The Mentalist Review: Obsession Meets Obsession
On what may be my favorite episode of The Mentalist so far this season, the search for the San Joaquin killer brought Jane toe-to-toe with a worthy adversary. A man who could evade the police, the CBI, even Patrick Jane himself. That was until a little "Blinking Red Light" had Jane performing the ultimate set up, as he used one serial killer to take down another.
Jane and Lisbon. I always want to see more of these two but I did enjoy how Jane continued to push Lisbon to go with her instincts. He had faith that she'd be able to find the bad guy that way. Because the killer wasn't on the original list of eight suspects, you couldn't really blame her for not being able to pick him out, but the guy she did get was certainly plenty creepy, killer or no.
Lisbon and Van Pelt. The women of CBI made a good team but when they executed the search warrant at Richard's home, shouldn't they have had more backup? It seemed odd that it was just the two of them... not to mention dangerous and time-consuming for Van Pelt to search the entire house solo. I won't even get into Lisbon turning her back on a possible serial killer to try and pull something out of the fire. He could have cracked her skull and ran before Van Pelt ever got down the stairs.
Cho and Rigsby. We barely saw the boys tonight. The only decent scene for them was Cho's disgusted look as Rigsby made a mess of his hot dog. I'd love to go back and count how many episodes we've seen Rigsby eating something and how often he's dropped his food.
Jane and Panzer. Panzer was an obvious serial killer suspect right from the beginning. So obvious, in fact, that I'd written him off as a red herring. I thought they were simply going to use him to mirror Jane's obsession with Red John. Boy, was I wrong.
Jane became more emotionally invested the longer the case went on. When yet another victim showed up dead, he looked more shaken than I've ever seen him. I enjoyed that they didn't even have to show the girl's body. The look on Jane's face was enough.
Jane and Red John. I didn't think it was Jane's intention to pit serial killer against serial killer going into that TV broadcast. I believe he thought he could insult Panzer enough that the man would say something incriminating on air, but when he looked him in the eye and told him he knew what he was doing, the plan changed.
That little blinking red light sent Patrick Jane right back to the beginning. Right back to where he arrogantly taunted Red John and paid the ultimate price for it. Then he walked James Panzer into the same trap.
Of course, Panzer thought he was insulting a dead man but you know what they say: All's fair in love, war, and deranged serial murderers.
So, was it genius or insanity that pushed Patrick Jane to take down a serial killer using a serial killer? Either way, in doing so he conned his nemesis out from hiding and showed the world that Red John is very much alive.
C. Orlando is a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
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Jane: Good luck Teresa. Love you.
December 23rd, 2011 8:34 AM
Great episode, but one thing irritates me:
If Jane knew that RJ would kill Panzer, why didn't he set up a trap to catch RJ? Would have been the best opportunity to catch him, ever! Jane shouldn't have let this one pass by!
December 21st, 2011 6:16 AM
@Nancy and Rationalgal.
The journalist just knew Jane's history because she appeared in the third season, (episode 4?), when she hosted a trick of Jane to catch a man who tried to murder the killer of his wife. This one gave Jane a gun. The journalist was once D.A. and deal shows abaut murder cases, so she knows things like this for work. Althought she could be involved with RJ (like everybody else in the show), I don't see nothing sospicious on her yet.
November 14th, 2011 2:05 PM
I posted this info before but it needs repeating. If you have the DVD of Season 3, watch the extra where Simon Baker says specifically that he was thinking of making Jane a Jekyl-Hyde character but rejected the idea. Then Bruno Heller said he rejected that because it would be like Capt. Ahab being the same as the whale in Moby Dick. Heller said the audience would not like that and would disappoint them. He said the audience, at the end, "wants to see those harpoons go in." So I think that takes care of the "jane is RJ" idea unless Baker and Heller were deliberately lying. A better scenario, which has been hinted at occasionaly is the "Moby Dick" plot, with Jane as Capt. Ahab obsessed with revenge and RJ is the whale, just doing what whales do. Good vs evil, but what is good and what is evil? The ending just might have Jane going down with RJ, getting his final revenge and dying but finding peace at last. And as for who really is RJ, I think there is a mastermind working through the Vi
November 14th, 2011 9:19 AM
By the end of this episode, the ploy of Jane retaining an alter ego to the extremity of an infamous serial killer (Red John) seems to be a progressively intriguing fascination for me.
Sorry to wander a bit off topic, but have you ever seen Fight Club? Who would have ever thought Edward Norton and Brad Pitt were of the same persona (Tyler Durden). This fits perfectly into the scene in season 2 where Jane is tied to the chair and comes face to face with Red John. Just because you see RJ standing there, talking to Jane, does not necessarily indicate that he is a separate entity to Jane, but more of an alter ego or deity Jane succumbs to when a situation permits such. Somewhat similar to Jekyll & Hyde; due to Jane’s serious mental health issues I believe that deep down he is not beyond a ruse of such. All in all this is easily one of the best episodes.
Thanks for opening my eyes; blinking red light.
Rank: Extra
November 14th, 2011 8:37 AM
Best episode this season! I got chills as Jane stared at that blinking red light and then baited SJK to lure out RJ. So cold. Breathtaking.
Rank: Extra
November 13th, 2011 11:45 PM
To all those who are circulating the Red John being Jane himself:
I think we need to remember the season 2 finale (or one of the final episodes) where Jane is tied to a chair. Red John is actually a physical person in a mask who confronts him and says the first stanza of the poem "The Tiger" by William Blake. It would just be a gross error on the part of the producers/writers to make Red John and Jane be the same characters.
November 13th, 2011 1:15 PM
I'm truly impressed that Simon Baker directed such an important and brilliant episode. Riveting!
I don't know if Bruno Heller intended THE MENTALIST to turn into a modern-day version of Jekyll & Hyde. But, if he wants to go that way, it's certainly a fascinating take on it. Sherlock & Moriarty - meh. It's been done, and is being done in so many other places currently (BBC, movies) that for Red John to be revealed as a separate nemesis would be an OK ending to the series. BUT...for RJ to be revealed as Jane himself, man, the implications are endless. Could even be heroic if we knew it wouldn't just destroy the rest of the CBI team in the process. That's the one thing that makes this possibility distasteful for me. Lisbon & Co. would destroyed if it was revealed that Patrick was RJ.
November 11th, 2011 4:45 PM
In the episode "Blinking Red Light" Jane already knew Red John was still alive. I believe Red John used the guy in the mall as a way to see how Patrick Jane would act when they finally meet face to face. Its like a game of cat and mouse between the two. Red Johns identity has been hinted he is a male, and from Rebecca's (Bosco's assistant) viewpoint before dying he is very tall. We all know he is just as intelligent as Patrick Jane if not smarter.
November 10th, 2011 9:02 PM
I agree with the theories below that Jane is Red John, and I believe it would be a fascinating twist, character wise, to explore. How do you come to terms with the fact that you killed your wife and daughter when you've been mourning them for years? It could become a pseudo-Dexter, or Jane could be leading a complete different life under a separate personality. There would be so much material for the writers to work with!
Although I enjoyed it, in my opinion, the scene with Jane and Lisbon at the beginning was suspicious. It felt like Jane was grooming Lisbon into trusting her instincts the same way he did his own because he won't be around for much longer. I do hope that's not the case. Their banter is always so enjoyable.
November 9th, 2011 4:07 PM
A cult leader doesn't have to hypnotize his or her followers to get them to act against their morals. A cult leader actually convinces people to adopt the cult's morals, which they then are willing to kill and die for. Think of David Karesh and Waco, Jim Jones, the Heaven's Gate suicides, the suicide bombers in the Middle East, all the witch hunts and inquisitions and pogroms throughout history. Even today we have believers in faith healing who let their children die for lack of medical care. One case a while back, where the child died, the family kept vigil over the grave expecting a resurrection. People can and do get caught up in this stuff. That's what Red John has - just such a cult operation. It'f fiction based very much on real life. Janes obsession with getting revenge is definitely not based on any real life I've ever heard of. He is a clown with a broken heart, so broken he has become something like a 12-year-old extremely precocious, worldly wise boy. Sexually regressed, des