Thursday, September 24, 2009

The Mentalist - Oh Patrick Jane...

Within the first 5 minutes, just like the first 5 minutes of the pilot, the sophomore premiere tells you everything about the dynamic of Theresa Lisbon and Patrick Jane and how Jane works.
There has been a murder, and though Jane easily finds the murder weapon and fingers the killer, the pursuit thereafter caused extreme damage in the store where the murder took place. That's what Jane does - he solves the crime, and doesn't worry so much about the rest of the consequences.
Well he didn't like the consequence that affected him - He and Lisbon's team are off the Red John case, and the new lead won't tell him a thing. But at least they have a different murder that they can focus on. Jane neatly wove his invisible net and by the end of the day, the killer was caught.
Oh those nets, one of the main reasons to watch the show is to see how Jane convinces murderers to reveal themselves. Still, as effective as it is, he was lucky not to stir up too many consequences this time.
Other reasons, of which we did get glimpses, are the hilarious dynamic between straight-man Cho and Rigsby, Grace Van Pelt and her innocent delight in success, and Lisbon refusing to put up with Jane's BS. It was truly delightful when she drove away, leaving him in a parking lot, because he was being difficult. Even more amusing is Cho's enjoyment of going along with Jane's plans. Cho knows that Jane will figure it out, so, hey, why not let him despite his methods being unorthodox.
What we did miss was a moment between Grace and Rigsby...but I'm hopefully we will have many as the season continues. So whether you watch because of that cute couple, because of Jane's arrogance and talent, or because you just want to see Red John eventually get caught, let the show go on.

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