Hope and Prey

Pretender Episode Review

In which Broots is going to get shot sneaking around like that.

What Happened

Jarod goes to meet a Native American activist named Mike, who gives him a picture of his father. Mike's bleeding, however, and the shooter arrives to finish the job. The bartender tells Jarod that Mike Bodie's a bail jumper being chased by quite a collection of bounty hunters. Jarod snoops around, but every time he catches up with Mike, someone takes a shot at them.

Miss Parker sneers as Mr. Lyle pretends to care about "our father's health." She is determined to find Jarod's father, wanting revenge for her mother's death. Angelo tells Miss Parker, Sydney and Broots that Fenigor is in the renewal wing. Another mumble: CA 543, a Centre Archive receptacle.

Fenigor's brain has been "scrambled." He has no memory of Miss Parker or Jarod. Suspecting Lyle is sending her on wild goose chases, Miss Parker sends Broots to find the archive. Inside the box is a gun with a circle of fire engraved on the handle, which Miss Parker suspects was used to shoot her mother.

It turns out that tribal liaison Vincent wants Mike dead so that he can sell Mike's land to a mining company. He was planning on blaming the murder on the bounty hunters, so they help Jarod expose the scheme. Mike leads Jarod to the cave where his father had his vision quest. Jarod finds a patch with the same symbol that is on the gun Miss Parker found. Mike thinks that it may refer to the Air Force base Major Charles was based at, but that represents the end of his useful information, so Jarod moves on.

What We Learned

• Lyle hopes he isn't interrupting.
• Lyle can keep hoping.
• Miss Parker and Mr. Parker told Lyle about his being related to them. Kind of wonder why, but anyway.
• Miss Parker is beautiful when she's angry.
• Lyle has never seen Miss Parker angry.
• Twenty grand brings out the best and brightest.
• Dead ends are Jarod's specialty.
• The truth isn't easy. But it's real. It opens your eyes.
• Ghosts aren't dead in the Centre.
• Broots is going to get shot sneaking around like that.
• If you have to ask, you are answering your own question.
• It's time to let the past be the past.
• You can't have a dead end without a road.

What Did I Think?

This might have been stronger if they had just had Jarod meeting Mike, without the false drama of the bounty hunter chase.