The Mentalist Season 7 Episode 6 Review: Green Light
Christine Orlando
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On The Mentalist Season 7 Episode 6, the killer believed he was the smartest man in the room, until he was hauled off in cuffs. While some let their egos get in the way, others set them aside in surprising ways.
Take Agent Abbott for instance. He's had this horrible secret hanging over his head for a decade and Peterson was more than willing to use it to save his job.
Of course, if Peterson had been doing his job he would have realized there was a mole in his department but I'm sure he wouldn't see it that way. His ego was twice the size of Texas.
With the possibility of a prison term and the end of his wife's career hanging over him, Abbott confided in Patrick Jane. Surprising? Yes and no. First off, Jane was the only one hyper-observant enough to realize that something was amiss between Abbott and Peterson and he had no problem asking Abbott about it.
Abbott's a smart enough man to know that once Jane's got the scent of something, he's not about to let it go. He respects Jane's abilities but in this case it was more than that. Abbott trusted Jane, a man he once only looked at as a fugitive, with his and his wife's futures. Trusted not only that he wouldn't share his secret but that he would help him. That's a huge leap of faith.
Then again, Jane killed the serial killer who murdered his family so perhaps he's the one man who would understand why Abbott killed the Zeta cartel commander to save a bus full of people. In my personal opinion, I think Abbott did the right thing. He knew countless innocent lives were about to be brutally ended and he had no other way to stop it. It may have been against the law but that doesn't necessarily mean he did the wrong thing. Jane was the one person who could understand that distinction.
That said, this shared secret and Jane's help in neutralizing Peterson's threats were quite the milestone in their already unique relationship. It's bonded them together in a way that I never expected.
Jane also made headway with Vega. I found it interesting that Jane encouraged Vega to speak her mind, found the real issues within her explanation but never made her feel judged. Then made her a key member in pulling off his plan. Vega may not understand Jane but she's beginning to accept him.
I did feel badly for Wiley. He's smitten with Vega and it's rather adorable to watch. Unfortunately Wiley's now in the position of trying to figure out when Vega might be open to dating…before she begins dating someone else.
The plan at the end where Cho, Lisbon, and Abbott all turned their backs on their suspects was risky. What if the guilty party had more than one gun. Roscoe could have easily pulled one from his locker that didn't have blanks. But leave it to Cho to not even flinch when that gunshot rang out.
Of course Roscoe's ego was the biggest of all. As Jane explained in this The Mentalist quote…
When you have a big secret, it makes you feel important.
Patrick Jane
That was certainly the case with Roscoe. Being the inside man for the cartel made him feel like the smartest man in the room. I wonder how he'll feel as an ex-DEA agent in prison.
Finally there was Jane's birthday. The lights on the Airstream, the cupcake and Lisbon's expectant smile were probably enough to make it the best birthday Patrick Jane has had in over a decade. His blue teacup from the CBI brought back to life was the icing on the cake. He looked truly moved by the gift.
Did Jane know what Lisbon was going to give him? Was he truly surprised or was he simply playing along to give Lisbon her moment? In the end, it didn't really matter. Either way it was a birthday to be remembered.
Don't miss a minute of the final season, watch The Mentalist online here at TV Fanatic.
NOTE: The Mentalist Season 7 Episode 7 will be titled "Little Yellow House" and air on Wednesday, January 14.
C. Orlando was a TV Fanatic Staff Writer. Follow her on Twitter.
