The Mentalist Round Table: "White As the Driven Snow"
Christine Orlando
at
.
It may very well be the last time fans see Wayne Rigsby and Grace Van Pelt - and it was anyone's guess whether they'd ride off into the sunset or end up in body bags on The Mentalist Season 6 Episode 15.
Our TV Fanatics Robin Harry and Christine Orlando are joined below The Mentalist fan Katempw to debate whether Rigsby should have died and whether Haibach had an accomplice after "White As the Driven Snow"
Did you think Rigsby was dead?
Robin: I thought he was dead, honestly. I knew Owain Yeoman was leaving the show, and I thought that Jane might have been foreshadowing when he told Rigsby earlier that he needs to survive for his kids.
Katempw: I kind of did after the second shot to what I thought was his heart. But I also didn’t believe they would kill off Rigsby given what Eoghan Mahoney said about honoring the viewers when putting beloved characters in jeopardy.
Christine: This show can go down a dark path sometimes so when when Rigsby took that second shot, I really did think he was dead. As implausible as his getting up and saving everyone was, I was completely grateful that it happened that way.
Should Wayne and Grace take the job with the FBI?
Robin: No, I think this was a good send-off. It's improbable that the entire CBI team would be reunited exactly as they were in another law enforcement agency. This is way more believable.
Katempw: As much as I love our CBI family, I’m glad Wayne and Grace took the Ferdinand the bull approach and chose family and smelling the flowers over fighting the fight. It was a sweet and fitting au revoir. But I like that the door is left open for a return. Because I like them.
Christine: They have two little kids and their own thriving business. Plus I think they've had enough adventure to last them quite awhile. I'm thrilled that they get to go off and happily raise their family. We all deserves some happiness.
What was the weakest part of the episode for you?
Robin: Honestly? Rigsby not being dead. I mean - it's not like he got shot in the leg. He got a shotgun blast to the abdomen and another shot with a handgun to the chest. The internal bleeding and shock alone should have kept him on the ground unconscious, if not dead. Next thing we know he's up and about shooting people.
Katempw: Grace’s helmet hair. Other than that, I actually really enjoyed the episode though I admit I willingly suspended all disbelief. If I must choose something, the weak point was the Haibachs as villains. They are creepy enough and definitely have reason to want revenge but they aren’t mastermind material to me. And who is paying that lawyer’s bills? She looks expensive.
Christine: Setting Wayne's Superman abilities aside, I'm going with Agent Fischer. I've wanted to give her a chance but week after week I feel like she's not adding anything to the show. Even worse, she's taking screen time away from characters I care about.
Are you convinced that Haibach was the only one involved in the CBI deaths?
Robin: I'm still not sold on that, and if that really is the case, I'm sorely disappointed. When did Haibach suddenly get resourceful and cunning enough to bug phones and execute these kinds of murders? Dude couldn't even write a college thesis. Also, he was mad at Jane - why on earth would Ardiles even have mattered?
Katempw: Haibach acting alone isn’t credible. Did he have the resources and intelligence to bug those phones or be in CA to capture and kill Ardiles, attack the Rigsbys and rig the space that killed LaRoche? I don’t buy it and would love it if it turns out that Volker or Wagner were pulling the strings.
Christine: I agree. I don't see how Haibach pulled all of this off or why he would. There's a reason why he was on Jane's fake Red John list. He wasn't smart or cunning enough to make the real one.
What was your favorite scene?
Robin: The return of ruthless Jane. I didn't realize how much I miss seeing Jane's dark side until we saw him threatening Haibach; I actually caught my breath during that scene. "Don't worry about the law, you should worry about me!" Simon Baker amazes me.
Katempw: Always tough: loved the bar scene with Jane’s high voice non-denial, Jane going to work on Haibach for Rigsby, little Harry Potter-Stuart Little-Ben but the hospital scene was the best. It had our favorite five, Jane’s wink and some long awaited Jane – Lisbon banter at the end.
Christine: I loved Grace fighting her way out of that cellar. She never gave up, not for a second. But my favorite was the hospital with the five of them. I didn't know I's missed their camaraderie that much until I realized it was the last time I'd see it. I was almost mad at Abbott and Fischer for coming in and interrupting the moment. The two felt more like intruders than colleagues.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
