Pilot (premiere episode)
Pilot
This episode doesn't really have a subtitle, it's the first episode of the new seires.
Jarod's Discoveries: ice cream; Wheel of Fortune; raquetball
Jarod's Surname: Russell
The episode begins with a video image (A DSA - Data Simulation Archive - but they don't use this term for a few episodes) of a young Jarod (date is 2/4/63) having finished constructing a lego-block model of the Empire State Building.
The intro sequence is much longer on this episode than on others, but does not, yet, include the 'opening credits' that are seen in the next episode. The intro gives background information about what a 'pretender' is, how one operates/functions, what they do, and the premise for the story: that The Centre's Pretender 'ran away'.
1996 -> Anchorage, Alaska -> Miss Parker (Andrea Parker) and Sydney (Patrick Bauchau) arrive via helicopter to an oil tanker that is the location of Jarod's (Michael T. Weiss) last 'pretend'. MP and Syd go through the 'breadcrumbs' Jarod has left behind for them to find.
Jarod:
Queen of Angels Hospital (NYC - maybe in Manhattan, maybe in Queens) -> Jarod interprets for a Greek lady who doens't want exploratory surgery, then saves the life of a little girl w/ a 'MacGyverized' tracheotomy (that he read about in a book).
Outside St. Andrews Middle School --> Jarod discovers ice cream. He's looking for a boy who is now in a wheelchair b/c of a surgeon's malpractice -- Jarod's looking for evidence of the actual malpractice - he suspects, but isn't sure -- yet.
While a homeless man is following his instructions, checking his bank account, Jarod is fascinated by a game show - Wheel of Fortune. He answers the puzzle almost immediately - however, I want to know how he knows about "The Courtship of Miles Standish" if he doesn't know about Wheel of Fortune?
QoA Hospital -> He has a nurse send a sample of his blood to the lab for testing - he is looking for his own answers to his own questions. He treats Mrs. Nikos (sp?) (The 'greek lady') w/ herb tea and a foot massage. Then goes to radiology to look at some x-rays of the boy who was paralyzed b/c of the malpractice Jarod suspects. The 2 x-rays are identical - one is a copy of the other.
DSA -> 10/31/70 (poor kid, had to simulate on Halloween)
Jarod is running a simulation (sim) as Lee Harvey Oswald during the assassination of John F. Kennedy in Dallas, TX; and determines that LHO could NOT have committed the assassination on his own - he had to have help.
The DSA helps Jarod realize that the surgeon had to have help to cover up his malpractice, and he goes searching for the 'helpers'.
(I'm going to put Jarod's phone call to Syd under the Jarod section b/c he called Syd)
Call to Syd: 'Shreve Harmon' calls, Syd knows it's Jarod b/c Shreve and Harmon (if i spelled that wrong, sorry) built the Empire State bldg. Syd tells Jarod to come 'home', but Jarod says he doesn't think of TC as home, then confronts Syd about the 'true' application of his sims at TC: that they were used to hurt ppl instead of help them like he had been told.
NYSE -> Jarod manipulates the Stock Exchange to steal TC's 5 million dollars.
Bar: Jarod talks to Dr. Trainer about a possible mistake he might have made, and Trainer gets a page and is spooked and begins trying to cover his tracks.
Dr. Russell's office: Jarod's digging for information on one of the nurses when the results from his blood sample come in and he discovers there's an anomoly in his blood that his 'parents' didn't have (the ppl he was told were his parents).
Train Station: Jarod confronts Nurse Porter, who tells him about how she was forced/blackmailed into helping cover for Trainer.
The Sting: Jarod calls Trainer and asks him to meet him at the bar; then sets up a raquet ball game w/ Hendricks (the chief of staff at the hospital). Jarod spikes Hendricks water so he thinks he's having a heartattack, then rushes him to QoA Hosp, and has Trainer paged and Hendricks begs for Jarod to perform the operation, but he says he can't b/c he's not really a doctor and that Hendrick's isn't really having a heartattack.
He then has the nurse call security to stop Trainer from operating drunk.
The Centre:
The Centre, Blue Cove, Deleware --> this is the 'research' organization that stole Jarod from his family when he was very young.
The corridors of TC (The Centre) are bright and airy, unlike later in the series when they become dark and forboding.
MP has been called back from corporate, into the field, to work on the 'Jarod' project. She and Syd go to Jarod's room and look through whatever might be there. MP finds an origami figure of Onysius - the 'greek god of retribution,' who defends the weak and abused. (However, as far as I know, there really isn't an 'onysius' in greek mythology, they made it up for the show - but if someone discovers something different - let me know).
Tech Room - Sub-Level (SL) 5 -> the ATM hit on Jarod's tagged acct comes through, but Jarod's scrambled the network and TC can't trace him.
NYC: MP and Syd arrive to find their accomodations are taken care of and that a carton of Rocky Road ice cream was left for them.
Hotel: Jarod stages a fire and confronts Syd again about his past and gives Syd instructions on how to get back TC's money.
Next Morning: MP tells Syd that she tagged Jarod's file and now knows where he is - QoA Hospital.
The Escape: With MP and Syd and the sweepers hot on his tail, Jarod hides in the 'greek lady's' room then slips out and into a waiting cab while the Centre team is on the roof.
The Resolution: Jarod mails the x-rays and some info to Kevin Bailey (the kid who was paralyzed) so he and his family can gain restitution; then strolls past the Empire State Bldg.
Next Pretend: Airline Pilot
