Television. One DVD at a Time.

"Who am I? Did the Centre adopt me, was I bought, or was I stolen? And where are my parents?" - Michael T. Weiss as Jarod Russell

The Pretender: The Complete First Season Quick Take

Just Like Our Regular Reviews. Only Smurf-sized.

By A.J. Carson

What if a secret organization gathered up young geniuses and forced them to become pretenders - prodigies who were able to transform themselves with amazing insight and skill into almost anyone else? These kids could solve mysteries and crimes simply by enacting their own complex simulations under strictly controlled circumstances. The exploitative possibilities are endless - finally, the key to Marilyn Monroe's death can be ours! Well, that and the recipe for McDonald's Special Sauce. Jarod Russell (Michael T. Weiss) is such a pretender, but after 33 years under the care of the Centre's Dr. Sydney Green (Patrick Bauchau), Jarod decides to revolt. After learning that his skills have been used for evil purposes by the Department of Defense, Jarod escapes from the confines of the group's Blue Cove, Delaware facility where he has been imprisoned for much of his life. In each week's episode, Jarod travels from town to town, using his impersonation skills to help right injustices. Trying to stay one step ahead of the organization's bounty hunter, Miss Parker (Andrea Parker), Jarod also sets out to discover the secrets of his past. This 1996 series' curiously half-baked premise is given an indifferent execution - bland location work, annoyingly campy performances, and repetitious plotlines. Particularly grating is Andrea Parker's performance as Miss Parker. Flouncing around in micro-minis and incessantly chomping on impossibly fat cigarettes, Parker's version of hard-boiled is a bit too soft-headed. Weiss fares only slightly better, bringing too much idiot to his role as idiot savant. The series treads in sub-X-Files conspiracy theory territory, but the biggest mystery is how The Pretender managed to last four seasons on NBC. Indiscriminating sci-fi fans may want to give the twenty-one episodes in this four disc set a try, but others will see it for the pretender that it is.

Video and Audio

Although not quite up to the high standards of other Fox TV DVD releases, The Pretender looks and sounds just fine.

English, French, and Spanish Dolby Surround audio tracks are included, as are English and Spanish subtitles.

The episodes are closed captioned.

Extras

Both the pilot episode and the two-part season finale include commentary tracks. Series creators Craig W. Van Sickle and Steven Long Mitchell do the honors on the pilot. They are joined by director Fred Keller and actor Jon Gries on "Dragon House," the season-ender.

The set also contains three making-of featurettes. Participants include the show's cast and creative team. The first (running 10:41), located on disc 1, side b, takes a look at the creation of the series, the origins of its premise, and the casting of Jarod. Part two (8:46), found on disc 2, side b, explores Jarod's naiveté, Miss Parker's quirks, Patrick Bauchau's performance as Sydney. The final part (11:09), housed on the flip side of disc 3, centers on the secondary characters of Broots, Raines, and Angelo; on the show's major themes; and on the Centre itself. Not much is revealed here, and the featurettes would have worked just as well as one documentary, but diehard fans should find them enjoyable.

Finally, disc 4, side a, includes five "TV Spots" from The Pretender's original network run.

Summary

The Pretender: The Complete First Season is a sure sign of the inevitable DVD release of every sci-fi series ever made. Trying to pretend otherwise is futile.

3/22/05