If it had been awhile since you'd seen an episode of The Pretender,
then Saturday's episode must have been a bit disorienting. This
isn't the same show that went on the air last September. This
is a much better one.
When the show began, it was a simple chase series. Jarod is on
the run, and The Centre tries(and fails) to catch him. Along the
way he uncovers a few pop culture favs, rights a wrong, and makes
a few jokes at the expense of Miss Parker.
But over the last half dozen episodes, the series has evolved
into a deeper, richer program. Saturday's episode found Jarod
almost impulsively taking the place of a hitman in New Orleans.
And while the old Jarod was naive and almost child-like, during
the year he's grown as he's seen the cruelty and inhumanity of
the world. He seemed to have little problem pretending to be a
cold-blooded killer. In some way, it seemed as if he was a natural.
At the same time, the relationship between him and The Centre
has grown more complex. Mr. Raines has become a terrifying figure,
not only to Jarrod, but to Sydney and Miss Parker as well. In
fact, Sydney has evolved from a somewhat evil-minded father figure
to a complex man, troubled by what he's done to Jarod and Miss
Parker. And in many ways, not even understanding much of what's
happened.
Sydney and Miss Parker traveled to Minneapolis as a result of
an email he received from Jarod, which promised him a glimpse
of his past. There he found a convention of twins, and we get
another glimpse of his twin brother, who was injured in a car
crash in 1967 after arguing with Mr. Rains. All of this only served
to confuse him more, and deepened the mysteries of the series.
Exactly what has Mr. Raines been up to? What was the Centre hoping
to accomplish by working with so many sets of twins? And it turned
out that both Sydney and Jarrod received email from a mysterious
source....which might be Broots.
And
Jarrod continues to uncover little glimpse into his past. Was
he one of the children "saved" by Miss Parker? And what happened
to his parents, who seemed to have been looking for him? Every
episode brings more questions, and few answers, either for Jarod
or the audience. Few shows manage to expand and grow so skillfully,
without losing their core audience. Last September, The Pretender
looked to be nothing but another version of "The Fugitive.".
But now, it something different, and much more interesting. And
this week Jarod is introduced to HIS twin brother. A man who's
taken a very different path in life.
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