ON THE PRETENDER

1. Centre Mysteries
2. Hunters
3. Prey

Among the Secret Service Community, the average tv consumer feels somehow comfortably "informed" about "the usual" organizations like CIA, FBI, British Secret Service or NIA. But the Centre?

The Centre is dealt with in a truly X-Filean apprach: Secrets are dealt with by never providing enough information which could make the viewers think that they would know a thing. But what can one tell about it? It seems that the Centre is a complex sposored by people with special interests, it is a research facility with some kind of an own intelligence agency; with up-to-date technology, field agents and sweeper teams, controled by whom? Mister Parker? Mister Raynes? There are certain hints that this wouldn't be entirely true. There must be some forces behind the local leading persons. Is Blue Cove / Delaware just the HQ? Perhaps one could have a better guess when looking at the "work" of the Centre.

The Centre has a great interest in working with children, to train them for special purposes and to support certain talents. This is a ruthless organization, with just the Sydney / Broots / Ms. Parker trio to have some interest in a more humane way. The long dead Mrs. Parker is a key to the mystery behind, her death demonstrating both her agenda to help the children as well as the determination of a secret organization to remain secret. It is again a question of morality - there is no justice that can support the exploitation of human beings, children or not.

June 3rd, 1998

The team of Centre agents meant to catch Jarod couldn't consist of a more diversity-filled bunch of people. But their common agenda, to get hold of their escaped pretender, seems to become less urgent - the primary target is the Centre itself, the crimes of the organization and the men behind them, the past of Parker, Jarod, Kyle and Angelo and, finally, the truth behind the murder of her mother, Catherine Parker. What during early season one looked like some sort of distraction from the Jarod plot, now within season two the opposite seems true. The story returns more often to the Centre. Enemies like Mr. Lyle and Brigitte have to be dealt with, and even Mr. Raynes somehow gets a face that is less darker. An enemy's enemy is a friend.

Sydney

Dr. Sydney Green, Jarod's supervisor, cares much too much to want Jarod hurt; hee wants him to return and wants to help him. He seems to have realized that Jarod's imprisonment was somehow problematic, but then he doesn't trust his protegee's ability to survive in the outside world . He is the closest person to a father for Jarod, but he also knows that the Centre has to serve its purposes. He knows perhaps so many dark secrets that he's lost his faith, but he of all other Centre superiors has kept his humanity.

Miss Parker

Miss Parker, the tough and strong lady, hides her weakness and sadness and her grief over her mother's death behind a mask of strength. But as much as she pretends to be urging to catch Jarod, the monster, as much does his influence make her more compassionate. There seems to have been a relationship of a short-lived and sublte kind between the beauty and the beast - a relationship that is about to come true one day? While Broots fears her, Sydney treats her both like a daughter and a student. She's still the small girl, trying to get to know why her mother had to die and who murdered her. Miss Parker is changing, she's changing into a character that has much more resemblance to her mother. She perhaps will become her mother.

Broots

Broots is the guy who is much more clever than he pretends. He's too shy to show his talents, and he somehow fears Ms. Parker. He also fears Jarod. But those fears of him arise from his unsureness - he needs to trust himself much more. For it is just this weakness that makes him vulnerabble. He's the character for the comic relief, but he's also the technology guy who can fix anything.

June 3rd, 1998

Jarod

Jarod is an experiment that was meant to stay at a safe place and deliver results. As friendly Sydney seems to be, Jarod has been a prisoner for most of his life. He has been a test subject, but supposedly more of a subject to psychological testing - not to the kind of work Raynes does. Jarod is a child that has to grow up instantly with any new situation, but then he's a pretender. What does this mean? He's able to play any role, any character he wants. He can do this because of training and talent, that enables him to live relatively safe, undetected from the Centre sweepers. Like Kimble he helps the people whose stories are crossing his way.

As funny he can be, Jarod is a man of tears and of pain. The only thing he carries with him is the suitcase with the Centre computer and the DSA disks, which let him relive his past life. And he will have some money, of course. Those are the only things he needs - he needs finance and his past. Jarod's past - a recollection of tests and talks, images of himself, Sydney, Miss Parker, Centre personnel. He's looking for his identity, looking for his parents, caring for Miss Parker and Sydney and Angelo and people that have helped him so far.

Within his tragic lies Jarod's strength. He has learned to differ between good and evil, he has learned to understand the human psyche, and he had an excellent teacher. He still depends on Sydney, he needs him like a son needs his father, and Sydney needs Jarod, who is like a son for him. Jarod is somehow like the early Data - everything is new, everything is fascinating, new experiences waiting everywhere. The games he is playing to get the bad guys show his humor and genius, he is like a guardian angel.

Angelo

Angelo/Timmy is the guardian angel of Jarod. He must be his source within the Centre. He is an empath, which might be due to Raynes' experiments with him. He seems to have undisturbed access to everywhere via the ventilation system. Does Sydney know that Angelo watches them? There is a relation with Ms. Parker as well as to Jarod. But he is on Jarod's side: He didn't give necessary information to the hunters when asked to, although he would had known.

June 3rd, 1998