Original air date: May 16, 1998

Written by: Steven Long Mitchell & Craig W. Van Sickle

Directed by: Fred K. Keller

Part 1 – Jarod discovers something in a person’s genes can predispose them to be a Pretender, and tries to prevent Mr. Raines from taking a boy to be trained to replace him. Sydney devises a treatment for Angelo that returns his mind, but removes his empathy/Pretender abilities.

Jarod’s Discoveries: The Pledge of Allegiance , A drug to cure Angelo, Identity of a newly identified Pretender

Jarod’s Occupations: Fertility Specialist, Substitute Teacher

Jarod’s Aliases: Jarod Spock, Jarod Kotter

Behind the scenes insights and the Creator’s Take

Official Synopsis

Jarod realizes the Centre intends to create another Pretender. Miss Parker discovers she may have a twin brother.

Miss Parker experiences a disturbing dream in which she recalls Fenigor’s last words, “Prodigy—the red files” (see previous episode).  During the same dream, Fenigor gives Jarod an envelope and tells him, “This is where you came from.”  Moments later, Jarod awakens in his bed, having experienced the same nightmare.  He pours out the contents of the envelope given to him by Fenigor.  Inside is a business card from the NuGenesis Family Group, a key, and a telex containing the words “the boy.”  Later, Jarod visits the address listed on the telex.  He speaks with a Realtor, who tells him a couple and their young son lived in the (now burned to the ground) house some thirty years ago.  Shortly thereafter, Jarod takes a job with the NuGenesis Group, a fertility clinic, as the head of inseminology.  His co-workers at the thirty-year-old facility include Dr. Nicholas Haring and Dr. Cynthia Dewitt.  Jarod’s first patients are the Brewsters, who have been trying to conceive for years.

Meanwhile, back at the Centre, Broots realizes Mr. Raines is clearing out of his office.  Gathering courage, Broots sneaks inside Raines’ office and makes off with a photograph of 25 third graders.  In the meantime, Sydney begins injecting Angelo with isotopes in an effort to “unscramble” his mind.  Slowly, the therapy begins producing results, and Angelo behaves in a lucid manner.  Miss Parker realizes that somewhere in Angelo’s brain lies the secret to what happened to her mother.  Later, Angelo e-mails Jarod a copy of the photograph.  Putting the pieces together, Jarod realizes that the Centre intends to create another Pretender.

Jarod receives some unexpected help from Thomas, a janitor at NuGenesis.  Using the key given him by Fenigor, Jarod recovers eight Red Files from a safe, along with some Super-8 film.  Thomas recounts how Jarod’s parents had gone to the fertility clinic thirty years ago in an attempt to conceive.  At the time, however, the clinic handled both reproduction and adoption… placing Jarod’s true parentage in doubt.  Thomas also recognizes a mascot in the photograph of the 25 students, and identifies the school as a local elementary.

Broots discovers the existence of a security video that captured Miss Parker’s birth.  As the threesome watch a monitor, Catherine Parker gives birth to her daughter, under the watchful eye of then-doctor Mr. Raines.  Miss Parker is thrown for a loop when a twin brother is also delivered…one Mr. Raines declares as stillborn.  Suddenly, the recording phases out, as if having been erased.  Later, Mr. Raines tells his daughter that the stillborn child is buried in a small plot on Centre grounds.

Thomas gives Jarod the address of a nearby lodge where his parents stayed while they were attempting to conceive.  There, Jarod meets Louis Rue, who shows him the cottage his parents rented.  Jarod decides to make the cottage his new lair.  Later, Jarod assumes the identity of a substitute school teacher.  By assessing medical files, he identifies three students as patients of Dr. Haring (from the fertility clinic).  One of the children, Jarod concludes, has the makings of a new Pretender.  He arranges a set of genius blocks in front of the children and asks them to solve the formula.  Jarod is temporarily distracted and, when he returns to the classroom, he finds the blocks assembled to perfection.  The children laugh and point to one another when Jarod asks them to identify the student who arranged the blocks.

Angelo escapes from the Centre.  Sydney tells his colleagues that if Angelo misses one injection treatment, he will permanently revert to his old self.  Angelo makes his way to Jarod’s cottage, where he realizes his empathy powers are deteriorating as he recovers his mental faculties.  Meanwhile, Mr. Raines arranges for Mr. Lyle to abduct the new Pretender.  Broots performs further spying and accesses Raines’ private surveillance files.  He discovers the rest of the surveillance video contained within.  As Miss Parker watches the remainder of the video, she realizes her twin did, in fact, survive.  Raines ordered that the child be transferred to the NuGenesis clinic.

With Thomas’ help, Jarod accesses blood samples of the three children from the elementary school.  When the Brewsters are still unable to conceive, Jarod tricks Haring into ordering lab tests on the three blood samples, claiming they are excellent egg donor candidates.    Later, Dewitt informs Jarod that one of the blood samples is perfect for a special project she is heading.  Jarod realizes (through the blood work) that a young student named Davy Simpkins is the prodigy—the new Pretender.  Jarod races to the boy’s home, where he is greeted by Mrs. Watanabe.  She explains that she and her husband are foster parents.  Watanabe also reveals that a man (Gar), whom she believed was from Child Placement, transported the child to the county airstrip.  Jarod and Angelo race to the airstrip, only to see the small plane—with Davy and Gar on board—taking off.