I watched just a handful of “The Pretender” when it was on. I was mildly intrigued, but not enough to schedule the time. The gimmick, a genius able to step into any role and pretend to be a pilot, a surgeon, etc. was fun, but it didn’t sustain my interest. It didn’t help that there had been a real life models of people, various scam artists, who had also been gifted with the same talent. The TV version with a big scary secret organization, The Centre, seemed a disappointment.
But then Hulu offered up the chance to catch up the series for free (you have to watch the commercials). Even though they don’t have all the episodes ( a scattering of season 3 and 4 episodes are unavailable because of music rights issues) it was certainly good relaxation time in the evenings to pick up two or three episodes. Although, like I said, there are episodes missing, seeing the shows back to back certainly changes my perception of the show. Jerod, the Pretender, and the title character of the show, is just the foil. The star of the show is Miss Parker.
Seen as “The Centre, a soap opera”, Miss Parker is the center of everything. She is the character most driven to find Jarod, with the most in-depth back story. She grows and develops most. With costumes out of a dark graphic novel, and with “Anger is my religion” showing in practically every scene, she is a vivid, memorable character. Jerod is a cardboard vigilante in contrast. Once his childlike fascination with pez and ice cream got old, it was the story of Miss Parker and her gothic family that kept me watching.
If I were to make a list of most all-time memorable TV characters, I think she might be at the top.