principle to destroy the escapee.

Miss Parker and Jarod are closer to childhood sweethearts.

Part of me thinks "awww, cute" and part of me has trouble imagining Miss Parker as any kind of sweetheart!

Miss Parker is quite jealous of any other girl developing a romantic relationship with Jarod - but she won't quite admit it to herself.

Repressed! Ah-hah. And a few daddy issues too, I think.

[sraun]

Oh, serious daddy issues. And a real old-school father, too. Mr. Parker only sees a son as a possible heir - he barely sees his daughter as a useful tool. A real arrogant SOB. And she's got a really strong 'needs Daddy approval' needs.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

he's got a really strong 'needs Daddy approval' needs.

Funny how often that happens. I've seen in in RL and in fiction and it always makes for a good story.

[sraun]

Hey, Miles had a variation on it!

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

So he did, and with Grandfather issues, too!

And then there was poor Gregor's Daddy problem - on a larger scale than most.

[squashed.livejournal.com]

Oh, I enjoyed Pretender when it was enjoying it's original run back then.

And Stingray! God, I loved that show. I think I only saw a half dozen episodes, but I just loved everything about it.

[fajrdrako.livejournal.com]

And Stingray! God, I loved that show.

Me too. One of my favourites, ever. Last I checked it was still not out on DVD. Why on earth not?