The Mentalist Review: Narrowing the List

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Has anyone else thought that the CBI may be one of the most corrupt branches of law enforcement we've ever seen on TV?  

Red John has his moles within the agency. Volkner has his informants. Sometimes, it's felt like half of the staff has been working for the bad guys. Members of the CBI, including two directors, have been shot by their own people or other members of law enforcement.

A Red John Lead

I knew law enforcement was dangerous, but the CBI has taken it to a whole new level. With "The Red Barn," it was revealed that Ray Haffner is a member of Visualize.  While that's not illegal, it's certainly walking the edge of unethical.

Perhaps Lisbon should consider moving on, if not for her own safety then to ensure that Rigsby never again throws her a surprise party.

If I'd ever doubted that Rigsby was an idiot, which I never have, the party with the male stripper solidified that impression. Anyone who's known Lisbon for more than a week could tell she'd hate everything about that idea. Jane knew. Cho knew. But not Rigsby.

Fortunately, three dead bodies and a Red John smiley face were probably enough to make her forget a drunken Rigsby singing karaoke. 

The expression on Jane's face when he saw that symbol on the barn was almost painful. Finding that symbol meant that Red John started killing long before anyone knew of him. Long before Jane's family was killed. And Jane's using that information to narrow down his search.

Now we know that there's a link between Red John and Visualize. Now Jane knows that Red John was on that farm in 1988. Jane has narrowed a list of 2,164 people down to 408. This new information will help him whittle that down until Red John is almost within reach.

Overall, I had a few favorite moments in this episode...

First was Jane playing with the Golden Retriever. The man really should get himself a pet. Unfortunately that will probably have to wait until Red John is caught, just like everything else in his life.

Second was Grace's discussion with the priest about Visualize:

What's wrong with wanting to be the most powerful version of you you can be? | permalink

Could Grace still be struggling with her own demons since her fiance's betrayal?  Does this The Mentalist quote hint that she could fall prey to Visualize? To Red John?  I'd love it if Grace went undercover at Visualize to try and gain more information about their connection to Red John but is she strong enough to keep up that type of charade?

Finally, the best moment of the night was Lisbon standing outside Jane's door asking why he wouldn't let her in.

Lisbon: Are we partners or what?
Jane: Come here, partner. | permalink

Her simple question demolished Jane's resolve to keep her at arms' length. 

Jane has been running his own investigation. He has his own murder board and his own Red list and it's getting smaller by the day. If Jane and Lisbon truly work together, how long will it be before they narrow it down to Red John?

The Red Barn Review

Editor Rating: 4.7 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.6 / 5.0 (180 Votes)

C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.

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The Mentalist Season 5 Episode 13 Quotes

Rigsby: Anybody feel as bad as I do?
Cho: Not if you feel like you look.

This is very depressing. I'm going to wait outside.

Jane