be my friend

[bantha_fodder]

So, those of you who have zero interest in The Pretender, I hope you've noticed how I am strictly restraining myself - I only post once a day about the Pretender, no matter how much I have to say or how excited I am!


Today, I would like to talk about Jarod and Miss Parker (yes, I know you're surprised).

I was just watching this vid by StuckHereWithNoTV over on youtube. It's a Miss Parker vid to Alanis Morissette's 'Everything,' and as it started I thought, what a terrible song choice, so slow and sappy and it's Alanis. I was so wrong - this vid is surprisingly perfect, and I was amazed at how much I enjoyed it.

I think the funny thing about Jarod and Miss Parker's relationship is that it isn't the sort of thing you can see; there are no hugs or kisses on the forehead, and there are no light touches or anything like that. Through everything, even though Miss Parker is driven to recapture Jarod; even though he hates the people that she works for and even though she's really mean, he still loves her, in his way. And their love is in the silence on the phone when she answers late at night, in the distance between them when they meet, in the things he leaves behind when he runs and the way he always comes back.

Sometimes I consider that their relationship is unequal. Jarod is always the one feeding her information; he's the one with the power to infiltrate the Centre and the one who could disappear at any moment. However, she has exactly the same power, she just chooses not to use it. She loves her father too much, and she fears what the Centre will do to her if she leaves, whereas Jarod fears what the Centre will do to him if he stays.

In my head, sometimes they meet where the Centre can't see them; footsteps echoing through a dark alley; nonsensical messages left on voicemail; hotels on the other side of the world. And of course, as the director told us, Jarod clearly had a key to the back door of her house. In my head there are scratches on his back and bite marks on her shoulder; he handcuffs her to the bed and she never, ever calls in sick. And one day he'll disappear and there'll be nothing left of him but a thousand stories with happy endings and her, bitchy and bitter and fighting with her brother, and it's then that she'll show them what she can do, because she'll disappear, too, and it'll be for her, and not for him.

And then she'll find him and they'll have wild monkey sex.


On a related topic, I think that Gar (the albino Sweeper) totally suspects that Miss P and Jarod are conspiring together.


Finally, remember that awesome BSG vid Breathe Me? I love it so much when I can watch vids using the same song in different fandoms, and this morning I watched this vid, also by StuckHere, using 'Breathe Me' for the Pretender and it's cool. Not as awesome as some of her other vids, but still good.



&hearts

Comments

[krazykitkat.livejournal.com]

In my head, sometimes they meet where the Centre can't see them; footsteps echoing through a dark alley; nonsensical messages left on voicemail; hotels on the other side of the world. And of course, as the director told us, Jarod clearly had a key to the back door of her house. In my head there are scratches on his back and bite marks on her shoulder; he handcuffs her to the bed and she never, ever calls in sick. And one day he'll disappear and there'll be nothing left of him but a thousand stories with happy endings and her, bitchy and bitter and fighting with her brother, and it's then that she's show them what she can do, because she'll disappear, too, and it'll be for her, and not for him.

*nods*


I've always felt that Sam's loyalty is to Parker first, the Centre a further behind second. If he found out something about Parker and Jarod, I think he'd keep the secret and protect Parker.

[hjsnapepm.livejournal.com]

^^I'm not the only one, then! I really liked Sam.

[krazykitkat.livejournal.com]

Sam is lovely :)

Parker seems to trust him implicitly. She left Debbie with him when Broots was on the run.

It's nice to discuss tP with people. It seems to be a dead fandom :( (and there doesn't seem to be anywhere to post fic)

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

I love Sam and agree-- he generally put Parker first, not the Centre.

[bantha-fodder.livejournal.com]

There's Missing Pieces, but that's about it.

We could perhaps create a comm, and see what happens?

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

There's also still the Yahoo mailing list, which has a fair number of members. Old school, but something.

[krazykitkat.livejournal.com]

Is there? I've been out of the fandom for a few years, but was pretty involved back when the show was still on. I posted a fic on tP lj comm and got no response. :( Maybe it's just bad though.

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

pretendfic@yahoogroups.com

You do have to join to post, but it's not spammy. Last I checked there were still a couple hundred people subscribed, so it's a pretty good forum. At least one of the "old" names (Ginger) posts her stuff there, still.

[krazykitkat.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

Too long ago for me to remember names...except for Ness (long time friend) and Roxanne Longstreet Conrad (who I was thrilled to stumble across on lj).

[krazykitkat.livejournal.com]

I posted on the_pretender, and not a peep. Maybe they don't like fic there or it's dead or they just hate it...definite drawback of writing fic in a dead fandom.

[hoperomantic.livejournal.com]

I don't know about anyone else, but your post didn't show up on my flist. I did find it though, just now. It is a lovely fic.

[krazykitkat.livejournal.com]

Thank you for seeking it out and reading. lj can be strange.

Your fic, "Redshift"

[darkrefuge.livejournal.com]

I'm sorry... I did read your fic "Redshift" there, I just didn't have time to reply at the time.
I enjoyed it. I am always intrigued by Young Miss Parker stories. As well as stories which involve her mother, Catherine, and other characters who IMO, deserved so much more "Screen Time" on the show.

Re: Your fic, "Redshift"

[krazykitkat.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much.

And I'm feeling embarrassed about my neediness. It's just been about a year since I've posted anything and it's been such a struggle to get even 400 words out. Need to get over this lack of confidence thing.

[hoperomantic.livejournal.com]

1. I too liked Sam
2. For Fic: There' the_pretender There's fic there sometimes. And there's still FF.net. I know that lots of people don't like it, but *shrug* better than nothing *grin*

[darkrefuge.livejournal.com]

Well, maybe I'm a hold out... but I don't like to think of the Pretender as a dead fandom.
I am sort of hoping that with the release of the DVDs, it'll regain some popularity.

[hjsnapepm.livejournal.com]

It did seem like Gar suspected, now that you mention it. Turned out great for him, though, didn't it? ;) I swear he wasn't even really in SL-27.

...

Now I have to rewatch Bloodlines.

[bantha-fodder.livejournal.com]

I think that Gar definitely suspected something. Especially during Bloodlines, when he works out where they are and that Miss Parker is there too, and he knows that she didn't call it in? Add that to Bank, when both Miss P and Jarod were there, and Miss P had no reason to be at that bank, and I think he had his suspicions.

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

I think you should post about Pretender MANY times a day, because no one is talking about it any more and it needs to be talked about.

What drew me to the show-- still does-- was the feeling that the J/P relationship was like a deepwater current underneath everything that was going on. I always knew there were things happening that we weren't seeing. You mention voicemail, for instance; I've always thought he sends her silly postcards from odd locations, sometimes with a note, sometimes blank, but she knows who they're from and mostly doesn't turn them in to anyone to be analyzed.

I go back and forth on whether they were involved physically during the episodes we see (I have no doubt that after Scotland they hooked up and shagged like mink. Ahem.). I've always thought, though, that in the years between when we stopped seeing them as teenagers and when we started seeing them again as damaged, angry adults, something happened. I've never been able to pin down precisely what, but when we meet Parker in season one she's icy hard and cold towards him, and he's clearly angry. How did they go from teens who plotted together to that level of anger? SOMETHING happened. I have ideas but nothing that has ever clicked to the point where I know.

Honestly, the show's been off air for how long and I can still go on about it. I need help.

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

Oh, and yes. That vid is AWESOME. Thanks for linking to it.

[bantha-fodder.livejournal.com]

Which vid? I linked to two.

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

Sorry. The first one to "Everything." (Haven't watched the other yet.) It was strong character-wise and technically (I liked the timing, and there was some subtle use of movement in there). Nicely done.

[bantha-fodder.livejournal.com]

I think he definitely sends her silly postcards - and I don't think he's limited to USA, either. I know the show was only ever in USA, but I think, with what he is capable of, a passport would have presented very little problem for him.

I don't think they shagged at all between season one and season four. I agree that they probably hooked up after Scotland (and in fact, that is a side-part of something I am currently working on), but I find it unlikely that they did so beforehand.

As for that icy tension, my theory is this: I think they had their first bumbling sexual experiences together at fifteen or so. And it meant whatever it meant, but of course Daddy found out, and that's when he sent Parker away to boarding school in Europe. And Parker spent the next ten years at boarding school and later at college, hearing what her father told her and never seeing Jarod (he doesn't care about you, says daddy, and who is she to call her father a liar?), and then she just didn't return to Delaware, she stayed abroad working for the Centre until she was called home. So it's part betrayal, for Jarod, and it's part what she has become, for Parker.

You think you need help? I cannot bring myself to change my header. The new season of BSG has started and I haven't had time to watch it because I'm too busy rewatching The Pretender. But I have loved this show for so long, and I just don't care.

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

Agreed-- I think he was all over the world. (We only saw him outside the US once, yes? In the ep where he took whatsisname to see the Pope?) No way did he stay in the US.

I think they definitely hit their sexual awakening together, but in the bottom of my brain I think there was something more. Not sure what, and I probably never will be. I'm too busy writing and rewriting them getting together after Scotland because apparently that's ALL I'm capable of writing with them any more. It's so sad.

[hjsnapepm.livejournal.com]

Maybe she brought pistachios to the Centre once, like Cracker Jack's, and Jarod ate some and nearly died. And then Mr Parker freaked out on Miss Parker and sent her away.

I'm only half joking. Parker had to find out he was allergic somehow...

I need sleep, I think.

[eldritch-flame.livejournal.com]

We only saw him outside the US once, yes? In the ep where he took whatshisname to see the Pope?

And he went to Venezuela in the ep where he was pretending to sell missiles to that arms dealer who'd kidnapped his kids.

ps I love your icon.

[darkrefuge.livejournal.com]

He took Argyle and his "Pop" to see the Pope. However, I believe that we also saw him in Canada as a Royal Canadian Mounted Policeman at the end of one episode. There was also the episode where he played a Naval officer, and at the end of that episode he supposedly was riding a camel in the desert, giving one the impression he was a long distance from the ocean... most likely in Arabia somewhere...
Oh, all the "untold stories" we could tell!

[krazykitkat.livejournal.com]

I had a fic in my head years back where they did lose their virginity together (though that then kinda clashed with canon), and Parker fell pregnant but the baby was born premmie and died. Kinda hits all the cliches though...

[piecesofalice.livejournal.com]

Brilliant summing up. Their relationship to me has always been about Parker struggling with her past, her present and future - as it is for him, too - and the only thing that seems to be constant is their communication with each other.

Almost like reaching out into the dark and hoping to touch something warm, really.

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

I've always thought that part of the hot and sexy between the two of them is that there's no one that knows either of them as well or as deeply as the other one does. Knowing someone that long-- and having gone through things like they went through in childhood-- is a kind of intimacy that even us normal people rarely get.

To some degree, they're all they have, really. (I can't figure out how to make that work grammatically, so forgive me.) You're right-- they're each other's only con

[kirbyfest.livejournal.com]

that last word is supposed to be "constant." ::sigh::

[eldritch-flame.livejournal.com]

And one day he'll disappear and there'll be nothing left of him but a thousand stories with happy endings and her, bitchy and bitter and fighting with her brother, and it's then that she'll show them what she can do, because she'll disappear, too, and it'll be for her, and not for him.

And then she'll find him and they'll have wild monkey sex.

Indeed. And he'll still want to help people all the time, and she'll be snarky and make condescending remarks about his guilt complex but she'll still go along with it cos she's secretly a nice person and mebbe sometimes she will wear high heels (like in that scene where Raines wants to wash her feet which causes me such mixed feelings because first of all omg squick, but at the same time damn Parker's got nice legs) and step on the bad guy's face and threaten to put her heel through his head the next time he does whatever it was he was doing, much like Niki did on last week's Heroes. And then of course, she and Jarod will go off and have some more wild monkey sex.

And do you know if the two tv movies are out in some form? Video or DVD, I mean, since I can't really do torrents :(

[holdouttrout.livejournal.com]

I think this perfectly sums up their relationship. These two characters are so damaged that they can't seem to think beyond the roles they've described for themselves. Parker, in effect, lets herself be trapped inside the Centre, and Jarod limits himself to helping people in a very small way--not that what he does isn't important, but it seems to me that he could do a lot more if he ever got away from his "hunted" role.

I've always loved the MP/Jarod dynamic--and I've always been an optimist when it comes to their relationship/characters.