(contains spoilers)
The new season of "The Mentalist" begins just as well as the previous one ended. This was a very good episode. Probably one of the most disturbing in the entire series. Overall, the last ten minutes are spectacular.
Let's recap a bit before starting with the episode. During the last episode of the previous season we discovered that Jane had narrowed the list of suspects to seven (Brett Stiles, Gale Bertram, Bob Kirkland, Ray Haffner, Reede Smith, Brett Partridge, Sherfitt Mcalister), but Red John had an unpleasant surprise reserved for him.
Through one of his "friends" who also was the killer in that episode, Red John sent him a CD in which Lorelai had recorded a message before her death. The purpose of that message was to inform him that he knew the suspect list that Jane had put together and he was going to begin killing people shortly and continuously.
Jane showed this message to Lisbon and both were overwhelmed and just in this moment is when the new season begins.
Jane is completely shocked and needs some fresh air after seeing the video recorded by Lorelai. Lisbon is also impressed but her attitude is more of trying to do something and talks to Jane about what are the next steps they have to take.
Just in that moment Bertram (who is one of the seven suspects) calls Lisbon to tell her that they have a new case. Jane is not convinced to go, but Lisbon says they have to appear normal so Red John does not think they are scared.
When they arrived at the crime scene they found the victim, who was engaged to a famous baseball player and has been strangled. Jane does his thing, and discovers that the victim´s murderer is her fiance. However, this time because he is not at his prime, Jane doesn´t calculate well the consequences of his actions and one of the police officers who were with them in the case ends up hurt (this will be important later).
Bertram meets Jane and Lisbon at his office to talk about the case (Lisbon is a pretty bad actress and looks really uncomfortable in front of his boss during all the time they rest at the office) and they take a good scolding. The police department is very angry with the whole thing. Bertram is especially hard on Lisbon accusing her of not being able to control Jane.
Jane tries to assume all the blame for the situation, but Bertram ignores him and continues to blame Lisbon. Bertram told then that there are two options for calming police, suspend them or send them both out of town to investigate a case (which is what he finally does).
Throughout the conversation Bertram makes a number of strange comments that can be interpreted in different ways (overall with the proper stimulation) that leave Jane and Lisbon (and incidentally the whole audience) quite perplexed.
Jane and Lisbon are investigating the case assigned to them by Bertram (which is a case of the week very uninteresting , that Jane resolves fairly quickly, as usual). But Brett Partridge is also working with them (another suspect on Jane's list), which further disturbes them.
The interesting thing about having Jane and Lisbon isolated from the rest of the team is the conversations they held throughout the episode about Red John (and because they are most of the time alone, there are a few).
Jane is as if he were paralyzed, not knowing what should be their next step. Lisbon wants to do something and tell the team about the list Jane has compiled in order to do some monitoring. Jane refuses and warns Lisbon not to tell anyone about it, in fact he says that he shouldn't have told her.
At first Lisbon agrees, but ends up calling Grace to ask for her help to put a gps bug on the mobiles of the different suspects on the list. Lisbon tells Grace not to tell anyone.
But, when Van Pelt comes to the motel where Lisbon and Jane are investigating the case, Jane quickly feels that Lisbon has told Grace and then Jane and Lisbon have a great argument during which they accuse each other of many things (although what is actually perceived is that both of them are quite scared and worried about what Red John can do next), in the presence of poor Van Pelt who does not know what to do (it's as if their parents were arguing) .
Finally Lisbon goes back to Sacramento very angry, leaving Jane withVan Pelt (Cho and Rigsby and arriving slightly later). Jane runs after her to try to talk before she leaves, but it is too late and he can´t reach her.
While the rest of the team stay in the motel solving the case, Lisbon is at the office watching the gps signals of the seven suspects. Jane tries to call her to apologize, but he can´t talk to her.
At one point the unit receives a message (who is directed to Lisbon) that a person called to give an anonymous tip about a problem registered to a given address.
When she checks the address, Lisbon realizes that Brett Partridge is there and runs to see what happens, but not before calling the police to ask for reinforcements . Upon arriving at the house (which does look very sinister), Lisbon gets a call from the police that reinforcements soon arrive (hence my previous comment that Jane shtick prompting a policeman to be wounded would bring consequences).
Lisbon initially decides to wait , but eventually enters the house to hear some noises coming from inside. If the outside of the house was sinister, I don´t know ho to describe the inside (satanic messages written on the walls, birds loose). While Lisbon is in the house, Jane tries to call her again, but still no response.
Finally Lisbon comes into the room from which the noises were coming from and when she opens a closet, she discovers a wounded and bloodied Brett Partridge.
Before dying Partridge tells something to Lisbon, "Tiger, tiger", but she fails to understand the meaning of he message. Once Partridge is dead, when Lisbon tries to inspect the room, she gets hit from behind and is knocked unconscious.
At that time, the scene changes and we see Jane at the CBI asking if anyone has seen Lisbon. Just then, someone calls him on the phone, the caller ID saying that is Lisbon. The relief on his face upon receiving the call turns into horror when he hears the voice of Red John on the other side of the line saying that Teresa is busy and she can´t get to the phone. The scene changes again and we have a hand collecting blood from a knife edge and drawing a smiley face (although slightly modified) in the face of Lisbon. The episode ends with Jane in shock, with the phone still in his hand ... And the resolution will have to wait until next week.
I´ve liked this episode a lot. All the cast has been great (specially Simon Baker and Robin Tunney) and the writing and directing has been amazing.
The last ten minutes, with the entire sequence of Lisbon coming into the house, with the birds, walls and Jane and the phone has been very good. Possibly one of the most sinister scenes of the series so far.
This episode has eliminated a suspect from the list (now there are only six) and leaves us with the question of what has happened to Lisbon.
All the conversations between Jane and Lisbon have been very interesting and very well done, especially the fight before Lisbon leaves for Sacramento.
In fact, the whole context of the conversation is that they are both scared to death and afraid of what may happen to them (and to other people nearby) and have expressed it yelling at each other. For once Jane was right telling Lisbon, that Red John could play them, as demonstrated at the end of the episode.
At this moment of the season, it is almost impossible that Lisbon has died. Most likely is that Red John has left her unconscious and / or drugged for Jane to find her (and the macabre detail to paint a smiley face on her face) in order to scare him using someone Jane really cares about. It is a way to tell them that they are vulnerable and the game ends as soon as Red John wants.
This keeps the psychological game with Jane and plays more with his already fragile mental stability. Perhaps this assumption that Red John is untouchable and no one can do anything against him, it is the beginning of the end for him. It is possible for him to let his guard down and starts making mistakes.
I really want to see Jane's reaction when they find Lisbon next week because it can be tremendous. Just seeing the state on which it has left him the call of Red John (great acting by Simon Baker) suggests how he is going to react. My doubt is whether he is going to try ro get away from everyone in order to protect them or will get into overprotective mode with Lisbon.
I´ve liked a lot Rigsby, Cho and especially Grace in this episode. The fact that no one has been able to keep the secret and not to tell the rest has been very good (Rigsby saying it did not seem right that Cho was the only one who did not know and Cho saying he was not going to tell anyone has been one of my favorite exchanges in the episode).
Now I think Red John is among Ray Haffner and Bob Kirkland (mainly because they are the youngest). Typically, it had to be Bob Kirkland due to the fact that he is the most sinister of all suspects (except perhaps Partridge, which now does not count), but perhaps they will go with the route of Red John being the most seemingly ordinary of all suspects, ie Ray Haffner.
My bet of the week is that Haffner is Red John but we'll see what happens next week and if any other of the suspects is eliminated. Next week we have enough open spots:
- What will happen with Lisbon?
- What will be Jane's reaction?
- Will they eliminate any other suspects?
- What role will Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt have?
BEST : Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, atmosphere and pace of the episode, the conversations and the Jane-Lisbon relationship
WORST : Almost anything, but if I have to stay with something that Cho has had very little bearing on the story
SCORE : 9.5/10
