Le Caméléon >

The pilot episode begins with our introduction to Jarod via a DSA dated 2/4/63. He has just been brought to The Centre and has completed his first task... recreating (using a projected image as a guide) the Empire State building from an assortment of materials provided to him. The young Jarod stops his singsong tune of "Cree Craw, Toad's Foot," to call out that he has finished his building. Getting no response, he shows an intelligence that belies his years by walking over to a two-way mirror in the room, cupping his hands to make it possible to see through it and then doing so - saying again that he has finished his building.

A man's face appears in front of the camera that is obviously recording the boy's actions. The man says that in less than 36 hours, this Pretender has already shown more promise than any of the others. He walks out of the room behind the mirror and into the room with young Jarod. The man bends down, smiles at the young boy and says, "Hi Jarod. I'm Sydney. I'll be taking care of you for a while." Jarod's question relating to the whereabouts of his parents goes unanswered.

In the pilot episode, "Dr." Jarod "Russell" uses his skills as a Pretender to become a surgeon and uncover the truth about how young Kevin Bailey's spinal cord became severed. Jarod learns that an alcoholic surgeon (Dr. Alan Trader) at Queen of Angels hospital in New York moved Kevin Bailey after an accident, before properly stabilizing him. Jarod also discovers that a hospital executive, Dr. Miles Hendricks, blackmailed the nurse who was on duty at the time (Gwen Porter), in order to cover up the malpractice.

Miss Parker is called back from the corporate offices and put "into the field" to help return Jarod to The Centre. Miss Parker is not happy about this circumstance and her already "tough as nails" attitude kicks into overdrive as she realizes that she is "stuck" at The Centre until Jarod is captured and returned. She is working with Sydney, the doctor who "raised" Jarod and oversaw the simulations that he performed during the years that The Centre was honing his skills as a Pretender.

While carrying out his Pretend as a surgeon, Jarod uses information that he obtained during his prior work on a simulation and "relieves" The Centre of 5 million dollars (which he later returns, less his "commission") by manipulating the stock market and causing a deal The Centre made with one of its clients to go bad.

Jarod contacts Sydney to inform him that he is now aware of what the Centre has been doing with his simulation experiments ... that they are not being used for any altruistic purpose ... The Centre sells them to the highest bidder, regardless of the purpose behind the buyer wanting them. Jarod also demonstrates to Sydney that the people The Centre claimed to be his parents for the past 30 years (and who died in an airplane accident) couldn't possibly be his parents, as they don't share the same genetic anomaly that Jarod has. Since Sydney professes to be completely unaware of all of these practices, Jarod challenges him to prove that by helping him find out who he really is and where his real parents might be by giving him the code that will allow him to access The Centre's mainframe computer -- which Sydney does.

Jarod discovers that Dr. Hendricks' motive for "covering" for Dr. Trader at all costs is a result of his desire to make certain that the impending HMO buy-out of the hospital takes place as planned (making both doctors rich in the process) and exposes it all. Due to Jarod's efforts, Kevin Bailey is able to win a multi-million dollar malpractice settlement that will allow him to live a comfortable and productive life, in spite of not being able to walk again.

Miss Parker, Sydney and the sweeper team sent by The Centre to bring Jarod back narrowly miss capturing him at Queen of Angels Hospital and Jarod remains a free man.

In this episode, Jarod "discovers" PEZ and the joy of eating soft serve ice cream!