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Storyline
After a serial killer named Red John murdered Patrick Jane's wife and daughter, Jane dedicated his life to hunting down and killing Red John. To that end he gave up his lucrative pretense of being a psychic and joined the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) as a consultant to the team responsible for investigating the Red John case, led by Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon. Using Jane's exceptional gift for observation and his mentalist tricks, the team is able to close an unprecedented number of cases, but Jane's unconventional and often outright illegal methods also bring much censure down on Lisbon's head, making his assistance both a blessing and a curse. Meanwhile, the hunt for Red John continues... Written by
Anonymous
Plot Summary
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Plot Synopsis
Taglines:
Let the mind games begin.
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Every episode title, until episode 6.8, contains a reference to the color red, like "Paint it Red", "Scarlett Fever", "Russet Potatoes", or "Bloodshot". This is because Patrick Jane's nemesis is the ingenious, sadistic serial killer, Red John.
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Goofs
In the episode "Red Flame", Jane and Tommy were talking about the book "Moby Dick". Tommy states that the whale died at the end. Moby Dick killed Ahab, but survived.
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Quotes
Patrick Jane:
Revenge is a poison. Revenge is fit only for fools and madmen.
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Connections
Referenced in
Supernatural: The Mentalists (2011)
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'The Mentalist' is the latest American crime drama to make its way to British shores and so far, it is proving itself to be a promising show which will hopefully continue to flourish. The show revolves around Patrick Jane, a mentalist (someone with a highly developed sense of observation who can give the illusion that they have psi abilities) with a haunted past, who uses his unique skills to help the California Bureau of Investigation solve crimes.
A show of this genre is obviously going to attract comparisons to other shows like 'Medium' (which is ridiculous because Jane is steadfast in his view that he is not psychic and there are no such thing as psychics) or 'Psych'. In the case of the latter, admittedly, there are similarities to be had but 'Psych' is very much drama-lite comedy whereas this show can be dark and is a serious take on having an adviser with such abilities working with law enforcement.
Simon Baker does an excellent job depicting Patrick Jane as a man who, on the surface, is genial, charismatic and arrogant but hides his dark emotional problems that we catch glimpses of as the show progresses. Jane, for all his relaxed persona, is a man who cannot come to terms with his tragic past and is an insomniac with anti-social tendencies and a cynical view of the world around him. He is a truly fascinating character and it will be interesting to see how he continues to develop. The rest of the cast do well but for now their characters take second place to Jane. Female lead character Teresa Lisbon is the leader of the CBI team that Jane liaisons with and is starting to stand up as a character in her own right as well as someone who is beginning to understand the secrets of Jane. However, everyone else still need time to be develop, which is understandable for a show only in its infancy.
In all, 'The Mentalist' continues to excel and seeks to be yet another success from America (so, CBS, please don't cancel it!). It offers a unique insight into crime and the people involved. It also involves tantalising characters who leave the viewers desperate to uncover what makes them tick. Here's looking to a good few seasons to enjoy.