Miss Parker

See also: Young Miss Parker

Miss Parker
Personal Information
Gender	Female
Occupation	Consultant in an international company
Nicknames	Miss P Parker
Date of Birth	January 3
Character Status	Alive
Acting Information
Actor	Andrea Parker
First Appearance	Pilot
Last Appearance	The Pretender: Island of the Haunted

Miss Parker is one of the main characters on The Pretender.

Overview

Miss Parker back in Season 1

Miss Parker is a vibrant and complex character whose paternal parentage is the topic of much debate. Miss Parker is all woman yet very assertive and demanding. She is a powerful presence who commands attention and respect. Her career is not an open book but we get the impression that she is a mover and a shaker, and that's why she was brought out of her 'Tower' position to lead the chase for Jarod. She gets what she wants, always, except when it comes to Jarod. She has caught up with him a few times, but Jarod always manages to give her the slip. It may be that she really does not want to recapture him but is enjoying the chase a little. She is also on a mission to avenge her mother's death when she finds out that her mother did not commit suicide.

Background

Born on January 3rd, (together with a twin brother from whom she was separated at birth) Miss Parker spent her childhood days at the Centre which meant growing up around Jarod and therefore she has a very unique relationship with him. It is unclear when exactly their childhood closeness was severed but we know they have many memories of shared experiences. We also know Miss Parker left The Centre to attend college, spent a lot of time with 'frat boys' and also met Tommy Tanaka, the son of Sammy Tanaka, the man responsible for the 'loss' of her brother Mr. Lyle's thumb. (A Stand-Up Guy) Sydney mentions that Miss Parker was working as a cleaner/sweeper for The Centre.

Family

• Catherine Parker - Catherine is Miss Parker's mom. They were very close until Catherine had to fake her death to secure her safety and her daughter's safety from The Centre PTB who did not take kindly to Catherine's attempts to save children from The Centre.

• Mr. Parker - Mr. Parker is Miss Parker's dad. He also runs The Centre. Miss Parker trusts him a little too much in the beginning but we see her trust in him break down with every betrayal. At the end of Island Of The Haunted, there is a revelation about her paternity that almost literally shatters all her trust.

• Mr. Lyle - Miss Parker's brother is the creepy Mr. Lyle, a twin no less, and she discovers their sibling ship in her adult life. She could not be more unlike him if she tried. The one character trait they share is their determination and strong will power. Mr. Lyle has a very tortured and twisted past and Miss Parker keeps discovering new things about her sibling as Jarod continues to lead her to them through his clues.

• Ethan - Mirage is the project that spawns Ethan, half brother to both Jarod and Miss Parker, biological son of Major Charles and Catherine Parker. Miss Parker and Ethan share the gift of the "inner sense" inherited from Catherine.

• Faith - Faith Parker is Miss Parker's adopted sister whom she only meets for a short while when Faith is brought to The Centre for treatment.

• Baby Parker - The baby born to Brigitte, supposedly fathered by Mr. Parker, although there is some evidence that he does not have the 'little swimmers' required (The Pretender Island of the Haunted TV movie), is Miss Parker's half-sibling, although there is speculation among fans that he may in fact be progeny of Jarod and Miss Parker.

Relationships

• Jarod - Miss Parker's shared past at The Centre with Jarod complicates the simple 'hunter-hunted' relationship the Centre PTB would prefer they have.

"You run, I chase"

—Miss Parker

Jarod thwarts her attempts to remain the objective huntress with reminders of their past, or leads her down other paths to her own mysterious past, causing her much turmoil as it reveals things about her family that almost test the limits of her endurance. He also finds other ways to "taunt her" as she is so fond of saying, like writing a book with someone who looks strikingly similar to Miss Parker on the cover, and calling it "The Saddest Little Valentine" or creating a three stooges video with Miss Parker, Broots and Sydney as the three, or sending her various gifts. He sent her a valentine heart candy, a ring (that belonged to her mother), letters from her mother, fake dog poop, a portrait of her as a child and other gifts along the way. He always remembers "the little girl who gave me my first kiss" but it's not clear if Miss Parker remembers that person, because she is sometimes very cynical and cold-hearted. Jarod is also one of the few people that knows Miss Parker's first name. It supposedly begins with the letter M based on the ornament that she treasured in the episode "Not Even A Mouse."

• Broots - Miss Parker is the object of Broots' affection and we see the extent of his fantasy in the episode Cold Dick. Broots has a very distinctive love/fear relationship with Miss Parker. He gains her respect eventually although she would still use her acerbic wit on him.

• Michael Patrick - Ms Parker's college mate and fencing partner, who reconnects with her when she is chasing Jarod. Claims to work as a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company with a family (wife and two kids),  but as it turns out later he is a Centre employee sent by Mr. Raines to try and catch Jarod. (The Better Part Of Valor)

• Thomas "Tommy" Tanaka - Miss Parker's former love interest, son of the Yacuza crime family head Sammy Tanaka.

• Thomas Gates - Her one great love was Thomas who was brutally murdered at her apartment presumably because he was going to take her away from The Centre. Thomas knew Jarod, and it is Jarod who set up their first meeting although Miss Parker does not discover this until after Thomas' death.

Education

Miss Parker is shown to speak fluent Ukrainian (The Better Part Of Valor) and Japanese Past Sim.

Quotes

Upon hearing her putative familial ties to Mr. Raines - I think I'm going to vomit.

Famous for answering the phone with a cryptic - What?!

Spoken to Jarod - You run, I chase.

Her toast to the hurricane in Keys - To women, hell hath no fury.

Nice Dorian Grey reference:

Ms Parker: "... Graveyard full of Parkers burned to death by their father. My great grandfather. Same year that my great grandfather arrived alone and founded the Centre. Generation after generation that evil has been passed on to me"
Jarod: "You know who you are"
Ms Parker: "I'm a Parker. And with every new revelation in my life my family portrait becomes more hideous picture." (From "Isle of the Haunted" p2)

Notable Events

In her search for her mother Miss Parker discovered her mother was not buried where she is supposed to have been buried and the grave she had been visiting was in fact empty. (Episode: Corn Man A Coming)

Miss Parker follows Jarod to the Isle of Carthis and together they end up searching for and finding the mythical scrolls only to have Mr. Parker and the Triumvirate intervene. (Episode: The Pretender: Island of the Haunted)

After leading her to the place her mother visited every April, and where Miss Parker meets someone who could be her biological father, Jarod sends Miss Parker a "birthday" present at an odd time. (Episode: Exposed)

Fan sketch

The role of Miss Parker is played very convincingly by Andrea Parker. Miss Parker is one of the most fascinating characters in television history. She exudes confidence and intelligence. She has a sharp wit and a tongue to match. Her tortured existence inspires sympathy in many but her ruthlessness incites very strong reactions also. She is called the Ice Queen or the Ice Princess, once described as still having the look of "half-invitation, half-intimidation." Whatever you call her, she is an amazingly complex, three-dimensional character whom some love and others love to hate. Shipper fans want to see her unite with Jarod and defeat the Centre together. It could be the love story of the century!!

Related links

• Pretender Centre
• Fox Pretender Forum
• Vote for Miss Parker
• Fanpop article