The Pretender in The Dvd and video tapes Store

Disc 1 Side B: PRETENDER: ISLAND OF THE HAUNTED (Widescreen) Through a series of bizarre circumstances, Jarod and Miss Parker find themselves trapped together on a strange island in a life and death situation, out of which come some of the most important revelations about their pasts.

Each of these 21 episodes moves deftly from Jarod's lonely past to his more satisfying, if precarious present (the human "science project" was constantly videotaped as a boy, hence the abundance of footage from his childhood). It's a worthy successor to paranoid thrillers like The Fugitive and the unjustly obscure Nowhere Man (from X-Files creator Chris Carter), and the droll performance of Weiss (Jeffrey) adds a dose of levity to a concept usually painted with a darker palette. The Pretender ran on NBC for four seasons and was followed by two TV movies, The Pretender 2001 and Isle of the Haunted. --Kathleen C. Fennessy

This four-disc set includes all 19 episodes. (Look for Erika Christensen ( Traffic) in "Corn Man A Coming.") As much as it is a show about righting wrongs, The Pretender is also a drama about revenge. Jarod has no problems crossing the line and doses out an eye-for-an-eye method of justice. Carve up a soldier and try to pass his murder off as a suicide? Guess, what, buddy? Jarod's going to do the same to you. Of course, Jarod isn't a murderer and he never actually lets anyone die. But he does scare his victims into confessing. Never mind that the taped confessions wouldn't hold up in court. It still makes for good drama. As for the photogenic Jarod and Miss Parker, the writers have created an intriguing codependent relationship that's rooted in love, admiration, and just a touch of fear. Their lives are intertwined--especially after they discover a young man to whom they're both related. The final episode is a tad anti-climactic, leaving viewers wondering who survived a horrific explosion. Of course, the answer is to be found in the two made-for-TV movies released after the series ended. --Jae-Ha Kim

Throughout the 22-episode season, Jarod’s "pretends" will range from firefighter ("Over the Edge") to FBI Agent ("A Stand Up Guy")--even male escort ("Gigolo Jarod"). Along the way, he'll catch up on some of the childhood staples he missed, like Jell-O and Twinkies (both of which he'll use against the bad guys). Meanwhile, Sydney (Patrick Bauchau) will reunite with his twin brother, only to lose him again ("Indy Show," featuring a cameo from Mario Andretti). Other pivotal episodes include "Bulletproof," in which Sydney meets up with another figure from his past, "Crash," in which Mr. Lyle's true identity is revealed, and double-length season finale "Bloodlines" (featuring Haley Joel Osment as a potential pretender), in which Miss Parker finds out she has a brother. Alas, it's either the psychotic Mr. Lyle or Angelo (Paul Dillon), the Centre's idiot savant or, as she calls him, "Cousin It." The second season ends with a cliffhanger as a bomb goes off in the Centre--just as Jarod is trying to make his escape. --Kathleen C. Fennessy