In “The World’s Changing” Jarod has been recaptured by The Centre, they are planning to transfer him to Africa but he manages to escape again! Miss Parker is recovering in the hospital but she has mysteriously been placed under suicide watch! Well it was Mr. Lyle who arranged this. Mr. Lyle is now in charge of The Centre because Mr. Parker is on the run with his wife Brigitte. Mr. Lyle added a member to the team to recapture Jarod, a certain Mr. White (Tobin Bell) and Mr. Raines is very much alive but he seems to have undergone a religious conversion. “Survival” definitely is one of the best episodes this season, Miss Parker and Mr. Lyle locked in a container on the road, seems locked, but the container can be opened at any time, same way as the door was locked. But they both didn’t realize they could get out of the container at any time! Jarod also left something behind for Miss Parker to read, a paper about Mr. Lyle and missing women. Note – Really hilarious this episode, before they first get stuck in the container, Mr. Lyle cannot resist pushing a button which says ‘Danger Do not push’!

In “Angel’s Flight” Jarod pretends to be a San Francisco police detective, in order to try to find a teen who has disappeared. Jarod finds out that girl is a victim of a scheme and she is left for dead. Meanwhile, Miss Parker wonders about The Centre newcomer (not Mr. White). Jarod helps them getting on the right track by sending them a wax head. This person is the ‘executioner’ of Miss. Parker, Sydney and Broots! In “Risque Business” Jarod pretends to be a sex therapist and takes over the caseload of a sex therapist who is traumatized after she was attacked, apparently by a patient. Jarod investigates to discover the true cause of her fear and the real identity of her attacker. Mr. Lyle tells Miss Parker, Sydney and Broots that from now on he should be in the loop of everything concerning Jarod. Miss Parker isn’t impressed. Broots is falling for the long legged brunette he works with daily. When he and Parker go together to investigate Jarod’s last whereabouts, he is working up the courage to tell her. When Miss Parker finds pistachio nuts, she knows Mr. Lyle had set this up, he needed her out of the way, because he apparently didn’t know Jarod is allergic to pistachio nuts. Lyle only smiles devious when he knows he’s been caught. Broots again working up the courage but before he can say anything, Miss Parker says she knows, the is flattered, she finds it sweet, but its never going to happen. Note – Hilarious episode, Broots working up the courage to make a pass at her. So much fun.

“Road Trip” is also one of the best episodes this season. Jarod helps a woman on the run from her abusive cop ex-boyfriend and from her fear of accepting treatment for cancer. Meanwhile he leads Miss Parker, Sydney and Broots on a Wizard of Oz type of trail to remind them of their past in an appeal to let him find his own. Note - A very good episode, sometimes emotionally charged, a lot of humor also. Really enjoyed the road trip with Jarod and Zoe. Also the road Jarod sent Miss Parker, Sydney and Broots on, the yellow brick road, so much fun banter between Broots and Miss Parker and here also some emotionally charged scenes. One of the best episodes this season. Oh yeah and Zoe uses the word pretend more than once, pun intended! 😊 “Extreme” is also an exciting episode where we learn more about Mr. Lyle. To find out what happened to a guy named Tony who is now laying in a hospital, Jarod joins a reckless extreme-sports group. Meanwhile, Jarod ‘educates’ Miss Parker, Broots and Sydney about the ‘hobbies’ of Mr. Lyle. These hobbies are horrible, involving Asian women and his own dark past. Note - It really give you the creeps to find out what kind of a man Mr. Lyle is.

Another solid episode is “Wild Child”, Jarod pretends to be a psychiatrist in order to find out what has happened and who is responsible for a bewildered child that has been found. One of the lead psychiatrists is responsible for this, he found her and instead of helping this 4 year old after her parents had died in a plane crash, he followed her in the wilderness, seeing how she’d do, how she would survive. Note – I can think of a number of words to describe such a man! Miss Parker is convinced that Mr. Cox is planning to kill daddy, it looks like he was following her but he says to her that it wasn’t him. He does have a creepy hobby this Mr. Cox, Scooping up dead animals and stuffing them! In “Rules of Engagement” two brothers take hostages at gunpoint in a hospital where their father is being treated for a heart condition. Jarod becomes an FBI hostage negotiator in an effort to resolve the standoff, and at the same time, reveal the unethical activities at the hospital that drove them to it. Miss Parker's father reaches out to her from hiding. He needs money and has it locked away in a sub level room, he gives Miss Parker the key. Because of this situation with daddy, she cannot go after Jarod and Lyle blames her for it, she acknowledges that. Note – One that immediately stood out, as a Babylon 5 fan, because in this episode there also was a Dr. Stephen Franklin!

“Till Death Do Us Part”, a flawless episode in terms of quality story telling! It's the anniversary of Thomas' death and Jarod continues to provide his cryptic revelations to Miss Parker. Miss Parker finds out that Jarod and Thomas were friends for about a month before Miss Parker and Thomas met. Mr. Parker shows himself yet again to be what he's always been -- a callous power hungry master manipulator. Brigitte is the killer, a file is left in Miss Parker’s home, she assumed it was Jarod who left  it but he says he didn’t do it. She suspect her father, because he knew how Miss Parker would react. Brigitte dies at childbirth, she apologizes to Miss Parker. She doesn’t know who gave the order but it wasn’t Matumbo, it is someone from within The Centre. The child is alive, the only thing Mr. Parker cares about, his offspring. Mr. Cox ultimately was an ally of Mr. Parker. Miss Parker sees and feels Thomas all day around her, he even speaks to her. In the final moments of the episode she says goodbye to him. Note – This could very well be the best episode of the entire series, so much happens, an emotional rollercoaster ride all through the episode, it doesn’t get any better than this!

Next episode “Spin Doctor” is also a very good episode and it is another cross-over episode with its sister show Profiler. Jarod finds out that the man who helped him escape the Centre has supposedly killed himself. He decides to find out the truth and runs into profiler Rachel Burke (Jamie Luner) and Bailey Malone (Robert Davi) from the Profiler taskforce. Jarod uses another name, so Malone knows there is something off. Jarod tells he is undercover for Congress. Rachel also knows something is off with Jarod, still she is attracted to him, Rachel and Jarod bond. Sydney goes berserk when he finds a watch belonging to a former colleague of his at the Centre, put there by Angelo. He feels responsible because he thinks he killed her in a car crash. The Centre however saved her, transferred her and told Sydney she died. They also spread a rumor that they had an affair. They were blackmailing Sydney with it, threatening to take Jarod away from him. Mr. Parker got the orders from Mutombo and he executed them, Miss Parker is not happy with her dad. Note – The Sydney storyline proves how dysfunctional and evil that place The Centre is!

Cross-over Profiler – 4.10  “Clean Sweap”

The VCTF work with Jarod (Michael T. Weiss) when two dirty Secret Service agents, who are their most direct link to the killers of a fellow agent, are found slain. However, while romantic sparks fly between the pair, Jarod suddenly disappears and is tortured by the murderer Todd Baxter, who is on a crazed mission to eliminate everyone he thinks is involved in the agency's corruption. Meanwhile, Grace learns of George's addition to painkillers and pep pills and tells him to get treatment or she'll have to inform on him.

In “Cold Dick” Argyle returns. Jarod pretends to be a sleazy private investigator in Las Vegas at the begging of Argyle. The two become involved in the case of a murdered man and a missing showgirl, with quirky characters. Having intercepted Argyle's email to Jarod, Ms. Parker and Broots arrive in Vegas early. Broots imagines the two having a secret affair. Note - It is a fun episode, Broots who dreams of a relationship with Miss Parker, but her supposed fantasy turns out to be a lot weirder! Has to do with the love for bald heads and Raines. Wayne Newton and Kenneth Mars guest star. In “Life Line” Jarod takes on the role of an ex-cop bodyguard of a money laundering gangster so he can protect an ATF agent who has been working undercover as the gangster's fiancée, and separated from her own daughter for more than a year. Meanwhile, Miss Parker and Broots continue to investigate the authenticity of Mr. Raines' recent apparent religious conversion. Jarod basically lets Miss Parker know that his new born faith is actually fake. Mr. Raines however tries to convince Miss Parker that he has changed. One moment though, when she sits in a chair before him, showing her endless legs, he definitely gets aroused. Note – Haha, and she is disgusted by him and warns him off. Well can you blame him!?

In “Ghost from the Past” Jarod comes face to face with a guy he put behind bars after some humiliation. Sydney and Parker learn through Angelo that someone whom Jarrod crossed paths with is out to get him. So they look through Jarrod's history and try to find out who is after him. Jarod infiltrated a gang who believe in white supremacy and they are planning to kill two little girls to send a message. Their boss however, is someone Jarod has crossed paths with and he truly hates Jarod.

Another great episode “The Agent of Year Zero”, a blind girl upon hearing a man's voice claims that the man is responsible for killing her family in Cambodia. The man is about go into business with The Centre and is tight with Mr. Lyle. Lyle intends to make sure she doesn't say anything against the man. So he sends some people to take care of her. The man Lyle is working with, Ki Mok, is in fact Colonel Chen Ton, responsible for the killing of thousands, among them Kim Chen’s family. This man helped Lyle 5 years ago while Lyle was charged for murdering two girls. And they were brutally maimed. When Miss Parker reads this article she gets sick to her stomach. Also when she confronts Lyle who shows no remorse, no guilt or anything, in fact Miss Parker is afraid of him. He and Ton had a tattoo, a snake eating its tale, it is a symbol of cannibalism! Jarod captures Lyle and threatens him with torture (really great scene) so he can help Kim Chen stand up to Ton and expose him. So when Jarrod learns about her, decides to protect her and to give her the strength to face the man. Note - In this episode we see again how evil Mr. Lyle is, and very dangerous if you watch that last scene between him and Parker, especially that last look he has on his face. (James Denton does a wonderful job playing this guy).

In “Junk”, Jarod is pretending to be a junkie in order to help a woman, Jill Arnold, who is locked up in a mental hospital and is getting the wrong medication which make her seem more confused then she really is. It seems that her father once helped Jarod when he needed it. Her father used to work at the Centre, he supposedly drowned in his own swimming pool. Parker learns of a moment in Jarod's life when he needed Sydney but he was not around. Raines wanted to experiment on Jarod with drugs. Sydney was against this and asked that he be the test subject, which Raines agreed to, at the same time he also still experimented on young Jarod. So that’s why he wasn’t there to protect Jarod. David Arnold was the father of Jill, he helped Jarod through a rough time after Raines had experimented on him. Note – Did not remember how strong and emotional this episode is. In “School Daze” Jarod takes on the role of a substitute teacher to protect a child who is to become a key witness in murder re-trial. His first task though is to discover which of his class members the mystery witness is. Meanwhile back at The Centre, Miss Parker, Broots and Sydney discover another secret about Mr. Raines' past and another clue to follow. Raines is visiting his wife, in a mental facility, but according to Sydney, Edna has died 20 years ago! Edna and Catherine were not only colleagues, also friends. She escapes and suddenly stand before Miss Parker’s door, thinking she is Catherine. Note – I felt like this episode could just as well be a season one episode. Directed by Jon Gries.

“Meltdown” Jarod creates an elaborate sting operation to discover which member of a gang of thieves murdered a child on their previous job. Meanwhile, back at The Centre, Miss Parker, Broots and Sydney continue to follow the trail of the mysterious 'Mirage' clue given to her by Edna Raines. When a co-worker wants to bring Miss. Parker the ‘mirage’ file that’s supposed to be incinerated, Mr. Raines shoots him in cold blood. Note - The Jarod storyline this time is uninteresting to me and this is the first time in 4 seasons! Centre storyline saves the episodes somewhat, that was interesting stuff. In “Corn Man”, another strong episode, Jarod buys a used video camera and discovers it still contains footage of its previous owners, a mother and daughter, being attacked beside a river. Using scenes from the camera as guide, Jarod traces them to a small town where all is not what it first appears. Meanwhile, Miss Parker, Broots and Sydney follow a new set of clues, sent to them by Jarod, in search of Edna Raines, and more buried secrets of The Centre. When they find where Edna should be, they find her dead and Mr. Raines is there also, he says she killed herself, which Parker of course does not believe. Jarod’s video to her leads her to her mother’s grave, she and Broots dig it up and find that the coffin is empty! Note – Edna storyline is very interesting, with her death, a lot of secrets have been buried. Jarod’s storyline also had a bit of a twist in regard of how the story unfolded. Of course the most bizarre discovery that her mother is not lying the coffin. In Profiler, season 4 episode 18, "Pianissimo", Michael T. Weiss reprises his role Jarod, but the storyline did not cross-over to The Pretender.

The series finale is a feature length episode called “The Inner Sense” where we see Zoe back from the season 4 episode “Road trip”. Nice they brought her back. Jarod meets his dad and introduces him to Zoe. Note - Strange although his father tells Jarod he doesn’t trust the line they are on, he still tells Jarod where is sister Emily works. When Jarod goes to his sister, The Centre, Lyle is trying to kill her, she survives and escape The Centre men again. Back at The Centre, Miss Parker continues to investigate "Mirage" and her mother's empty grave. What Sydney already knew, Miss Parker and Broots find out that Miss Parker’s mom staged her own death, Raines seemed to be the only option to trust at that point. Her father had impregnated her with seed from Jarod’s dad. With Catherine Parker’s Inner Sense gift, he hoped to make an even better Pretender. When the baby was delivered, It looks like Raines kills Catherine, Miss Parker sees the DSA and is shocked. Sydney made a promise to Catherine, not to tell Miss Parker, for her own safety. The baby she got was Ethan, he has been brainwashed all these years by Raines. Raines was seeking for power at The Centre. Catherine wants her daughter to continue her plan, it is not yet clear what that plan exactly is, but there is a DSA somewhere, even Raines hasn’t found it. Lyle and Cox kidnap Zoe to get to Jarod but while Jarod goes to find his and Miss Parker’s brother, Major Charles successfully saves Zoe. In the finale moments Jaron, Ethan and Miss. Parker are stuck in the metro train, made into a bomb, trying to steer the train to an area with little population. Then we see an explosion which, to be honest, no one should be able to survive… Note – Fantastic double feature, shame we didn’t get a conclusion with the 2 movies.

Final Word:

I am not sure which is my favorite season but I think season 4 is a distinct possibility. Only one weak episode in an entire run is quite an accomplishment! I have said it a few times already, The Pretender is one of my all time favorite shows ever! This will never change, a unique story if you ask me and it is truly a shame it did not get a conclusion on TV. Still, I have two more Pretender telemovies to watch so I am looking forward to that. Check it out yourself, yes, it is different than contemporary TV shows, it is a real 90’s show, but it still holds up very well and the lead characters, the recurring characters make this show truly awesome!

With help from IMdB & Wiki, Screencaps from IMdB