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The Pretender 213, 214, 215
I've seen a few Pretender episodes recently, and because I'm behind on posting about them, I'll do three at a time.
213: A Stand-Up Guy
Hmmm, Jarod plays another mob guy--Jarod Puzo, ahahaha, and FBI agent Rico: somewhat obvious. I wonder if anyone ever calls him on these names. I do think the setup where he pretends to shoot the other agent was pretty dicey though; how did he know someone else wouldn't do it, or that they'd let him wait till the body would fall in a convenient location--to sleep with the fishes? And how did Jarod fix Bobby two-Guns' gun? Or both guns, looking at the guy's nickname? I really wondered for a moment if Jarod had finally had to kill someone to stay in character. The rest of the A story was fairly predictable once we knew why Jarod was there, but I did like that he got Faye her dream of going to Hawaii. The business with the tongue? Ewww. You enjoy this stuff, don't you, Jarod? :-)
And I thought we'd see Lyle again, with or without a thumb. I have no idea what the blue box chip was all about and why the Yakuza would pay so much for it. And really, Parker, don't you think a body with no means of identification is a trifle convenient. If you haven't got an identifiable corpse, the character isn't dead. I wonder how Lyle managed that so quickly though.
214: Unforgotten
OK, the A-story (or lack thereof) in this one was boring. Boring, but at least it's the first time I can say that; the others have been entertaining if sometimes predictable. Oh, Pretender. A bloody clip show? I expected better of you.
I really thought Brigitte/Bridget had been killed with the screwdriver on the helipad; bugger! I wonder why she felt the need to have a British accent before. And who are all the weirdoes at the T-board session? So we get to see them again, or were they just wheeled in to confuse? About the only thing we learn from this ep is that Daddy is about as evil and manipulative as we thought.
I'd quite like to forget this ep, actually.
215: Bulletproof
OH NO, POOR TRAGIC SYDNEY!
Once again, the A-story isn't the most interesting part, but I liked how the "what makes a family" theme tied in with Sydney finding his lover and his son. What the hell, though? So the Centre got rid of her, telling her to disappear or Sydney would get killed, because a son would distract Sydney from the Pretender project? It seems a bit contrived when they could have had a strong hold over Sydney with his family right there in their power. Bit of a mistake too with Michelle's details which Broots finds, which showed her birth date as 1976 when that would be closer to her son's. How does Jarod find this stuff out, I wonder? Does he hack into the Centre's systems? Does Angelo somehow know and tell him?
Hmmm, it seems a little contrived that Liz is moving to be near her boyfriend's sons, just to provide a parallel. Will she have the life of her own that Sydney, Parker, and Jarod were denied by the centre? I hope she finds someone else while remaining an honorary aunt.
Ah, Sydney: "They stole my life , Parker! Just like they stole Jarod's.... and Angelo's...."
And Jarod: "I thought it only "took blood to bond people. But I've learned that it takes something else... It takes love ."
They really are family, aren't they.
I've never heard of "chia pets"? I first thought they were called "geo-pets". Ahahaha, the Broots one is great!
I've seen three more eps, but I'll post about those later. :-)
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I wonder if anyone ever calls him on these names.
I think we've seen people joking about them once or twice, but they really ought to react more often, considering how obvious some of them are.
I wonder how Lyle managed that so quickly though.
Lyle, like so many other Pretender characters, has a very... interesting... skill set. :)
(Actually, um, there are things involving Lyle that I feel like I probably ought to warn you about, but maybe not just yet.)
Oh, Pretender. A bloody clip show? I expected better of you.
See, now, I thought this was one case where they just sort of skirted being a clip show and actually got away with it, which greatly impressed me, considering my usual AAAH, CLIP SHOW DIE DIE DIE! attitude. I found it very entertaining! But I get the impression it may be one on which opinion is divided. (They do do an actual full-blown clip show later, BTW, which I did want to die.)
I really thought Brigitte/Bridget had been killed with the screwdriver on the helipad; bugger!
Yet another case of a character not being dead unless you can verify for certain that you're looking at their unrevivable corpse, I'm afraid. :)
OH NO, POOR TRAGIC SYDNEY!
I know! Oh, Sydney. I seem to remember remarking, on my own post on this ep, that it almost seems as if they're proceeding down the Checklist of Angst for Sydney, and yet it never gets to the point where you roll your eyes and say, "Yeah, all right, enough!" because it's becoming hard to believe. I mostly credit Bauchau for that.
So the Centre got rid of her, telling her to disappear or Sydney would get killed, because a son would distract Sydney from the Pretender project? It seems a bit contrived when they could have had a strong hold over Sydney with his family right there in their power.
You know, I think it actually does make sense. They had plenty of other holds over Sydney at that point, not least of which was Jarod himself. And very effective holds those were, too, considering the results. But even aside from the personal distraction thing -- which, considering that Sydney practically seems to live at the Centre may be entirely reasonable -- I also really do think that it would eventually become impossible for Sydney to go into work every day and deal with raising one kid in loveless captivity while he had another at home living a normal life. The cognitive dissonance would just get to be far too much for him. The only thing that surprises me is that they didn't just kill Michelle, but I suppose they thought it might be useful to have her and her kid alive to use against him later, if necessary.
(Um, yes, it's not like I've spent way too much time thinking about this stuff, or anything. ;))
Bit of a mistake too with Michelle's details which Broots finds, which showed her birth date as 1976 when that would be closer to her son's.
Huh, I don't even remember that part, although I do remember that she left the Centre in 1976. Are you sure that wasn't what they were saying?
How does Jarod find this stuff out, I wonder? Does he hack into the Centre's systems? Does Angelo somehow know and tell him?
Probably some of both. Honestly, it's amazing the information Angelo gets his hands on. :)
They really are family, aren't they.
They really are. *sniffle*
I've never heard of "chia pets"?
As
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He seems to have. And name: I wouldn't be surprised if he's another brother.
They do do an actual full-blown clip show later, BTW, which I did want to die.
Ah, crap. At least this one had some interesting stuff with the T-board. What's the title so I can FF through it?
Yet another case of a character not being dead unless you can verify for certain that you're looking at their unrevivable corpse, I'm afraid.
And tonight I've just watched Parker not check on someone she just shot. Man, Parker, no wonder they don't stay dead.
I seem to remember remarking, on my own post on this ep, that it almost seems as if they're proceeding down the Checklist of Angst for Sydney
You did, yes. :-) I'm sure there'll be more.
and yet it never gets to the point where you roll your eyes and say, "Yeah, all right, enough!" because it's becoming hard to believe. I mostly credit Bauchau for that.
Yep. I love how he underplays it.
The cognitive dissonance would just get to be far too much for him.
Yeah, I think you're right. That does make sense, as does keeping her and her son alive just in case.
Greg and I were both puzzled. I'm pretty sure it said DOB; we freeze-framed it. Perhaps it was DOD, date of departure. :-P
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"Mr. Lee" in S3. The framing story actually has a couple of really good moments, and there's a decent idea in there, even if it's utterly wasted, so I wouldn't skip it entirely, but, yeah, keep your finger on the FF button. Most of it's pretty awful. :)
I'm sure there'll be more.
The Sydney agnst, it is bottomless. :) Although once in a very great while, they actually do something nice for the guy. A very, very great while.
That does make sense, as does keeping her and her son alive just in case.
I think the Centre PTB are very, very good at thinking these things through. :)
I'm pretty sure it said DOB; we freeze-framed it. Perhaps it was DOD, date of departure. :-P
Could be. Or it may just have been wrong. I'm pretty sure, based on the times I've done it, that they never intended anything on this show to be freeze-framed.
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And makes him conflicted. He must hate the Centre for what they did to his twin, and his lover and son, and also himself for what he did for Jarod. Yet Jarod is the one good thing, the almost-son, and I can see he'd both want him out there "doing good things for the little people" and back with him.
In the next few it looks as if Jarod is coming apart a little; I wonder if Sydney does. The only time he really lost it in the past was when he encountered the German researcher, and some of that anger must have been directed at himself for doing the same thing.
He's fascinating character.
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I think I can say without spoilers that you will see him losing it a bit again, on very rare occasions, and also sometimes managing not to lose it in circumstances that make his ability to keep his cool actually kind of scary. :)
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Actually, I did see Raines's bald assistant chick later...
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