Ep 1. Pilot

Jarod is the main character in the show The Pretender. He is a genius who is able to simulate and acquire the various skills and knowledge a person could have. He was employed as a “pretender” by the secretive engineering company, the Centre, whose primary objective was to acquire diverse talents and use these talents for particular reasons.

In season 1, episode 1, dubbed “Pilot,” viewers are introduced to Jarod, a child genius who was taken from his parents at an early age. He was to be assimilated into a think tank that aimed to research extremely successful individuals. By age 6, Jarod had the mental ability to compute complex math problems that stumped most grown-ups. Having accomplished such remarkable mental feats, the Centre operatives believed they had stumped all possible barriers in education to bring Jarod to be the best.

The Centre had created an environment whereby he learned how to clone anyone's style, spoke numerous languages, learned how to wire a bomb, and simulate other professions. Jarod had the most remarkable talent of being able to fake any talent. His abilities made him the Centre's primary asset and commodity.

His ability was put to the test when he was put on a project for the military. The Centre had designed a new weapon that needed a specialist with Jarod's abilities. Jarod worked on designing and utilizing the weapon for a year until he had a realization while walking by the Centre's test chamber doors. He listened in on a conversation and discovered that the weapon he worked on was built solely to test Jarod's mental abilities.

He battles his conscience back and forth while finally making a conscious decision to flee the Centre. With the skills and talents he had gained, he was practically unstoppable. He created a new identity and moved on in life, helping the people he could as he continued to avoid those searching for him.

The pilot episode introduces us to the character of Jarod and sets the stage for the intriguing and intricate web of deceit that entwines his life. As the central character, Jarod is a remarkably complex and mentally advanced individual. As a child, he was brutally taken from his parents, and he has never known a happy childhood. Instead, he has become a product of the Centre, a secretive organization that specialized in acquiring talented individuals and using their skills for their own purposes. Jarod's specific talent is his extraordinary ability to simulate any talent or skill that he observes. He is a master of disguise, a hacker, a sniper, and a genius in multiple fields.

The Centre has held Jarod captive for years, but as the pilot episode demonstrates, his escape has begun to dismantle the Centre's control over him. As Jarod adjusts to a new life, his innate ability quickly garners attention from those in need of his talents. The various situations he infiltrates highlight his capacity for empathy, going beyond assignments to help those in need.

The pilot episode establishes Jarod's struggle with the past and present further, which is sure to be a significant theme throughout the series. It confidently propels us into his world of detection, lies, and moral values. This smartly written show is unpredictable and unique, and the pilot does an excellent job of setting up the show's overall tone, character personalities, and themes.

In conclusion, The Pretender season 1, episode 1, is an exciting introduction to the show's narrative and central character. It successfully establishes the show's central conceit and sets the stage for future episodes to follow. As an origin story, the pilot episode naturally asks more questions than it answers, leaving viewers intrigued and excited to learn more about the world that Jarod inhabits.