REPORT: PAROLE
FILE #: 306

AT THE CENTRE: Broots is looking at a video recording of an experiment involving twins, which Sydney had conducted. All the twins are doing is slapping each other in the face. Sydney explains to Broots that the experiment is about "FES" - "Forced External Stimulus". But Broots doesn't seem to share Sydney's scientific interest in that area of research and just finds the sight of the two adult males fairly amusing. He then gives Sydney an envelope that came for him.

Inside, Sydney finds a patients' nametag from the St. Mary Medical Center and a note in Jarod's handwriting saying, "YOUR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION IS NEEDED". The name on the tag is "George Stamatis". Sydney is concerned and leaves right away, after telling Broots not to let anyone know about this message.

When he's gone, Broots turns his attention back to the video, speeds up the tape and is very amused by the result, which looks like a scene from the "Three Stooges".

IN A HOTEL IN SAN DIEGO, CALIFORNIA, Jarod is at his computer faking an arrest report for the name of Jarod Barker, a former prisoner at the Mayfield Penitentiary who has just been released. Then he scans in two pictures, one of himself and one of two prisoners. He replaces one of the prisoners with his own picture, making it look like he was actually standing next to the other guy when the picture was taken. In between, he does some "art work" on his hand, completing what almost looks like real tattoo. When he's finished, he takes off his shirt to examine his work and we see his entire upper body (as well as his arms) is covered in tattoos.

IN HIS MOST RECENT JOB AT A METAL SHOP, Jarod is in the middle of work when he gets a message that somebody is waiting for him. Outside the building, we see a man with two Rottweilers. It's Jack Brevin, Jarod's "parole officer", who is obviously very fond of the two animals. However, that seems to be pretty much the only good quality of this sleaze bag. When Jarod tells him that he can't talk to him now because it's not his break yet, Brevin won't understand that Jarod will lose his job if he doesn't obey to the rules. Instead, he tells him how things really work: If Jarod behaves himself and does exactly what he's told, he'll be just fine. If he "gets an attitude" and "disrupts the program", Brevin picks up the phone and he's back in prison. Before leaving, Brevin hands Jarod a small bag full of heroin.

AT THE ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTER Sydney is waiting outside the building, when Jarod comes up from behind. "I hope you came alone" he says. "I believe you're safe...for the moment.", Sydney replies and they shake hands. "You look good, Sydney" says Jarod. "You too" Sydney replies and admires the "artwork" on Jarod's hand.

When Sydney wants to know what this is all about, a cab arrives and Jarod points to it. Out of the car come Michelle and Nicholas (see 2nd season episode 15 "Bulletproof"). When Sydney turns back to Jarod to ask what's going on, he's already gone.

IN HIS HOTEL ROOM, when he comes back, Jarod hears the water running in the bathroom. Armed with a frying pan. he goes to check who's there. When he pulls back the shower curtains he finds...a naked young woman! "What.....who are.....you're..." he stumbles. "The word is: naked." the young woman replies as she gets out of the shower. Still very confused, Jarod asks the girl (now dressed) who she is. "Sandi...with an 'I'." she replies. It turns out that Sandi was sent by Jack as a "housewarming gift", Brevin said to think of her as a "living, breathing welcome mat".

Now Jarod understands. He takes Sandi by the hand and tells her, leading her towards the door, that there's no way this is going to happen. But Sandi asks him not to do this because Jack might get mad at her. She finally gets him to take her downtown with him.

AT THE ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTER: Through a window, Sydney sees Michelle sitting next to her husband, George Stamatis. Pretending to be a doctor who had supposedly been consulted to George's case, Sydney finds out that Michelle's husband is going to die within a matter of hours.

AT A PLAYGROUND IN SAN DIEGO, Jarod asks Sandi to wait for him while he walks over to a woman with little black-haired twin boys. It's Lupe Harmon, widow of Bobby Harmon, an ex-con who was killed in a home invasion robbery. It's only been a few weeks since her husband died, leaving her all by herself with their two sons. Jarod starts up a conversation with her and then presents himself as an ex-inmate of Bobby's, showing her the picture he had faked before. Lupe starts crying when she sees the newspaper article in Jarod's red notebook with the headline "Ex-Con Killed During Home Invasion Robbery - Freedom Too Much For Released Inmate". She says Bobby had a good job and his family waiting for him and that he wasn't a violent man, it just doesn't make any sense. Jarod replies that this is why he's here.

AT JACK BREVIN' OFFICE: Jarod comes in and asks Brevin about Sandi. He considers it strange that a parole officer would supply an ex-con with "enough smack to kill a horse and a female who may or may not be underage".

Jack claims that Sandi is not underage and says he didn't expect Jarod to shoot the whole bag at once. Then he reads his record to him and tells him that there is absolutely no chance to get a decent job out there for an ex-con with a history of violence. He hands him a note with an address and tells him to be there at 10 p.m. that night. Before Jarod leaves, Jack tells him to stay away from Lupe Harmon. Brevin claims he knows everything Jarod is doing. He also knows that Jarod and Bobby (supposedly) did time together. We learn that Jack was Bobby's parole officer.

IN THE CHAPEL OF THE ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTER Sydney finds Michelle and talks to her. She's surprised, but glad about his presence. We learn that her husband George is 54 years old. "It's not fair," Michelle says. Sydney assures her that he'll be there for her if she needs someone to talk and hold on to. Michelle tells Sydney that Nicholas is not taking this well, he's very angry. And she still hasn't told him that Sydney is his real father. Then they pray together.

AT JAROD'S HOTEL Jarod wants to know if Sandi told Brevin that he had talked to someone in the park. She says she "might have mentioned it". Then she sees that he's working on something and Jarod shows her a newspaper article with a picture of Bobby. When he asks if she knew him, she denies.

When Sandi leaves, Jarod follows her to the Sea Mist Convalescent Home, where she visits a young man in a wheelchair, who is suffering from what seems to be a severe permanent neck injury.

IN THE MEANTIME, AT THE ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTER Sydney talks to George Stamatis, who already knows who he is. He lets him know that he's very grateful for all he's done for Michelle and Nicholas and that he respects him very much. George says that he wants Sydney to tell Nicholas the truth about who he is, but only "after" (= after he's dead) and then makes him promise that he'll take care of "their" son. However, Nicholas has overheard the conversation from outside the room and now walks away very upset.

AT A STRIP JOINT IN SAN DIEGO Jarod has just arrived and is greeted by Brevin. He introduces him to his new partner, Pat Rush. Brevin tells them that he has a job for them, not a legal one, of course. Pat Rush expresses his concerns, but Jack makes it clear that he won't accept no for an answer. When Brevin gets a phone call, Rush tells Jarod that rumor has it Jack's been running this home invasion scam for almost five years. You refuse the job, he sends you back to prison. If anyone tries to call the cops, they end up like Bobby Harmon. It turns out Bobby was going to go to the DA and turn Jack in. It seems Brevin does know pretty much everything his "guys" are doing.

AT THE ST. MARY MEDICAL CENTER: Outside the hospital, Sydney comes up to Nicholas to talk to him about what he has just heard. Jarod is there too, but remains unseen, hiding behind a tree. Sydney tells Nick that this is probably hard for him to understand and that he has every right to be angry, but that there were reasons for what happened. Nicholas wants to know what reasons there could be for hiding the truth from someone about who they are and where they came from [We see on Jarod's face that he knows exactly what Nick is talking about]. Sydney explains to him the story we already know: His life was threatened by "some people he was involved with" and so Michelle left without ever telling him she was pregnant. "And now I don't have a father, or a family, or a...life" Nicholas says. Sydney tells him that this is not true and that his father loves him very much. "He's not my father" Nick replies. Sydney explains to him that he's wrong, because fatherhood isn't about giving life, it's about being there in the middle of the night when your child is sick or afraid. It's teaching your kid how to ride a bike, how to catch a fish, how to tie a tie. "Being a parent", he says, "isn't about the big moments, it's about the little ones". "Have you ever felt these things for anyone?" Nicholas wants to know. With Jarod still listening, Sydney replies "There was someone. A child". Then he tells Nick again that his father loves him and that he shouldn't throw this away. When Nicholas asks him why he's here, Sydney replies that, after everything is said and done, maybe the two of them can be friends.

THE NEXT DAY AT THE STRIP JOINT Brevin explains his plan to Jarod and Rush. He wants them to rob the house of Myra and Stanley Belops, an elderly couple who lives in a fancy villa in Meadow Hills. Apparently, Mr. Belops doesn't trust banks, that's why he keeps some 100'000 $ hidden in his house. Jarod and Rush are to invade their house and threaten them that they will kill them if they don't do exactly what they're told. When they're finished, they will all meet at Jack's house.

AT LUPE HARMON'S HOUSE Jack tells her that he thinks Bobby was set up and that this is the reason why he came here. Lupe offers him a drink: Kiwi and papaya juice, which used to be Bobby's favorite drink and happens to be Sandi's favorite as well. It seems she knew Bobby after all.

BACK AT JAROD'S HOTEL ROOM Sandi comes in. Jarod confronts her about knowing Bobby and tells her he knows that Jack sent her here to spy on him. Sandi tells him that she and Bobby were friends (not more), but she had nothing to do with his death. She didn't tell Jack about Bobby's plan to go to the police, but she did tell Pat Rush. Jarod wants to know who the young man was whom she visited at the Convalescent Home. It turns out that he's her little brother Michael, who was injured in a car accident that Sandi caused. He will never get out of his wheel chair. Blamed by her mother and driven by her own guilt, Sandi is now paying for his medical care, 3000 $ a month. That's how she got involved with Brevin, she needed the money. After Bobby was killed, Jack threatened to hurt Michael if she talked to the police.

Jarod now plans his sting. He makes a deal with Rush to rob Jack Brevin instead of the old couple and gets Lupe and Sandi to help him in getting Brevin.

SO, THAT NIGHT, Jarod and Rush break into Brevin house after killing the power supply. Jarod knocks Jack out before he even knows what's going on. Tied up and blindfolded, Brevin wakes up a couple of minutes later. Rush is not very comfortable with the situation and says this was a bad idea. When Jarod then starts asking Brevin about Bobby Harmon and confronts him about killing him, Rush really freaks out, he just wants to get this over with and get out of there. "A little change of plans, Pat" Jarod says and tells him that he's not really an ex-con and has never been arrested, but that that he will be soon, for aiding in the murder of Bobby Harmon. Rush loses it and shoots at Jarod, but the latter has made sure that his gun doesn't work. Then Jarod knocks Rush out as well.

Since Brevin doesn't seem to be willing to confess, Jarod threatens to shoot his beloved dogs. He leaves the room and we hear a shot and a dog whimpering. When Jarod comes back and threatens to kill the other dog as well, Brevin confesses everything. Jarod takes off Brevin blindfold and he sees his two dogs up and alive in the living room, right next to Lupe and Sandi, who have been videotaping the whole scene. Before he leaves, Jarod hands Jack a tape recorder, which is playing a dog-barking version of "Jingle Bells".

AT ST. MARY it's time for Michelle to say good-bye to her husband. Nicholas comes in just in time to see his father one last time before he passes away.

Outside the hospital, Sydney says good-bye to Michelle and Nick. He tells Nicholas that he will never get over the loss of his family. Nick gives him his office number and tells him to call him if he wants to talk. He says Sydney can announce himself to his secretary as "a friend".

"That's a pretty good start" Jarod says, coming up from behind after they are gone. He has removed the tattoos and changed his style to a traditional jacket and tie. Sydney says that he owes any chance of ever knowing his son to him. "Well everyone deserves to have a family", Jarod replies. He turns around and is about to leave, when Sydney calls him back. "Jarod", he says and as he turns around and looks at him, Sydney grabs Jarod loose tie and straightens it. "Didn't I teach you how to tie a tie?" he asks. "Yes. Yes, you did" Jarod replies and leaves.