The Mentalist Review: The New Tiger

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Out one of Patrick Jane's tricks to avoid Red John's scrutiny took an ugly turn this week on The Mentalist, as several people got "Red Listed."

Of course, as Jane pointed out, they were all bad men. None of them were innocents, just innocent of being Red John. But the person on the hunt for the sadistic serial killer was willing to be just as depraved to find him... and I can't say the revelation of the hunter's identity was much of a surprise.

Jane's Fake List

We've always known that Bob Kirkland was seriously creepy, so his place on the real Red John list wasn't a surprise. Many fans have long suspected that Bob was hiding his own agenda where RJ was concerned and it turned out they were right. 

Still, how far Kirkland was willing to go to snare his brother's killer was shocking. Much like Jane, I'm not saying it's right, but I really didn't care what happened to the suspected pedophile.

Jane: Would the world really miss him if something happened? | permalink

That Kirkland wouldn't think twice about burning, torturing and killing all of those people - including Jane - simply to find Red John made him just as depraved as the mad man for which he'd been searching. 

One of the high points of the episode was the return of Madeleine Hightower. It's been three years since she ran for her life from the CBI and I've long wondered what happened to her. When Jane heard about the tragic accident in Mexico, I had no doubt that she was still alive.

That she and Jane met at the Heavenly Gardens Chinese restaurant for tea was simply perfect. And it was obvious that Madeleine was still terrified of Red John - and with good reason. She'll do anything she has to to keep her family safe and who could blame her?

I was impressed when her conscience prompted her not only to call Lisbon later, but to be her backup on the quest to find Jane and Kirkland...and that she had a full arsenal in her backseat. I also loved how sure she was that Jane would finally end this when she told him in this The Mentalist quote...

Hightower: Next time I hear from you you better be telling me Red John is dead.
Jane: Deal. | permalink

Perhaps we won't have much longer to wait.

Agent Reede Smith was the wild card of the night. I must admit the man's a professional at playing dumb. He was quite convincing when he stared blankly at Kirkland when the Homeland Security agent used the code words Tiger, Tiger.

Wayne and Grace were the comic relief, as Rigsby already wondered if Grace has lost interest in him. Grace's trench coat visit to the CBI certainly wasn't subtle but it  was cute. 

And is it just me or are Rigsby and Cho always chasing bad guys from cheesy motels? But Cho's reaction when he pulled his gun on the meth dealer in the pool was priceless.

Hands in the air or I'll shoot you in the head. | permalink

Maybe Cho forgot he was sent their to protect the guy, but I certainly didn't blame him for his reaction. Protecting sex offenders and drug dealers wasn't what any of them signed up to do. 

So is Red John the mastermind of this huge conspiracy in California Law enforcement or has he just managed to take advantage of it? Is this how he's managed to stay ahead of the investigation for so long? Now the Kirkland is gone, literally, who is your top pick as Red John? 

Review

Editor Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
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C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.

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The Mentalist Quotes

Lisbon: How are the kids?
Rigsby: Sticky mostly.

Jane: You look marginally rested.
Lisbon: I was hoping to actually get to REM sleep tonight.