This article is available online at: http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=4520 The Pretender - The Complete Fourth Season DVD Review by R.J. Carter Published: July 17, 2006 Rating: Country: USA Release Date: July 18, 2006 Distributor: 20th Century Fox Cast: Michael T. Weiss Andrea Parker Patrick Bauchau Jon Gries Jamie Denton Related Sites: IMDb: The Pretender Grade: A The fourth season of this groundbreaking drama from Greg van Sickle and Steven Long Mitchell opens where the third season's cliffhanger left off -- with Jarod (Michael T. Weiss, Justice League) captured and once again in the hands of The Centre. But it's not back to the same old Centre you've come to know and fear. Mr. Parker (Harve Presnell) is on the run from the Triumverate. Mr. Raines (Richard Marcus, 24) has found religion. And Mr. Lyle (Jamie Denton, Desperate Housewives) has his thumb -- or lack thereof -- on every operation, including the physical and mental torture of Jarod. Fortunately for everyone's favorite genius, who has the unique gift to become anyone he needs to become, Jarod manages to escape his captors, and the hunt is on once more, with the tough-as-nails Miss Parker (Andrea Parker, Less Than Perfect) leading the charge, and Sydney (Patrick Bauchau) and Broots (Jon Gries, "Napolean Dynamite") in tow. Once away from The Centre -- which is more a freakshow than it has ever been -- the series gets back on its original footing, with Jarod once again looking for his family: his father, Major Charles (George Lazenby, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service") and his sister, Emily (Marisa Parker). Along the way, Jarod does what he does best: helps the weak and abused, and brings justice to those who would otherwise get away with injustice. During the course of his adventures, Jarod crosses paths more than once with his Centre pursuers -- but also with those he's met before: Agent Bailey Malone (Robert Davi) in another crossover with the series Profiler, for instance, only this time with Jamie Luner playing profiler Rachel Burke who took over the series from Ally Walker. The racist Bartlett (Jeremy Roberts) also rears his ugly head when Jarod tries to prevent white supremacists from murdering a Georgia pastor's family. And for a touch of lightheartedness, Leland Orser reprises his role of Argyle, getting Jarod in trouble in Las Vegas (while Broots has a fantasy-turned-nightmare involving himself, Miss Parker, and Mr. Raines!) This season also sees Jarod find love in the arms of a young woman who has learned she has cancer. Zoe (Lisa Cerasoli, Port Charles) naturally gets left at the end of the episode, but returns during the two-part season (and series) finale. Jon Gries puts in some directorial time this season, being both in front of and behind the camera for the episode "School Daze" in which Jarod plays a substitute teacher in order to locate and protect a student (Michael Welch, Joan of Arcadia) compromised by a leak in the witness protection program. Amid all the different adventures, however, the mythology of The Centre deepens and darkens. Miss Parker discovers exactly how twisted her brother Lyle is when it comes to his treatment of Asian women (he apparently finds them quite tasty), and begins to see the ghost of her dead lover, Thomas. Parker's visions in the episode "'Til Death Do Us Part" may seem incongruous with the rest of the series, but as the finale approaches we learn that she may be a bit of a "ghost whisperer", as was her mother -- and as is Ethan (Tyler Christopher, General Hospital), the half brother she and Jarod learn they have in common. The Centre also gets a new player in the game in the form of the morbidly creepy Mr. Cox (Lenny von Dohlen) who makes Mr. Raines seem warm and cuddly. The bonus features on this disc include two featurettes on the mythology of Jarod, made up of interviews with van Sickle, Mitchell, Denton, Weiss, Parker and several others. Pretender fans will remember that the series ended on an explosive cliffhanger, only to have the season cancelled (and now I have new reason to dislike WWE's Vince McMahon, since it was his half-baked XFL Football idea that was at the root of the cancellation), only to be followed by two Pretender TV movies. Those fans can take heart as van Sickle expresses his hopes that there will be yet another Pretender movie to finally wrap things up -- as he says, the fans deserve it. Also a nice touch in the bonus area are the creator commentaries, including commentary with Andrea Parker on "'Til Death Do Us Part" and Michael T. Weiss on "Cold Dick". Writers and directors can give a ton of insight into a script, but it's so much more fun when the actors who brought the script to life participate in the process. And who is the mysterious Chip Greenfelt who was behind the scenes, operating furtively with each season? You'll have to pay attention to the last featurette to find out that secret! Audio settings on this set include English/French/Spanish Dolby Surround, with optional subtitles in English or Spanish. The Pretender The Complete Fourth Season Disc Guide Disc 1A Disc 1B 01. The World's Changing 02. Survival 03. Angel's Flight 04. Risque Business 05. Road Trip 06. Extreme Disc 2A Disc 2B 07. Wild Child 08. Rules of Engagement (commentary by van Sickle, Mitchell, Lawrence and Thompson) 09. 'Til Death Do Us Part (commentary by Van Sickle, Mitchell, Thompson and Andrea Parker) 10. Spin Doctor 11. Cold Dick (commentary by Van Sickle, Coto, and Michael T. Weiss) 12. Lifeline Disc 3A Disc 3B 13. Ghosts from the Past 14. The Agent of Year Zero 15. Junk 16. School Daze 17. Meltdown 18. Corn Man a Coming Disc 4A Disc 4B 19. The Inner Sense, part 1 20. The Inner Sense, part 2 Bonus Features: "Jared's Mythology" part 1 (10:05) "Jared's Mythology" part 2 (8:05) "Looking for Chip Greenfelt" (9:10)