Mirage

Pretender Episode Review

In which do not ever ask anyone how many times they've "done this." You will not like the answer.

What Happened

One of those mystical Native American types shows up to help Jarod find out what happened to a sky-diving instructor who went into the desert on a survival test and wound up dead. Despite co-partner Carol's insistence that Tom wanted to make their sky-diving school the best in Texas, the pilot says that it was Tom's last jump. He was getting ready for the birth of his first child.

Jarod sends a red notebook to Miss Parker for her birthday, with a picture of an unknown man standing next to a car. She tracks down Ben Miller in Green Ridge, Maine, who once knew her mother. Mrs. Parker used to come to his bed and breakfast the same time every year. Ben has kept the room Katherine Parker used exactly as she left, even though it has been decades and he runs a business that involves renting out rooms to people. Inside a trunk, Miss Parker finds an envelope full of birth certificates labelled "saved."

Tom's wife Angela explains to Jarod that Carol owned forty percent of the school and wanted out, but Tom could never find the money to buy her shares. She now plans on selling out to a large adventure tour company.

On the day of Tom's last jump, Carol switched out Tom's canteen, so Jarod's big plan is to get Carol up in a plane that is sabotaged and force them to jump into the desert. Jarod pretends that he's broken his leg and sends her off on her own. One drugged canteen later and she's confessing all.

What We Learned

• Do not ever ask anyone how many times they've "done this."
• Sydney didn't always have method, just madness.
• Nothing's out of Miss Parker's clearance level.
• You can't beat a sandwich with syrup.
• Miss Parker could stand to put on a few pounds.
• Centre operators will transfer you anywhere with the right clearance code.
• Sometimes the envelope's a little thinner than it looks.
• We each take a journey we're meant to take. For some it's clear, for others not so clear.

What Did I Think?

An awful lot like The Only Where Jarod Joined the Coast Guard.