vilakins | The Pretender 202: Scott Free

I meant to post my comments on this episode much earlier than this, sorry. I've been distracted by kittens and Greg being home all the time. :-)

The A story was OK though not rivetting with Jarod pretending to be a one-armed safe-cracker, but anyway for me the interest lay in the B story. Mind you, this time Jarod didn't seem to have sought out the guy he was helping, but was only there to see him being dragooned into helping with a heist because he was watching him with his son--and this was the theme.

Parker gives her father the rabbit ornament for father's day--and it's rather touching that he still had it in his office--and worrying that he's left without it. As soon as I saw Jarod watching, I knew he was going to see Sydney as his father, and sure enough, he made a card for him showing himself holding Sydney's hand: awwww. I also guessed that Sydney was going to reject the whole idea of being seen as in loco parentis--but not how cruelly. Poor Jarod.

However I also remembered the smile on Sydney's face when Jarod visited Jacob that first time and said he was Sydney's son. Ahhhh, Sydney, I wish you'd taken that second chance on the phone and said yes. I was not at all surprised that he had retrieved the card from the rubbish bin and kept it along with the other things Jarod had given him. OK, it was probably for Jarod's safety that he pushed him away like that at the end, but oh, tragic Sydney and tragic Jarod!

I'm just amazed that they've both turned out to be relatively good (and definitely lovable) people.

And now I'm off to bed. But I have watched the next one.

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The B plot was pretty darn wrenching. And every time you thought it couldn't get more wrenching, it came back and did it again. :)

OK, it was probably for Jarod's safety that he pushed him away like that at the end, but oh, tragic Sydney and tragic Jarod!

If you've seen the next one, then it's probably no secret that it's not just for Jarod's safety, but probably his own, too. Yeesh, how tragic. :)

I was thinking in bed, Jarod's pretty good at getting into other's minds, so he probably does know that Sydney loves him in his own way. Perhaps he even pretended his way into knowing that Sydney kept his gifts. However that reply told him that Sydney was in danger and knew he was being monitored, so maybe that's also why he looked like that as he walked away.

Or I'm thinking far too much about this.

I don't think you are overthinking it, but I think it's wishful thinking - I don't think this show is that happy. :) I sort of suspect that Sydney is the one person whose head he can't get into, perhaps because he's too close and cares too much what Sydney thinks. But it does get more complicated as the season goes on; I think Jarod does start to realize that there's a relationship there that Sydney can't really deny.

I think he already does, or he wouldn't have visited Jacob saying he was Sydney's son. Or sent him the snowglobe. :-)

But yeah, good point about not getting into Sydney's head.

I don't think you're overthinking it, either. Or if you are, we all are, because goodness knows I've spend enough time trying to analyze stuff like this. :)

I do more or less agree with RSR here, though... I think that hurt look is probably exactly what it appears to be. *sniffle* I also tend to think that perhaps Jarod, for all his ability to get into people's heads, does have a bit of a blind spot in Sydney's case, just because he's a little too close to have the same kind of perspective that he does on other people. My take on it is, for all his intuitive understanding and knowledge and super-genius abilities, Jarod is still, emotionally, an abandoned four-year-old who desperately wants human closeness and unconditional love and is hurt when he doesn't get it. He may to some degree understand perfectly well, intellectually, that Sydney's hands are tied as far as how much affection he's allowed to show -- and I think the more he learns about the past (e.g. about what happened to people like Kyle who ended up in Raines' care instead), the more he ought to understand the pressures Sydney was and still is facing -- but it's still gotta feel like rejection. I think part of him really does need to hear Sydney say it. *much sniffling*

It's a really, really complicated relationship, though, and I wouldn't necessarily say that "he probably does know that Sydney love him in his own way" is exactly false, either.

Jarod is still, emotionally, an abandoned four-year-old who desperately wants human closeness and unconditional love and is hurt when he doesn't get it.

[nods] I really think that came out in the next episode in the sensory deprivation tank scenes--along with some wishful thinking. :-P And yeah, he did look very hurt when he walked away. I'm glad that things like Star Trek and Spider-Man and Mr Potatohead are there to delight and intrigue him.

I really think that came out in the next episode in the sensory deprivation tank scenes--along with some wishful thinking. :-P

Oh, yes, definitely. Those are some very effective scenes, too.

I'm glad that things like Star Trek and Spider-Man and Mr Potatohead are there to delight and intrigue him.

So am I, although I notice him spending less and less time with such things as the season goes on. Which makes me a little sad... I really do hope that he never completely loses that sense of childlike delight. It's one of his most appealing traits.

The A story was OK though not rivetting with Jarod pretending to be a one-armed safe-cracker, but anyway for me the interest lay in the B story.

It's funny how often that turns out to be true. :) I thought the A-story in this one was particularly weak, myself. Although I do like to see him occasionally falling into situations he hasn't planned for.

The B-plot, though, ripped my heart out and stomped on it. *sniffle* The whole thing with the card was sad enough, but that last conversation was an extra punch in the heart. Waaah! (Although, yes, that's the good "I'm an angst fan!" kind of sniffling and crying. It's very well done stuff.)

And, yeah, it undoubtledly was for Jarod's safety, and probably also for his own, but still... It's one of those moments where I find myself thinking, Jesus, Sydney, how could a sweet guy like you ever have gotten involved in something this obviously evil?

But, of course, it's questions like that that make Sydney as complicated and fascinating a character as he is.

I'm just amazed that they've both turned out to be relatively good (and definitely lovable) people.

Yeah, it actually is pretty freaking astonishing, all things considered. And I think Jarod owes a lot to Sydney for that, really... which is the other side of the coin here.

But I have watched the next one.

Hooray! I knew the kitten couldn't distract you forever. :) Maybe we'll get a post on that one tomorrow?

I thought the A-story in this one was particularly weak, myself.

Yeah, I kept waiting to get back to the important bits. I did like Lyle and Brigitte being shown up for not listening to Parker. :-D

Perhaps Sydney was drawn in by the interesting research, or by Jacob being there. Or Jarod humanised him; he seems a hell of a lot colder in the past.

You will indeed get a post. I get the feeling that I should watch both of these again because I'm sure I've missed things--the B stories are so densely packed.

Perhaps Sydney was drawn in by the interesting research,

I imagine that was probably part of it... And that there was even some idealism there, that he really did think he was going to help orphaned geniuses develop their gifts for the good of the world, that sort of thing. But, man, some of it is just hard to justify.

he seems a hell of a lot colder in the past.

He does. I almost think maybe, having survived this long, he's just able to be a bit more relaxed than he used to be. :)

I get the feeling that I should watch both of these again because I'm sure I've missed things

I've been thinking that, myself. There are certain episodes that I really do want to watch -- or at least watch parts of -- again. That's one of the reasons why I broke down and bought the DVDs. :)

We still have the eps on HD so I can go back and watch again. I know I sometimes miss dialogue and didn't pick it up even on rewind, but I'm sure there's Center stuff I've not picked up on. Or maybe it's just so complicated it's meant to feel that way. :-P

Or maybe it's just so complicated it's meant to feel that way. :-P

I think it is, a bit. :)

The Pretender 202: Scott Free

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