The Mentalist - TV Fanatic

The Mentalist to Welcome Back Erica Flynn

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Sun, 12 Feb 2012 11:26:23 EST

The Mentalist took a break from Red John last Thursday, while focusing on Jane and Lisbon's bond, along with Cho's declining state of addiction.

So, what can fans of this CBS smash expect on February 16? The return of a familiar face.

Morena Baccarin (Homeland) will reprise her role as Erica Flynn, the murderer Patrick Jane helped expose, as this character receives a furlough in order to assist the CBI solve a charity worker's homicide. Elsewhere on the episode - titled "War of the Roses" - Rigsby prepares for fatherhood.

Watch the official network promo now:

The Mentalist Promo: "War of the Roses"

The Mentalist Review: A Heated First Kiss

christine@tvfanatic.com (C. Orlando) — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 02:44:41 EST

"At First Blush" was full of strengths and weaknesses, ranging from the trusted bond that's formed between Jane and Lisbon to Kimball Cho's slow slide down the road to addiction.

Let's start with this: I loved how Jane first observed Eve. The run in her stocking, the missing button, the fear on her face. She answered one question and convinced Jane she was innocent and then he couldn't let it go.

That's the great thing about Patrick Jane. He has his flaws, but deep down he believes in right and wrong. He wants to see justice prevail.

What was even better was that Lisbon had his back the entire way. She even took the heat from the DA. Yes, Jane originally had to steal her sandwich to get her attention but once she saw that he was serious she was all in.

It wasn't all that long ago that Jane would have had to jump through a lot more hoops to get her on board. The trust between these two just continues to grow.

Did anyone else take note of Jane's lesson in lying? Liars are more likely to overcompensate and not contract their verbs? Really?!? I'll have to remember that the next time I'm trying to spot a liar, or tell a fib.

The murderer wasn't a shock, of course. The husband appeared so guilty at first that I knew he was too obvious - it had to be the partner.

What I did find amusing was when Eve told Amy that she had to reveal the truth in court. Right, because the woman who bludgeoned a man to death and framed you for it suddenly feels the overwhelming need to be truthful?!? But this was TV. She did, indeed, make a confession.

Back at the CBI, Rigsby finally noticed that Cho was popping way too many pills and said something too him. It's about time. His partner's in trouble. I don't know what the answer is but Cho needs help from someone, soon.

Will Summer be that person? When Cho said he'd wire her up for the undercover sting, I had to smile. Too bad we didn't get to see that scene.

But when Summer got hurt, Cho was scared and angry. He's normally so good at controlling his emotions, but not around Summer. It was so cute when he admited to liking her and in her small shocked voice she said, "you do?"

Then she kissed him, resulting in as much heat as happiness. But the best part was that when Cho's brain registered what was happening, he kissed her back.

We got a much needed break from the darkness of Red John this week. I love the story but a little goes a long way. Jane and Lisbon's friendship felt stronger than ever and Cho was feeling the highs of love in an elevator and the lows of pain and addiction. Who do you think will be there to save him?

The Mentalist Review: The Devil Will Find You

christine@tvfanatic.com (C. Orlando) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 02:10:38 EST

Search for the devil and the devil will find you. "Red is the New Black" may have focused on high end fashion and the Chinese mob, but it was the Red John story that grabbed my attention.

But let's deal with the murder victim first. Or, perhaps I should say, the first murder victim. A secret room, a golden feather, and the biggest pair of bloody scissors I'd ever seen. This was right up Jane's alley.

The gold feather in Wyck Theissen's mouth turned out to be a great prop. It allowed Patrick Jane to stick feathers under people's chins throughout the entire episode. But as much as Jane tickled, he couldn't find his murderer. That was, until Lisbon noticed the shocked expression on model Sonya's face.

I loved that Lisbon got to tell Jane that he was losing his touch because he had no idea Sonya was the murder. He defended himself handily, pointing out that he doesn't have to know who it is as long as he has the methods to figure it out. Listening to these two banter and tease one another is the highlight of any episode.

Watching Sonya bolt out the door in her lingerie and fuzzy slippers was almost comical, but when she asked Grace when she could leave to get back to her fashion show, that was creepy. I loved the look on Grace's face as it sunk in just how crazy this woman was.

Speaking of Grace, I was really impressed with how she handled the news of Wayne's impending fatherhood. Okay, maybe her exclamation of yikes! wasn't exactly polite, but it was certainly appropriate. However, she quickly noticed that Rigsby looked both terrified and a little sad.

Grace seemed to realize that this wasn't his dream scenario for becoming a father and immediately stepped into the role of sympathetic friend. Most ex-girlfriends wouldn't handle that situation with quite so much... grace.

Now, on to the meat of our story. Agent Darcy wasn't buying into Patrick Jane's carefully laid out plot about Panzer's murder. The woman's no fool.

What was interesting was how terrified Wainwright was when she told him she was reopening the case and needed the Red John files. Was he desperately trying to keep this quiet because of Red John's deadly history, because he fears there's still a mole in the CBI, or does he know something that we're unaware of?

Whatever his reasons, he was frantically working to keep Jane and Lisbon far away from this case. Of course, it didn't matter. Darcy was digging up clues as fast as Patrick was trying to bury them.

I was impressed that Patrick didn't hesitate to get the CBI and FBI involved when it all went down. Rosalind's life could have been in danger and this was a chance to finally capture Red John. It was no time to go rogue.

So now I'm left with more questions. How did Red John know Darcy had been to see Rosalind? Which one was he keeping his eye on? Was there any other purpose for killing the morgue attendant than to send a message? And why wouldn't Rosalind stop playing that damned piano?!?

Not only is Red John back but he's dragging Jane, Lisbon and the FBI back into this mystery. Who do you think Red John will target next?

The Mentalist Review: The Talking Dead

christine@tvfanatic.com (C. Orlando) — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 03:37:24 EST

"My Bloody Valentine" featured Grace facing her past, while Rigsby was confronted by his future.

Grace couldn't seem to catch a break. She got shot at and crashed her car, probably had a concussion, was being chased by a hired killer and was stuck with a grumpy hooker. Of course, the hooker was also a killer but we'll get back to that later.

Then, visions of her dead fiance started to pop up. Was this her head injury, her post traumatic stress disorder or simply a ghost from her past coming back to haunt her?

The moment Lisbon shoved that necklace under her nose you saw Grace's tenuous hold on her emotions begin to crumble. Lisbon actually seemed a little blase about it. I would have thought she'd offer to hold onto it for Grace until she was ready to deal with it instead of telling her she could have the necklace auctioned off. That came off a little cold.

I knew from the start that our prostitute was trouble, but I was surprised she was actually the murdeer. At least it wasn't a hooker with a heart of gold story. We'll save that one for Cho and Summer. This hooker drove a Lexus and tried to bash Grace's head in. I think that made her a little worse than grumpy.

The entire team was worried about Grace but Wayne was the one to track her down. Rigsby's never been one of my favorite characters, yet I liked him the best when he was paired with Van Pelt. I loved how O'Laughlin disappeared from Grace's vision just as Rigsby came into view.

Are Grace and Wayne destined to find their way back to one another? Well, not so fast.

Sarah was all but forgotten as Wayne worried about Grace. Granted, she was missing and in trouble but I doubt he ever even thought about calling Sarah back or keeping her informed.

We'd never seen Sarah appear so needy before and it made me wonder if this was the beginning of the end for this duo. Apparently that would be too easy, though... I was floored when she confessed she was pregnant. I sure never saw that coming. This will certainly complicate things.

It was Grace's story that took center stage but Jane had a few good moments too. I loved listening to him ask Porchetto to let him borrow the man who killed his son and then he'd give him back and the gangster could do what he wanted to him. Because if anyone would understand the need for vengeance, it's Jane.

Lisbon jumped into the thick of Jane's plan fairly quickly at the hospital. She's been doing more and more of that lately. Questioning him less. Taking the leaps of faith and trusting his methods. It's nice to see but it makes me wonder where that leads next. It could bring them closer together or it could bring Lisbon nothing but trouble.

In the end, Grace didn't get many answers from Craig. How did he become Red John's pawn? Was Grace simply a means to an end or did he truly love her? Could it be both? She'll probably never know for sure but perhaps she'll be able to find some peace and move on.

As for Rigsby, I think his problems have just begun.

The Mentalist Episode Promo: "My Bloody Valentine"

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 10:19:43 EST

Patrick Jane faced his biggest nightmare on The Mentalist this week, as Red John made his presence felt once again. Where will things go from here?

To next Thursday's "My Bloody Valentine," of course, which will center on the murder of a mob boss' son. How will Jane and the CBI solve the case when there's so little evidence?

Meanwhile, Van Pelt grows haunted by O'Laughlin's shooting, leading to an unexpected return hyped in the official CBS preview. Watch it now:

The Mentalist Promo: "My Bloody Valentine"

The Mentalist Review: Manipulating a Monster

christine@tvfanatic.com (C. Orlando) — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 02:54:48 EST

Just when he thought he'd gotten a brief reprieve, Jane was revisited by his monster of an enemy on "Always Bet on Red." The episode brought Red John out to play once again, as he continued to taunt our hero.

Special Agent Susan Darcy believed that Red John was dead - and why wouldn't she? Jane had shot and killed a man he claimed was the murderer, a man he'd spent years hunting. Why would she think he'd gotten it wrong?

But he had, and the only person he trusted with that information was Lisbon. At what cost to them both, though?

You could almost see Jane's sanity start to fray around the edges as he watched the recorded stalking of Darcy. Then, he set up an innocent man to take the fall for Panzer's murder just to get Darcy off the case. Yes, Tom Maier was dead, but he wasn't a killer.

It's a twisted and dangerous game. Jane's sliding down a murky moral slope and he's taking Lisbon along with him. He may have told her that deniability was her best friend but Lisbon's no fool. She knew exactly what he did, whether he said it or not.

The murder of the week was unimpressive, or perhaps I was so enthralled by the Red John story that I didn't much care who took out the attorney.

The best part about that story was that it brought Summer back. Cho's face positively lit up when he was with her. He actually looked possessive when she walked away with that mobster. And Summer certainly wanted to spend more time with Cho. I think she'd even have eaten the mushrooms on her pizza if that's what it took.

Summer noticed that Cho's back pain was still an issue. He's been popping pills for months. At some point that's got to come back to bite him. I only hope that Summer is there to help when it does.

Rigsby was in the background for most of this episode, but Van Pelt's best moment took place when Colette told her she didn't believe Lawrence could hurt Alton and she replied:

Don't be naive. Men lie... and kill. | permalink

Yeah. She's still got some issues to work through.

When Jane set Red John on Panzer he let the tiger out of the cage. Now Jane's dancing as quickly as he can to protect the people around him.

She's cute. This is going to be fun. Eerie. How long until the taunts become more serious. As Lisbon said:

You manipulated a serial killer. There's going to be consequences. | permalink

So... how long will it be before Red John goes after the one person Jane really cares about? Indeed, how long until Red John targets Lisbon?

The Mentalist Winter Premiere Preview: The Return of Red John

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 07:53:50 EST

CBS viewers are in for one happy return next Thursday night, and one scary one.

The Mentalist will air its first new episode in weeks on January 12, as "Always Bet on Red" finds Jane and Lisbon sorting through a very long list of suspects after a high-end divorce lawyer is killed on his speed boat.

These two will also find themselves up against an "old enemy," as the following preview teases. Who could it be? Who do you think?!? Watch and prepare yourself now:

The Mentalist Promo: "Always Bet on Red"

The Mentalist Review: Who Is Patrick Jane?

christine@tvfanatic.com (C. Orlando) — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 02:20:11 EST

Cho's statement below is at the crux of "Fugue in Red." Is Patrick Jane a better man because his family was brutally murdered? Certainly Cho believes it's true and it's hard to argue.

Cho: Don't take this the wrong way but the death of Jane's family made him a better person. | permalink

Prior to those tragic events, Jane was an egotistical conman. He took people's money under the ruse of speaking to their dead loved ones. He duped desperate lonely folks by telling them the lies they wanted to hear and Jane was good at it.

How good? As Teresa said, he did a cold read on her that would have been very convincing if Lisbon hadn't known better and it was based on only vague memories and her minute body language. Patrick Jane has a talent for reading people and before his family was killed, he certainly wasn't using it for good.

Does that make him a bad man? It definitely gives him some seriously unlikable qualities, but I'm with Lisbon. I believe there's a better part to Jane, that he is more than his many flaws. That he's also the man his wife and daughter knew and loved.

As much as the murder of his family pushed Jane out of his corrupt lifestyle, it also pushed him into a darkness that haunts him to this day. The only people he probably ever truly loved are dead. His driving force is to kill the man who made that happen and Patrick Jane has killed once trying to attain that goal.

But in the middle of all of that darkness he found an unexpected friend.

Lisbon: Jane needs something to hold on to and we're going to give it to him. | permalink

Teresa Lisbon believes the best in Patrick Jane. That doesn't mean she's naive. She knows he's a conman. She knows what he's capable of but she sees the good with the bad and she's not about to give up on him. Lisbon has hope that someday, Jane will find some peace and in that hope she's given him a home at the CBI and a far superior way of using his talents.

The other intriguing question that comes from Cho and Jane's conversation concerns Jane's feelings about his CBI colleagues. Does he like them?

I'm with Cho on this one. I don't think he dislikes them but I also think he could walk away from the team in a minute and never look back. All but Lisbon.

Jane can walk away from Lisbon but she's left her mark. She may be his one true friend. That's why he teases her, pushes her buttons, and subtlety looks after her.

Jane needs a friend and Lisbon isn't walking away, even when he asks her to. Even when he pleads "I'm happy now. Just let me be happy." Ouch. How that must have hurt.

That's what made that final scene so difficult to watch. It's the pain on Teresa's face as she walks her friend through the house full of ghosts, knowing that once he walks through that door his imaginary happiness will disappear forever.

But she knows that when those horrible images come rushing back, he shouldn't be alone and that he'll never find true happiness living a lie.

Who is Patrick Jane? Teresa Lisbon believes he's a better man. Do you?

The Mentalist Spoilers: Welcome Back Red John

matt@mediavine.com (Matt Richenthal) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 14:36:40 EST

Fret not, fans The Mentalist. Despite less focus on Red John this season, producer/writer Daniel Cerone is here to assure you that the mystery behind Patrick Jane's mystery will soon return to the forefront of the series.

It "will definitely ramp up toward the end of the season more than the middle part, but we do have a nice build,” Cerone tells EW. “We’ve introduced this character, Darcy, who is investigating the supposed reemergence of Red John, but the more time that she spends with Jane, the more suspicious she’s going to become of him. So that investigation into Red John is going to take many twists and turns before the end of the season.”

The Mentalist Promo: "Fugue in Red"

As previewed above, it all starts next Thursday, too. On “Fugue in Red,” Jane will lose his memory an revert to his con-man persona. The storyline will “reframe who Red John is in the life of our character," teases Cerone.

As for the most recent installment, read our review of "Red Shirt" NOW.

The Mentalist Review: Death and Ice Cream

christine@tvfanatic.com (C. Orlando) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 01:46:37 EST

Welcome to the future. We may not have jet packs yet, but you can post murder video on the Internet and bait a suspect with a Twitter account. Poor Jake put on the wrong jacket and got in the wrong car and suddenly his future was over.

"Red Shirt" gave every character their small moments to shine or dim depending on who they were. Grace didn't have a lot to do during this episode besides babysit Doc Dugan and drop fake files but I loved her line when Dugan was hitting on her:

I shot and killed my last boyfriend. I'm not ready for a relationship yet.| permalink

That one should go in everyone's save file for unwanted suitors who won't take a hint. If that doesn't scare them off, I don't know what will. Plus, Grace was just so matter of fact about it. I doubt Dugan could tell if she were serious or kidding.

Cho made a tremendous tackle on our football fan suspect but he also paid the price. I wonder where they're going with this storyline. At some point the back pain and pill popping is going to catch up with our stoic Kimball Cho. How he'll handle that is anyone's guess, but anything that gives Cho more screen time is good with me.

And did Rigsby's reaction to Cho's back pain annoy anyone else? Having noticed Cho's distress, he chastised him for tackling a suspect when he has a bad back and in the next breath changed the subject to his love life. The more I see of Wayne Rigsby, the less I like him.

Speaking of Rigsby's love life, he asked his attorney girlfriend to prep him for court then got upset when she brought up his family and his past. You would think that somewhere along the way a defense attorney would have already dug up his father's criminal past during a case but maybe I'm wrong.

So after he ditched her on a park bench, he later apologized by insulting her profession. I kind of like Sarah but I can't figure out why she's dating Rigsby.

Lisbon was having fun with this case. She got to hide Dugan from Wainwright and arrest a bunch of mobsters. She was thrilled to tell Arnold Green that his enforcer turned over a new leaf and the CBI found Green under it. When asked if they should arrest the bartender too, Lisbon was positively gleeful when she told the agent yes, the more the merrier.

Of course, Jane got his time to shine. From knowing it was Cho walking up behind him to finding a supposedly dead football player very much alive and in bed with not one but two female fans, Jane was having a good time.

My favorite was when he convinced Martin that he was a psychic talking to the dead. The tough guy who wore the bullet that pierced his lung as arm candy freaked out over Jane's little ghost story. I guess everyone is scared of something.

Jane's theory was that once you're dead, it doesn't matter what people thought of you because you won't be here to know about it. Do you agree? What I do agree with is that as long as we are here, there's always ice cream.