- Title: The Pretender – The Better Part of Valor
- wiki: link
Jarod (Michael T. Weiss) becomes a firefighter in order to investigate a series of warehouse fires, the latest of which killed a local firefighter. While befriending the victim’s father (Patrick Cronin) and fighting with another member (Isabel Glasser) of the “Fighting 16th” who blames herself for the death of the only other female firefighter on the squad (and Jarod for replacing her) the Pretender uncovers an insurance scam which is not only responsible for the increased number of arsons but also the murder of the firefighter who stumbled onto the situation in the line of duty only to be killed by another firefighter (Michael O’Neill) to hide the truth.
As Miss Parker (Andrea Parker) takes some time off to get reacquainted with an old college friend with benefits (Anthony Starke) who has ulterior motives in seeking out their reunion, “The Better Part of Valor” introduces the character of Angelou (Paul Dillon) as an important Centre asset. Not only does his introduction suggest others with similar abilities of Jarod also twisted to be of use to the secret organization, but Angelou’s involvement in the search for Jarod helps even the odds giving The Centre someone as least as smart as their missing asset on-hand to help find and bring Jarod home.
While getting justice for the fallen firefighter, Jarod learns about canned instant cheese and avoids late attempts from both Miss Parker and Mr. Raines‘ (Richard Marcus) spy to bring the Pretender in. Even though the puppet’s current relationship with Parker was a sham, it does offer us a look at her simpler life before being dragged back into The Centre’s politics and being tasked with bringing Jarod in. Angelou’s work nearly nabs The Centre their prize, but as we’ll learn over the course of the show’s three seasons, the true ends of Angelou’s actions and motives are always known to him alone.
