REPORT: ENDGAME
FILE #: 319

The Pretender episode of the crossover opens with Jarod taking down a dirty cop who killed his partner.

A young boy by the name of Bryce is playing chess with and on-line opponent who name is Joshua. When the game is over Bryce asks if Joshua would like to play another game and Joshua suggest that they meet to play another.

Bryce is headed somewhere on his skateboard in the middle of the night. When he reached his destinations he discovers and chessboard set up in the middle on Peachtree Community College’s quad. Joshua approaches Bryce from behind and surprises Bryce with the fact that he is not an 8th grader but and grown man. Before Bryce is able to flee, Joshua grabs Bryce and puts him in the back of his car. Joshua then sets a boom at the chessboard site and flees the scene. As they drive away the chessboard explodes.

At the police station, Jarod “Doyle” is packing his desk to leave… his pretend is over. He says that he is heading to Minneapolis and when pictures of his father and mother are asked about he say that he hopes to update them soon. At that moment, a call about and 13-year-old boy being kidnapped comes in and Jarod decides that he must stay and find the boy.

Jarod goes to Bryce Banks’ home, where he learns that Bryce is a 13-year-old, a straight A student and a chess prodigy who is getting pressure from his father to be the best and be a winner. Mrs. Banks tells Jarod that she kissed Bryce goodnight at 10:30 the previous night, but when she woke this morning he was gone.

At the Centre, Mr. Parker tell Miss Parker that he needs her help. She starts to sit down to listen to him, but soon realizes that he only wants to talk about Brigitte. He proceeds to tell her that Brigitte is acting strange and that she is having mood swings, she has changed her hair color again and that he found her crying in the shower. Miss Parker tells her father that she doesn’t know how she can help, but he pleads with her to “reach out” to Brigitte. He wants her to make Brigitte fell like part of the family. Miss Parker agrees to talk to her.

In Bryce’s room, Jarod is talking to his parents. He tells that that Bryce was taken from the house, due to lack of evidence. Jarod shows them and picture of Bryce and his father that is cracked. Jarod says that it could only get like that if it was slammed down hard enough. Jarod suggest that Bryce ran away. Mr. Bank’s denies that there is anything wrong, however, his mother tells Jarod that Bryce wanted to go to a skateboarding tournament but his father insisted that he play in a chess tournament instead. Bryce was mad because of it.

Miss Parker goes to do as her father wished and have a heart-to-heart with Brigitte. When she gets to her father’s office where she hears her crying in the bathroom. Looking into see what is that matter, Miss Parker spies Brigitte injecting herself in the leg with what she thinks are drugs. When Brigitte is finished she goes to the mirror to clean up and cover that she had been crying. Miss Parker returns to Sydney and Broots without talking to Brigitte and tells them that she thinks that Brigitte is a junkie. Sydney tells her that her father won’t believe it without proof and she informs him that she intends to have proof. Broots is curious and asks how she is going to obtain the evidence and she tells him that he is going on a mission to her father’s bathroom.

At the police station, Jarod has met Samantha Waters, a member of the Violent Crimes Task Force, a profiler who has been assigned to help on the case of Bryce Banks because they believe that the case is related to other cases with similar “MO’s”. As they pour over files about the cases, Jarod offers Sam a PEZ from his Popeye -Doyle, how funny- dispenser and she gladly takes one, remembering her childhood with PEZ.

Sam notices Jarod’s Red Notebook with notes written in a language that Jarod made up. She asks about it and he tells her that he made it up as a child to prevent the wrong people from reading his diary. Sam is intrigued by the mysterious side of Jarod and she begins to get suspicious about Agent Doyle.

She tells Jarod that she thinks that Bryce felt invisible to his Father and that Mr. Banks was pushing Bryce to be something that he couldn’t or didn’t want to be. Jarod and another Detective go back to the Banks house and ask about the last tournament that Bryce was in. Jarod suspects that the kidnapper was at the tournament. Mr. Banks doesn’t believe it and tells Jarod that he is on the wrong path. Mrs. Banks, however, remembers a journalist that was interested in Bryce- even though Bryce had not made it into the semi-finales yet.

Back at the Centre, Broots is in Mr. Parkers bathroom. He is retrieving the evidence when Brigitte comes in talking to someone. Broots realizing that he is trapped turns off the lights in the bathroom and peeks through the cracked door. From where Broots is he can see Brigitte sitting in front of Mr. Parkers chair saying “sometimes a girl has to do, what a girl has to do”. Broots is upset believing that he is watching a “nooner”. However, he can’t see who is sitting in the chair. He pulls out his cell phone and calls Miss Parker telling her what is happening. He pleads with her to do something that get them out of the office and then hears Brigitte telling the person in the chair to “clean up the mess before it stains his pants”. Broots realizing that they will be entering the bathroom, hangs up on Miss Parker and hides in the shower. He peeks out of the tiny space between the glass and the floor.

He can only see feet of the man who walks in there, and Broots thinks it is Mr. Parker, until the person drops a handkerchief and then reaches down to pick it up. Broots sees that the man is missing a thumb. Lyle!

Brigitte tells him to hurry saying that it is hard to finish without him. Lyle tells her that if Mr. parker were to catch them, they would both be finished.

Using documents that the journalist filled out at the tournament Jarod and the other detective track Joshua Meyers, to his home. They discover a living room dedicated to Bryce. A gun battle starts with Meyers but Jarod is able to physically subdue him. When asked where Bryce is Meyers tells him that his name is now Joshua and he is my brother.

In the meantime, Bryce is being brainwashed in an undisclosed location. The man that took him has him tied to a chair in front of a large screen with flashing images… one message reads, “My name is Joshua.” There is also an image of a hummingbird.

At the station Sam is telling Jarod she went over the file for the case and she thinks there are two kidnappers. She also tells Jarod the man they picked up is one of the boys who was taken years earlier. It would appear the kidnapper reprogrammed him to be this Joshua Meyers.

As Broots gives Miss Parker the syringe, he explains what he thought he saw happening in Mr. Parker’s office. He tells her that Brigitte is a lot happier, however, Lyle is the one making her that way. Miss Parker asks him how sure he is about it. He tells her 82% cause he didn’t actually see the act. Miss Parker says that her father will be heartbroken when he finds out.

Jarod questions Joshua, showing him a picture of himself as a child and telling him that his name is Theodore Reed. However, Joshua has been living in his new identity for so long that he cannot accept what Jarod is telling him. Joshua tell Jarod that Fathers’ sons that go into the woods don’t come back. He doesn’t say anymore. One the other side of the mirror Sam is watching and quietly prompting Jarod regarding what to ask Joshua. Despite the fact that Jarod can’t hear Sam, Jarod asks the same questions… everything that Sam suggests. It is a strange occurrence and Sam and the other Detective both notice it.

Afterwards, Jarod and Sam discuss the interrogation and why they didn’t get anything out of Joshua. Jarod continues to finish Sam’s sentences saying that Joshua was programmed to shut down when asked difficult questions. Sam is becoming more and more curious about Jarod as time goes on, however, she says nothing to him. Jarod and Sam both agree that whomever kidnapped Bryce is brainwashing him as well and if he doesn’t measure up… he too will make the finale trek to the woods.

Sam calls Bailey, her boss at VCTF -Violent Crimes Task Force, asking him to do a search on missing boys who felt invisible to their fathers… or having problems in the Father and son area.

In his room, Jarod is watching a DSA of him playing chess. When he wins Raines tell Jarod that he is pleased. Jarod asks if he will get to see his parents now that he has won the game. Raines tells him that he knows that isn’t possible and that The Centre is his family now. He tells Jarod that he almost thinks of him as a son… and he lightly caresses Jarod’s face to drive the point home. Watching the DSA is making Jarod angry and sick. His viewing in interrupted by a knock at the door. He puts his DSA’s away.

At the door is Samantha Waters, after some awkward moments at the door he finally invites her in. His room is sparsely furnished and in a state of disarray. Sam notices this and Jarod tells her that he is in between places at the moment and nothing is in order. Sam brushes off the excuse and tells Jarod she is curious about only one thing… why he is lying.

Jarod plays the innocent roll- pretending that he knows nothing about what she is referring. Sam proceeds to tell Jarod that she watched the tape of the interrogation again and saw the connection… a child… taken from his family… confused… Jarod tells her nothing except that the interrogation could not proceed because Joshua shut down. Sam tells Jarod that she sees that his whole life is around him in this room… Clay-dough, PEZ, Mr. Potato Head…etc… Jarod plays it off but Sam isn’t backing off. Jarod becomes abrupt and tells her his life has nothing to do with the case. In an attempt to keep Jarod talking, Sam tells him that her mother died when she was young and her father was never around. She asks if Jarod was raised by foster parents and Jarod tells her that you could call them that. Sam asks why he is so interested in this case and he tells her he is just dedicated. Sam tells him that he is more like Joshua then he would like to admit, but Jarod remain silent.

Bryce’s kidnapper is talking to “Father” on the phone. This Joshua is telling him that his new son is almost ready. Bryce tells the kidnapper that his name is Joshua, however, he is not brainwasher and at the first opportunity he makes a break of it. He doesn’t get away, however, and this Joshua tells him that if “Father” rejects him then he will go into the woods and you don’t come back from the woods.

Jarod is interrogating the first Joshua again and Sam is watching from behind the two-way-mirror. Jarod tries to explain to Joshua that “Father” has taken another innocent child and he may take him to the woods to die. Joshua shuts down again.

Miss Parker goes to tell her father about Brigitte and Lyle. When she enters the office she finds all of them celebrating something. She tries to speak privately with Mr. Parker, but he wants no secrets in his family. As she starts to tell him, Sydney and Broots enter the room and tell her that they have to speak to her right away and that it is urgent. Once, outside Broots tells Miss Parker that the contents of the syringe were not narcotics, but a fertility drug. Miss Parker then returns to her father’s office where he tells her that he has good news. He proceeds to tell her that Brigitte is pregnant and that these are “happy days”. But Miss Parker only stares back with tears starting in her eyes. She is not happy at all. She moves closer to him and whispers “Happy days indeed”.

Jarod managed to get the first Joshua to tell where Bryce is being held and Jarod and Sam head out. When they arrive the find that it has been abandoned… but the flashing rejected catches Jarod’s eye. Jarod screams for everyone to go to the woods. They run out of the house and into the woods where Bryce is being held by the second Joshua. Joshua is about to cut Bryce’s throat when the police come upon him and tell him to throw down the knife. Jarod takes him from behind and the two roll down a hill. At the bottom of the hill, Jarod proceeds to beat on the other Joshua until another officer removes him from Joshua. Jarod then runs to Bryce and holds him telling him that it is all over.

Bryce is playing in the finals of the chess tournaments and Jarod is watching. Mrs. Banks comes up to him and says that they can’t thank him enough for saving their son. Bryce then wins the tournament and seems to enjoy the victory. And Mrs. Banks thanks Jarod for returning her son to her.

Meanwhile the two Joshua’s are being taken away to spend time in mental institutions. Sam tells Jarod that they will be reunited with their families, however, ten years is a long time. Jarod tells her that a child never forget the ones that love him, causing Sam to give him another puzzled look. Jarod continues…. The question is… Who is Father?

The Joshua’s are being put into the van for transport when the first Joshua asks what will happen to them. The second Joshua answers that they don’t matter only father matters and he is out there and he will rebuild his family……