Flesh and Blood

Pretender Episode Review

In which, no matter how little time you have while tracking someone, there is always time to sit down and have a heart-to-heart.

What Happened

A group of teachers in Appalachia are kidnapped by the local militia. One of them is Sydney's estranged son, prompting Jarod to become involved. While Miss Parker and Broots cover for Sydney's absence, he goes searching as well. Asked to wait at the ATF field office, Sydney has a hard time being patient.

Haley, the militia leader, sends a satellite message, demanding one million dollars in "reparations" for a recent ATF raid or he will kill the hostages. He shoves Nicholas off-screen and fires, leaving them wondering if he's dead or alive. Sydney decides to take matters into his own hands and gets a possible location of Haley's hiding place. Miss Parker decides to use Centre assets to pay the ransom.

Just as Jarod leads an ATF team to a mine where the hostages might be held, Sydney drives up and yells that the money is on its way. Jarod keeps Haley's man from shooting Sydney while the ATF move in. Inside are the bodies of three of Haley's men, and Haley is found whimpering in the woods, asking for protection.

Broots learns that Sydney sent an email to Jarod asking for help and guesses that if Lyle put a tracer on it, he may know exactly where Jarod is. After talking with Haley, Jarod realizes that Lyle has the hostages now, using them as bait. Sydney and Jarod track Lyle through the mountains. Having found the shack, Sydney knocks Jarod out and goes in to confront Lyle. Fortunately, Jarod wakes up before Lyle's men find him. After taking out Lyle's men, he tells Sydney to take Nicholas and go.

Jarod holds Lyle at gun-point, threatening revenge for his brother's death. Lyle babbles that he knows things about Jarod's family, just as Miss Parker arrives in a Centre chopper. Jarod disappears, and Miss Parker points out to Lyle that they need to vanish before the ATF arrives and starts asking questions.

What We Learned

• Jarod doesn't take life.
• If you are hoping to "un-spook" people, losing the automatic weapons might be a good start.
• There is something very stream-lined about a four-fingered hand. Of course, if you're not thinking, holding a cup of coffee can be hell.
• It's important to know who your family is.
• No matter how little time you have while tracking someone, there is always time to sit down and have a heart-to-heart.
• There is no accounting for punctuality.
• Revenge. It's a great equalizer.

What Did I Think?

Patrick Bachau almost pulls off the scene where Sydney yanks down an ATF map marked with the coordinates of the militia hideout and stalks out of the room. I really have to question if he would have gotten away with behaving like that during a real investigation - or even if family would have been allowed in the room to begin with.