The Mentalist Red John’s Rules Review

First of all, sorry for the wait: the marvelous Reviewbrain and I were planning to write a review together to spice things up a bit and try to do justice to the last of the episodes of this tumultuous season, but real life got in the way… So, here is the review, as complete as I could: feel free to comment and don’t forget to grade it! Many thanks for our faithful and awesome readers and/or commenters for sticking with us for those exciting months; we hope to read you very soon! (Also, for those who are interested, I’m planning to do a recap of the principal themes running trough the five seasons of the show, but be patient, it takes A LOT of time… )

Synopsis

After spending one week working alone on his list of suspects for RJ, consultant Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) is joined by his partner agent Lisbon (Robin Tunney). While he refuses to tell her the names he came up with, both are soon facing another problem: a new victim has been added to the serial killer very own list, one that obligates Jane to take a painful trip down memory lane.

Concise Verdict

Unexpected, well-written, yet unsatisfactory and slightly frustrating, these are some of the many adjectives that may very well be applied to this episode. As a whole, it gives an eerie impression of being a bit slow and unnerving and doesn’t match the show’s usual atmosphere. Still, at the same time, it is extremely well connected to the storyline and the previous episodes and the more one digs in its writing, the more it becomes apparent that there are many subtleties hidden in its shadows… To put it simply, waiting for the next season after such a finale will be especially hard, no doubt about it! 9.3/10

Detailed AKA Humongous Review (spoilers galore)

VIS # 1: the opening

The very first moments of the episode are almost deceptively normal: Lisbon goes to get Jane in the attic to join the team. Still, there is a pretty big difference since this is apparently their first encounter after the one week of voluntary confinement then he asked of her in ‘Red and Itchy’: we get a timeline and, more importantly we viewers are as eager as Lisbon to learn what the clever consultant has come up with when he reveals he has managed to narrow his infamous list to a few names.

Interestingly, we are also reminded right away of the previous season ending: Jane is burning his board about RJ on the rooftop, just outside of his attic, like he did with his copy of the RJ file in ‘Red Rover, Red Rover’. Beside, while following Lisbon in the bullpen, he tells her that he’s tired because he hasn’t slept in a week: it reminds how lonely and unkempt Jane was in Vegas. Indeed, both ends of seasons are linked by the fact that Jane has crafted another clever trap to catch his nemesis. And his reluctance to share said plan with Lisbon alludes also to his six months silence. Yet, this time, he told her about his what he’s doing, he just doesn’t want to share the specifics… Those two have make progress in the trust/ reliance department and it shows when Lisbon comes to wake him up to inform him that RJ has stroke again: his sleepiness and disheveled appearance hints to his fragility, while Lisbon’s softness indicates that she fears how he will react to the news.

VIS # 2: Bret Partridge at the crime scene

Again, the crime scene alludes a bit to Jane’s escapade to Vegas as it takes place in a motel room: a woman has been killed in her bed, under the usual bloody smiley. Hard not to think that RJ’s message to Jane in ‘The Crimson Hat’ was sending him Lorelei, who ended up in bed with him… and whose corpse has been found naked under a sheet not so long ago. Again, RJ is trying to tell Jane something, the only difference is that this time Jane will take some time to decipher his terrible message…

One of the most interesting points is that, again, Partridge is the forensic tech in charge of the crime scene. His attitude is pretty similar than in his previous appearances: the man enjoys explaining his theories and his audience is a new tech working with him. It’s visible that Partridge fancies himself an expert on RJ as he discards almost immediately the new case as a genuine murder from the serial killer. He even affirms that RJ hasn’t killed in a while, since Lorelei’s death was a particular case (she worked with him, she was not a normal victim): the new guy doesn’t know it, but it also reminds us viewers that RJ had indeed stopped for a while, hence it hints that this case is particularly important and unexpected.

But Brett becomes far less secure when Jane enters the room. His wariness of Jane and his relative deference towards him are ambiguous: is he simply afraid of the man because of their latest confrontation in ‘Red Lacquer Polish’? Or is he playing the part of the inoffensive and rather incompetent tech who can’t be clever enough to be RJ? Either way, the regular viewers may remember that his name was on the list in ‘Black Cherry’ and Jane’s attitude towards him is even colder than before, which is an indication that Jane has really come to see him in a more sinister light than the infuriating ghoul he’s been dealing with since the pilot… It’s interesting that Jane tells Lisbon that he can feel that it’s a RJ crime scene: it foreshadows the psychic theme that will be running through the episode and gives to the moment an ominous vibe. The victim is still unidentified, she’s a “Jane Doe” whose baby has been taken. That makes her symbolically the second “Jane” woman who has fallen victim of RJ with her child, after Angela Jane, also killed in a bedroom….

Also, another reminder of a previous finale shows up when Jane notices a phone number written on the wall near the phone, which helps them identify the victim. In ‘Strawberry and Cream’, an address had been scribbled on the bathroom wall, leading Lisbon to a building where she’d been strapped to a bomb.

VIS # 3: a new insight in Jane’s past

After identifying the victim, Jane discovers that she was married to someone he knew years ago: it’s visible he’s unsettled by the news, still he accompanies Lisbon to what he defines as his hometown, the Stoney Ridge trailer park where he and his father had spent the winters when they weren’t travelling with their psychic show during his childhood. Here, he meets Sam and Pete, the friends he introduced to Lisbon in ‘Cackle-Bladder Blood’. Step by step, like in a Greek tragedy, Jane is realizing that the case is hitting very close to home, so to speak, and what began has a strange feeling becomes a nagging doubt, before morphing into fear.

An intriguing detail is that there is a yellow orchid-looking flower in a vase on the table while Jane and Lisbon are talking to Sam and Pete: it closes the arc involving Lorelei, since the first orchid appeared in ‘Devil’s Cherry’ when Jane was desperate after losing his precious lead to the serial killer. Here, his efforts have come to fruition and Jane is about to make a serious break thanks to her. Yet, at the same time, back then the flower was associated to the butterfly, a symbol of hope in the show: while hallucinating, Jane was starting to realize that he wanted something more than revenge. He wanted to start a new life, presumably with Lisbon… which leads us to expect another step too in regard to his relationship with his partner.

That also means we are given a few interesting details about Jane’s background. As it has been ironically foreshadowed in the carnie elements in the crime scene of Lorelei’s murder (‘There Will Be Blood’), ‘Red John is deliberately bringing (him) home” to face his childhood memories, like places he lived in (the town he considered like home) and people he was close to (his friends Sam and Pete, Lily…). The position of the Jane family in the carnie world is also clarified: in season 3, Jane told Lisbon that his father had a show with the carnies, but remained a bit vague about his status, while he insisted that Angela’s family had been carnie royalties… Here, he spontaneously admits that his family had been part of the carnie folks for a long time: to convince him to share information, he asks Pete “how long the Janes and the Turners have been travelling together?” Pete answers: “one hundred years now probably”. Jane has been willing to let Lisbon know this tidbit of personal information and he didn’t try to leave her out of the conversation with his old friends like he did back then when he distracted her with the elephant, which alone hints that they have entered news territories in the personal department.

VIS # 4: Jane and Lisbon in the car

Trust is once again under the spotlight in those two’s relationship. Even though this time around Jane has been letting his partner in from the start on his infamous list, he refuses to tell her who the very last names are. But his reasons for not telling her seem more genuine than they might have ever been. He isn’t trying to keep RJ to himself; he only fears that she would inadvertently sell them out. Because, in insight, there has been a precedent: she was responsible for the failure of Jane’s plan in ‘The Crimson Hat’. If she had put a better front when Luther tried to talk her in taking Jane back, Darcy wouldn’t have barged in the middle of their secret operation… Lisbon’s lack of dishonesty was the flaw in Jane’s plan and that may explain his willingness to play poker with her in ‘Red in Tooth and Claws’, as a mean to further evaluate her poker face and to help her get better at lying…

On the other hand, that lack of confidence in her ability to lie seems to really bother Lisbon, to the point that she asks him several times to come clean about his plans. Still, one may wonder to what extent she has proven to Jane that honesty she demands of him: given what Lisbon discovered in the previous episode about LaRoche, wouldn’t Jane’s reaction to her mentioning J.J. as a potential suspect be stronger if he knew what his friend did in the past? Maybe Lisbon has been keeping some things to herself too for good reasons… There has always been a very peculiar strand of trust between them.

It shows further when Jane threatens to tell her three of her secrets as proof that she can’t tell a lie. At first she accepts, then she thinks better of it and tells him that she refuses to play his mind games. He comments “wise call” … He’s been turning things into a game indeed, bantering with her and trying to distract her from the serious question he’s been left unanswered. But one can wonder what he was about to reveal about her: was it another tidbit of personal information like when he revealed her he knew she hadn’t told the truth about her holidays plans back in the early seasons? Or was it something more intimate, like the fetish talk he initiated in ‘Red Velvet Cupcakes’?  Interestingly, the following scene features Rigsby telling Cho one of his secrets (his relationship with Van Pelt), while the stoic man already interjects that he already knows they’re having sex… Is that a way to hint that one of those Lisbon secrets that Jane knew about concerns her feelings?

VIS # 5: Lisbon and Jane meet Sean Barlow

After finally convincing Pete to give them a lead, Jane is once again confronted by his past: this time it’s Sean Barlow, a former friend/associate of his father. Even before meeting him, he’s introduced as an ambiguous and shady character by his association with Alex Jane, whom viewers know as a cold-hearted conman (‘Throwing Fire’). Another step in taken both in the investigation and in the realization of the bigger picture RJ has been painting for him: Jane and Lisbon drive to Venice Beach in Los Angeles to meet the psychic. Jane seems more and more unsettled; while he let Lisbon interrogate Pete and Sam with him, he asked her to let him talk to Pete alone when they returned and, now, he asks her to wait outside, which she refuses.

The dialog with the sinister man showed Bruno Heller’s mastery at broaching a character in a few deep lines. Indeed, the older man seems pretty eager to plant the seeds of doubt in their minds, particularly Lisbon’s.

1) First, he showers Lisbon with details about her secretive partner: under the pretext of talking about the rather safe topic of Patrick’s “wicked” great-grandfather who he “loved”, Barlow tries to prepare Lisbon for his little speech about the man himself. Because wickedness and being lovable are two characteristics her Jane owns in spade too… When Lisbon swallows the bait and asks about the “wicked” part, Barlow introduces a less safe topic: the fact that the Janes (including Patrick) are no-believers (which he gets Teresa to agree is “a sad thing”) who use the faith others have to steal from them… It’s pretty interesting that he uses present tense to describe the Janes’ cons since, given that he’s “been following (Jane’s) doings”, he must know that he stopped his psychic act a decade ago… Are there out there other members of the Jane family ? Or is he implying that Patrick, who is presented as intrinsically a conman, is also trying to manipulate Teresa’s faith and affection to get something out of her?

2) That smiling albeit less than friendly little introduction helps him pose as the real psychic, who would give them valuable advice. His second step is to get in the open the very sensitive question of Lisbon’s feelings: to prove to her that him not having an alibi for his niece’s murder isn’t really significant, he swiftly turns the tables by reading where herself was that night: “Laying in bed, think of Patrick”… What was presented as a psychic reading can be explained: he may have deduced it from their obvious closeness. After all, Patrick trusts her enough to accept to let her accompany him here, and if Paddy’s behavior in ‘Fugue in Red’ is any indication of his ways before meeting Angela, Barlow couldn’t think of any reason either for a cop to stick up with him other than wanting to sleep with him… That would make it an educated guess. The last possibility would be that Lisbon has been watched that night, which may have interesting and pretty dark implications about the older man… Those three possibilities match the usual tricks of a fake psychic: observation, educated guesses and inside information via an accomplice. Either way, that line about Lisbon laying in bed thinking of her partner and being “a little bit in love with him” is embarrassingly ambiguous for Lisbon: of course she would be thinking about Jane, who was keeping to himself RJ’s possible identity. Yet the mention of the bed adds a rather suggestive note that hints that Barlow is really able to read her most intimate thoughts.

3) At the same time, Barlow’s remark about Jane being “secretive and controlling” is also a way to make her feel the strain of their relationship: it reminds of Brett Stiles’ words that Jane has been taking over her team and her life. Even more since both men might have implied that their unbalanced relationship was affecting her work, Brett by mentioning her team, Barlow by comparing her nightly thoughts to his alibi (suggesting that somehow that kind of thoughts is kind of prohibited).

4) Since Jane stays impassive and tries to bring up again the crime, Barlow then broaches another subject to destabilize him: RJ is a psychic, that’s why he is always a step ahead of him. That seems the main point he’s been trying to make all along. Following his logic Barlow himself is a real psychic, so he’s able to detect another as RJ., Plus, Jane is not to be trusted: he’s from a family of lying thieves and his judgment is not sound because his all-knowing nemesis has already mastered his mind… That theory is admittedly a way to tell Jane that his niece hasn’t been a victim of the serial killer (it’s probable that he wants to indirectly incriminate Roddy Turner, whom he hates), yet his insistence may hint that the mysterious man has another goal in mind when trying to spook and manipulate Jane and Lisbon…

VIS # 6: Jane and Lisbon in the car after talking with Barlow

Sometime after leaving the older man, Jane and Lisbon are again talking in the car. Instead of calmly addressing the huge elephant in the room (Lisbon’s feelings), they both start talking at the same time. Jane lets her start and when she begins to utter something he might not like (“I can’t work like this”), he interrupts her. He tells her what he wanted to let her know: that Barlow was right, that he’s “secretive and controlling”. That’s a way to apologize to her for what he asks her to do and the things he’s been hiding from her: that’s probably his most sincere apology to her ever, far deeper than the blanket “I’m sorry” he gave her after the Vegas/Lorelei debacle in ‘The Crimson Ticket’… Still, he focuses on the part of Sean’s talk that concerned him: in doing so, he carefully avoids the part that was about her and her love for him…

In a way, that talk which turned in a non-talk echoes the scene where Lisbon asked Jane what he meant when he told her he loved her before shooting at her (‘The Crimson Hat’): he answer was to deflect her question, just like here he puts emphasis in his fault to avoid asking her about her feelings.

Which leads us to another point: what was Lisbon about to tell him? That she couldn’t keep avoiding the matter of their mutual feelings anymore? That she couldn’t keep accepting that he only told her part of the truth at best, like he was doing with his list? Or that she was tired of working with him when it’s becoming apparent that there was not enough trust and too many feelings between them? Like those mysterious secrets Jane threatened to reveal about her earlier, this question will remain unanswered as well. Anyway, it seems that those meaningful talks both  of them keep having in cars since the beginning are shifting towards dangerous territory: before, they concerned quite serious matters, like revenge or RJ (‘Red Moon’) ; about Lorelei in ‘The Crimson Ticket’), still, they’re turning more and more personal. In a way, it reminds of the tension-filled moments in the car when listening to the radio talk-show in ‘Red Velvet Cupcakes’.

But purposely and insistently not telling anything about something is also a form of acknowledgement. Jane used the pretext of not remembering what he said, even though he kept using afterwards every occasion to prove her how well his memory palace worked. Lisbon let alone Lorelei’s remark that he was in love with her, yet she yelled that she was not “his girlfriend’. In the same manner, Jane not asking her about her own feelings towards him is an indirect way of letting her know that he knows about them, that Barlow was right about them too, yet he chooses to ignore the pending matter in favour of preserving their status quo… at least for now.

VIS # 7: the ending

1) inside information: Jane doesn’t remember telling anyone about this particular memory, yet he could have let it slip when he had his breakdown after the murders. It’s pretty probable that Sophie Miller has asked him about his past and/or other relatives during therapy. Even if he didn’t specifically told her about the scene with the little Lily, he might have mentioned her at some moment… Given RJ’s interest in Jane, there is a pretty good possibility that he has read her files and/or asked someone from her staff.

2) observation: someone may have known Jane at the time and recalled that he might have been even a bit moved by the little girl. Someone like Barlow himself: a sinister man who only considered his niece as a property and who may fits the profile of RJ’s cold and sociopathic accomplices.

3) educated guess: the Barlows were close friends of his family. Given that Jane had a difficult father who probably wasn’t prone to affection, and that he’s been presented in ‘Throwing Fire’ as a sensitive kid, it would be rather logical that he would identify and focus on Lily’s happy relation with her father, who died shortly afterwards, a relation that he probably didn’t have with his own and that his younger self might have been craving.

The thing in those three possible explanations is that RJ didn’t need to know *that* specific memory: when Jane would recognize the young Lily, he would necessarily have some memories of her, crystallised and idealized by the time that had passed. It was almost automatic that her death would hit very close to home for Jane. And he would hence be more susceptible to believe the second part of RJ’s prediction: that he knew beforehand the seven names on the list… which he could have known either by 1) making more than one video with Lorelei (Kirkland’s stealing information would then confirm which version was to be used) for example, 2) by writing down the names of the men who couldn’t be eliminated as suspects (it would be faster for him, since he’s been keeping tabs on the consultant and since he already knew what characteristics were bound to be more suspicious). Or 3) he knew which men were most suspicious because every one of them is hiding something… like that they are all working for him (see Bertram and Kirkland working closely together).

Anyway, what is certain is that RJ can’t be a real psychic: first because the show hasn’t given any hints that it might favor the supernatural route. Then because what RJ did to Kristina in S3 indicates irony towards her line of work: that he would share it would be a bit illogical; but mostly because he admitted in the video that he knew about the list because “Lorelei told” him. And his way to lead Jane to his minion ensured that Jane found her: even if it was an easy guess given Jane’s cleverness with cases, the red-headed middle-aged woman matched Lennon’s status somehow as a social worker/shelter employee.

That leads us to the song at the ending. It’s “Something’s Gotten Hold Of My Heart” by Gene Pitney:

“Something`s gotten hold of my heart

Keeping my soul and my senses apart

Something`s gotten into my life

Cutting its way through my dreams like a knife

Turning me up, turning me down

Making me smile and making me frown”.

Those lyrics obviously match what Jane must feel towards the looming threat that represents the video he’s watching while Lisbon is returning the baby girl to her father. Yet, it may also hold other meanings: it was featured in 1967, which corresponds more or less to Jane’s birth, meaning that the song is a way to allude to his childhood too. Moreover, it’s a love song and Lisbon is visible when the lyrics begin playing: she’s also in Jane’s thoughts at the moment. It’s even more convincing when we read the rest of the lyrics which aren’t heard in the show:

“Yeah something has invaded my nights

Painting my sleep with a colour so bright

Changing the grey, changing the blue

Scarlet for me and scarlet for you”…

Jane may be afraid that RJ’s threats may be directed towards Lisbon at some point: there may be some “scarlet” for both of them in the future; they’re both in danger.

Last, the word “knife” (RJ’s favorite MO) is sang when the camera focuses on Barlow brooding alone: is that a way to hint that Barlow has played a sinister part in RJ’s plan, since afterwards the last word sung, “frown” resonates with Jane’s pensive and worried face on screen?

2) Seven usual (or less usual) suspects:

In sync with Lorelei enouncing the seven names predicted by RJ in Jane’s list, Lisbon puts down the seven pictures matching those names, a bit like one would their cards when winning a poker game, enlightening once more the notions of strategy and bluff  simmering in this season. And now, the two partners are facing:

1- Bret Stiles: the leader of Visualize is a bit old for having been at the farm to paint the first smiley in ‘The Red Barn’, yet his past is pretty dark; it’s been alluded to in ‘His Thoughts Were Red Thoughts’ that he might have something to do with the death of the former cult leader. Bret has showed since the beginning a marked interest for Jane; he’s been watching him and his team and has been taunting him with the fact that he has inside information (about Kristina in the beginning of season 3). He’s also known for recruiting law enforcement officers and has even tried to convert Grace when she was still feeling down about Craig’s death/betrayal… Actually, Stiles is probably the more plausible candidate for a charismatic Moriarty Mentalist-like –actor Malcom McDowell even commented about having been thinking that his character was RJ when viewers were convinced that Carter was the serial killer, if I recall correctly.

Beside, him being RJ would put Jane’s character under a very interesting light, since he befriended him to some extent… It would give intriguing shades of an unexpected moral dilemma, reminiscent of the Hitchcockian atmosphere of ‘Red Sails in The Sunset’: what would be more ironic than Jane secretly meeting his nemesis to ask his help in breaking their common mistress out of jail (in order to catch the man himself, no less)? That would be a very interesting situation… It’s also quite remarkable that Stiles gave him pretty much the same advice as Carter: when Jane asked him the favor of getting Lorelei out of jail, he told the younger man: “let this be my favor to you: let it go. The whole idea. It’s just not worth it.” Carter’s advice when he was posing as RJ was to build himself a new life: ““Forget about me. I’m not worth ruining your life over”… is it a coincidence that RJ had indeed stopped killing except for answering to Jane’s manoeuvres (the morgue guy in Rosalind Harker’s closet, Panzer, Lorelei), like Partridge pointed out, and that his announced new set of killings is a response to him changing “the rules”?

Also, Brett commented in ‘Red Sails in The Sunset’ that “any task can be accomplished as long as it’s broken down into manageable pieces”,  foreshadowing Jane’s huge work in reducing the numbers of the people he met in a decade to an handful of possible suspects…

2- Gale Bertram: the director of the CBI has been a prime suspect ever since he quoted Blake in season 3 and his behavior has been increasingly suspicious since the poker game in ‘Red in Tooth And Claws’. Again, if he turned out to be RJ, it would be interesting that Jane helped him in getting better at bluffing and masking his strategy in a poker game… the irony! The man also is a pragmatist who doesn’t bother much with feelings: he tried to let Jane rot in jail after Carter’s murder (which means his goal and RJ’s were the same at the time: to get rid of Jane); he tried to separate him from his best ally, Lisbon, by replacing her by Haffner, a man working for Visualize… And, of course, he collaborates pretty closely with Kirkland. So far, he is the man who has the more connections with the other suspects: Kirkland, Haffner, Reede Smith (who works for Alexa Schultz, which whom Bertram stroke a deal), Partridge (who is a CBI employee)… A fairly intriguing point given that his name may be a reference to Christie’s “At Bertram’s Hotel”, a novel featuring a secret criminal organisation hidden in a seemingly benign environment…

 3- Bob Kirkland is another character who has been suspected for a long time: he’s been watching Jane since he got a job as a consultant for the CBI and he spied on his list of candidates for RJ. And Lisbon herself, who liked the man at first, considers him odd now and is aware that he doesn’t tell anything useful…  It’s becoming pretty obvious that the man is investigating for personal purposes, even though the question of his goal remains unknown: is he trying to get RJ for himself, or is he trying to cover the serial killer tracks?  The murder of Lennon after asking him if he recognized him as well as his weird collaboration with Bertram seem to point to a dark interpretation. Still, things aren’t clear enough: neither he nor Bertram showed any sign of being subordinated to the other; they knew each other enough to make personal commentaries, but so far it’s rather hard to infer a lot of their interaction… Either way, the fact that Kirkland knew about Jane’s board might give an explanation to RJ’s eerie accuracy in guessing which names were on the list.

Still, there is an important flaw in that theory: like it’s been noted many times before, Stiles would be a bit obvious as RJ and Bertram would not seem clever enough to compete with Jane… and the same could be applied to Kirkland. If we are to believe RJ is brilliant enough to stay two steps ahead of Jane, is that plausible that he’d turn out to be someone like Bob, who managed in a few episodes to attract Lisbon’s distrust and to tip his hand to Jane (who was suspicious after Lennon’s sudden death and who is aware that his attic has been visited)?

4- The same applies to Raymond Haffner, who couldn’t even hide his connection to Visualize from Lisbon. His embarrassment when she asked him about having stayed at the farm when he was a “kid” makes him at the same time pretty suspicious and a bit too obvious as a possible RJ… In fact it’s even worse with him, since he has the two flaws described above: he’s too obvious and not clever enough. So, except if he’s very good at hiding his true colors, he would be more credible as a handyman than as a criminal genius. But who knows?

5- Reede Smith, the FBI agent working with Mancini for Alexa Schultz is another example of the writers’ taste for dramatic turns of events… and twisted sense of humor: indeed, the writing team spent last year hiatus leaking spoilers in order to build up some expectations about the new FBI agents introduced –briefly- in the season premiere. Still, the attention was purposely focused on Mancini, who antagonised Jane and showed a (slight) interest in Teresa. But who really paid attention to the more discreet Smith? What do we know about him after all? Only that he woks for Alexa, who in turn works for Kirkland or at least is not opposed to giving him information… It’s possible that RJ had hidden behind the appearance of a subaltern, while actually leading the game. It’s also plausible that he would have tipped Jane off about having a mole in the FBI in order to hide the fact that himself belonged here in fact…

And his first name might be a word play on Red/ Reede, since the sonorities are quite close. Moreover, I may very well be reading too much into this, but “Mr Smith” was the name of the serial killer in Steeman’s masterpiece, the classic murder mystery “The Murderer Lives At Number 21” (the novel, not the movie, whose storyline has been a bit changed): in the book, the elusive murderer manages to escape the police for a long time… because there are actually three of them working as a team and providing the others with alibis when the need arises…

6- Thomas McAllister was another almost forgotten character. He appeared in the second episode of the first season as a sheriff during a case. Like Partridge, he’s been introduced very early in the storyline, in opposition to Kirkland and Smith who are recent characters. That might do for a fairly ironic revelation too: imagine the reaction if viewers were to realize that RJ has been briefly introduced when they were not even familiar with the protagonist himself?

At the time, the guy seemed creepy enough to pass as the killer for Rigsby, who attacked him when he approached Grace (who was used as a bait for the murderer). McAllister taunted Jane when they met, calling him on his supposed “psychic powers”. Jane answered with his own brand of provocation, by winning several rounds of rock paper scissors, effectively proving his observational skills and ridiculing the sheriff at the same time. So, Jane has been playing another kind of game with the man, and has managed to twist the rules as well. Another interesting point is that that episode, ‘Red Hair And Silver Tape’ featured a married couple of killers going after young red-haired women… and that same sort of killers has been represented by Carter and his wife. Moreover, the minion in ‘Red John’s Rules’ has red hair too. Those little details might be overlooked, but since the three episodes have been written by Bruno Heller, it could very well make sense too…

7- Brett Partridge is the last name in the list and the only suspect featured in the episode. Jane despises him because he’s a ghoul and he often comes up with morbid fantasies as theories for the murder cases they are investigating. Still, the change of attitude that the consultant showed at the beginning of the episode indicated that he’s very aware that his inept behavior may be a façade. As the character has been discussed at length before, I’ll only remind that he showed a suspicious interest in RJ, an equally suspicious antagonism to Jane and that his name “Partridge” might be an allusion to Blake’s painting “A Brace Of Partridges”, which may explain the bird theme visible through the season.

As a conclusion, several details tend to hint that there might be an organisation of many men behind the name of “RJ”. On one hand the shadow of sect Visualize looming around at least two suspects –Haffner and Stiles- and the fact that some of them are effectively working together, and, in the other hand, the names of Bertram and Smith, might indicate that there could be more than one RJ in the list. After all, Renfrew wrote on the wall “He is man…” and a possible interpretation is that he wanted to tell Jane there were “many” men under the mask of the elusive killer. That may explain how RJ had come up with his own list: what if there were all RJ, assuming in turn the role of the master to seduce a new minion into submission so that they only knew one of them at the time? The concept isn’t new and it has been used in many classic murder mysteries, from Steeman to Agatha Christie’s “Crime of  the Orient-Express”. And, yes, the idea is fun to toy with, even though it may be proven wrong in a few months…

Food for Thought:

This episode was a peak in Jane’s quest for finding RJ and it was enhanced by street names such as “Stoney Ridge” and “Ashley Ridge Road”.

It also contained many, many reminders of previous episodes interlaced with the main plot.  For instance, ‘Strawberry and Cream’ was indirectly alluded to with the detail of the phone number leading to the minion scribbled on the wall. Back then, Gupta had written an address on the wall too; the contrast is that Jane managed to get in his way, only he did not this time. Miriam Gottlieb, the social worked who was friends with RJ has a similar status than Lennon, the shelter employee in ‘There Will Be Blood’, which consequences are showing in this episode. And Lisbon and Jane waiting for her in her house remind of Jane meeting Lorelei then Lisbon on Orchid Lane… Both in ‘The Crimson Hat’ and now, Lorelei has been delivering to Jane a message from her master.

At the same time, Heller tried to gather the recurring themes that coursed through this season, giving it coherence:

1) the fisherman and fish theme which represents the struggle between Jane an his nemesis is alluded to (the fish tank Jane used to catch Miriam Gottlieb as well as Barlow having a workshop at Venice Beach).

2) There is a yellow orchid-looking flower on the table when Jane and Lisbon are talking to Sam and Pete (see above in VIS#3).

3) The complex family theme is represented by Patrick contacting people from his childhood, talking about the Janes (there were various examples of people meeting again long lost relatives in the recent episodes and every one ended in tragedy). Moreover, the notion of leaving an abusive blood-related family in favor of a more accepting surrogate is illustrated by Eileen, who chose love over the Barlows… like Jane did with Angela when he left the carnies.

4) Last, not least, many kind of spectacles has been present recently (musicals, magic shows, and so on). It may prepare us viewers for the idea that RJ is too putting a clever show for Jane: the whole psychic thing is a smoke screen.

Indeed, the episode seems to woven together the threads coursing through the season, as well as it opens possibilities for the new one: again, the question is left unanswered about who is the fish and who is the fisherman. Who will get the other first, Jane or RJ? The rules have changed and a new bloody and pressing game is beginning… Meanwhile, the orchid reminds of the possibility of a new love for Jane, tainted by the shadow of his nemesis looming over them… Yet, again, there is the surrogate family that is the team offering comfort and help for the duo: even if they choose not to confide in them, the three younger agents have proved they are more than eager to protect their friends… while they’re all faced with another darker “family” of minions helping out their enemy.

Honorable Mentions: again, the cast was as fabulous as ever, particularly Simon Baker and Robin Tunney whose complicity onscreen add much to the characters. Special mention too to Michael Hogan who impersonated the mysterious Sean Barlow with the right amount of unsettling friendliness and creepiness. Also, Blake Neeley’s melodies added much to the atmosphere of the episode, like director Chris Long’s powerful filming (the scene where time speeds up while Jane is sleeping) and Bruno Heller’s very subtle writing… Ok, is there someone on this team I won’t be tempted to mention? Like I said, they were all pretty great…

Pet Peeve… or not?

To be fair, I got the feeling when I first watched the episode that there was something artificial in the way the different themes and new elements were woven together, but I couldn’t pinpoint exactly what … Upon watching it again, it dawned on me that Jane was unusually passive, towards his past (she lets Lisbon have a good look at his childhood, a thing he was more than reticent to share until then. He even talks about his father), but also in relation to Lisbon’s feelings (by simply not talking about them, he calmly lets her/us guess that he was already aware of them), and towards the new crime. He doesn’t really react to the slow realisation that he’s been lead on and even seems to weight the possibility that RJ has powers at some point, when he uncertainly accepts Lisbon’s assertions that what happens must be a coincidence… Like I said, it reminds of a Greek tragedy where the protagonist slowly discovers that he’s up against something much greater than him (fate/gods/…). Still, Jane is the kind of man who fights his fate, not a passive hero who struggles against destiny like a fish in a net: that passiveness is pretty unsettling. I really hope he will get back his pugnacity in the future: he will undoubtedly need it since if RJ keeps up his new game, I think “blood and tears” would be an accurate name for next season…

Reviewbrain: Or not…

Image by Chizuruchibi. Copyright Reviewbrain, May 2013. Not to be used without permission.

I’ll be holding out for a happy ending Thank you to Mentalist cast/crew for making our favorite show. And thank you readers for being such awesome fans and a member of this fantastic community. Please don’t forget to reward Violet’s lovely efforts by rating her review. And please visit my artist @chizuruchibi on twitter. These two are the best partners a blogger can ever have. Love you both

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Mentalist Red and Itchy Review

Synopsis

CBI Consultant Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) abandons working on the Red John case when he learns that Agent Lisbon’s (Tunney) newest case involves fellow Agent J.J. LaRoche’s (Pruitt Taylor Vince). LaRoche asks for Jane personally and he quickly finds out why: a tupperware box in LaRoche’s safe, whom only Jane knows can ruin the man, was stolen from his safe. The culprit is using the box’s contents to blackmail LaRoche (Pruitt Taylor Vince) into giving up a leak he is investigating in CBI. Jane’s help to find the culprit and retrieve his box before the 24 hours he was given to end his investigation is over.

Concise Verdict

Leading up to the finale, Red and Itchy is an episode with sublime writing and acting, intriguing recurring guest stars, a fan favorite mystery revealed, continuity, stirring character moments, beautiful music, fantastic direction, nice Jane…it’s winning attributes are quite endless. Plenty of episodes this season moved me beyond belief but two in a row, ones that were so good it hurts…..sigh. I love this show.  10/10.

Detailed (AKA HUMUNGOUS) Review (spoilers galore)

PRUITT TAYLOR VINCE. PRUITT TAYLOR VINCE!!!!!

This really was an all around perfect episode, but I won’t pretend that much of my elation was due to the fact of seeing one of my favorite actors and characters on the show depicted in a way that portrayed him to be what I always believed him to be. Unless I am being horribly led on, Red and Itchy completely vindicated my soft-spot for LaRoche and all the conclusions I ever made about him as well as Jane’s opinion regarding his character.

Speaking of vindication, it was also nice to see compassionate Jane make yet another appearance, to vindicate him from always being labelled as a jerk. Everyone knows Jane is a kind person in theory, but seeing him in action is always a wonderful experience. It truly is a joy to see him help people with minimum dosage of pain (since his love is usually of the “tough” variety).

Also, Jane’s often times misunderstood/miss received “help” is at times motivated by mixed purposes. But unequivocally altruistic intentions are not so often the drive behind his exertions. And if they are, then his implementation of them can at times leave much to be desired. Thankfully, not a single of these drawback’s exists here. I’ll always find Jane’s softer more compassionate side the most irresistible aspect of his character.

LaRoche, Jane and Lisbon; Friends? a Recap

In the Bloodstream episode review, I’d stated:

Jane’s proximity to J.J is probably part of a conscious strategic decision. If the man is guilty, then Jane has a better opportunity to find out. And if he is innocent, then it can only be beneficial for Jane to be close to someone as smart (and now, as powerful) as LaRoche…..Finally, perhaps Jane is spends time with LaRoche because he sees him as an actual friend. I liked when in the previous episode Jane told him “are we kids or what?” Obviously, he just said it to get the man’s guard down, but you also get a feeling of mutual respect there.

 in the Redacted Review…

I don’t care what anyone says. I am positive that LaRoche likes Lisbon (as a colleague at least). Else why would the writers have bothered clarifying that Lisbon’s one week suspension is mandatory? Why would LaRoche have clarified it? And the 6 months anger management classes, while undoubtedly tedious, could just as easily have been ordered out of concern for Lisbon as much as out of anger with her. I am positive that if not for LaRoche’s respect for Lisbon, her punishment could have been much worse.  Especially considering how much LaRoche was looking forward to making Culpepper “very sorry” for breaking into his home as he stated earlier on in the episode.

In the  Strawberries and Cream Review…

LaRoche dawdles and waits for Jane and Lisbon (who are arguing) to walk away. Only then does LaRoche get in the car. This scene was very cleverly written. Having LaRoche act strangely kept him under suspicion with viewers. Because what explanation could there be for him lingering behind, only to have him happen to kill Gupta and have the reason not be sinister?

.I’ve previously stated that I think LaRoche likes Lisbon (‘Bloodstream’); that he respects her. Also, we know Jane’s been trying to befriend LaRoche. When Jane offered LaRoche a bottle of scotch (Red Queen) LaRoche was visibly moved…I contend that LaRoche now likes both Jane and Lisbon and wants to befriend them but doesn’t know how. He just seems like such a misunderstood and awkward character that has a hard time having normal interactions with people. His hanging around could be because he simply enjoys being in their presence. Who can blame him? Their banter is always fun….A more serious possibility is that LaRoche was more interested in what they were saying. Lisbon was admonishing Jane for disobeying her order to leave, saying that it is her responsibility to keep him alive. I have a feeling that Lisbon’s sense of responsibility for Jane will be a huge theme in season four. And the fact that LaRoche heard her struggle with Jane’s insubordination will probably tie into that as well… what is undeniable is the look of pure interest made obvious because of the forced disinterest on LaRoche’s face as he listens to Jane and Lisbon’s banter. Pruitt Taylor Vince was remarkable in this scene. Initially he makes LaRoche suspicious and then endearing in retrospect. He truly is a joy to watch.

…also in Strawberries and Cream

Jane is amused at LaRoche appealing to his (questionable at best) sense of responsibility. He laughs and says “I love you.”

-BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was right! Jane likes LaRoche!

Ahem.  Never mind Jane probably just appreciates how simple LaRoche’s black and white ethics are (no doubt they make him easier to read) I genuinely believe he likes the guy. LaRoche’s reaction to Jane’s statement that he loves him is priceless. Like he doesn’t know whether to be pleased or scared; if Jane’s mocking him or if he’s being sincere.

Jane, seeing that he can’t manipulate LaRoche using ambition, goes for something else: fear. Jane tells LaRoche that if he gives him the list, Jane will not only tell him where Hightower is, but will also keep LaRoche’s secret. LaRoche tells Jane he could arrest him. But Jane says he won’t or he’ll reveal what’s in the box. LaRoche seems shaken and tells Jane “That is private” Jane responds that “it” should be, bluffing since he doesn’t really know what’s inside, adding that he’d love to help LaRoche keep his secret.  The man finally yields under the threat and writes down the name of the suspects. But before he gives it to Jane he tells him, not unkindly, “You’re a fascinating man, Patrick. Who knows what you might have achieved in this world were you not quite so damaged.”

J.J’s statement here can only reflect positively on his character. There he is being blackmailed by Jane into doing something against his moral character and work ethic. And instead of being furious with Jane he only seems to feel sympathy, maybe even pity for him.

In the Blood-Feud Review, I stated:

LaRoche is no dummy. He probably knew perfectly well that Jane called Rigsby and Lisbon is just protecting him by claiming she did. I see his refusal to acknowledge this truth is his way of succumbing to her wishes to protect her team. I’m just not sure why. Perhaps, like Hightower before him, he hopes Jane will behave better if he realizes that Lisbon will be held responsible for his actions.

LaRoche: Agent Lisbon, your instincts to protect your team are admirable, and your biggest flaw.

We have it in canon that this guy loves Lisbon (who doesn’t?). He got upset when she insulted him (Bloodstream) and he gave her a hug (Little Red Book). His statement here truly seemed like he was trying to look after her, protect her from herself. I find his behavior admirable, and not just because it annoyed Jane…

Jane: Yes, well we all have our flaws. Don’t we agent LaRoche?

Jane’s statement here is a not so subtle reminder to LaRoche that he knows a horrible secret LaRoche has (Strawberries and Cream) and his way of telling LaRoche his advice is not wanted. Jane does not want anyone influencing Lisbon and/or his relationship with her. It makes me wonder how he’d react if she ever gets a boyfriend.

Perhaps this threat is the reason why we never saw LaRoche make more attempts to befriend Lisbon…or Jane, for that matter. But it felt like Jane wanted to make amends since (later in this season) he enlisted LaRoche’s help on a case (Behind the Red Curtain). Unfortunately that pure emotion might have gone over J.J’s head since Jane had to bring up his blackmail material once more to get J.J. to cooperate. It sort of nullified his statements of  “Trust me, you’ll have fun.” And “J.J. You have to live a little. You spend your days chasing paper clip fees. When do you ever get the chance to nail a killer?”

But despite the successful cooperation in that episode, Itchy and Red shows that J.J. still felt/feels ill-used by Jane, despite Jane’s honest attempts to disabuse him of that (not quite unreasonable) notion.

Let’s take it from the top….

Teaser: Jane Willingly Leaves the Attic

Lisbon knocks on Jane’s door. He yells out “I’m busy!” Lisbon says she’s been trying to get him on the phone and demands he opens the door. Jane does so quite unwillingly. We learn why when Lisbon asks if his RJ suspect board has him any closer to getting to Red John. Jane replies: “I don’t know I keep getting interrupted. What I need is radio silence for a week Lisbon, if you can.”

-I was struck with how irritated Jane sounded here. It’s a stark contrast from the last episode when he tells Lisbon “Anything for you.” Methinks perhaps Lisbon has been calling Jane out on cases because she worries about him up there alone in the attic. And Jane’s irritation might stem from the fact that this (unnecessary, in his opinion) worry is getting in his way of making real progress.

Lisbon tells Jane: “The dead body in LaRoche’s house won’t wait that long.” Jane replies in surprise “J.J’s?” Lisbon concurs when she tells him that he asked for him specifically. Jane quickly follows her out the door.

-The difference between Lisbon and Jane’s reference to the Head of Professional Standard’s Unit is quite telling and in character. We’ve heard Lisbon refer to many of her colleagues by first name (Osvaldo, Bob, Madeline) but unless my memory fails she never called LaRoche by his first name. It goes to show that despite my (and probably Jane’s) suspicions that LaRoche likes Teresa, she still hasn’t warmed up to him completely. Mores the pity. I was hoping the hug the man had given her ( Little Red Book) would have clued her into the man’s regard. But it looks like it might have just weirded her out. Poor man.

In contrast, Jane calling LaRoche by his first name, suggests more friendly feelings on his part, as does the fact that he instantly left what he was doing to help out on the case, despite just demanding to be left alone.

More clues to the friendship are found when they reach La-Roche’s house. To my delight, Jane says “Oh, they hit the Hummels” commenting on the figurines he knows LaRoche loves to collect (Red Queen) before asking with genuine concern “Is LaRoche okay?”

Sigh. I totally ship JaRoche friendship.

Jane later makes his way to the ambulance where J.J. is waiting to talk to him before he goes to the hospital. Jane greets him by his first name commenting that he noticed the man bought a new safe, but that it wasn’t safe enough. J.J. asks the paramedic to leave them before telling “Mr. Jane” that he’ll cut to the chase.

-The fact that J.J. addresses Jane so formally clues us in to his idea of the relationship’s status: purely professional. Also, the cordiality hints of timidness and humbleness. Perhaps it’s due to the favor he’s going to ask Jane, or it might be due to being under Jane’s control for so long…

LaRoche tells Jane that he wasn’t honest with Rigsby. While he told him the thieves he surprised didn’t take anything, they in fact stole the tupperware box from his safe. Jane says he figured.

-Probably, when Jane didn’t see the box in the safe, he concluded that it was the target of the burglary. Perhaps he’d even guessed it was the reason for the crime the instant he heard the man’s house was broken into again.

LaRoche tells Jane he thought he was the only one who knew of its existence, but that after the remaining thief left he found a note in the box’s place “drop the case, you have until tonight”. He then explains to Jane that he’s being blackmailed into forgoing an investigation he’s working into a security leak at CBI. LaRoche then adds “you know what will happen if they unseal that box.” Jane replies “I do.”

-Of course regular viewers will be amazed at Jane’s ability to lie since we know he has no idea what’s inside, just that such a box exists and that he himself once blackmailed LaRoche, bluffing to reveal its contents.

LaRoche replies “of course” with a knowing tone. Here Jane is compelled to say “I didn’t take that box.” LaRoche then states “I know that, Patrick. It’s your favorite blackmail device” and attempts to win Jane to his cause by saying “Your puppet mastery of me ends if its contents become public knowledge.” Here, again, Jane clarifies “I never thought of you as a puppet,” to which LaRoche sadly replies “You ever thought of me as a friend?”

Aw! PTV totally broke my heart here. And probably Jane’s as well. Baker’s concerned empathetic face is a beautiful, beautiful sight to behold. But he doesn’t reply to LaRoche’s question. Perhaps it’s because, while he does like LaRoche (I do not doubt that for a second) his motives in getting to know him were not quite so altruistic in the beginning (he suspected him of being an RJ mole). Or maybe Jane is simply shocked that despite LaRoche butting heads with Jane, the man is tacitly admitting that Jane’s friendship was something LaRoche would have sincerely valued, had he felt confident he had it.

And just to make things more heartbreakingly awkward, J.J., barely able to keep his composure, tells Jane “this is difficult to ask”. At Jane’s (encouraging) expectant silence, LaRoche adds “I need your help. Please.”

;_____;

Sniff. I think it was Mary who once coined LaRoche as being “creepy but fluffy” on this blog. But now he’s just plain fluffy. He looks like a poor sick mutt.

Jane is quite stricken. It’s so wonderful to see him so touched, even more because it’s completely in character. We know that nothing moves Jane like honesty. And trust. So how can he remain unaffected by the man’s request here? He can’t. He isn’t, and is quick to reassure LaRoche that he’ll find his box.

-Baker’s tone here was so irresistibly kind that millions of fans melted into the floor.

LaRoche tells him, “I would appreciate that. As would my mother.” Before telling the paramedics that they can take him to the hospital now. Jane quickly takes the hint and leaves the poor afflicted man to try to collect himself in private.

-And any fans who managed to remain solid after hearing Jane’s husky voice had no chance against seeing PTV barely suppressed tears of pain and gratitude.

Lisbon then joins Jane as the ambulance takes off to ask Jane “So what’s in the tupperware box?” Jane honestly replies “I don’t know.”

Lisbon’s question is continuity to the fact that Jane had told her about the box’s existence when he used it to blackmail LaRoche into giving him his suspect list (strawberries and cream).  But her question here lets us know that she noticed no such box was in LaRoche’s safe and was insightful enough to figure out why the PCU head asked for Jane personally on the case.

Jane asks Lisbon to help LaRoche

Jane recaps to viewers how he originally came to find out about the box’s existence, and how Lisbon had to endure 6 months of anger management classes to keep LaRoche from finding out Jane had hired a man to break into the man’s apartment. He then tells her that the box’s contents might end J.J’s career and asks her to have Rigsby and Van Pelt to try to find out what’s inside it to help him. Lisbon replies: “Our job is to catch the criminal that got away, not protect some CBI agent who might be dirty.”

Poor LaRoche. If readers weren’t convinced by her refusing to use the man’s first name basis in the teaser that she didn’t care for him, then her being so unconcerned about his plight here is more than enough evidence. Perhaps her lack of empathy comes from the fact that the man had previously tried to warn her from protecting her team; something her motherly instinct must resent. Then there’s also the fact that J.J. had been the one to assign Lisbon the detested anger management classes. Although, in retrospect, I can’t but help wondering if they are what had her handle Jane’s Vegas stint/Lorelie affair as well as she did. Anyone else probably would have flown off the handle…

Jane seems disappointed with Lisbon’s stance, as hinted by his “so much for the anger management training” comment. He then tries something else; he tells her that if they find out LaRoche’s secret it will lead them to the missing criminal. Lisbon, always the voice of reason asks Jane why he just doesn’t ask LaRoche. Jane explains “It’s embarrassing and deeply personal”. Lisbon then asks “and it’s in tupperware?”to which Jane replies “Yes, how can you not want to investigate?”

How not indeed?!

In the Strawberries and cream Review, I had said:

Jane later tells the team that for his bluff to have worked so well, LaRoche must be hiding something horrible. I think, given how melancholy LaRoche’s demeanor and his statement to Jane, what LaRoche is hiding is something very sad. And that his statement that Jane is “damaged” means that he can’t believe Jane would threaten him with something so sad. Because while LaRoche may not know Jane very well, he should know Jane has no problem using people’s faults (mistakes) against them. I think he’d only be so affected (almost disappointed?)  if what Jane threatened him with was something he thought Jane could understand. A keepsake maybe, of a lover or a family member?

When LaRoche mentioned that he and “his mother” appreciated Jane’s help, my mind instantly surmised that the contents might have been her ashes, or something similar. We later find out that the item in the box was kept around the same time as a tragic event in his life: his mother was assaulted and raped, and later took her own life due to the trauma. But that wouldn’t explain why he would have a fear of the contents discovered.  Also, in a later scene, something he says to Jane establishes the idea that the contents must be truly horrible, as Jane said in the season three finale…

LaRoche explains the Leak

LaRoche tells Jane that he’s suspected a mole for months now because too many high profile suspects were evading arrests. When Jane tells LaRoche that he hadn’t noticed anything, the latter replies: “That’s because you stop at nothing to close cases for your team.” Jane, pleased, replies “Why thank you,” LaRoche then continues “Other CBI Agents, they have principles.”

-Snap! LOVE LOVE LOVE LaRoche. I also love how the banter recalls the “are we kids or what” statement (Red Queen). We know these two like to verbally spar together. But in this case Jane didn’t seem to derive as much pleasure from it. He replies to LaRoche’s jab into his work ethic, by telling him: “I leaned into that one”. Could it be, just like LaRoche cares about Jane’s friendship, Jane actually cares about what LaRoche’s opinion of him. I honestly think so. Despite differences of opinion, there was always a mutual respect between these two.

In case regulars didn’t guess who the leak was from the fact that Rebecca Wisosky, the actress that portrays Brenda was guest starring in this episode, LaRoche soon tips us off. He explains to Jane that CBI was going to bust into the warehouse of a drug lord, Miguel Leva, only to find the incriminating cocaine disappear before their arrival. Another rich suspect, Tommy Vokler (Little Red Corvette) was always ahead of Jane and Lisbon. Once he was caught LaRoche discovered that he had a secret cell phone and had gotten calls from CBI. Hence, LaRoche’s belief that a CBI employee is on the take.

-Regulars will no doubt remember that Brenda, the CBI’s head of PR was the one who kept providing Vokler with info on the case.

Jane tells LaRoche that at least he has a suspect; whoever is blackmailing him is the leak and once they find hi he’ll be safe. When LaRoche expresses doubt that it can be done before the deadline he was given to stop his investigation, Jane then reassures LaRoche: “Like you said I’ll stop at nothing.”

The two then have the following conversation:

LaRoche: ”You know what’s in that box, Patrick. What do you think of me?”

Jane: You’re going to have to be more specific.

LaRoche: Am I a monstrosity to you?

Jane: “A monstrosity? No. I mean, you’re interesting and complex.

“I am?”

“ And obviously creative. Tupperware.”

LaRoche: “Well, I suppose that’s true. I’ve been afraid to ask that until now.”

Gold. Gold. Gold. Gold. LaRoche’s question, Jane’s clever answer to hide his ignorance, and how quick he was to quell LaRoche’s fears in spite of that ignorance was so very intriguing.

First, LaRoche’s acknowledgment that he feared what Jane might think of him, is evermore proof that he actually cares about Jane. What other proof of regard is needed other than caring about what a person thinks about you?

Second, this fear might be another reason why, after the events of Strawberries and Cream, LaRoche (apparently) kept away from Jane. If he thought Jane knew what was in the box, he could only assume Jane would have researched his past to connect the dots. And if Jane was blackmailing him over revenge of such a tragic event as had happened to his mother, then that would certainly explained the “damaged” comment LaRoche had said to Jane in S&C. It would also explain LaRoche’s later keeping Jane at arm’s. He was afraid of him, both revealing his secret and his possible ill opinion of J.J. After finding out about that secret. PTV was fantastic here, portraying  this new (insecure!) side of LaRoche.

As was Baker. Jane’s reactions and tone were phenomenal. As were his facial expressions. At LaRaoche’s queary, the actor’s expressive expression gave insight into the mentalist’s thought process: he sensed inherently the man’s need for compassion and didn’t hesitate one second in reassuring him, despite not knowing what horror, what “monstrosity” might lie in that plastic box, that he didn’t think he was a monster.

I think, for the first time, Jane realized that he may have more in common in this man than sharp intellect and the ability to get under people’s skin.

LaRoche Start to Panic

Once Jane finds out where the plastic box was left for J.J.’s blackmailer to find, he immediately calls LaRoche to find it. To their disappointment, they find that the box was already taken from the park which was the drop-off point. Then LaRoche sees a man with a plastic container and threatens him at gun-point into giving it up. Jane tells the (as it turns out later) innoncent man “He’s usually very calm I’d do what he says” and checks the box to find out it only has a young kid’s lunch. LaRoche is appropriately apologetic, tells Jane his time is running out, and thanks him for his help.

-The moment was important to see just how desperate LaRoche was to get his box back. It also explains why Jane is helping LaRoche: he says he’s like a puppy that’s rolled onto its back: “You have to rub its belly.” LaRoche accuses Jane of mocking him to which Jane replies:  No, no, I’m happy to rub your belly.” Here, LaRoche responds, “That won’t be necessary,” much to Jane’s relief.

I love these two together XD. Also, J.J. looking at his belly as he said the words made me laugh loud.

LaRoche Feels Betrayed by Jane

When Jane figures out that Brenda is his blackmailer and hence the CBI leak, he takes his suspicions to LaRoche. The man concurs that she’s a likely suspect as most information in CBI passes through her. But he adds that it will take him time to build a case against her; time he doesn’t have before she reveals his secret. Jane tells LaRoche he can take her down before then but he needs Lisbon and the team’s help. LaRoche immediately balks at this idea, saying nobody can know about his box. To his dismay, Jane admits that they already do, that he had to tell Lisbon a very valuable container was stolen from LaRoche’s safe. He assures the man, swearing that that he never mentioned it’s contents, but LaRoche is nonetheless upset: “You had no right to reveal its existence at all.” Jane replies simply: “Lisbon is my partner.” The statement only makes LaRoche feel worse: “Allegiances, loyalties. Yes. Of course. What…what was I thinking?”

Awwwww! Poor LaRoche! It’s like he felt, hoped, that Jane would be loyal to him as well, but now feels like a sad idiot for entertaining such thoughts. Despite his awkward attempts, he’ll never be a friend to Jane and/or Lisbon. Jane seems to understands the man’s dejected feelings based on how bad he looks for the man. I can’t remember the last time I saw him so compassionate to someone other than Lisbon.

LaRoche goes on to break my (and Jane’s heart) a little further: “I understand. You and Lisbon, you’re trusted friends. You do what you will, Mr. Jane. It’s what you’ll do anyway,” before walking off like a puppy who’d been kicked in his gut.

Jane feels really, really bad. He goes as far as to say “J.J. Come on, don’t be like that!” but to no avail. The poor, awkward man goes to lick his wounds in private, much to Jane’s consternation, especially since, he truly is trying to help him.

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This scene was so, utterly devastatingly beautiful. It made me cry, not just because I felt bad for LaRoche, but in disbelief that I was witnessing such a fantastic character moment. I LOVE character moments. And by two such unbelievably talented people, by two such profoundly deep characters…. Happy tears were shed all throughout this episode. Then as if that wasn’t enough, Neely’s music was there just egging all the emotions on, taking them so much further than on-screen relationships between two adult men usually go.

Jane Presses Lisbon Into Cornering  Shettrick

Jane, more motivated than ever to help LaRoche urges Lisbon that they need to move against Shettrick. She’s reluctant due to the lack of concrete evidence against her. She also tells Jane “Have you ever thought that maybe LaRoche’s secret should be known?” Jane’s reply is very intriguing “Endlessly. But I’ve come to the conclusion that whatever happened he had punished himself enough.”

-Jane here was probably debating whether he himself wants to know what’s in the box, since I don’t think the idea of exposing LaRoche ever actually crossed his mind. As to LaRoche having punished himself enough, I think Jane came to that conclusion based on a new understanding as to why LaRoche now is such a die-hard stickler to the rules: trying to make up for his past mistake, he overcompensates by sticking to the rules no matter what. It is probably the reason he is such a misunderstood person and alienated by so many people. Even Saint Teresa doesn’t like him…

Jane then goes on to tell Lisbon that she knows in her gut that Brenda sold her out to Volker. That she almost got an eight year old witness killed (Little Red Corvette) and finishes off his speech saying: “For once in your life Lisbon, don’t be the voice of reason, be the voice of wrath.”

It’s a powerful, powerful statement. It’s followed up nicely by little miss fierce saying: “All right. How do we get the bitch?”

I can’t for the life of me find any reason to fault Lisbon’s stance here. The trap that subsequently ended up capturing Brenda wouldn’t have worked, wouldn’t have had any harm (that I could find) if she had been innocent (unlike some of Jane’s other ideas). It was therefore very satisfying  to see her sufficiently lured.

LaRoche regains his Box

When Cho and Rigsby find the tupperware in Brenda’s office, Jane arrives just in time to stop the younger agent from sneaking a peak. He asks Rigsby “Is that yours to open?” The caught agent puts lowers the box.

Jane then returns it to LaRoche, who thanks him for keeping his secret. When the grateful man surmises that Brenda can still bring him down, Jane says that she won’t since she cut a deal with the DA to give up drug lord Leva, and that she won’t talk of the tupperware if LaRoche drops the blackmail charges. At LaRoche’s query on how Shettrick knew of the box to begin with, Jane assumes that she must have asked Culpepper, the thief Jane hired to break into LaRoche’s safe, to give her dirt on the man she wanted to blackmail.

-I liked that an explanation was given for this since this question really would have bothered me.

LaRoche tells Jane that this “concludes our business together” Jane pointedly replies “I certainly hope not.”

I want to hug Jane, so sweet was he here!! Hopefully LaRoche now won’t doubt Jane’s genuine desire for his friendship. We certainly got plenty of hints of their passing time together in Season three. They both could probably use the friendship.

LaRoche then tells Jane that while he appreciates his never asking him why he kept the box, he must have wondered. Jane agrees that he does.

LaRoche then tells him: “I hold this box as a warning. It reminds me to the depths to which a man can sink if he lets himself.  And it reminds me of my mother.

-I can’t help but wonder if LaRoche’s interest, warning to Jane is a result of wanting to protect him from sinking to those depths he’s only too aware of.

Jane bids LaRoche farewell.

Jane asks Lisbon to Leave him Alone

As Jane heads into his attic, Lisbon asks if he looked into the box. Jane replies: “And violate the man’s privacy?”

-Okay, since when does Jane care about people’s privacy? We’ve only seen him so discrete when it is someone he truly cares about (i.e. Lisbon in Red Badge).

Aw, crap. J.J. is gonna die in the finale, isn’t he? Why else would he have been so in focus this season. Note to self, prepare tissues.

Jane then goes on to tell Lisbon “What’s inside the box is of far less significance for me than what the box represents.”

Lisbon won’t leave it alone asking: “I just want to know why you bent over backwards for that man.” Jane, enters his attic, then turns back at the threshold and tells her the following:

“What’s important to know is that a man will go to extreme lengths to find peace. As I must do now.” Lisbon, unaware of the new empathy between J.J. and Jane is understandably confused: “What are you talking about?” Jane replies “Until I come out of this room, I need to be alone, Lisbon alone. No interruptions. No distractions.” Lisbon reluctantly agrees and tells Jane to do what he has to do.

-The difference between Jane’s demeanor at the beginning and at the end of the episode is striking. Here, he is much nicer when asking Lisbon for space. I think perhaps, spending time with LaRoche, who doesn’t appear to have anyone in the world, Jane felt that even Lisbon’s interference in his work is a blessing. I’ve no doubt she does it because she’s worried about him, and he probably appreciates that more now. Not that I doubt he ever did, but the day’s events might have served as a reminder.

The secret is revealed…or is it?

Grace tells Lisbon that she found the address of LaRoche’s mom’s rapist. Lisbon tells her to forget it since Jane is busy and the case is over, but when she learns that the perp, Scott Saynay, lives with his mom, Lisbon is intrigued and pays them a visit. The mother is shocked when Lisbon tells her she wants to ask her son some questions: she reveals that her son is mute: a man broke into Scott’s apartment nine years ago, gave him a sedative and cut out his tongue. She tells Lisbon that the police never caught the man or ever discovered why the crime was committed, nor did they ever find his tongue.

-Woah. I guess we finally know what’s in LaRoche’s box: the tongue of his mother’s attacker. And yet, something doesn’t sit right with me.

The choice of taking out Saynay’s tongue, as opposed to other body parts seems strange and I scoured the episode in search of an answer. Here are some possible clues I found:

-Earlier in the episode Rigsby said that Saynay was on anti-depressants the night he attached LaRoche’s mom.

-We were also told that the only evidence found that Saynay was the perp is LaRoche’s mother’s blood on his clothes. Again, there seemed to be a specific reason for giving us this knowledge.

Could it be that LaRoche took revenge in his own hands because he feared Saynay might plead instanity/lie on the stand and therefore successfully withstand the trial? Did he not want to risk the man getting an “innocent” verdict?

Or…

What if Saynay is innocent and his tongue was cut out, as opposed to any other body part, to prevent him from ably defending himself in court?

Could it be that the blood evidence was planted?

I know I’m veering into conspiracy territory here and I’m loathe to suspect LaRoche of more than what we’re being asked to conclude here, I just can’t shake off the weird vibe I got at the end. I blame the look/demeanor of the actor that was chosen for the role of Saynay. He doesn’t look like a sick or evil rapist. He looks like a broken boy. I guess that might be a natural result of incurring LaRoche’s vengeance; he has to live mute forever as payment for his terrible crime. But what if his demeanor is actually that of an innocent man who suffered unfairly? I know what I should think: the obvious conclusion which, based on Lisbon’s smile of comprehension she came too as well. But something just feels off somehow.

Speaking of Lisbon, under the disturbing circumstances, I might have been a bit surprised (disturbed?) by her amusement, except I am positive it was mostly ironic due to finding out something Jane doesn’t know (thought he probably guessed as much) and at the fact that Robo-cop LaRoche, whom is even more by the book than she is, had veered off the law so terribly in the past.

Best Lines

“You know we can have someone handle the dog.” Lisbon, to Rigsby, on his holding LaRoche’s dog.

“Oh yeah, I know,” Rigsby in reply to the above, holding on more tightly to the gorgeous white fluffy animal. Of course Rigsby loves dogs.

“I hope you learned something.” Jane, to Lisbon, when she recalled the anger management classes. Lisbon’s light smack, coupled with a beautiful smile to let Jane know she was only kidding, is the closest thing we’ve ever gotten to her flirting with Jane. Not that I’m saying she is, here. Pity Jane was too intent on LaRoche’s case to notice. He reaction might have been telling.

“Tupperware is never handy, it’s always in the wrong drawer.” Rigsby, to Lisbon.

“And when you do find it the lid’s always missing.” Grace, in reply to the above.

“Right? I hate that.” Rigsby, again, in reply to the above. I love how this short exchange hints at Grace and Wayne’s newly on relationship. They’re just so in tune, which shows how much they’ve matured as opposed to their bickering spats when they had a relationship before.

“Since when do we attend autopsies?” Lisbon, to Jane. Since the pilot, dear Lisbon.

“I’ll take your word for it.” Lisbon, to the coroner, declining to see something in the body. It’s intriguing to see how Lisbon here isn’t shy about showing her disgust, as opposed to professional Lisbon in the pilot, all professionalism in front of Jane (more of a colleague, less of a friend at the time). I’m more inclined to think it shows that she’s less uptight around Jane than to think it a lack of continuity.

“You’re father was losing the use of his hands he needed help so he taught everything he knew to the woman he trusted most.” Jane, to the victim’s daughter, on how her mom knows how to open safes. The line seems like a pretty good explanation for Jane constantly wanting to teach Lisbon his methods as well.

“Oh, Lisbon it doesn’t matter what was inside. The exciting part is the mystery of not knowing. It’s what makes the journey memorable.” For a nosy man like Jane this entire line seems like a load of crap. I’m thinking he said it to prepare Lisbon for the fact that she’ll never find out (not from him anyway) about what is in LaRoche’s box.

“Sacramento’s most eligible singles? Or should I say sexy spinsters of Sacramento. –Jane’s inquiry on what Lisbon is being interviewed for. I guess it could be possible that it was Brenda Jane was flirting with, but I don’t think so. especially considering the previous episode. I think his statement here is continuity on how Jane is making increasingly suggestive remarks regarding Lisbon, and how, while not encouraging him, she isn’t exactly shying away from him either. I remember asking this before (and being outvoted), but I can’t help wondering, again, if the writers want to prepare us for the fact that a Jane/Lisbon romance will (has already been) established off screen…

“Let me do what I do. You do what you do. Whatever that is.” Brenda, to Jane, when he challenges the point of Lisbon’s interview. Baker and Tunney’s shared amused glance at the jab was great fun.

“LaRoche is pressed for time, we’re doing fine,” Lisbon, in reply to Jane’s statement that they’re pressed for time. Again, it’s interesting to see how more vested Jane was to help LaRoche than Lisbon is.

“Trading favors and inside information to anyone who’d have you…Just another political phony on the take. Baa.” Jane’s powerful soliloquy explaining Brenda’s motives, making the noise of a sheep at the end, mocking her earlier statement of suspects being sheep taken to the slaughter by showing her that she’d turned into one long ago. Baker showing his characters merciless derision here was a fantastic contrast to the empathy Jane had shown for J.J. throughout the rest of the episode.

Icings on the Cake

J.J’s dog doesn’t like Lisbon. Maybe she’s jealous of her?

Karl Sonnenberg looks very imposing and photogeneic. Truly loving all the screen time he’s been given.

Lisbon telling Brenda that she didn’t read blogs, and Shettrick telling her that she should made me smile.

Honorable Mentions

David Paymer (AKA the San Joaquin Killer) directed this episode. And what a marvelous job he did of it. I loved all the focus he had on the player’s faces. Viewers didn’t miss a single facial expression. Then there was the angle he used to show us Lisbon on camera. I know it turned out that Shettrick was the one watching her, but at first I could swear angle suggests RJ was watching the interview as well.

I’ve already flailed plenty about Simon Baker and Pruitt Taylor Vince. But Rebecca Wisosky was fabulous as well. Especially at the end. Her portrayal of Brenda’s mortification and shame during interrogation, as Jane painted a pitiful picture of her decline into becoming corrupt, was extremely well done.

Tunney was marvelous as well, especially at the end in portraying how hard it was for Lisbon to succumb to Jane’s wishes of being left alone. Worry doesn’t seem to be her main (only) difficulty here of letting go. You can tell that she’s going to miss him as well.

Blake Neely’s music as as emotionally manipulative as ever. What would the show be without it?

Best Scenes

I CAN’T CHOOSE THIS IS TOO HARD YOU CAN’T MAKE ME!

Readers, please share your own favorite scenes.

Conclusion

In the comments to the last episode’s review, Pheonixx said something which I not only completely agree with, but saw some evidence of in this episode:

Also wouldn’t it be harder on everyone -when you know you can’t be with someone- to push the person away and not act on your feelings but then you realize this person reciprocates your feelings. If you knew that other person only sees you as a friend that’s one thing but if the possibility of a relationship presents itself, I personally think it’s becoming harder for Jane to stay away therefore he might act even worse.

This theory is supported by Jane’s behavior in this episode. There was a sense of urgency at the beginning when Lisbon interrupted him. His (yelling!) telling her that he’s busy, her not wanting him to be alone, his urging her once more at the end, her relenting (though not easily) to let him to what he has to do….it all seems like the writers are laying a foundation for something. Could it be that now that Jane has real reason to believe Lisbon might actually be returning the depth of his emotions for her, he feels more anxious than ever to catch RJ? Or could it be his fear for her safety is increasing, maybe as a result of their increasing regard?

Then there’s the fact that Lisbon appeared on camera to say the following, as a comment on the break in to LaRoche’s home:

“It’s stark evidence that no law officer is ever truly off duty. We’re all targets. But J.J. chose to be a CBI Agent which is a life of serving other people…”

I wonder if RJ saw Lisbon’s interview. If so, will he be tempted at all to prove to her just how true her statement is.

Then there’s the fact that the reason Lisbon gave the interview is because, as she and  Shettrick told Jane: “Bertram wants to put a public face on the LaRoche break in, to assure the public that we are not rattled by criminal attacks on our people.”

Now Shettrick might have been lying. Bertram might never have ordered the interview, she just arranged it because of the access such an interview would give her to LaRoche’s case, without Lisbon ever suspecting her.

But what if the interview really was Bertram’s idea? The idea kept nagging me especially as I researching the past reviews for previous analysis on LaRoche’s character. I ran into previous suspicions raised into Bertram’s character in season three when he, LaRoche, and O’Loughlin were all introduced. I’d always found him and Craig to be more suspicious than LaRoche.

-He quoted a William Blake poem in front of Lisbon (perhaps to ascertain how much info on RJ Jane shared with her).

-He’s the one who told LaRoche about Hightower’s affair with the CHP officer, thus implicating her in the murder of Todd Johnson (Red Queen).

There were other things as well, but those were the main points I remembered. And now, we have Bertram wanting Lisbon (not J.J, who was most involved) go live on air saying that she’s not afraid of attacks. What is going on?

I. SO. CAN’T. WAIT. FOR. THE. FINALE.

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The Mentalist Red Velvet Cupcakes Review

Synopsis

After nagging at his colleague and former lover Grace Van Pelt (Righetti) who was late at the crime scene, Wayne Rigsby (Yeoman) joins Cho (Kang) near the body. Since Jane (Baker) isn’t present, Rigsby proceeds to describe to him the specifics of the crime over the phone. They soon realize that the victim and her absent husband had been participating in a radio talk show for couples having problems.

Concise Verdict
Rebecca Perry Cutler gave us here a very well-written and well-though episode. When so many commenters have been complaining about the lack of progress in the relationship between the two lead characters, she answered to their pleas and even added an unexpected and audacious new turn of events in the Van Pelt/Rigsby storyline. It gives an interesting and much needed recap on personal questions before the season finale. Some deliciously sweet and addictive “Cupcakes” we got!

Detailed AKA Humongous Review (spoilers galore)
Two major arcs are entwined through the episode. They concern the two potential couples in the team: Rigsby and Van Pelt, whose relationship has been on and off in the history of the show and Jane and Lisbon, whose interaction gives off particularly ambiguous vibes here.

Lisbon and Jane: complicity/ intimacy…
VIS # 1: Jane in the attic, part I
For once, the episode doesn’t open up with the protagonist arriving at the crime scene, it’s a glimpse of Wayne and Grace’s tense relation that introduces the murder of the week. The male agent is bothered by his ex-lover’s new supposed new relationship and snaps at her for being late. As there is no sign of their consultant, Risgby calls him on the phone and discovers that the older man is –unsurprisingly- still holed up in his attic at the CBI building… In fact, Jane is studying the board and that right away reminds the viewers of the fact that Kirkland has a copy of it now.
While pacing his dusty very own headquarter, Jane accepts to help them out with the case, without leaving the room: Rigsby will be his ears and eyes. Variants of this scene have occurred thorough the seasons. For instance Jane has been blinded once and relied on the others’ eyes to unravel a mystery and even to drive a car (twice); he has also helped out Lisbon once to find a bomb on the phone, relying on her description and his prodigious memory… so this new form of investigating from afar is not completely unheard of from Jane, still it illustrates further his extensive skills and presents him again as an expert in his area, like in ‘Red in Teeth and Claws’ and in ‘Red, White and Blue’. Like fictional detective Nero Wolfe, whose books were seen in ‘Red Lacquer Nail Polish’, he acts as an “armchair detective” who lets the others do the legwork and collect the information while he takes over the task of analysing it and synthesizing it into a valid theory… Thus he’s able to deduce that the victim had couple problems; he’s focused from the start on the relationship the late Missy Roberts had with her husband. That’s why he guides Rigsby through the rooms susceptible of enlightening him: “I want to understand their relationship. Bedrooms say a lot”.
In the kitchen, Rigsby finds the ‘Red Velvet Cupcakes’ which gave its name to the episode. They are another example of Jane’s skills since he knows that Wayne has discreetly taken one of those « awesome looking cupcakes » and asks him to « put that cupcake back ». At the same time, they’re also the symbol of Missy’s unhappy marriage, since she disagreed with her husband about food as she loved to bake, whereas he was on a diet.

Right from the start, the plot seems centred on relationships. The red gerberas daisies -that are showed on the kitchen counter with insistence- confirm that impression. The red flowers link the scene to the general RJ arc; the daisies are also flowers generally connected to love. Plucking a daisy is indeed a well-known game to know if someone loves you or not and, amusingly, it matches the one Wayne will be later playing with Grace…
VIS # 2: Jane in the attic, part II
But the major goal of the scene is to present a stark contrast with the second time Jane’s called on the case. Indeed, later Lisbon comes to the attic door after the lead about the husband has been mostly discarded.
Like the first time, Jane is reluctant and tries to chalk off the clues which tend to innocent Kip Roberts as forged ones. He seems pretty eager to dismiss the case in order to concentrate in his main activity: catching RJ. Indeed, his apparent nonchalance is refuted by his awareness of his surrounding: like he did with Cho in the previous episode, he recognizes Lisbon before even hearing her voice. Same with his lake of activity: Lisbon assumes he’s working on his list, but actually he’s lounging on his makeshift bed and reading. He almost looks like a lazy and unenthusiastic teenager whose mother is knocking on his bedroom door because dinner is ready… still, that’s again an appearance because it seems that Jane just doesn’t want to leave the attic, either because he waits for Kirkland to make a move, or because he had falsified the board in order to trick him in the last episode and is now guarding the real one… Either way, the shot from above him while he’s reading reminds of the view we’d have from a camera surveillance. As commenters C Hill, Old Man and Zee pointed out for ‘Behind the Red Curtain, the filming tends to suggest that he’s being watched.
Since Jane has decided to ignore her attempts at convincing him, Lisbon then plays her last card: she tells him the magic words “I need you”… Jane pauses and abruptly comes with her, to her great surprise. He answers her plea with a heartfelt: « it’s nice to be needed. Anything for you, Lisbon »… So he refused to come for professional reasons like solving the case, yet he doesn’t hesitate when she makes the matter personal and reach out for his help. It’s the same pattern than when she asked him to help her get Volker: she told him “I need your help” and in the next episode he was all over the place trying to get the bad guy and subtly threatening him. Now, things go a notch further: Lisbon is not threatened by anyone like was by Volker and the case doesn’t involve a mass murderer. Plus, it isn’t his “help” that he requests because she has no other mean to get to the truth: it’s just him. Things are indeed getting pretty personal and they are aware of the change: they briefly look at each other and a myriad of emotions are expressed in Lisbon’s face, before settling with a mix of smugness and surprise. It’s a meaningful moment.
In fact, their complicity is in dire contrast with Rigsby’s jealousy and the couple problems the victim faced. Their closeness shines even through a later scene, when, after following her o the field and interrogating the Missy’s sister, he discovers another titbit of information about Lisbon: she knows the radio talk show the victim and her husband attended to, « Prescription for Love »… When Lisbon caught her consultant staring meaningfully at her, she tries to plays it off as something she “listened to in [her] car a few times”. Jane tells her he would go to the radio station and he’d leave her the “shady baker” Missy worked for. And then Lisbon betrays her interest in coming too, to Jane’s great delight («Ahaha, that’s ‘cause you’re a fan”). He proceeds to tease her merciless, adding “it’s fine Lisbon, we all have our guilty pleasures”. He’s very gleeful to learn something new about her…

VIS # 3: Jane and Lisbon at the radio studio
At the radio studio, Jane and Lisbon are mistaken for a couple auditioning for a session… Lisbon answers bluntly with a awkward “we’re not a couple, please” and, faced with the receptionist’s expressionless stare, Jane remarks helpfully “what she means is that our is more of a platonic love”. He’s obviously teasing her and annoying the woman at her desk since he keeps stuffing his pockets with sweets.
Still, his matter-of-fact tone might remind us viewers that he may be a bit serious: after all, he has confessed in the previous season finale that he loves her (in whatever sense that “love” has to be taken); and indeed, whatever they have is “platonic”, they haven’t been and are not sleeping together. So he’s announcing to the world that they have feelings for each other, but that they’re not acting on them (no sex, no actual relationship)… He’s acknowledging for the first time with words that there may be something going on between them, and does it as a joke… like he did somehow when he pretended not to remember what he said in ‘The Crimson Hat’, he’s making progress but still takes care of staying in the grey zone… And he deepens the impression that he’s teasing her when, after she has flashed her badge as a response, he adds for the receptionist that “she’s very excited” to see the love doctor she listens to on the radio.
Jane is very jovial in this episode, may it be because he knows he’s making progress on the RJ investigation and it cheers him up, or because Lisbon took a step towards him. Anyway, his attentions are concentrated of her.

VIS # 4: Jane and the love doctor
After provoking a bit the control freak producer, Jane becomes serious again when they interrogate Buddy Hennings, the lover doctor who had been counselling the Missy and Kip. He’s actually the second love specialist Jane has met, the first being Erica Flynn, and the atmosphere of the scene and in the studio is pretty different: there is not some much seduction there as questions being asked and answered…
Interestingly, there is a red poster behind them and there are various elements in the same color in the studio (as there ware in the reception area), therefore almost every shot features a glimpse of a reddish object behind them during the talk. Which is pretty fruitful, but not on the murder aspect.
After Lisbon leaves to answer her phone, Jane asks Buddy if it was Missy who wanted help with her marriage, not Kip. Hennings answers that “in the beginning, he was going along to get along, but he turned the corner”, explaining: “in the first few sessions he was very distant, very uncooperative, to anyone but Missy… But after a couple of sessions, he developed an attentiveness for the work I hadn’t seen before. He really changed.” Jane is sceptic and remarks: “well, you know, maybe he was covering that he felt guilty for something, like having an affair.” Henning disagrees and maintains good-naturedly that he thinks the therapy was working.
Ok, so, are they talking of the victim’s marriage or about Jane’s reaction concerning his work spouse during the events involving Lorelei? Because that’s an almost exact description of Jane’s behavior in the few lasts episodes: he’s been trying to shut Lisbon out of his interrogations of Lorelei, and very “uncooperatively” organised the woman’s escape behind his partner’s back. Then, he “turned the corner” too when Lisbon confronted him in ‘There Will Be Blood’ about the mess he created and his feelings for the other woman: since then, his “attentiveness” for keeping her on his side has increased, and there is a kind of paroxysm in this episode. Therefore, it’s rather intriguing that Jane himself pointed out that he may have acted that way because he was feeling “guilty for […] having an affair” since it was Lorelei who endangered his working/personal relation with his partner… It’s almost as if he was admitting too that he may be feeling guilty for keeping his agenda while being so close to Lisbon.
That angle is developed a bit more later, when they find at last the missing husband in a hotel room. The red corridor leads them to a jungle-themed room where Kip is restrained on the bed with a black-leather-clap dominatrix entertaining him… Jane is thrilled and comments: “jungle theme. It’s classy.” In some twisted way, Kip endangering his marriage with a SM affair in a pseudo-jungle décor and trying to cover up for it reminds a bit of Jane: he’s putting his closeness with Lisbon at risk by obsessing with his hurtful masochist struggle with RJ the tiger. The similarity also is deepened by the detail of Missy being like a second mother for her sister, a role Lisbon has assumed for her brothers during her teenage years…

VIS # 5: Jane watches the video
Back at the studio, Jane finds himself again in a room decorated with reddish elements: this time, it’s a brick wall in Buddy’s office. The wheels in his mind are already working when he sees the poster on the wall featuring two feet with different woman shoes… several details already pointed out toward the feet angle and the connection seems even more visible in his mind when he watches the video of the session Kid and Missy had with Hennings: Jane freezes the frame where it’s obvious that Hennings has been staring at the golden stilettos on Missy’s feet…
Again, that moment reminds us of the episode with Erica: Jane had been watching the video of Sarah, whose love life the pretty widow was helping to improve… And the same thing occurs here: Jane finds a clue in the manner the interview has been progressing and discovers that the so-called love specialist is flawed. In Erica’s case, she was helping people find true love, while she kept seducing men she didn’t care about and she killed her husband because he was planning to stop her business… Buddy, on the other hand, helps couple overcome their problems, whereas he compulsively loves feet and keeps staring at a “patient” in front of her husband. Worst, he was also having an affair with her, endangering his own couple. That’s a rather cynic vision of love therapy. Moreover, the episode isn’t focused on seduction like it was with Erica, but more on problematic and complicated relationships and as so it matches the evolution of his friendship with Lisbon… probably even with the sexual undertones. One may wonder if the progression from a seduction episode to a couple therapy one is a way to subtly indicate that, because of the hardships they’ve been encountering, their bond has matured into something deeper and more significant…
Anyway, Jane’s plan is motion: he offers Van Pelt an unexpected gift in a red/dark pink box (like the pink donuts box in the previous episode). Jane seems eager to give gifts to his team, may they be useful or just for fun: he bought them all something from the museum gift shop not so long ago; since we didn’t get Grace’s reaction back then, we can infer that she liked her fossil because she considers her unexpected present as a nice surprise. Jane might also have spoiled them a bit because Lisbon endearingly asks “nothing for me?” He answers: “Trust me, you won’t like it” while Van Pelt uncovers a pair of black stilettos… Like she has been in the past seasons, the gorgeous red-headed is used by her consultant as distracting candy-eye in one of his schemes… and, even though it isn’t the most appropriate of gifts from a coworker, Grace tries them on good-naturedly. To reassure her boss who is a little wary of his action, Jane then quotes Sherlock Holmes and announces to his own Watson that “the game is afoot” before comically correcting “two feet” in reference to the shoes… Again, his relation with Lisbon is indirectly put under the spotlight: she’s his Watson, his partner, she expects a gift too and he knows her well enough to infer what her tastes are in shoes. She, on the other hand, wants to know what he’s doing: she’s back to being a bit wary of him.
Later, Jane talks with the couple who was interviewed when he was at the studio. He gives advices to the boyfriend, once again next to a red wall: the young man is dominated by his girlfriend (he’s even holding her bag while talking to Jane). The consultant asks « when was the last time you were completely honest with her, the last time you disagreed with her? », adds that « she will respect » him if he holds his ground and that « women love a strong man »… are those the beliefs behind his relation with Lisbon? Is he antagonising her to earn her respect, misbehaving to prove her he’s strong? Maybe those words aren’t mean to be compared to his own attitude, but they are nonetheless a bit intriguing… Either way, we didn’t get to see if his counselling worked: either because the young man convinced his girlfriend or because they broke off, the couple cancelled the session, thus giving “Dwayne and Stace” the opportunity to pose as a couple.

Wayne and Grace: it is love
A major discussion has been building up between Van Pelt and Rigsby since the very beginning of ‘Red Velvet Cupcakes’: he was jealous when she was late because of her supposed “hot date” with Duncan the night before. During a stake-out, Grace attempted to talk it out in the car but he was reluctant to go to the bottom of things and he only said “I’ve been feeling kinda weird since you’ve been back” and explains that he’s been thinking about her before asking her if she has been thinking about him too. That Grace wanted to discuss the matter was a sign of her increased maturity since the beginning of their story: in the early stage of their relationship, she simply avoided the subject of his interest in her… Also, Van Pelt is the more prone at calmly discussing a situation with her former lover: the car conversation reminded that she was the one who instigated the talk about him moving on after their break-up just before having an accident with O’Laughlin; it was her who tried to put him at ease in the car outside a bar when he was dealing with his troublesome father in ‘Like A Red-Headed Stepchild’. On the contrary, Wayne tends to tell her what he thinks during rather abrupt outbursts: telling her he loved her when she was about to get married, asking her to have a talk with him when she’s about to leave the office in ‘Red Letter Day’…
Still, both share a past and obviously care for the other: Grace has kept on her desk the orchid he gave her in the previous episode while he still remembers her size in shoes.

VIS # 6: Grace and Wayne have their long overdue talk… on air
That may explain how things got out of end during their fake session with Buddy Hennings. First, the couple follows the plan and simply states that they have “communication problems”. When Buddy asks them to elaborate, Rigsby helpfully and comically explains that they have “problems talking to each other”. But half-truths don’t do the trick and they are soon forced to share a bit more of their real history… Making Lisbon quite uncomfortable when Buddy asks them how the sex was. Indeed, the scene is laced with snippets of Jane and Lisbon listening to the talk show in the car: at first, they shared an amused glance at their friend’s situation. But after the sex question, Lisbon is obviously embarrassed and remarks “we shouldn’t be listening to this, really.” But Jane doesn’t share her scruples about listening on colleagues (“Oh, come on, Lisbon, don’t be such a prude!,”). Their opposed views on the question of privacy show there and it reflect a sensible tension in the car.
Wayne and Grace resume their “rocky history”: Rigsby attacks first and lets his anger surface when he evoked their break up because she thought the job was more important. He then adds that she “got engaged to a maniac”. It’s obvious that Rigsby has absolutely not moved on about those parts of their past that he resented as betrayals, given how eager he is to confront his former lover about them. But soon, tables are turned and he has to give explanations about the baby he had with Sarah, when he and Grace were “totally off”. That’s the pivotal moment when Van Pelt shows how much more mature she has become over the years and after the tragedies brought in her life. She calmly explains: “For the record, I’m not angry about the baby. I just found weird that you had a baby with someone you barely knew”. She tells him that she loved him and we get that wonderful insight in her mind: “when we were together, we were kids. I was a young naïve girl. I wasn’t ready to commit to you. It wasn’t about the job, it was an outlet [...] We’re not the same, but that’s ok. I like who I am now. I like who you are. You’re a man.” Rigsby only answers that his feelings for her haven’t changed.
It’s really amusing that all the drama between those two could be summed up in one scene; it makes a great show indeed as Buddy and Jane pointed out… Beside, that incredibly straightforward and thorough talk enlightens how different those two are: even though he tried to built a life without her with Sarah and Ben, Wayne hasn’t moved on. It seems Sarah was right in refusing his proposal: he’s not in touch with his feelings, pines after a past he hasn’t been able to renounce to. Meanwhile, Grace has learnt to distance herself from her mistakes and has grown up: contrary to Rigsby, she’s aware of his progress as well as her own and respects him and herself for that. What a character development since her difficult grief in the past season!
All the while, Jane and Lisbon are in the car, listening. Jane is amused and Lisbon embarrassedly looks through the window, but she’s interested in what is happening. Both share an occasional glance which betrays their complicity, but the fact that they’re looking at the other quite often when he/she isn’t looking and their lack of verbal comments also indicate that they’re pretty tense. The question is why: are they overwhelmed by those details about their co-workers? Or, given how close Jane’s actions appeared to be to Kip’s in the recap Buddy gave him of his session, is that very personal talk making them think about their own past and the mistakes they have done?
VIS # 7: both arcs get a conclusion
After the real killer is arrested, she is interrogated back in the CBI building. She fits under the category of the unrepentant murderers we have been acquainted to recently: her words that « it felt good » remind of those the killer in ‘Red Letter Day’ uttered to Jane. Same with the creepy murderers in ‘Red, White and Blue’ and in ‘Red Lacquer Polish’: they were all unremorseful and blamed others for their acts. Is that a way to suggest that Jane’s revenge is getting close and that it will “feel good” too? That may explain the cheerfulness he showed in this episode and maybe, maybe his willingness to get even closer to Lisbon, since he might be hoping that his quest will be over soon…
Either way, after the case is closed, Lisbon is lingering in the kitchen and seems to be seeking Jane’s company. The woman seems pretty dejected –she was probably more a fan of Buddy than she was willing to let on. Jane picks up on her thoughtfulness right away and understands it has something to do with the foot fetish that was bothering her in the car. Since he’s not prone to let her get away such a titillating subject, he tells her: “your brows are furrowed and you have that squinty look in your eye. You want to talk to me about that foot fetish, but the Catholic schoolgirl in you tells you it’s not appropriate.” Her answer is honest and things get oddly personal: “you’re right. I don’t get it. I can’t wrap my mind around it”. Jane only answers that “everyone has that thing, that’s just…that’s human nature.” Alas, poor Lisbon didn’t realize where this conversation was heading and that her nosy consultant is eager to know more about her than just her preferences in radio stations; she fells right in the trap and lets slip “I don’t”. Jane begins to prod her: “oh, come on, Lisbon, don’t deny yourself that freedom. There is definitely something out there that works for you, that flukes your switch… Like turtlenecks” That makes Lisbon clamp up at once: “you’re right: it isn’t appropriate.” As she exits the room, Jane gleefully repeats that it’s turtlenecks, very happy to have made her angry after needling his very professional team leader into a sex talk.
That “turtleneck” thing is pretty ambiguous: is Jane just fishing for information? Or is he alluding to the man Lisbon has been most interested in so far in the show, Walter Mashburn, who coincidently was wearing a red turtleneck in ‘Red Hot’ when he managed to seduce her? If the comment was indeed referring to good old Mash, one may wonder if Jane was purposely trying to provoke Lisbon… or, if he was evoking the past of his relationship with Teresa too: given how both Grace and Rigsby have expressed repressed jealousy about the other’s affairs, are we to consider that Jane is slyly doing the same in bringing on her fling with Mashburn? Or is that talk only yet another way to tease the shippers by linking Lisbon’s sexual preferences with another man? It’s not the first time that Jane would have been interested in her love life and her relations with other men (Mashburn, Bosco, her former fiancé…), but here things seem to get more personal: he’s asking her something very private about her, not trying to grasp how her past love stories worked… And, whatever the reason, that scene hints once more that Jane is the one willing to make them make progress towards a still unexplored “something more”: he is the once who keeps trying to get her to loosen up with him, calling her “prude” and “Catholic schoolgirl”, like he was the one who used the love word, who asked her to call him Patrick (‘Devil’s Cherry’). In this episode, he admitted that he would do anything for her; while she’s the one who keep being hesitant and wary, of this plans, but probably of his true intentions too. She never asks him to elaborate: she didn’t push the matter further when he said he didn’t remember what he had told her in ‘The Crimson Hat’; she didn’t comment either on Lorelei’s words that he was “a little bit in love with her’ (except for yelling that she was not his girlfriend, that is…). Here, she doesn’t verbally react to anything he’s blurting: neither to the “anything for you” nor to the “platonic love” part. She also lets slide the “prude” comment and his interest for her possible fetish… She only stops talking to him and gives their interaction in this episode an interesting conclusion: she leaves the room angry, unlike in the beginning when he came to her. There is metaphorically as well as visually a push and pull movement between them… and that is a way to sum up their level of intimacy for the season finale…
Also, it’s pretty funny that the episode enlightens various sorts of sexual quirks/ “guilty pleasures”… A physical one (the foot fetish), a reaction to a particular touch (“when she hits me, it turns me on”), a cloth that turns on (turtlenecks)… That may makes one wonder what Jane’s “switch” is as other categories are left without explicit examples… Indeed, since the beginning of the season, Jane has been hinting that he likes commanding women: he told Lisbon “I like it when you get all authoritarian on me” (‘Not One Red Cent’); he commented that Lisbon’s determination to get Volker was giving him goosebumps; he even told Lorelei that he admired strong women (‘Red Sails in the Sunset’). Still, it seems that the real thing that works as a switch and makes him change his course of actions are three magic words: “I need you”…
Meanwhile, Grace decided to take the matter with Wayne in her own hands: after putting on some other sexy shoes, she goes to Rigsby’s home and kisses him. Both enter the house in a passionate embrace… Therefore, it seems that the scenes between both potential couples are responding to the other, like they did when the former lovers were in a session and their colleagues were listening to them in the car. When Rigsby and Grace are tensed around each other and need to talk it out, Jane comes as Lisbon calls him and teases her merciless. Then, when Lisbon is aggravated and walks away from her irreverent consultant, Grace joins her lover and kisses him senseless. Both couples complete each other.

Honorable Mentions: Everyone was awesome, from the cast to the wonderful writer. Director David Barrett did a remarkable job, especially with that striking shot from bellow when the killer put on bullet in Missy’s foot. And not to mention Blake Neely’s inspiring music: his melody in the kitchen at the end when Jane starts getting more personal does a lot to give its atmosphere to the scene.
Best Lines:
-« it’s nice to be needed. Anything for you, Lisbon » Jane to Lisbon. Seriously, how sweeter can the man get?
- “What she means is that ours is more of a platonic love”. Jane, to the receptionist was had mistaken him and Lisbon for a couple seeking help. Again, seriously? How much more of a tease for Lisbon (and for shippers) can the man get?
- “Yes, that is something that does exist…” Jane on the radio, when citing the California Bureau of Investigation.
- “First person to call will receive 10 000$ cash money. Yes, folks, we’re talking… Ah, I just got word from my producer that this is *not* the amount of the prize. It’s actually 20$. And the chance to guest DJ for the radio station for a day. A day of your choosing, that’s right, folks. DJ spot during drive time.” Jane asking for a witness on air. Completed with a velvety voice (‘Red Velvet’ too…) and some pretty hilarious reactions in the background, particularly the producer freaking out and frenetically taping on the glass, which of course doesn’t faze one bit Smooth Talking Jane…
- “It’s a webcast, not Steven Spielperg”, the irritated producer to Jane, upon hearing his complains about the video of the victim’s session.
- “They’re not sexy and they’re beige” blunt Cho to Rigsby who is helplessly searching for a sexy pair of golden shoes in the victim’s wardrobe.
- “It didn’t work out” Grace to Buddy, about her engagement to O’Laughlin. Understatement of the year…
- “Yes, because he was a homicidal maniac”, Rigsby to Grace, in response to the above.
- “Amazing foot. And an amazing shoe” Buddy to Grace, while massaging her foot. Creepy compliment.
- “It’s kind of an obvious thing.” Jane to Lisbon asking him how he knew about Buddy’s foot fetish.
-“I wouldn’t be asking if it was” Lisbon to the above. I love when Lisbon doesn’t like that Jane is feeling patronizing…
-“It was an unexpected act” Jane, upon realising that the real killer was threatening to shoot Buddy and Grace. Because he hadn’t planned to let his colleague be alone with a dangerous murderer in the first place, of course…
Best Scenes:
The Winner: the talk between Van Pelt and Rigbsy. Really powerful. Kinda reconciles you with on and off couples and drama…
First Runner Up: Jane trying to get Lisbon to open up about her fetish of all things. The idea is too hilarious and titillating to pass up.
Second Runner Up: Jane trying to gather witnesses by talking on the radio. I admit that scene is one of my all times favorites, it really cracked me up! The mixing between Jane’s playful fake seriousness and the producer freaking out behind his window is typically what makes Jane such a great and endearing character.

Conclusion: in the comments for the previous episode, Estatica pointed out that the book that Jane was reading in VIS#2 was “A Tale of Two Cities” by Dickens. I chose to include a part about in the review in guise of a side-note/conclusion, since it doesn’t entirely belong with the plot… Thanks to Estatica, Rose UK and Suzjazz for their precious input!

1) The book storyline takes place during the troubled times of the French Revolution and we can determine a similarity with the current season in TM, since the characters met a paroxysm in the quest for RJ and in terms of personal relationships. The intervention of Kirkland, the FBI team, Lorelei as well as the ambiguous actions of Bertram create an atmosphere of general suspicion which finds some intriguing echoes in the book: “The Dover mail was in its usual genial position that the guard suspected the passengers, the passengers suspected one another and the guard, they all suspected everybody else, and the coachman was sure of nothing but the horses”… almost everyone is potentially a suspect with Jane’s list and the viewers are forced to consider how little they know about the show characters: “ a wonderful fact to reflect upon, that every human creature is constituted to be that profound secret and mystery to every other”, to borrow Dickens’ words…

2) Various details from the “Tale” make a curious appearance during season 5. For instance, to continue the theme of troubled times, Dickens mentions to two personifications: the “Woodman” (who is Fate) and the “Farmer” (an image of Death)… death and farm, that reminds of ‘The Red Barn’ where RJ made his debuts… Another detail is that a major part of the storyline of the English book takes place in France; Jane is known to fancy French expressions, but recently he has used two which weren’t part of his repertory so far: “bon voyage” in ‘Red Lacquer Nail Polish’ (an episode which included various references to this country, from the Impressionist art gallery to the mention of Monaco), and “bon point” to Buddy Hennings in ‘Red Velvet Cupcakes’ where the book is seen.

In the previous episode, Jane had a toothpick in his mouth and used it to set a trap for Kirkland’s men; Mme Defarge, the antagonist, who was seeking revenge for the death of her family, was using a toothpick for her very first appearance in the book.
Same with a detail concerning Lisbon: her fainting in ‘Red in Teeth and Claws’ in front of flesh-eating bugs is reminiscent of Lucie Manette fainting during the trial of Charles Darnay (whom she would marry afterwards), while the audience at the Old Bailey made sounds which made the author compare them to flies.
On the other hand, Dr Manette, who had been put in jail for many years because he had refused to caution the rape and murder of a young girl, suffered from PTS disorder and freaked out when he wasn’t locked up in the garret where he spent his days afterwards… like Jane took recently the habit to lock himself in his dusty attic with a padlock (we can see that he has to remove the padlock in order to exit the attic in VIS#2)… Manette’s making shoes obsessively; we saw Jane pretty upset about losing temporarily his old brown shoes and visited a cobbler who was pretty distraught by the bank robbery in the neighborhood (there was also a bank which makes a brief appearance in the book). And of course, the love doctor in here is obsessed with shoes.

3) That’s why similar plots are discernible too. About the Dr Manette, for example, Rose UK pointed out there was elements of comparison. At the beginning of the book, Lucie meets her damaged long lost father: her words when learning that he’s alive are “I’m going to see his ghost! It will be his ghost… not him!” and, when they meet, the old man progressively recognize his now grown up daughter while asking her “who are you”… Those aspects (the ghost-hallucination, of the daughter this time, the increasing doubts about her identity) are present too in ‘Devil’s Cherry’ when “Charlotte” meets Jane again. Again, Miss Manette tries to bring him back from his obsession: he’s “recalled to life”, a bit like Charlotte tried to shake her father out of his obsession by opening him to the possibility of a new life. As Rose UK remarked there is a major theme common to both stories: “the idea of imprisonment, or being trapped by yourself, your past, your circumstances, your superiors or authorities, and by things beyond your control, etc. And ultimately breaking free, of course. Bringing down the old order to usher in a new one.”

Another important theme is the duality: Darnay was falsely accused of being a traitor (like Jane’s intention were suspected since the RJ investigation was handled to Darcy), by his resemblance with his darker alter ego Carton is what saved him from being sentenced to death and ultimately to being executed since Carton willingly took his place at the end of the book. Many details (like the Bloody Mary in the previous episode or both assuming the role of partner for Lisbon at some point) trace a parallel between Jane and the mysterious Kirkland. Even more since both men have showed an interest in Lisbon (albeit the latter certainly had an hidden intention) like Darnay and Carton were both in love with Lucie. That might open many possibilities, like Estatica pointed out: « I’m tempted to think Jane and Kirkland share many similarities with Darnay and Carton. Is this a way of the writers letting us know that Kirkland may end sacrificing himself to that Jane has a chance to rebuild a new life? Or that Jane will end up sacrificing himself for Lisbon and the team?”
The different themes concerning family matters are also evoked: we have instances in the book of tragedy-causing/murderous families, whom many examples have been shown in recent episodes. Darnay’s father raped a girl and covered up her death by destroying her family, thus imprisoning Dr Manette who was a troublesome witness… years later, that revelation causes the innocent Darnay (who has become the doctor’s beloved son-in-law) to be trialed and sentenced to death.
Darnay is then also an example of a man who has rejected his cold blood-related family to the point of changing his name in order to find solace in a new chosen family, the Manettes. Same with Carton, who is a close family friend. That’s an important theme in the show.
We also have examples of estranged/ long lost family members: Dr Manette and Lucie bonded after not seeing the other for many years, like many characters did in TM (that mother and her daughter in ‘Behind the Red Curtain’) and that ended up in tragedy. The theme is also laced with revenge both for Manette and Madame Defarge, whose family was destroyed by Darnay’s father and who was seeking revenge on him and his family. Both characters show the two possible endings offered to Jane so far: to become a monster by killing the man who murdered his loved ones, at the risk of losing his own life in the process (like Madame Defarge), or as Estatica put it “to forgive” “and find happiness”.
And, of course, last but not least redemption is a major aspect of both stories: Carton redeems himself by sacrificing his life and that’s what Jane has been seeking all along.
On a side note, it is probably nothing more than an amusing detail for classic murder mysteries lovers but Madame Defarge has been alluded to in one of Agatha Christie’s book (“They came to Bahgdad”). Since two other literary works, Blake’s poems and Macbeth were quoted directly in the show and also featured prominently in her books, respectively in “Endless Night” and in “The Pale Horse”, we can guess TM writers share the same tastes in books than The Queen of Crime…

Image by Chizuruchibi. Copyright Reviewbrain, April, 2013. Not to be used without permission.

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The Mentalist Red Letter Day Review

Synopsis

CBI Agent Cho (Kang) comes fetch consultant Patrick Jane (Baker) from his attic as they were called for a new case: Hollis Percy, the owner of the town named after a Wild West town for tourists has been murdered. Before following his stoic coworker, Jane sets a little trap for possible intruders. Meanwhile, Lisbon (Tunney) meets Bob Kirkland (Kevin Corrigan) for coffee and a friendly chat.

Concise Verdict

The episode was a good surprise: not only did it deal with the events of ‘Behind the Red Curtain’ -or rather with their consequences-, but it also laced the dramatic moments with funnier ones and gave some well-used screen time to everyone on the team. Writer Michael Weiss managed to produce an intriguing combination between an old-school TM episode and a new step leading to the impatiently awaited season finale: a tragic love story as the murder case, a hint of mischievousness and a good deal of serious matters, those are the ingredients used for this well-written addition to a startling season. 10/10.

Detailed AKA Humongous Review (spoilers galore)

Kirkland/Jane: the attic mystery battle

VIS #1: Jane in the attic

Jane is scribbling away in his little notebook when Cho comes to get him. From the get go, the consultant appears hyper aware of his surroundings: he recognizes Cho before hearing his voice and is defiant enough not to let him enter his inner sanctum. The attic seems off-limits for everyone except Lisbon and he is getting a step further in transforming it in a safe place: until recently we didn’t see him bother trying to lock the door; then he put a padlock. Now, he adds a way to verify if his privacy has been violated and he does so when no one is watching: he sticks a toothpick between the door and its frame to be able to tell if someone enters …

This opening featuring someone calling Jane in his attic to go to a crime scene is by no way unusual, but the setting puts further emphasis on the fact that the episode has a deeper meaning. More details add to this sentiment. Jane later refuses to shake the medical examiner’s hand because there is blood on her glove. It recalls the raison d’être for Jane’s secrecy: he knows he has shaken RJ’s hand, a hand covered with his family’s blood… And when the consultant states that the victim knew his killer and argued with them, the woman asks him details and Jane elaborates the usual reasons for arguing:  “money, power, love, jealousy…” and she adds “revenge”, the very motivation for Jane’s quest.

VIS #2: Lisbon and Kirkland at the rooftop café

Meanwhile, ffollowing what had been suggested since their very first meeting and in spite (or rather because) of Lorelei’s demise, Lisbon and Kirkland meet up for coffee. The scene shows them settled at a table. Lisbon makes some small talk about her youth, giving some details about herself. It’s particularly intriguing since Lisbon is known not to share willingly any part of her past and the team (read: Jane) had to lure systematically any titbit of information from her. Whereas, Lisbon soon comes to realise that her companion is not as open about himself since when she asks him specifics, he eludes a direct response and avoids telling her where he comes from or what kind of family raised him; he mentions a father and a mother, but doesn’t even mention what kind of job they did: no names, no location, no social status… He concludes by “I like to say I grew up in America” to cover up for his lack of information about his origin.

It’s even weirder since their meeting is pretty date-like: they aren’t here to talk business like they were with Haffner in ‘The Red Barn’. Their meeting up is informal and they’re supposed to share something about them given that they are in a first name basis and they compliment the other (« this is nice, you’re really easy to talk to, Teresa »). Kirkland’s reluctance doesn’t make much sense if he is really here to get to know Lisbon as a woman: instead, it takes a worrying significance if we assume he is following a plan like he was when he killed Lennon in the previous episode. Indeed, Kirkland gives the impression to feign normalcy: he listens, talks, compliments, still everything seems off, as if he was hiding his true colors under a “normal” appearance. It reminds of the nurse’s comment about him wearing a mask in ‘Behind the Red Curtain’. And his real goal is revealed when they part ways: he interrogates her about Jane’s opinion about RJ and asks her to keep him on the loop. Meaning that he wants to confirm how much Jane knows and certainly also if her consultant suspects what really happened in the hospital room. It seems that every guy asking her out this season is more interested in Jane than in her: first Haffner scouting her for a company owned by Visualize, then Bob testing the waters through her…

Anyway, Lisbon is no fool and she realized right away that something is amiss. She doesn’t hesitate to ask him things about himself when he doesn’t tell anything spontaneously, then she cuts things short under the pretence of having a case when her men have already returned from the crime scene.  Another hint is that she is cold when he comes back to the bullpen and even comments on it; even if the guys confirm that it is indeed cold, her dismissive “so I’m not crazy” might indicate that her encountering with Bob had a chilling effect…

Later, she makes a report of the meeting to Jane and states that « everything about Bob Kirkland is odd ». Her bluntness and her refusal to defend Kirkland’s investigation and authority like she did in ‘Behind the Red Curtain’ show that she is aware that something is wrong. Jane must have talked to her about Lennon and Bob’s presence at the hospital: anyway, the Homeland Security agent is no more her “new best friend”, instead it’s Jane who has assumed again his role as a confident. In insight, the coffee break the two of them shared reminds a bit of the dinner Darcy and Jane never had but planned to eat in ‘Cheap Burgundy’: both times, the characters had a hidden agenda and tried to lure the other in a false sense of security before getting information out of them; and both times, they failed.

VIS #3: The Attic is Broken Into

Bob’s true goal is further enlightened when two men pass the CBI building security and secretly break into the attic. The first thing that comes to mind is that they must have been observing him or at least have inside information of some sort since they know where to search, given that they didn’t bother searching Jane’s almost unused desk in the bullpen for instance. They also seem to also know what they would find. They carefully take photos of every note, list and picture on Jane’s suspects board before leaving the place like they found it… well, almost, since Jane’s simple trick worked and they didn’t see the little white stick falling down on the floor.

Later, back at the Homeland Security headquarter, they give the loot to their boss, none other that the mysterious Kirkland who decides to “take it from here”, to his employees’ surprise. So in other words, he uses the resources provided by his position, but doesn’t want to let his men learn more than needed about what he’s looking for. Jane’s research board was too huge and complex to understand without a bit of time to analyse it -the synthetically briefer list is on his notebook-, so there is little that they can gather from it without spending some time to understand the connections Jane made. Kirkland’s reluctance points towards a personal motivation, as indicated by his rapt interest when he looks at the pictures taken in the attic. After his odd question to Lennon about recognizing him, that furthers the impression that he must be personally involved with Jane’s quest.

This manoeuvre enlightens even more the ambiguity of the character: he uses a somewhat official investigation for a personal initiative, like he probably did before when Jane first arrived at the CBI in ‘Red Dawn’. He’s definitely sneaky: listening in on Lisbon’s conversation with Bertram in ‘There Will Be Blood’, killing Jason Lennon in the previous episode before he had a chance to speak to Jane, trying to discreetly obtain insight on Jane’s ideas through Lisbon and know stealing information from him. Bob’s interest is focused on Jane and his investigation and, every time, he’s taking a more active part in wanting to know what he discovered.

VIS #4: Kirkland studies Jane’s notes

To add even more mystery to the man, he’s seen studying his prize late at night. He’s alone in a rather big room containing things like a printer, a desk and a couch: he’s either at home or in a pretty comfy office, but either way the place seems quite private. He’s reconstituting the puzzle of Jane’s clues board and his deep concentration, the loneliness and the dark atmosphere gives a rather spooky vibe.

Besides, the man is drinking a Bloody Mary: this is the cocktail Jane drank at the anniversary of his family’s death in ‘Red Rover, Red Rover’ and the red color reminds of the RJ arc. Both details allude to the fact that Kirkland makes a very plausible accomplice for RJ (or even RJ himself, although it’s quite unlikely since they only met after Lorelei was sent to jail) and that he may be trying to decipher how close Jane is getting… On the other hand, the moment is still ambiguous since his fascination with the investigation and the fact that it was Jane’s drink might indicate that he’s hunting down the serial killer too. His dedication, his solitude and the haven provided by a large office-looking room with a huge widow reminds of Jane’s own obsessive musings in the attic at night. Still, a question remains: if Kirkland is a better guy than he seems and if he is chasing after RJ too, how come the serial killer didn’t try to get into the attic himself, given that he must know that there is a possibility that Lorelei had revealed something about him?

VIS #5: the ending

After closing the case, Jane comes back to his attic and finds the stick on the floor. His reaction: a smile and a contented look around when he enters the place… His smile is the only indication that he must have been planning the outcome all along; he had the same (albeit even more gleeful) reaction after his night with Lorelei and back then it also revealed that he in the middle of a scheme. He was tricking Kirkland in showing his true intentions, thus set the trap and waited for a reaction. He was waiting for him to tip his hand; that’s why he didn’t come back to the attic during the whole investigation, he lounged on the couch in the bullpen or stayed at the tourist town: he knew that he was offering a golden opportunity for Kirkland to sneak in. The gloomy look he flowed the man with at the end of last episode showed that he was suspecting him of having a hand in Lennon’s death, and we can guess that he deduced that his antagonist would be willing to evaluate the situation by trying to know what he thinks.  Is it therefore too far-stretched to assume that Jane also kept with him the true conclusions he came to about RJ? After all, he didn’t leave his notepad behind and didn’t seem bothered that someone had a look at his place and had probably taken some pictures given the complex presentation of his work… He may as well have planted false information on the board or, at the very least, he knows that the information it provided is useless and/or incomplete.

The moment is echoed by the very last scene where we see that Kirkland has finished reconstituting Jane’s board on the floor of his office. He looks at it, satisfied; it is night time and the light coming from outside projects shadows of the paper sheets: his big and dark figure is looming over them in a threatening way and the blinds on the window imitate some bars and add to the hostile atmosphere.

That ending emphasis the importance of the event. It’s a pivotal episode, a true ‘Red Letter Day’: a moment which is noted as having a very particular significance. The title may also allude at Jane’s trick to get the murderer to confess with his envelopes (a envelope contains a letter), but above all it underlines that it is the day when Kirkland reveals himself to Jane as being more than simply interested in the official part of the RJ investigation.

Rigsby and Van Pelt: orchids and drama…

The second arc of the episode features the drama-loving and eternally indecisive couple formed by Rigsby and Van Pelt. Indeed, the evolution of their relationship is synthesised in four moments which amusingly reflect the steps they took in the past.

1) Rigsby holds a torch for Grace: he has offered her an orchid that stands proudly on her desk when Lisbon comes back from her coffee-break with Bob. The choice of gift shows that Wayne knows Grace well, since there was a white orchid on her desk in ‘My Bloody Valentine’ (she put Craig’s necklace on it after making peace with his death) and we can see in a later scene that she has another potted flower behind the orchid. He knows what she likes and tries to be rather unobtrusive with his gift, since it can be constructed as a welcome back gift while still having subtly romantic undertones. And, like they did in season 1 and 2, everyone knows who has given the flower, seeing that Lisbon and later Jane immediately assume it’s from him: everyone is aware that he’s still interested.

2) Rigsby needs to take a decision: in the break room, Cho finds Rigsby mooning over a box full of donuts. The man can’t make his mind over which one he should eat. His blunt friend tells him he needs to “make a choice”. He’s talking about the food, of course, but also about Van Pelt. Cho is telling him that he has to stop being a coward and face the situation, like he already stated in ‘Red In Tooth And Claw’. That reminds of the times when he and Jane advised the younger agent when he was longing for his redhead coworker in the beginning of the show.

3) Meanwhile, Grace is also reminded of her past when she interrogated the victim’s wife. The woman was explaining the problems he had with faithfulness and that he was “terrified of change”, before asking Grace if she is married. The agent answers that she is not and adds ironically that married life “sounds like fun”, secretly commenting on her own disastrous engagement with Craig O’Laughlin. It seems that Wayne is not the only one who has been thinking about the past and who is about to make an important step forward on their personal life…

4) Rigsby confronts Grace in front of the elevator when the case is closed. He starts dancing around the matter stating that the week was good and that he’s been “moving with the wind”, before suddenly telling that they need to talk. Van Pelt is understandably surprised so he gets more precise: “about you and me”. She starts saying that there is something she needs to tell him… and, as if on cue, Duncan, Van Pelt’s new boyfriend, barges in. We’re back on the old drama that seems to define their relation: one has regrets/the other has already moved on with someone else. It looks like Van Pelt is decided to write a new page of her life: a few weeks in another city, a new professional experience, a new man on her life; still things might not be as straightforward as they seem, since she already knew what he meant when her former lover asked for a discussion about them and she felt like she ought to tell him about Duncan, meaning that she isn’t oblivious of his feelings. And later, when he awkwardly excused himself, she cast a look at his crestfallen retreating figure instead of focusing of the newcomer. Argh! those two definitely have some overly complicated love lives…

Icings on the Cake

It’s rather rare that we get in a serious episode some glimpses of Jane’s usual mischievous and playful personality. Jane’s funny cowardice, his glee when the cowboys were fighting in the saloon and the scenes with the not very gifted magician added a nice lightness to the plot. In fact, his relative politeness when asking the magician for “a couple of minutes of [his] stage time” in exchange of his help with the tricks was indicative of a progress: even if Jane was awfully offending and patronizing, he didn’t just con him out of stage like he would have usually done (like with the kid in ‘Something Rotten In Redmund’). Is Jane (very) slowly starting to acquire a bit of respect for others? And calling him a “magician and mental mystic” was the cherry on top…

Pet Peeve

Is that really believable that Kirkland’s men didn’t see the stick between the door and the frame? It’s a pretty basic trick and I guess men careful enough to put everything in place afterwards should have noticed it right away…

Conclusion:

The whole episode is filled with reminders of the recurrent themes woven through the entire season. Many elements are concentrated in here and it conveys the impression that things are speeding up for the season finale in subtler ways than meets the eye…

1) As if in an answer to our discussion on whether flowers on this show have significance, the orchid theme makes yet another appearance and is even commented upon by Jane with the rather ironic in insight “well-chosen, Rigsby”. It’s a not so discreet follow up of the other orchids this season, from the ones in ‘Devil’s Cherry’ to the meeting with Lorelei in Orchid Lane: this time, it doesn’t appear directly in associated with the RJ plot, but it seen right after Lisbon’s meeting with the mysterious and murderous Kirkland who is linked to that story-line. Beside, Lisbon connected it playfully to something more sinister when she commented that she knew Rigsby offered the flower because she’s « a homicide detective »… Also, I don’t know if it’s a mere coincidence, but the orchid is related to Wayne’s hope for a love which is meant to encounter obstacles, like it was for Jane in ‘Devil’s Cherry’ when he was talking to “Charlotte”.

2) The fish: as it has been stated in the wonderful comments for ‘Behind the Red Curtain’, the marine theme has been quite present in season 4. There is a big fish as a decorative trophy near the surveillance camera the waitress pointed out at the saloon. That element reminds the viewers that Lorelei, the deadly tempting siren who liked to skin-dip in the sea, may be dead, but the consequences of her revelation have not disappeared with her: Jane is hot on RJ’s trail… And the sea theme might have also a deeper double meaning in this episode: Kirkland has been “fishing” for information and Jane has “baited” him with the attic… Who is the fish and who is the fisherman?

3) The family theme is declined in different aspects:

- the already well-illustrated theme that “family” –blood-related or chosen- is something that can turn into a danger or a threat: the recent episode have showed many killers being part of the victim’s “family” (‘Red Lacquer Nail Polish’), or team-members (‘Red, White and Blue’, ‘Red in Tooth and Claw’, …). Here, the father hurt his wife by being unfaithful and his son by not revealing he had a sister; the woman the son fell in love with. As a consequence the son killed the father. This tragedy tangled more inextricably the family relations as both Ian’s chosen family (his lover) and natural one were the same since he was unknowingly in an incestuous relationship. Beside, Ian confides to Jane after confessing that killing his father felt good for one second because “the old bastard finally understood. When he was dying, he finally understood what he’d done to all of us”… a guilt-laden father whose lies and past mistakes caused great grief to his child, no way that would remind us of Jane, of course…

- Still, this aspect of a family’s negative influence is somehow tempered by the recurrence of people bonding with estranged family members. First, Lorelei found her sister, after the girl was sold by their mother; in the previous episode, a mother and the daughter she left met again, here it’s a brother meeting and falling for his unknown sister. In those three cases, the characters feel a very deep love for the long lost family member and have a meaningful relation with them, but things go south and everything ends in disaster… Does this suggest that, after meeting again his daughter in his belladonna induced hallucinations and bonding with her, Jane’s inability to let go is bound to have terrible consequences?

- The incest is an interesting part of the storyline. Many interpretations are possible for the bigger picture it draws: first, the love between siblings might be a teasing for shippers, a wink and a way to acknowledge how the closeness between Jane and Lisbon has evolved. It was labelled as a form of complicity between brother and sister by the writers during the first seasons, while now both characters have shown that what they feel is deeper and more complicated. Second possible meaning, if Ian killed to protect a forbidden relationship, that might be compared to Jane’s unstated but logical new motivation for finding RJ: his closeness to Lisbon has started to become a danger for her. Lorelei asked for her head and many suspicious characters are beginning to approach her for dark reasons (Haffner, Kirkland). Thus, killing RJ is a way to ensure her safety and to protect their bond, which he is seemingly not allowed to discuss in the meantime (forbidden relationship). Last but certainly not least, the lovely Windsparrow had a very intriguing idea: she remarked that this is the second case that involved incest as a plot device, the first one being Renfrew’s liaison in season 1 ‘Red John’s Friends’. It’s interesting that in both episodes RJ’s presence is looming over them: Renfrew was about to spill the beans about the serial killer but he was killed before, whereas in this episode, Jane seems to gain control of the situation by (probably) playing Kirkland and keeping his notebook to himself… It’s almost as if the incest emphasised the contrast between the moment when Jane realized for the first time what force he was up against and the episode where he might be slowly gaining the upper hand.

 4) Spectacles have been pretty present recently, first with the show-conference Jane provided the student with in ‘Red in Tooth and Claw’, and more importantly with the musical in ‘Behind the Red Curtain’. Both in the latter and in this episode, the show is a metaphor for a bigger secret hidden behind inoffensive appearances: in the previous episode the killer chose to play a parting real-life in order to hide that the musical had no investor, while here the tourist town faces serious difficulties and the owner hided the secret daughter he had with a former lover. Both secretive men pulled strings around them and that enlightens how the characters are surrounded by false appearances (Kirkland’s secret true goal; RJ hiding behind the mask of a acquaintance), but those appearances are about to crumble down, like both shows were, due to Jane’s progress towards the truth…

5) There is no allusion to poker in this plot, but there are cards in the context of a magic trick and it might be meaningful that Jane takes possession of them. It is a reminder of the poker play with Bertram again in ‘Red in Tooth and Claw’, before he was revealed as an ally of Bob… and it suggests the power play between Kirkland and Jane with the usual artifices used in poker, like hiding one’s hand and bluffing.

Reviewbrain: Violet didn’t  have time to add any best scenes or best lines, and I had an hour or two free so I added some of mine. As always, thank you for hard work! Readers, please also feel free to share in the comments your favorites moments in the episodes and best quotes ^_^

Best Scenes

The end

Having Jane return to his attic, seeing that his bait had been taken, then having the scene cleverly transition into Kirkland in his apartment was fantastic. Blake Neely’s powerful tunes helped express the urgency and suspense of the fact that Jane might *gasp*  be making some real progress in the Red John case. Read Violet’s analysis of VIS #5 above for more reasons.

Jane Catches the Killer

A similar sense of urgency prevailed when Jane hooked Ian in his trap and forced him to confess to killing his father. Jane threatens the secret to be revealed to his “assistant” Lily was very effective. Jane’s sympathetic demeanor even as he is threatening Ian to reveal his motive to the unsuspecting girl was quite revealing. It hinted to viewers that unlike the selfish motives we’ve been getting from unrepentant psychos we’ve been getting most of this season, this crime was more tragic than it twas senseless. Jane leaving an empty envelope in her hand was might seem like a cruel act but the deception was actually a kindness.The later scene revealing the sordid and terrible situation of the brother and sister was a great reveal.

Kirkland Examine’s Jane’s Evidence

This choice shouldn’t come as a surprise; Violet already explained how wonderfully riveting it was to see Kirkland in his natural habitat as he went over Jane’s evidence. I’m also sure I wasn’t the only one who went into hysterics when I saw him drinking a Bloody Mary. Who the heck is this guy ?!

Honorable Mentions

Writing : This was truly a classically engaging, perfectly written and balanced episode. Thank you Michael Weiss.

Music : Blake Neely’s music is as perfect as ever. Whimsical, then powerful where necessary.

Production by all (quite a few of the writing staff, I’m happy to see) and the direction by Guy Ferland was flawless. As was the editing.

Hair/Make Up: The men are as strapping as ever but the women have never looked more naturally beautiful.

Acting: There were quite a few talented guest actors and actresses: The Percy family members, Lily, Francisco, Kevin (the Wild West show actors), the Sherriff: they all fit their roles perfectly. Are regulars were also in top form.

Best Quotes

“We’re gonna hold here. They’ve got this covered. ” Jane, to the coroner after shots were fired. Continuity on coward Jane = love.

“Very thoughtful, Wayne “. –Lisbon, to Rigsby on Grace’s gift.

“How’d you know it was me ?” Rigsby in answer to the above.

“I’m a homicide detective. ” Lisbon’s reply.

*I loved this entire exchange. Any hint of the sibling-like relationship between Lisbon and Rigsby makes me ridiculously happy. Here, her tone when she called him out on giving Grace the gift, his guilty expression like a caught child, and her knowing reply…sigh. I had hearts in my eyes the entire time.

“Bro! That thing is real!” Kevin, the magician to Jane. LOL !! This kid was an awesome actor. Loved his tone and expression here, dropping his western act after Jane took his gold nugget.

“You’re still in love with her but instead of telling her you bought her a plant.”- Cho to Wayne.

“But that’s pretty zen though, right?” Wayne, in response to the above.

“Not yet. Sounds like fun.” Grace’s deadpan to victim’s wife after she asked if she was married. Lol. Snarky Grace is cool.

“Candy-ass pickpocket trying to bust my chops. Nobody handles me.” Kevin grumbling out loud after he quits. Really loved this guy’s reading of all his line. Hilarious.

“That you two were in love ? That was easy.” -Jane, to Ian, on how he knew about his secret relationship with Lily Soto. It could be wishful thinking but might the writers be reassuring (teasing ?) us to trust the (obvious ?) hints that Jane and Lisbon are in love?

“Sometimes it’s best just to be relaxed about this stuff. ” Lisbon to Rigsby about not knowing what Jane’s performance is about.

Image by Chixuruchibi. Copyright Reviewbrain 2013. Not to be used without permission.

 

Now, Suzjazz suggested a poll to see what percentage of fans want J/L to live happily ever after as a couple. I’m feeling indulgent (i.e. have some time one my hands) so here it is

Note:  Tunney fans head over to affiliate website Robin’s Green Shades to see what the fantastic actress did. Congratulations to webmistress Novella and everyone else. You deserve it!

*All material posted in this blog is the intellectual property of reviewbrain (unless otherwise stated). Readers are free to make use of the information provided they cite the source (this blog) either by name (reviewbrain’s blog) or by linking to it. Please extend the same courtesy to the authors of the comments as well (by mentioning their names) to ensure that credit is given where credit is due.

 

Mentalist Behind the Red Curtain (mini) Review

Note: I wanted to give my lovely, lovely partner Violet a break but as I’m swamped I could only churn out this mini-review from memory. Warning: unedited! Thank god for all you fantastic readers, I’ve no doubt you’ll let me know if anything is *too* off base

Synopsis

When a young actress falls to her death in Sacramento, CBI Agent Teresa Lisbon (Tunney) calls in her consultant Patrick Jane (Baker). Unhappy with being dragged from the hospital where he is waiting for Lennon(Christopher Cousins) a vital witness in the Red John case, to wake up from his coma, Jane charms a nurse to call him as soon as Lennon wakes up, hoping to question him before Homeland security’s Agent Kirkland (Kevin Corrigan).

Concise Verdict

Star power doesn’t make an episode. But when coupled with the humor of writer Erica Green Swafford and poignancy of Eoghan Mahoney scripts, it’s a sure recipe for a winner. Well played. Hope no legs were broken in this one.

Detailed (not so humungous) Review

Some points to ponder…

Jane/Lisbon

“You’re creeping around Lennon getting into Kirkland’s business. Of course I’m glum.”

-Loaded statement right there. I like the continuity of Lisbon’s trust for Kirkland. Might this subtext be the reason for Jane’s later statement?

When Jane tells her he needs to talk to Lennon, Lisbon replies that he needs to follow the rules for a while, adding: “If you must break the rules break them on your own time.”

Jane then replies: “When am I not on my own time?”

-Ouch. Ouch, ouch, ouch. The reason the little jab hurts is it’s kinda actually true. Jane is a consultant. I don’t know if he gets paid by the case or by the hour but freelancers aren’t usually subject to the same stringent rules as regular employees. Also, somehow the way Baker read the line also felt like a veiled threat: stop bugging me or I’ll quit. Not that he’d ever do so, of course…

Rispelt

Image by Chizuruchibi. Copyright Reviewbrain April, 2013. Not to be used without permission.

The fact that Rigsby didn’t hug Van Pelt when she returned to work after her trip is a real tip off on his (back in full force ) crush; he’s trying to hide it (not so successfully) by keeping a professional distance. Heck, even Lisbon hugged her! Which , by the way, was lovely continuity to how close they have become.

Kirkland is RJ?

When Lennon wakes up from his coma, the first question Kirkland asks him is:

“You recognize me? You ever seen me before?”

Lennon replies: “No.”

Does this mean that, while Lennon worked for RJ, he never had actual contact with him? If that’s the case then why did Lorelie have to shoot him? I’m inclined to think that she thought that she was protecting Jane; by going after RJ herself.

But then why would Kirkland need to ask Lennon if he recognizes him? Was he worried that Lorelie might have revealed RJ’s identity to Lennon before she shot him? Maybe, as she was interrogating him to find out if RJ did in fact order her sister’s death?

Kirkland then tells him that he’s doing him a favor by killing him “I just hope that if I am ever in your shoes I have a friend close enough to do the same for me.”

-I doubt  (RJ?) is being serious here, but if he is Jane might want to reconsider killing him when he catches him. Having him rot in jail would probably be an infinitely worse punishment.

When Jane shows up, Lennon is already dying and he looks at Kirkland suspiciously. I wonder if this doubt is new or if was always there? Could that be the reason behind his (biting?) tone after Lisbon told him to leave Kirkland to his job? Or, if he just resented Lisbon’s friendship with Kirkland (i.e. tone when he said “you’re new best friend” in Red Sails in the Sunset”) and the suspicion is new, how will it affect his friendship with Lisbon?

I think Kirkland is to Lisbon as Lorelie was to Jane. But with one major difference. While Lorelie was a known criminal that Lisbon resented Jane’s interaction with for so many justifiable reasons, Jane doesn’t have more than his gut when it comes to any suspicion he might have of Kirkland. Jane didn’t believe Lisbon’s suspicions that Lorelie was playing him. She turned out to be right. Would Lisbon believe Jane if he warns her about Kirkland? We saw her reaction when she defended the FBI in this year’s premiere. She told Jane she wanted to believe in something without always being suspicious. Does that desire still exist? Does she have another reason to want to believe Kirkland? An attraction to him maybe?

I remember one commenter (who are you?!) stated that maybe RJ wants to get back at Jane for turning Lorelie by getting close to Lisbon. If Kirkland is in fact RJ, then you were really on to something!

Can’t wait to read your comments! In the meantime, here’s the rest of the review:

Icings on the Cake

Ron got a line! Ron got a line!!!

Donna Murphy. Beautiful, beautiful, talented Donna Murphy.

Co-written episode. A combo of fantastic writers.

La Roche! This was my reaction when I saw him/figured out Jane would ask for his help: HEEE!!!!!!!!

Best Quotes

“That’s my arm you have two of your own.” –Jane, to security/homeland security guy kicking him out of the hostpital.

“I don’t know how anyone lives there.” Grace, to Rigsby on LA. Bet the actors got a kick out of that line.

“I know you’re only talking to me to get information out of me but its been nice. You make me smile.”-Aww!

“She would if you told her the truth.” –Jane, on Lisbon. Nice continuity; shows Jane knows Lisbon enough to know that she more likely to understand/support him if he shares information with her. Took him long enough to figure out…

“What is it that every foster child is looking for?” –Jane. So sad but true. Kids want their parents.

“Trust me you’ll have fun. Was there ever a more suspicious phrase?” LaRoche, to Jane.

“J.J. You have to live a little. You spend your days chasing paper clip fees. When do you ever get the chance to nail a killer.” –Jane, to LaRoche.

“Would an accent help?” LaRoche, to Jane, practicing his role.

“Excuse me, your coat is playing the 5^th symphony.” –LaRoche to perp.

 

*All material posted in this blog is the intellectual property of reviewbrain (unless otherwise stated). Readers are free to make use of the information provided they cite the source (this blog) either by name (reviewbrain’s blog) or by linking to it. Please extend the same courtesy to the authors of the comments as well (by mentioning their names) to ensure that credit is given where credit is due.

The Mentalist Red, White and Blue Review

Synopsis

Lisbon (Tunney) and Jane (Baker) are called at a crime scene where the body of a young woman from the army has been found near a military basis. After a brief struggle with the soldiers to determine who will investigate the case, the CBI takes charge and Jane and Lisbon are informed that the victim worked with soldiers with PTSD, such as memory impairment.

Concise Verdict

After the tension filled encounter with Lorelei in last episode, ‘Red, White and Blue’ worked as a much needed stress reliever. There has been some time since we had a themed episode such as this one, centered on the army, and the situation is used to infuse lots of humor into the characters’ investigation. All in all a nice and hopeful little episode.

Detailed AKA Humungous Review (spoilers galore)

VIS#1: Lisbon is singing

Soon after Lisbon and Jane’s arrival, Lieutenant Lewis argues that the case should belong to the army since Lucy Greene was an army medic. The local cop who called the CBI doesn’t seem impressed either by the duo formed the team leader and her consultant, to the extent that Lisbon has to tell him drily that “our staff is on its way” to confirm that they are more than only the two of them… Fortunately (or not), Jane decides to step in and prove that quality is better than quantity in his own peculiar way. To show off his attention to details and his superior detective skills, he asks Lisbon to examine the tattoo around the body’s ankle: “Huh, Lisbon, you used to play clarinet, is that right? Can you read that tune?” Lisbon, dutiful as ever, tells him it’s the song “Kansas City” and, seeing Jane’s lack of recognition helpfully begins humming the melody, then, encouraged by Jane’s glee, she sings the lyrics… and stops abruptly when she notices the incredulous look on the soldier and the cop’s faces. Ouch, talk about credibility… Finally, her facetious consultant effectively manages to convince them that they’re more professional than they look by deducing that the victim was at a bar before being murdered, which ends up winning them the case.

This scene is really funny and Lisbon is particularly cute when she’s lead on by Jane. It’s also quite intriguing that neither actually cared to label Jane to the other men: Lisbon simply introduced him by his name to the cop (without adding “my associate” this time, or even “our consultant” for that matter), while Jane answers Lewis’ inquiry with a very precise “Me? I’m with her”…

The moment has various purposes. First, plot wise, the scene obviously presents the victim and her working environment (the army). The brief struggle between the military authorities and the CBI also aspires to explain why the team is in charge of a case when it normally would belong to the soldiers. A number of viewers would immediately associate NCIS with the violent death of an army medic: that scene at least acknowledges a bit the question, even if the given explanation remains quite unsatisfactory…

Second point, it illustrates Jane’s usual modus operandi in crime solving. First step, to poke at any authority figure at hand who isn’t Lisbon; then, when he has undermined them by ridiculing and/or insulting them, he baffles everybody with his abilities. He likes to play his public. As an example, he did it in ‘Red Gold’ too when he hugged the sheriff out of the blue and admired the landscape enthusiastically before analysing the victim’s car. But here, his mocking of the rules involves Lisbon: he makes her lose credibility, while he stays relatively normal in front of the others. She passes for the oddest while he just shows his mastery both in gently manipulating her and in investigating.
But this also adds some interesting layers of subtext concerning his relation with Lisbon. Indeed, things are almost back to normal: teasing, smiling, joking… The “clarinet” references the episode ‘Rose Colored Glasses’, where Jane asked her to dance at that high school reunion. Back then, he discovered that she used to play an instrument and kept trying to guess which one. He mentioned the clarinet and she denied it: so, either he is teasing her here by talking about an instrument he well knows she didn’t play, or they had a talk offscreen where he realized that she had been lying and that she really used to play it. Either way, this allusion reminds us viewers of a sweet moment in the early times of their partnership and gives some perspective: they share a past. That fact adds a deeper meaning to their complicity during the song and to Jane’s teasing, along with his willingness to keep the case. It hints that things have been mostly mended both professionally and personally since the previous episode. Even Lisbon’s “stop that” afterwards when he begins imitating her by singing gives some measure of normalcy.

Plus, the song itself might be telling: “… Kansas City, Kansas City here I come/ They got a crazy way of loving there/ And I’m gonna get me some…” Really, Lisbon? You’re singing to Jane, your slightly insane consultant, that you’re gonna get some of that “crazy way of loving”? No, they’re totally not teasing the shippers with this one… And if we read the rest of the lyrics, things get really intriguing at the end of the song (which Lisbon doesn’t get to): “Nobody will know where I’ve gone/ Cause if I stay in town/ I know I’m gonna die./ Gotta find a friendly city/ And that’s the reason why/ I’m going to Kansas City/ , Kansas City here I come/ They got a crazy way of loving there/ and I’m gonna get me some.” Basically, two choices are offered to the character in the song: to die if he stays where he is or to leave secretly to a “friendly city” with the hope of love. Those symbolise pretty accurately the choices offered to Jane in ‘There Will Be Blood’: to keep going on his vengeful path towards revenge (which is getting even more dangerous with Lorelei’s death), or to move on and to choose a new life full of redemption and affection (represented by Lisbon). This might be again a discreet hint that Jane is beginning to seriously question his quest, a theme started after him killing Carter and enhanced by his meeting with “Charlotte”. Back ‘The Devil’s Cherry’ he showed only lassitude due to his lack of progress in the RJ case; now he might also feel a renewed sense of danger born from Lorelei’s fate…. The thread is even more pressing.

Last, amusingly, there seem to be two little reminders of the two arcs carrying hope: “Alice in Wonderland” from ‘Devil’s Cherry’ (Lt Lewis/ Lewis Carroll) and “The Wizard of Oz” from S4 ‘Ruby Slippers’ (the song Kansas City/ “You’re not in Kansas anymore, Dorothy” was what Minelli told Jane long ago). Those are very probably only coincidences but the detail is rather entertaining.

VIS#2: Jane and Lisbon at the hospital

Later, both investigate Lucy’s workplace and interrogate the doctor who worked with her. This time, it’s Jane who is put in an uncomfortable situation when he mentions in passing that the doctor recently divorced. The man is surprised and asks how he knows that. Instead of backing her partner up, Lisbon turns to him and acts the same way he did at the crime scene: she only shows incomprehension and it forces Jane to elaborate further, explaining that he uses way too much cologne… Lisbon slightly nods at that. Dr Bowman seems ok with the remark, yet he ironically adds that “it’s been a little over one year and (he’s) doing quite fine actually, thanks for asking”. Since neither asked about how he was doing, they both answer with an uneasy smile and an awkward “great”. They seem quite in sync both in the timing of their line and in the uneasy feeling the situation provoked.

That funny scene (Jane even clears the air with his hand after the smelling doctor has left) shows again their complicity and humor, two aspects lacking in ‘There Will Be Blood’: the air has been cleared between them as well, or so it seems.

VIS#3: Lisbon and Jane interrogate Pete

While at the hospital, they discover that someone witnessed the murder and called the police before abruptly leaving the crime scene. The interrogation reveals that Pete, their only witness, suffers from memory impairment due to his traumatic past as a soldier. All his friends in the army have been killed in an attack and the shock has affected his short term memory… meaning that he doesn’t remember anything from the night of the murder. He even forgot about the crime right when he was talking to the police on the phone that night, which is why he simply walked away in the middle on the conversation. His impairment is further showed by a detail: at some time, someone walked in on the interrogation by mistake and the distraction erased every memory of the talk they were having from Pete’s mind, forcing Lisbon to tell him again that Lucy had been murdered and making him sad and shocked by the news all over. The poor guy just suffers from a never ending memory loss that makes him live over and again every terrible event he may encounter.

This unusual situation gives some background to the character and makes him very pitiful and sympathetic as he’s moved both by the death of his friends and by Lucy’s. It’s pretty poignant and it explains Jane’s empathy and his later bonding with Pete. It may have also helped that Jane himself had his memory damaged in ‘Fugue In Red’ and may then understand how impotent and frustrated with himself Pete must feel.

VIS#4: Jane triggers Pete’s memory

After telling Lisbon that he wants a taco, Jane takes off again to the crime scene. Here, he peacefully enjoys a gardenia’s delicate scent before lounging on a bench for a nap. Such a serene moment, who would have though the man was actively investigating?

Image by Chizurubchibi. Copyright Reviewbrain March, 2013. Not to be used without permission.

Indeed, it appears that he was doing a field reconnaissance for an experiment of his. When Lisbon and Pete later join him, he buys a taco for their witness, makes him smell the gardenia, all the while explaining his plan: he wants to boost his memory by using his senses since the best tools are smell, hearing and taste. He recreates that way with external reminders the exact conditions Pete encountered before walking in the murderer seeing as he was eating a taco then and passing by the flowers. The trick works when the last element, the church bells, is added.

Of course, that clever scheme worked because his memory loss was due to more to traumatism than to a head injury, but what’s interesting here is that Jane took the time to explain what he was doing to Pete. He describes the theory for trigging his memory while he was using it; he didn’t manipulate Pete, he made sure he understood what was about to happen. That way the guy could comprehend and work with him. The moment is comparable to the lecture Jane has given at the university about his memory palace and his mnemotechnic method in ‘Red in Teeth And Claws’, but this time he doesn’t use parlor tricks to impress his public. More, those scenes almost complete each other: he told Dr Hill that “it’s easy to remember when you never forget” and he demonstrated how he could “remember” an extended list with his extraordinary memory; now he works with a young man who could only “forget” and he shows him how not to. Those scenes set Jane as a specialist in memory: he doesn’t just show off his skills, he can theorize about it and use his knowledge to help people, not just as entertainment or for an investigation.

Explaining in detail what he’s doing to Pete also sets the ground for a form of trust between the two men. That part is deepened and twisted later when Jane puts Pete in a slight trance to help him sleep. He has used his skills before to help people in order to gain their trust (like with that dying mafia boss he gave advice to help him sleep in ‘Bloody Valentine’) or out of kindness (those two times he planted a suggestion in people’s mind to make them stop smoking in ‘Blood for Blood’ and in ‘Something Rotten in Redmunds’). But those instances were just fleeting moments: here Jane goes out of his way to help Pete, he seems to care. Even if he uses this to plant a false memory in the notes Pete has been writing to try to remember things, he really tried to create a peculiar kind of trust with the young soldier. In a way, by explaining his method and helping him overcome his problems (memory impairment and insomnia), Jane almost acts as a therapist. Even the detail of Pete lying on a couch while Jane hypnotises him belongs to iconic scenes for psychologists.

VIS#5: Jane apologies to Pete

Jane apologizes (*gasp!*) for using him that way at the end. The scene echoes the other: this time it’s Jane who is napping on his couch and Pete awakes him. The soldier thanks him for finding Lucy’s killer; he understands that Jane only abused his trust for a noble reason and both show respect for the other. This moment between the two men also enhances their similarities: before, during his interrogation, Pete said that he couldn’t sleep and was “angry and sad and no idea why” due to his lack of memories and the loss of his friends while Jane is admittedly an insomniac (napping on his couch during the day), who is also often angry and sad because of grief. And, although he does know why he feels that way, the incertitude in his case lies more on his real motives for going on, as his imaginary daughter pointed out.

Jane then proceeds to help him overcome his memory impairment at least partially. By writing his fake note, he has indeed enlightened the limits of Pete’s usual system of writing down everything he can to supply information in lieu of his lost memories. This routine of relying on notes might also refer to one of Jane’s own habit: his list of possible suspects for RJ. Jane has been racking his brain and writing down their name like Pete was obsessively taking notes about what was happening around him (he did so at the crime scene after Jane’s experiment). For Jane too, his scribbling is the only way left to unearth the truth after he lost the lead provided by Lorelei since Jason is out of reach at the moment.

This scene shows once more Jane as an expert: he teaches the memory palace technique to the younger man to help him fix his memory. Pete chooses his late army friends as his own palace: by associating systematically everyday little things to one of his lost friends, Jane plays again the part of a therapist for Pete since he is helping him overcome his impairment and the traumatic event that caused it. Thus, with Jane’s help, Pete can be able to heal and grieve at the same time, he has been given a tool that can fix progressively his short term memory problem and deal with its root as well in the long term. Given the parallels between them, one can wonder is there is a hope for Jane too to start accepting his traumatic past and to overcome it, to start grieving his family instead of staying fixated on his loss. Lorelei’s demise might have been a catalyst and might have given Jane perspective on the path he can choose and on what he is willing to risk (aka Lisbon, and the question is not anymore just about protecting her either physically or by not telling her the whole truth, but about losing her affection beyond repair).

Also, it may be a bit far stretched but one might wonder if the memory theme that has been developed lately isn’t a circumvallated way to allude to Jane’s greatest memory loss so far: his confession to Lisbon in the heat of the moment before he shot her in last season finale. Since feelings have been addressed this season, first by Lorelei’s comment in ‘The Crimson Ticket’, then recently with Lisbon’s anger and hurt, can viewers start hoping that this odd “memory loss” will be fixed as well?…

Conclusion

In spite of being openly funny and quite heart warming, this episode unobtrusively deals with the aftermath of the dark events of the dramatic ‘There Will Be Blood’. Indeed, various hints have been given all along and it may prove useful to recapitulate them:

1) Rigsby is fine: contrary to Cho’s accident last season, there have been no apparent consequences of his brutal encounter with the fierce former minion. He only seems to have been assigned to desk duty for the most part of the episode, except when they’ve been tricking the murderer. Which may be why Cho was in charge of the sexual harassment aspect of their investigation.

2) Jane and Lisbon seem to be on good terms again but if we squint hard enough, we can see that there are some elements that indicate that things may not be as smooth as they first appear. First, Jane is particularly eager, both in the investigation and in enjoying little things: he’s drinking (tea?) in a paper cup at the hospital; he tells Lisbon he wants a taco, passes the time until the moment he can set his plan in action by lying on a bench and is enthusiastic about that fragrant gardenia. Is he just showing resignation and making the best of it while bidding his time until he manages to make a breakthrough in the RJ case? Or is he relieved to some extend that Lorelei is out of the picture, hence the almost cheerful vibe? Either way, his jovial behavior contrasts with his depressed attitude after he lost tracks on the woman, in ‘Devil’s Cherry’. Of course, his relief may concern Lisbon and the fact that he fixed his relation with her, since he seems to go out of his way to mend things completely… Still, the guy is overdoing it a bit, like when he thanked profusely the therapy group (“thank you. All of you. Very much.”), although the group members keep just staring at him with a blank expression… On the other hand, Lisbon’s attitude is quite contradictory: she goes along with him and takes part in the funniest moments, still her good disposition seems sometimes a little strained. When Jane asks her to follow him at the hospital, she doesn’t move and asks drily “Why? Where?” When she takes his call, she greets him with a rather cold “what is it, Jane?” And she gets impatient when he asks her if she has a padlock and tries to joke about it. She’s just a bit harsher than usual and she accepts less easily that he may not tell her everything. Is that a reaction to his previous statement that he only tells her 30% of what he does?

3) There is a pretty classic transposition of the RJ plot into the current situation. Indeed, many bright red objects in the background allude to him: the fireman truck when Hawkins is accused of harassment, the fire extinguisher Bowman grabs to try and break the padlock, the red car behind Jane at the crime scene, the whole red alert thing… But the characters themselves also offer some intriguing similarities:

- Jane and Pete: the common past, the contrast between the states of their memory… One of them forgets, the other remembers, still both seem to spend their time getting back at the start after every failure: until they met, they seemed condemned to be frozen in time in a never ending quest, starting again at the beginning every time. But the promise of recovery from one of them gives hope for the other. Still, it’s interesting that Pete was the only witness of the murder, just like Jane seems to be the only real threat remaining toward RJ. Which leads us to…

- … Dr Bowman reminds of RJ by some aspects. He’s a cold-blooded murderer who just divorced – like RJ has interrupted his relationship with Lorelei. And Lucy too might be an allusion to the late siren since she was killed with a blade when she was about to threaten her killer: she too was the one who knew too much and she was helping Pete like Lorelei had almost been an ally for Jane. Both women were killed to preserve the lifestyle of their killer.

- Those parallels make one wonder where Lisbon stands in this connection between the episode and the main plot. Is she the one alluded to by the victim instead of Lorelei? They share a taste for music (she sings the song Lucy loved to the point of having its melody tattooed on her body), they are both OCD about the rules (at least that what Jane accuses Lisbon of) and are overall helpful and well intentioned women. Lisbon cares about Jane, Lucy helped Pete. Since Lucy was killed because she was trying to do the right thing, the possibility that Lisbon might be targeted too only adds to the still vague shadow that seems to grow over her.

Best Scenes
The winner: Jane tricking Lisbon into singing in front of soldiers and a cop (and a corpse). So much for professionalism. It was so cute and, at least, Jane managed to make one woman “sing like a bird”…

First Runner Up: Pretty much every interaction between Jane and Pete. The young soldier brought the best out of him.

Second Runner Up: Jane and Lisbon tricking and arresting the murderer. Classic Jane technique for solving a case and funny moment.

Icings on the Cake: Cho saluting after Sgt Hawkins has been arrested. A nice reminder of his military past. Also, Pete was a convincing, pretty moving and likeable character.

Pet Peeves
- The CBI taking charge in an army related case seems a bit odd. See VIS#1 above.

- The army uniform seemed a bit… off. A little too baggy and the soldiers’ general attitude lacked of rigor.

- Is that me, or isn’t it a bit strange that Pete was able to recognize his own voice immediately and without any hesitation? I mean, one doesn’t often actually hear it: for a lot of people, hearing their voice feels a little strange, it doesn’t sound exactly like they think it would be. It might have been more natural if someone else recognized it first or if he showed a little more hesitation. Or I’m just being awfully picky…

Event Recap: Middle East’s First Film and Comic Convention

In anticipation of the Middle East’s second Film and Comic convention, which will be held on April 5 & 6, 2013, here’s a review of it’s first which I had the delight to attend last year.

The Venue  

The event was held in Mina Seyahi (Dubai’s International Marine Club). Tickets were either purchased online or at the location itself. Cheerful volunteers were at the ready to give visitors their convention bands, conveniently color coded to represent the type of pass purchased: day, weekend, and VIP. Goodie bags containing posters signed by Street Fighter’s Alvin Lee, among other surprises, like free celebrity autograph  vouchers were also included.

Upon entering building, most visitors headed straight for the main MEFCC booth to buy tickets for celebrity autographs and photo’s. Luciana Carro, John Rhys Davies, Jason Mamoa, Mark Sheppard, Sammy Clark, and Jihad Atrash were the guests who sat/stood for autograph and/or photo sessions.

Eager fans purchase autograph and photograph tickets.

Canadian/American actress, The Walking Dead’s beautiful Laurie Holden was also there. When  I asked about her tough performance in the season two premiere (the zombie in a trailer scene), Holden shared that she had stabbed the zombie  so hard she actually dislocated four ribs while filming! At my shock she explained “We go all out on the show. “  Laurie went on to recall that a nurse was sent home to her once to make sure she was okay after she got a concussion working on another episode. Now that’s dedication for you.

But actors shouldn’t have to get injured in their work, according to John Rhys Davies. During a chat with him in the green room, I couldn’t help but notice a prominent scar that began on his right forearm. He shared it was due to having  had a mosaic wall of stone fall on him during one of his projects, breaking both his back and arm!  “I was very lucky” he stated, before adding that actors shouldn’t have to die at work, despite the fact that “the world would probably improve by the death of a lot of actors.” And just in case the twinkle in his eye wasn’t enough, the conscientious actor added, “make sure people know that was a joke.”

John Rhys Davies. Photo copyright Reviewbrain, 2012.

I doubt anyone who had the privilege of meeting the Lord of the Rings star would misunderstand his meaning. Listening to him talk about his family (two grown sons and six year old Maya), he exudes an undeniable aura of love, compassion and wisdom. A combination which obviously won over fellow guest, Max Landis who called Davies his friend.

Speaking of the energetic and highly original young screenwriter (“Chronicle”, “The Death and Return of Superman“) Landis was an absolute and instant hit with the fans. Not even accidentally dropping the F-bomb on stage fazed him or his audience; he quickly fixed it by going: “Everybody say ooooh!”….which everybody did.  Talk about a lesson in how to fix a #theawkwardmoment,  people. Seriously, the man was pure energy, all over the place, giving his %110, even off the stage.

What a smile. Photo copyright Reviewbrain, 2012.

It’s no wonder he was asked back for this years con. This year I’ll be bringing bringing two fully charged phones and an extra video camera (in case mine gives out like last year) the better to keep up with his endlessly witty quotes.

Another guest who captivated the audience’s attention (and never ending devotion) was Mark Sheppard. He completely made my day with his generosity when he agreed to a short interview before I had to catch my flight out of Dubai.

Photo copyright Reviewbrain, 2012.

His Q and A session with Luciana Carro was definitely one the Con’s highlights. The beloved English actor (Battle-star Galactica, Dr. Who) was utterly charming and as equally candid (on piracy) as he was elusive (personal questions).

More celebrities included Jihad Atrash and Sammy Clark. The two’s panel discussion over their joint work on the beloved Arabic Dub of Go Nagai’s classic eighties Japanese anime UFO Grendaizer (also known as Goldarak, extremely popular in Europe ). The fans were so interactive during the Q & A, and the guests so obliging, that a subsequent autograph session was postponed for almost an hour.

Left, Jihad Atrash. Right, Sammy Clark. Center back, UFO Grendaizer (AKA Goldarak) Photo Copyright Reviewbrain, 2012.

But the celebrity experience was not the only thing in store for us geeks (although meeting Ashraf Ghori was certainly nice). Jashanmal Comic village was a sight for comic lover’s eyes where writers and publishers could be found promoting their works and sharing their vital knowledge and experience.

Photo copyright Reviewbrain, 2012.

Marvel had a booth as did  Mark Smylie (Wizard’s of the Coast, Artesia) and Anthony Del Col and McCreary (Kill Shakespeare). The former discussed his work at Archia Entertainment, publishing graphic novels as well as the process of acquiring rights to do work on existing characters in a video interview.

Anthony Del Col also shared his experience creating Kill Shakespeare. When asked how he managed to keep the graphic novel from being labeled as just another fanwork, Anthony replied that the work has to be powerful and unique enough to speak for itself, while at the same time maintaining the authenticity of the original characters. Because this delicate combination was achieved, even die-hard Shakespeare fans were able to enjoy the novel.

Conor McCreary, co-writer of Kill Shakespeare. Photo copyright Reviewbrain, 2012.

After getting my copy autographed, I went upstairs to explore the artist alley. There were a number of supremely talented people, but my favorite by far was Luis Vasquez. His style consisted of simply drawn but gorgeously expressive pieces, moody, but with vibrantly colorful focal points. One piece in particular, of a boy holding an injured bird had a special story: “I was on my way to a class when I saw a bird lying on the ground. I felt very sorry for it and gave it some water. After my class I returned to where it was and the bird was gone. I like to think that the drink helped it and it flew away.”

Artist Luis Vasquez, Photo Copyright Reviewbrain, 2012.

The piece hangs proudly in my home and seeing that he’ll be attending again this year, I hope to purchase another.

There was so much to see, and so little time. Between the cosplay and art competitions, the lectures on screenwriting and panel discussions, the comic con was a whirlwind of activity. Simply put, it was a creative person’s heaven and I absolutely cannot wait for this year’s con!

Happy crowd exploring ground floor.

Relaxing in the shade, visitors wait for guest performances to start.

Full house!

The balcony; perfect location to observe out door activities.

Audi’s super-hero themed rides.

Japan Cultural Center’s space.

Gentleman Ashraf Ghori, Xpanse CGI productions.

Ben and Nisrine, ExtraCake’s power couple, creative force behind MEFCC.

Special thanks to Ben Caddy, Nisrine, Araafat Ali Khan, and Julie Catilin Brown for arranging the celebrity interviews. More photos coming soon!

Visit the following links to find out more about Middle East Film and Comic Convention and Extra Cake.

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