Previously on The Pretender.
All the weirdness around here is courtesy of Mr. Skin Grafts himself.
- The place has been different ever since- - Since Raines was shot.
- I'm no marksman. - I didn't even want to take a gun, remember?
Well, if I'd have shot Sterno-head, he'd be snoring through dirt right now...
instead of filling bedpans in the Centre burn unit.
Guess the Centre cut you out of the loop this time. Good thing they sent a replacement.
- What are you talking about? - The blonde.
Oh, any progress locating your missing father?
Who says he's missing?
It's time to come home, Jarod.
Take my hand.
I can't reach you, Mom.
Try.
You can do it.
Mom.
Mom, don't go.
Mom.
Don't go.
This is whereJarod spent most ofhis time while he stayed with us.
- In a tepee? - Yeah.
But no, this is a sensory-deprivation tank.
I'm surprised he'd even get near one of these things again.
Ah, butJarod enjoyed floating in the tank.
It gave him a taste of the freedom he so desperately craved.
Most people will go in the tank for an hour, tops.
Jarod-Jarod would stay in for, like, days at a time.
Then he would come out, and he would go around hugging everyone he saw.
I never experienced such a connection to another human being in my entire life.
Maybe if he showered once in a while, the experience wouldn't be quite so unique.
Did Jarod leave anything behind?
He said to give you this.
Thank you.
I have a gun, and I'll use it.
- Cool. - Let's go find Wonder Boy.
Living in a tepee. Somebody help me.
Help! Someone, please help me!
Help me. Please!
I'm coming.
Just hang on.
Jarod, wait for the basket.
There's no time. His rope's not going to hold.
Roger, call the chopper now!
Just hang on. More line.
Jarod, what the hell are you doing?
I said wait for the basket!
Sit tight. I got you.
It's a great day to be alive.
There are Pretenders among us.
I was taken from my family.
Thirty-six hours and he's already demonstrating more talent than any of our others.
How many people died because of what I thought up?
Since I broke out, I've spent every moment searching for my past.
He's a Pretender-
A genius who can become anyone that he wants to be.
- The Centre wants him alive. - Preferably.
He defends the weak and abused.
Life's a gift.
- You a doctor? - I am today.
131, call your office.
Word from the hospital is your victim's gonna be fine.
- Oh, that's great news. - And the word around here is that you're a player.
You should have seen him.
- Instant legend, man. - Better watch out, Bobby.
Looks like there's a new Spider-Man in town.
Yeah, well, we'll see who has the web.
- Spider... Man? - Yeah, like in the comics.
Hey, guys, look. Real estate brochures from Denver.
- Looks like you're serious. - Are you thinking of transferring out?
Retiring. Denver's where my grandson is.
Come on, you guys. This is a good thing.
- Makes room for the young guys movin' up. - Ah-
Okay, pack and sack.
We're due at the tower in 30.
Oh, man. It's gonna be the third drill this week.
Well, get used to it. If Bobby makes captain, he'll drill us 24-7.
You got that right.
Jarod. Everyone kicks in. S.O.P.
It's sort of a ritual. Every time we come back safe from a run...
we drop in a five for Chris.
- He's the guy that fell from the drill tower. - Just came out of a coma.
I thought the department insurance plan covered accidents.
It does cover accidents, but, um...
Chris tried to kill himself.
Where have you guys been?
Mmm. To our own little corner of heaven.
- Got you somethin'. - Oh, thanks.
- You won't believe what's going on around here. - I rarely do.
- Any word on my father? - No. No one knows where he is.
Princess Try Hard knows.
You don't want to make accusations you can't prove.
Oh, please. Sydney, you know what? Do yourself a favor. Take some steroids.
Ever since she and Mr. Lyle showed up, this whole place has gotten strange.
Yeah, well, it's just about to get stranger.
- There he is. That's the guy. - What guy?
- Oh, God. They're comin' this way. - Ah, Miss Parker.
Sydney, Mr. Broots. This is Dr. Curtis.
He's... consulting...
for Mr. Lyle and me.
Nice to meet you.
I'm sure.
If he needs to speak with you...
we'd appreciate it if you'd make yourselves available.
Certainly.
Cheers. Shall we?
Doctor.
- Who is he? - That's what I've been trying to tell you.
He's- He's some kind of criminal behaviorist.
They brought him here to find out who shot Mr. Raines.
Oh, God. This is bad. This is really, really bad.
Relax, Broots. They are looking for a shooter, not a whiner.
Yeah, well, they're gonna pin the shooting on someone.
The way I see it, we're the ones walkin' around with the biggest targets on our backs.
If you're innocent, you have nothing to worry about.
Sydney, this is the Centre.
Maybe no one will miss you, but I have a little daughter who loves her daddy.
We don't even know if he'll want to talk to us.
Oh, fat chance. I hear Mr. Raines...
is gonna force everyone who was at the shooting to interview with this guy.
- And I mean everyone. - Peachy.
Move it.! Come on, Jarod.! Your victims have time to take in a double feature.
- Go! Go, go, go, go, go, go, go! - Go.! Go.! Go.!
- Two minutes.! - Move it!
2:01.
2.02. 2.03.
- Let's move it! Come on. - 2.04.
- All the way.! - 2.05. 2.06.
- 2:07. Not bad. - Not good either.
- Not for a simple up and over. - Hey.!
Keep it down over there!
Tryin'to think over here.!
Oh, God. We woke up the monster.
- Who's that? - Uh, he likes to be called Spencer.
All he does is complain about the noise and write poetry.
Don't get him goin'. You're gonna have to buy somethin'.
Is this where Chris tried to kill himself?
Roger found him right here.
You know, I thought Chris and I could tell each other everything.
I knew he was depressed, but he never said anything about suicide.
Maybe it wasn't.
He left a note on his computer.
You know, I saw this happen in Chicago.
This guy, he got really depressed about thejob.
- All the pressure. - No, it wasn't the job. Chris loved rescue.
Well, if it wasn't the job, maybe it was his family.
His mother left when he was really little. She just walked out.
After his dad died a couple years ago, Chris started looking for her.
- He didn't find her? - No.
But he felt she was close by.
He ran personal ads in the paper, searched the Net.
Did everything he could think of.
Well, he probably thought he would never find her.
That he would always have that feeling of emptiness.
I can't imagine what it would be like never knowing your mother.
Chris, Chris. Chris, you need to be calm.
Chris. Chris. You need to calm down.
Chris.
Ca- No, please. Calm down, please.
Chris. I'm sorry. This is a really bad time for a visitor.
Chris. No.
- Chris- - Chris.
- Chris, calm down. - Please, could you come back later?
It's not unusual for a post-coma victim to lose sense of time and location. He's afraid.
He needs human contact. He needs to know that he's loved.
- Are you a therapist? - I know what it's like to be isolated from people.
- Joellen, come here. - Oh, oh. Chris.
Hold him.
- Go ahead. He's still your friend. Hold him. - Chris.
Chris, it's Joellen.
It's Joellen. Shh.
It's Joellen.
It's all right. It's all right.
Shh. Shh.
Let's go over this again, because I want to get it straight.
He was a spider... and a man.
No.
He was a high school student bitten by a radioactive spider.
Hmm. That must have hurt.
Then he developed spider powers.
You know, he could climb up walls, he could shoot webs, and...
- he had spider sense. - Which is?
I don't know.
He- He, uh- His head would tingle and stuff.
Well, I wasn't aware that arachnids had heads that tingled.
I don't know from arachnids. But Spider-Man's did.
It's fascinating.
I'll read them all.
Mrs. Welman.
My name is Jarod. I'm a friend of Chris.
I- You-You have the wrong person. My name is Carter.
I know it was- before you were married.
- What do you want? - It's not what I want.
It's what Chris wants. He's been trying to find you.
Mrs. Welman, your son needs you.
I didn't ask to be needed.
And I sure as hell didn't ask to be found.
Mom, I love you.
I love you, Mom.
Mom. I love you.
Don't leave me, Mom.
Mom. Mom, don't go.
Sydney, did your mother ever hug you?
Jarod, it's important that you get in the tank.
What was it like to be hugged by your mother?
- How did it feel? - That's not relevant.
Jarod, the tank relaxes you. You could focus on the simulation.
I want to know what it's like to be hugged.
I've forgotten what it feels like.
Jarod, listen to me.
You will never have that experience.
Your mother is-
It would be best if you just forgot about her.
No. I'll never forget her.
- Never. - Jarod.
Dwelling on your family will only get in the way of your work.
Finding my family is my work, Sydney.
We're only trying to find out who had the capacity to shoot Mr. Raines.
And I'm only here to help.
Look, I realize this is a difficult position for you to be in.
Mm-mmm.
Perhaps just a waste of both of our times.
You never married, did you?
You don't expect me to answer rhetorical questions?
No.
- Tell me about your relationship with Jarod. - Why don't you tell me?
All right. I think he's taken the role of a son you never had.
What are your feelings for him?
You're doing so well. Don't stop now.
I think you loveJarod very much.
And I think you'd do almost anything to protect him.
But I'm curious, off the record.
How do you live with yourself...
knowing that you abducted a child from his family?
I was not involved in Jarod's abduction.
Oh, yes. But once it happened, you did nothing about it.
You had no problem?
No twinge of conscience, uh, about robbing him of his chance to live a normal life?
I didn't have a choice.
Didn't you?
I had to do what I was told.
- By whom? - The same person who tells you what to do.
Exactly.
So we both know that you hold Mr. Raines personally responsible...
for the destruction ofJarod's life.
And we also know that killing Raines...
would give you a deep sense of satisfaction.
It's only human nature.
I abhor violence.
Well, but that doesn't mean, given a strong enough motivation...
that you wouldn't stoop to it.
I think we're done, Doctor.
Doctor.
Don't look so sad. It's a comic book, man.
You know, comic? Fun?
This Spider-Man- He's a fascinating superhero.
Yet beneath all his heroics, he's led a very sad life.
He never knew his parents. He feels responsible for his uncle's death.
And people are always trying to kill him.
Curse of the superhero. It's tragic, really.
Peter Parker didn't have a real problem.
Now, She-Hulk- her life was tragic.
Glad you guys are here. Check your speed scores.
- The condemned move faster heading to the gallows.
Looks like we're gonna be in for more drilling.
You got that right.
Jarod, work with Roger Saturday morning. Joellen, you and Bobby in the afternoon.
Let me switch with Jarod. I have plans for Saturday.
Change 'em. No one's faster with the rope than Bobby.
- That's where you need improvement. - Just think. You can stay...
in bed late on Saturday and get some extra beauty sleep- not that you need it.
No, I'm serious, Cap. Let me switch.
I'm serious too. No. Now come on. We got more sunshine to spread.
See ya later.
- What's Chris working with? - A bungee cord.
- It helps strengthen his muscles. - Very clever.
- A rubber band with hooks. - That's the concept.
What are his chances for recovery?
Too soon to say. But I'm an optimist.
He could regain a good portion ofhis cognitive and motor skills.
Has he been able to communicate anything about his fall?
No.
There's been some improvement with his pre- and posttraumatic amnesia...
but still, no indication that he has any memory of the accident.
There must have been some damage to his frontal lobe.
More than likely, he never had time to encode the event into his long-term memory.
You don't know about bungee cords...
but you know about Dearling's theory on shock trauma?
I used to moonlight as a psychological reconstructionist.
- Wh- - And I read his file.
- It says here that Chris landed on his back. - That's right.
Now, the hematoma on his 12th thoracic vertebra...
would indicate that he fell on something.
The paramedics didn't note it.
I would have expected his injuries to be more severe.
A fall from four stories.
That's usually fatal.
Were you a triage surgeon too?
Only until I became a rodeo clown.
No!
No. No!
Hey.! I want to hear something that loud...
I'll stick a gun in my mouth!
Hey. I'm sorry. I just fell off a building.
Hey, wait up. I want to talk to you for a second.
Don't you have anything better to do at 3:00 a. m.?
- It's 7:00 a. m. - Yeah.
The noise pollution gets worse every day.
Well, if you're so concerned about the noise...
- why don't you move into a shelter? - Hey, hey.
A poet needs freedom to create.
This... is freedom.
- Wow. - Yeah.
The only drawback is the noise.
Forcing me towards haiku.
Were you here writing your poetry the day that the man fell from the building?
Ooh, yeah. Yeah. Um-
You see, I was flowin' a rhyme...
and all of a sudden I heard somebody screaming, "No! Don't! No! Don't!"
Kind of like what you were doing. And then-
And then boom!
After a little while, all hell broke loose.
Sirens and ambulances and cops.
I tell you. My creativity was shot for the day.
I've seen the police report. There's no mention that you ever told the police what you heard.
No, no. See, I didn't tell the cops.
I told one of you rescue guys.
- Who? - I don't know.
I mean, this guy, he- he came up, and he said, "Sorry about the noise"...
gave me 20 bucks and, uh, told me to get a hot meal.
- Now, that, my friend, was poetic. - What did he look like?
With all the gear and helmets and everything...
all you guys look the same.
Oh, hey. Hey. Uh, you know what?
He had some sort of fancy money clip.
Uh, it had sort oflike a-
a spiderweb design right in the middle of it.
Watermelon, right?
Yeah. That's, uh, what we call 'em here on Earth.
It's tonight's dessert.
Why are you banging on them?
I'm not banging. I'm, uh, thumpin'.
How do you tell if a watermelon's ripe?
I don't know. I've never eaten one.
Well, Starman, you're definitely in for a treat. We're all chippin' in.
So, uh, you owe me five bucks.
- Five bucks, huh? - How you doin'?
- I actually don't have any cash on me. - Come on.
- Hey, man. Nobody gets out of payin'. - What's the matter?
- Mommy didn't give you any lunch money today? - Something like that.
- Can you cover me? - Yeah.
- Pay me back, right? - Of course I will.
If we can't trust each other, who can we trust?
Right.
- I got word that you, uh- - Come in.
Sit.
Cute kids.
I've been looking over your file.
- There's a letter in here- - You. Let's go.
from a Mrs. Mosely.
My fourth grade teacher? How far back does that thing go?
Letter's addressed to your mother.
Apparently, Mrs. Mosely was concerned for your safety at school.
Why was that?
Well, you know how kids are.
You know, they like to pick on the egghead.
Do you remember what it felt like to be picked on?
Yes. I guess.
Uh, you know, if I think about it.
You're next.
So, did you ever attempt to defend yourself...
against those bullies?
Bullies?
Oh, no. Actually, uh, no.
I- I learned to outsmart them.
What about today? How do you respond to people who pick on you today?
- No one bullies me. - Really?
I was under the impression that Miss Parker often takes you to task.
- She likes to tease me. Friends do that. - Oh, so you two are friends.
Well-
Uh, well, wait. No, wait a minute.
Um, not- not exactly.
Let's go.
How does Mr. Raines treat you?
Huh? Mr. Raines...
always, um, has treated me fairly.
With, uh-With great respect.
That's very interesting. Because it says in here that you've been overheard...
disparaging him on more than one occasion.
That-That's- That's a flat-out lie.
Who said that? I'd like to know who said that.
Uh, that would be, uh, Mr. Raines.
It must eat you up...
knowing that people have picked on you your whole life, and you've always had to take it.
Never getting to even the score.
I mean, how long will you let people...
demean and belittle you...
until you finally say, "Enough! It ends here!"
How much humiliation can you take?
I know what you're trying to do. You're trying to get inside my head.
Stir it up a little bit. Well, it's not gonna work.
You, let's go.
- But I want to stay here. - Hey! Hey!
You! Leave her alone!
What are they gonna do with her?
- What do you think? They gonna hurt her? - What are you-
- The way Mr. Raines implied once he would do to your daughter? - What do you want?
- The truth.! - You want the truth? I'll give you the truth!
If anyone was ever to hurt my daughter- even try to- I'd kill them. I don't care who!
I'd kill them.
- Sydney. - How's the book?
I still don't know how Judge T. is gonna wrap this one up.
How do you know?
You always used to sit down at your desk at 8:00 p. m. with a good book.
- Does it still relax you? - You know me too well.
Hey, I can hear birds in the background.
Must still be light where you are.
You're getting very good at this.
I can also hear sadness in your voice.
Guess you know me too well.
I've been thinking about my mother lately-
what it's going to be like when we finally meet.
- Go on. - Well, it's-
it's just that we've been separated for so long.
Will she s-
Never mind.
Everyone wants to believe a mother's love is absolute.
Sadly, that's not always the case.
Did your mother love you?
Yes, I believe she did.
But know this: If a mother rejects her offspring...
rarely does the blame fall upon the child.
It's usually an indication that the woman does not love herself.
Thank you, Sydney.
Hey. I told you to leave me alone.
This will help when the methadone doesn't.
You were at the free clinic getting your daily dose.
But methadone- it doesn't stop the craving for heroin. It only replaces it.
That's why you keep getting the sweats. Your body's screaming for relief.
Are you a junkie?
No, but I was a congressional adviser on drug policy for a while.
Scout's honor. This is ogden root.
It's an organic herb. It has a great calming effect.
Friends of mine, they harvest it in Oregon. Trust me. It works.
Oh, damn it!
Is this Chris?
Yes. When he was 11 years old.
His papa sent it to me at a halfway house.
It's odd to be carrying around a picture of someone you're trying to forget.
I'm not trying to forget. It's just better if we don't see each other.
Is that why you went to the hospital?
I checked the sign-in sheet in intensive care.
You didn't think people would recognize your maiden name.
They told me Chris was in a coma. They didn't know if he was gonna live or not.
I just did what any mother would do. I went to see my son.
I didn't have the strength to open the door.
This is my mother.
I only remember seeing her once.
I don't know much about her...
but I do know that I would give anything to feel her arms around me.
Listen, if you ju-
If you're gonna tell me that Chris needs me and that the past doesn't matter, save it.
I've always been a great addict, but I'm worthless as a mother!
Grace, you're a person with a disease.
A disease that controlled your life.
It kept you from the people that you love.
But somewhere you found the courage to fight it.
Maybe if you look there again, you'll find what it takes to make things right with your son.
Hey. Joellen.
Where is everybody?
- They're around somewhere. - Really?
That's funny, 'cause I only saw your car...
- in the parking lot. - Yeah.
Please, Bobby. I have work to do.
- The captain assign that to you? - Yes.
- And he wants it done before he comes in. - Oh.
I guess that means when I make captain, you'll do exactly what I say, huh?
Don't.
I don't like games.
You'll never guess what I just found.
Hey, Jarod. I didn't, uh- I didn't see your car outside.
- I took the bus. - Oh.
A seedless watermelon.
Now, I wonder how they get them out.
Yeah.
Listen, I, uh- I got some work I gotta do.
I'll, uh, talk to you later.
- If I'm tired, you must be exhausted. - Why?
Well, not only do you have to work and train all day like the rest of us...
but you have to put up with him.
What do you mean?
The looking over your shoulder.
The constant wondering when he'll show up.
What he'll want. The rage, the powerlessness.
I know that it would eat at me until I wanted to scream.
At first, it seemed like harmless flirting.
I thought I could handle it- handle Bobby.
But... he's so aggressive. He scares me.
Being the only woman, you must have felt trapped.
Well, I knew if I complained through command, I would get nothing but flack.
Bobby would only deny it, and I'd become the black sheep of the squad.
If I wasn't fired.
Believe me, it's hard enough being one of the boys around here.
So, I just kept my mouth shut.
And then Chris found out?
Oh.
One night. Well-
Bobby touched me. And I was upset.
Chris comforted me. He was such a great guy, you know.
As if dealing with his own problems wasn't enough...
he wanted to take care of me too.
He was really angry with Bobby.
He even wrote up a report, but, you know, I couldn't sign it.
Well, you should have.
You're not the first woman to feel this way.
Bobby's done this before.
In Portland.
He almost lost his job.
His wife nearly left him.
But he intimidated the victim until she dropped the charges.
I don't know.
He's connected, Jarod.
Bobby's about to become captain.
Even if I take him on, he'll win.
Don't be so sure.
Thank you for coming, Miss Parker.
I realize this interview is unpleasant.
Just know that my intention is to eliminate people as possible suspects...
not incriminate them.
Considering I'm on record as having threatened to shoot Raines...
I would think I'm your number one suspect.
And I suppose we're having this meeting in my father's former office...
because Raines thinks it will unnerve me.
I'm not sure I know what you mean.
My father has disappeared, and some Ralph Reed clone has replaced him.
Exactly what part of this is hard to grasp, Doctor?
Let's move on.
Now, you've known Jarod since you were a little girl.
What's your relationship with him now?
My relationship...
is to find him and bring him back.
Preferably alive, but dead's becoming more acceptable.
So, it wouldn't have bothered you if Mr. Raines had shotJarod?
Not at all.
Mind if I smoke?
You make no effort at all to conceal your hostility towards Mr. Raines.
Is that because you felt protected by your father?
I don't need Daddy to protect me from Scar Man.
Would you care to expand on that?
I think he was involved in the death of my mother...
and knows what happened to my father.
What makes you think that?
Woman's intuition.
So it's safe to say it would give you great satisfaction to see him dead?
It would give me great satisfaction to perform his autopsy...
before he was dead.
Miss Parker, when you came in here...
I had no opinion one way or the other as to your involvement...
in the shooting of Mr. Raines.
However, you must admit your excessive candor-
If I'd shot you, you son of a bitch...
you'd be dead.
Are we clear?
Hey, poet. Do you like watermelon?
Yeah?
911. We've got a bridge worker stuck on a scaffold.
When are these morons gonna learn? Where is everybody?
- Just you and me. - Let's do it.
Looks like a heart attack. I'm goin'over.
Not this time, Spider-Man. I'm in charge here. I'm goin' over.
Okay. Feed me some line.
Nice and easy. Nice and easy.
A little more line.
What are you doin'?
I need more rope.
Okay.
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
Jarod! Jarod! Hey! Hey!
Stop.! Are you crazy?
Just making sure that you're still high enough.
- For what? - Your fall.
What the hell are you doing?
Yep. That'll work.
See ya, Bobby.
Jarod.! Jarod.!
Hey.! Hey.!
What the hell are you doing?
What you did. To Chris Welman.
When he threatened to expose...
- your sexual harassment ofJoellen. - What?
- Hey, what kind of sick joke is this? - Oh, this is no joke, Bobby.
- At least I'm not laughing. - You don't know what you're talking about, man.
- You had to stop him. You had your promotion to lose. - No, man.
So you followed Chris Welman up to the training tower, and you cut his rappelling rope.
And then you made it look like he tried to commit suicide.
That's a lie, man! The man left a note!
Which you wrote on his computer.
Now, if it makes you feel any better, I'll write one on yours.
Jarod, please!
Look, all right! All right! I cut his rope!
I did it, all right? Now, please.! Just pull me back up out ofhere, man.!
Hmm.
No way.
No!
Now that was poetic!
Whoo!
It's about time, Dr. Curtis.
Have you reached a conclusion?
- Yes. - And your determination?
Any one of them could have done it.
Not very satisfying, Doctor.
I'm very sorry, Mr. Raines.
That is the only conclusion I can come to, based on my evaluations.
Get out.
Perhaps Mr. Parker knows who pulled the trigger.
Wherever he is.
I did what you wanted.
I told him it could have been any one of them.
This is who I believe actually shot him.
So, we're even.
For now.
Wheelchair to Admitting. Wheelchair to Admitting.
Is there any progress?
Seems to vary with his mood. If we can find a way to keep his spirits up...
there's a good chance Chris can regain as much as 80%...
of his cognitive and motor skills.
Mom.
Mom. I love you, Mom.
I love you too, Jarod.