Mentalist The Crimson Hat Review

Six months after he was fired from his job by CBI Head Luther Wainwright (Michael Rady), Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) has fallen into hard times and has reverted back to living the life of a con-man, performing fake psychic reads on people in Las Vegas. There, he meets cocktail waitress Lorelei (Emmanuelle Chriqui) who bails him out when a scuffle with a disgruntled customer lands him in jail. Meanwhile Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney) and her team work the death of an anonymous male gun-shot victim.

Concise Verdict

A while back on twitter, I mentioned that the massive spoilers leaking had been done strategically to prepare fans for something. I never expected that something to be a sucker punch of awesomeness. With The Crimson Hat, Bruno Heller delivers about 43 minutes of epic excellence, beautifully directed by Chris Long and fantastically scored by Blake Neely (who incidentally has done phenomenal work this season). Then we have the acting, or more appropriately THE ACTING!!!! Sigh. Please, for the love of god, PLEASE let there be director’s commentary on this episode. Mr. Heller has been far too modest to deprive us of his genius so I’m taking this opportunity to give everyone a chance to voice their opinion:

Detailed AKA Humungous Review (spoilers galore)

Mentalist fans have been off-the-charts amazing this season and I really wanted to cater this particular review to their needs. So I asked if they have any particular questions about the episode and got a flood of replies. Thank you to everyone who participated. Those who couldn’t, you were there in spirit. Also helping me along is the one and only Windsparrow giving her two cents with this one.

Now with regards to the organization of the review, I split according to themes, and the relative questions will be answered where appropriate. But first, a message from our guest reviewer:

Windsparrow:

Dear People in Charge of Releasing End of Season Mentalist Spoilers:

Thank you so much for all the misdirection!

I do not usually indulge in spoilers – half the time I will not even watch Doctor Who trailers with the Man – but somehow I got caught up in them this time. They were all over my Twitter feed, and I did not know how to escape.  Wave after wave of spoilers rolled through and the furor they caused kept crashing over my head. At some point I started thinking some of that stuff had to be taken with a grain – no, make that a space shuttle payload – of salt. Then I started hoping that there was a hefty dose of mentalism in those spoons full of spoilers. And there was, so there were plenty of surprises left for me in “The Crimson Hat”.

I have never been so grateful for being willfully misled before. Thanks again.

Lots of love,

Me (Windsparrow)

Reviewbrain: I suspect many fans feel this way too, especially die hard J/L shippers who went off the rails at the suggestion that Jane might get a new romantic interest.

Speaking of the lovely Lorelei, let’s get on with the our first question for this review…

Raven ‏@Raven__Claw: After first meeting Lorelei in the bar did Jane suspected her to be RJ’s girl and tested her reaction with his comments like “I’m a conman, I steal from people” and later when she didn’t shrink back “I killed a man last year … now when I recall shooting him dead it still feels good”? or the moment she showed up on his door or was it after he found out she was the one who paid the bail or was it really after she talked about RJ which I don’t believe?

Another question, quite related to this one:

Didi ‏@RFewTimeT: Do you think Jane knew that Lorelei works for RJ before he slept with her, Because J. Gadd & A. Gable haven’t the same opinion.

As I understand it, Ashley Gable (writer/executive producer) thinks Jane had Lorelei pegged the whole time while Jimmy Gadd (an editor) doesn’t. I’m not entirely convinced they didn’t agree to have opposing arguments just to keep the answer ambiguous. Evil geniuses.

The popular opinion seems to be that Jane has been pulling a long con since episode Red Rover, Red Rover. Jane himself tells this to Lisbon when he meets her after sixth months of being away. Now we could just take him for his word, but where’s the fun in that? I’d rather examine all possible evidence the episode has to offer starting with their first meeting.

VIS #1: Jane and Lorelei’s first Meeting

Windisparrow: So there was Patrick Jane sitting at that bar, looking kind of rough, chatting up a pretty girl. The way he talked, it reminded me of the Man saying he figured Jane was playing a long game with another pretty girl, earlier in this season.

Reviewbrain: It reminded me of the pilot. For some reason Jane’s no right or wrong contention and the tone he used brought to my mind his “There is no afterlife” speech in the pilot. I liked it and the insinuation that Jane might have regressed. He wasn’t talking about the same subject, but the general negativity was similar. One difference, however, is that his manner here is much more resigned then it was in the pilot.

The scene introduces Jane’s “romantic interest”. If you’re part of team “long-con” you might have already decided Jane had suspected Lorelei of working for RJ from the very beginning. Let’s see the supporting evidence…

To start, Jane knew Lorelei’s name, he said he’d seen her before. And his whole approach with Lorelei from the very beginning of the episode was of someone who was filtering out the people he meets.  He tells her he’s a con man. He tells her he killed a man, and still relishes the memory, even if he knows it was the wrong man. He intentionally appears as someone of questionable morality.

-The simplest explanation is that Jane’s words could have been due to what he tells Lisbon later, he was laying a trap to get RJ to contact him. But another possibility could be that Jane was just being careful about making sure it looked like he really had quit; like he told Luther, as opposed to simply pretending to quit. And if that’s true, then Jane would naturally suspect anyone who contacts him of being one of RJ’s spies, checking on him to make sure he’s really not looking for RJ anymore. A third possibility is that Red John might have nothing to do with it Jane’s conversation with Lorelei. Jane simply decided to spare himself and any woman who approaches him (and I suspect there have been many) time and grief by getting all his bad qualities out there, to get rid of anyone who tries to get close to him, letting them know he’s not relationship material. But then we have the fact that Jane usually gets rid of interested women by showing them his wedding ring. So here, Jane could be multi-tasking by telling people about himself to spread the word to RJ that he’s back to conning people, and that killing Carter satisfied him enough that he no longer cares about killing RJ. Again, either because this information is genuinely true or because he’s pulling a long-con.

Still yet, another possibility is that Jane and Lorelei were just two people having a genuine discussion (as far as Jane knew, anyway). It certainly seemed that way. And Jane’s never had problems talking about personal things with random people (Scarlett Fever, Jolly Red Elf), or sharing his controversial views with others, even when it might work against him (to Darcy in “Always Bet on Red). Jane’s particular question to Lorelei about happiness: “You seem like a happy soul, are you happy?” especially seemed like honest to God curiosity. His follow up question “What’s your secret?” and ironic reply “Oh, yes. Yes, I’ve heard that,” when she replies that faith keeps her happy seem just as real.

Their next meeting, after Jane gets in a fight and subsequently arrested, provides more clues…

But first, a question from a fellow fan:

lyn walker ‏@lyn42: Jane was arrested for NARCOTICS. What was that? To be sure of being jailed?

It could be that the drugs were for medicinal use that Jane didn’t bother getting prescriptions for:

“In current usage, “narcotic” can refer to an opiate, to every addictive substance, and even to every psychoactive substance.” -sleepdex.org/

Or, Jane could have started using drugs the better to show RJ he’d hit rock bottom and needs his help; like Lynn suggested, to ensure his arrest. The same goes for the fact that Jane punched one of the cops (who at that point thought they were helping him).

On the other hand, Jane punching the cop could have been because he was truly trying to run away. His arrest was inevitable once Oscar told his side of the story (hence the fraud charge). If Jane had the drugs on him at the time of the scuffle, then he had more reason to fear an arrest.

There’s also a third possibility, which I’ll come back to later…

VIS#2: Lorelei Visits Jane at his Motel

Jane seems to have forgotten Lorelei’s name, “he calls her Laurie” when he opens the door.

-If Jane was pulling a long-con then this mistake was probably intentional to hide his interest in the suspicious woman. Or, he could have just been drunk as he’d polished off a small bottle of liquor (usually the hard stuff) as soon as he’d arrived at his room, and may have had more, leaving his memory clumsy.

Lorelei says her visiting Jane was a mistake and turns to leave, but Jane calls her back and invites her in when he learns she brought him chicken soup.

-I think at this point the fact that Jane’s previous brutal honesty didn’t scare her off certainly might have had Jane suspicious of the woman. It shows especially when he asks her a whole line of questions: how did she know where he lived (she asked the bail bondsman), then how she knows the bondsman (she’s the one who bailed Jane) then why did that for him (Lorelei thinks he’s a good man who lost his way). Finally, Jane asks why she chose to go for him, for this particular good man. He asks this with an almost cheeky grin, to which Lorelei tells him, “wow, you’re going to make me say it out loud?” incredulously. She then adds that she felt that they had got along great, and that there seemed to be a connection, and thought maybe he did too. When she asks if she was wrong, Jane tells her she wasn’t.

-So Jane was wary of the woman at the beginning. But I personally don’t think he slept with her knowing she was RJ’s girl. Why? Well, besides the fact that I find the situation much more interesting had he not known; there have been some hints to suggest it…

-After she answers all his questions, Jane tells Lorelei that he’s not the catch she might think he is by first appearances. I don’t he would have done that unless he honestly believed her to be real. There’s no reason for a Jane “pretending” to hit rock bottom for RJ’s sake, who wants to appear like he doesn’t believe in right or wrong, to be so courteous. He might have been testing the waters at this point, letting the woman know what she’s getting into by wanting a relationship with him because he was genuinely interested in her, truly felt the connection she talked about.

-At the beginning of the scene, Jane appeared nervous when he saw Lorelei look through the peephole when she knocks his door. When it concerns RJ, Jane’s only ever acted excited, never nervous. Here, I was reminded of his demeanor around Kristina, his first date. Which could mean Jane knew a “first” something else might have been in the cards. This is true even if Jane thought she came from RJ’s end, I just don’t think so.

Which answers the next question…

Raven ‏@Raven__Claw: Could it be that Jane has slept with other women who approached him in the last six months? It doesn’t look like it would be his first time after nine years (judging by his little reaction we saw).

This is a very good question, but I don’t think this was an issue. Other women would have been put off when they saw Jane’s wedding ring. If not, then by his first statement of “I’m a conman, I steal from people.” And if that didn’t do the trick then “I killed a man” certainly would have.

As to how easily Jane and Lorelei got together, we should take into consideration that Jane has been away from his team, his surrogate family and his best friends for the past sixth months. He must have felt very lonely. He’d also been celibate for nine years before that, and was probably a little drunk (the liquor he had earlier, as soon as he entered his room).

But I also don’t want to belittle Jane’s agreement that he felt a connection to Lorelei. If he was telling the truth, then perhaps, after feeling reassured that she was innocent of being RJ’s pawn, Jane was touched by the fact that she thought he was a good man even after he’d told her all his flaws. It doesn’t hurt that Lorelei is a very beautiful woman. And helping Jane out, despite everything she knows about him…he probably thought he’d found his ideal woman, the one who knows the worst side of him and still loves him (a criterion uttered by Jane in Every Rose Has its Thorn).

There’s also another issue that could have indirectly contributed to Jane’s night with Lorelei,- this is where I’ll mention the third possible reason for Jane using drugs, and punching the cop when he got arrested. It concerns the following question…

Fiona Henderson ‏@ginger_ninja24: What did you make of Jane’s sure-fire confidence that it was Lisbon who paid his bail?

Jane was absolutely positive Lisbon was the one who bailed him out. I’m taking a page out of his book here and saying he believed it because it’s what he wanted to believe. Perhaps Jane assumed Lisbon heard about the drugs and his punching a cop and came running to his rescue. Heck, maybe he punched a cop because he wanted to make sure word got to her of his downward spiral. Maybe he thought that despite everything, despite his ignoring her calls, Lisbon was still looking out for him. The fact that Lisbon didn’t bail him out could have made Jane think that he had truly lost her friendship. This might have contributed to feelings of vulnerability which in turn might have made him more receptive to Lorelei; he thought had no one else.

Again, this is provided we go along with the theory that Jane hadn’t known Lorelei was RJ’s disciple. If he had known then his sleeping with her was part of his long con; something he did because he thought he had to- like (trying) seducing Erica (War of the Roses), taking Sam off his morphine drip (His Right Red Hand) , watching a man kill himself (The Red Mile), etc.

Windsparrow: What we saw in “Fugue in Red” – Jane casually inviting Lisbon to join him in his hospital bed and grabbing her butt, the woman he hugged during his performance (sorry, but that was not about her comfort), having Tamarra clinging to him, and now with Lorelei – the Patrick Jane who is comfortable jumping right in to a physical relationship is a Patrick Jane running a scam.

Reviewbrain: I’m just jumping in to remind people that that *wasn’t* Patrick Jane. But the point still stands.

If Jane was running a scam here, then perhaps his punching the cop in the teaser was him wanting to ensure he’d get arrested. He knew Lisbon would hear about it, and hoped she’d pick him up so he could tell her his plan without risking blowing his cover by calling her himself.

But if that were true, if Jane really was waiting for Red John to reach out to him, he wouldn’t have expected Lisbon to bail him out, he would have expected RJ to have done that. I’ll take it even further: why would Jane sabotage “the plan” by asking if Teresa Lisbon was the one who posted his bail? If Jane thought RJ was watching his every move, If Jane had purposely stayed away from Lisbon to trap the man, he wouldn’t have brought up the possibility that, after six months of being away, he thinks Lisbon might still be there for him, would bail him out, as that would have given away the depth of their friendship to RJ.

This hints that Jane’s “plan” to Lisbon might have been one of opportunity, and not as perfectly constructed as he wants her to believe. But more on that later…

I’d said, I didn’t think Jane knew Lorelei was RJ’s girl when he slept with her. That he might have suspected her until after she answered all his questions and told him she felt a connection with him. After that, he actually could have thought she was someone he can have a relationship with. More reasons for this opinion:

-When Jane asks Lorelei how she knew he loved eggs, his tone wasn’t suspicious like it was before when he asked her all the other questions (how’d you know where to find me, why’d you bail me out, etc.). Rather, he seemed genuinely amused, happy that she guessed he liked eggs. Of course, this could have been an act Jane was putting on for her benefit. As could have been how shocked he looked when she told him RJ was the one who sent her. It will probably forever go into the “we’ll never know” category of this show (along with Jane’s meltdown at CBI, his horror after kissing Erica the first time, etc).

But I don’t think so. Jane’s honest reactions, one’s that Lorelei wasn’t privy to give him away.

-The morning after, when Jane looks at his lover cooking for him he smiles a smile that looks quite content. Happy, even.

-Then Lorelei tells him who she is. Horrified, Jane kicks her out. Again, act or real? Jane’s state afterwards, his unsteady breathing, and how serious his face is before a smile gradually started forming on his face, seemed to me like his mind was quickly recovering from his shock and catching up with the opportunity he was just given. If Jane had suspected who Lorelei was all along, I suspect he would have been doing cartwheels the instant she left, happy that his plan finally panned out.

There’s one more piece of evidence but as it occurs in a later scene, I’ll be discussing it there.

For now, which possibility do you think most likely?

VIS #3 Jane and Lisbon at Church

 Earlier in the episode, Lisbon seemed to have taken a hard line with Jane, telling the others that if he needs them, he’ll call them and that if Jane wants to get better he has to hit rock bottom and know it. But later, we see Lisbon looking at Jane’s number on her phone, debating with herself on whether to call him. She doesn’t and at the end of the day takes a long walk home alone, obviously troubled and saddened by Jane’s situation. She also tells Grace that she’s taking some “personal time” off.

Apparently, that time off was so that she could go to church, where Jane meets her.

Windsparrow: By the way, Lisbon’s Catholic, so it is highly unlikely that Jane could crawl under the pews, what with the kneelers and all. Even in a Baptist church to get under the pews he would have had to do a meltable-green-army-man infantry crawl. On his hands and knees, he would have to crawl up the far aisle and over to her between the pews. Of course, in conversation no one is going to explain all that.

Reviewbrain: Of course. Now I absolutely loved this scene. The entire exchange was fantastic. But for some reason I felt it a bit ambiguous. Jane was apparently following Lisbon waiting for an opportunity to talk to her. But somehow it felt like the meeting was arranged before hand, although nothing in the dialogue suggests that.  Note, if the meeting had been pre-arranged, it would have been off screen,  after Jane he finds out Lorelei’s is RJ’s girl. But again, nothing suggests that that was the case.

I do know part of the reason I felt that way was due to how easily Jane and Lisbon fell into their same banter. It seemed a bit too quick considering they haven’t seen each other for six months; almost surreal. On the other hand, character-wise, it makes sense. Neither of them is big on drama. And it’s not like they didn’t talk about the emotional strain of Jane’s ruse. At least, Lisbon did anyway.

When she expresses doubt that RJ will fall into Jane’s trap, he tells her “Fooled you, I can fool him.”

This was a particularly jerky thing to say considering the circumstances. Jane seems to realizes it even before Lisbon’s rueful, “Yeah, you fooled me alright, well done,” because he readily apologizes. Lisbon goes on to say that she tried calling Jane “hundreds of times” and he never replied.

-The statement clarifies her stance at the beginning of the episode (not wanting to reach out to Jane when she heard his arrest). At some point, Lisbon must have decided that enough was enough; if Jane needed her he’d call her himself and that she had to try to move on.

Try, of course being the operative word as she goes on to state that she’s been so worried she hasn’t been able to sleep well. Jane lets Lisbon vent her frustrations before asking her “But you will help me?” to which she replies “What am I supposed to say, no? God you’re despicable.”

-I stated before that Jane has fallen into the category of people Lisbon will stick up for no matter what (her family). Her loyalty here cinches it. I do wish she would have pummeled him a bit before giving in so easily. But it wouldn’t really have made a difference.

Jane gives Lisbon a clean phone to enable their secure communication. When Lisbon goes on to berate him, Jane takes off. Her statement “I can’t believe you couldn’t trust me with something like this, we’re supposed to be partners” and “what you did, frankly, was a betrayal” recall a previous conversation, season three’s premiere when she call him out on pulling away from the team. Here, however, her questioning demand served to provide some insight on why Jane didn’t tell Lisbon his plans. This becomes clearer in the next VIS…

VIS  #4 Wainwright Wants Jane Back

Luther tells Lisbon that he wants to give Jane a call that “it’s the humane thing to do” especially since he was “a big part of the CBI family”. He adds that if they get him into rehab, he might get a lighter sentence; community service perhaps and eventually get his job back “come back and work for us eventually, God knows we need him.”

-Luther’s timing seems awfully coincidental; he reaches out to Jane the same time that RJ does. It’s possible that he’s RJ’s man; wanting to check and see if Jane has no intention of coming back to the CBI, even if he got offered his job back. But I don’t think so. He seemed genuine.

That said, this scene is quite important. First, it lets us know the state of affairs at CBI after Jane left; not as many cases have been closed. Second, it gives us insight on Luther’s character; he’s a pragmatist. Third, it cleverly explains that Jane will be able to get his job back at CBI; this saves on having to explain the process in next season’s premiere. But most importantly, it offers an explanation why Jane didn’t include Lisbon in on his plans…

Lisbon, not wanting Luther to mess with Jane’s plan, tells her boss she doesn’t think she can work with Jane again, that she needs someone she can rely on. When Luther says “I’m surprised, I thought you would want to help him,” Lisbon automatically replies “I do,” before realizing she’s about to give Jane away. She then goes on to say “It’s not how it looks,” and adds that she thinks Jane is better off alone right now.

-Lisbon awkwardness here goes a long way to show why Jane didn’t include her in on his ruse. It’s continuity to the fact that Lisbon is a terrible liar. Bosco once told her she has “honest eyes” and Jane flat out told her that she a bad liar. This was a very important reminder and explains Jane’s lack of contact with her.

Finally, Lisbon’s small give away sets up Luther and Darcy’s conversation later on in the episode.

VIS #5 Lorelei tells Jane to kill Lisbon

Lorelei tells Jane all he needs to do to start a new life, with Red John’s help, is accept his friendship by bringing him a gift “Teresa Lisbon’s dead body.” Jane laughs and tells her “That’s absurd,” followed by an emphatic “There has to be another way.” At his distress, Lorelei holds kindly tells him: “I understand you’re not there yet. But look at it from his point of view. How else will he know you’ve truly had a change of heart?”

I thought it quite interesting that Jane couldn’t even pretend that this request horrified him. It also compels an interesting question:

Raven‏@Raven__Claw: Now that RJ/L wanted Lisbon’s body as a gift do you think Lisbon will be his next target as revenge for trying to fool him?

Hmm. Red John has never before made any outright suggestion that he wanted Lisbon dead. I did have my suspicions in season three that RJ having Todd Johnson kill cops was a message to Jane. But that was pure conjecture. Lisbon-in-peril would make for a great plot line, but I don’t think it’ll be used this soon in the show, so I’m inclined to say no. I think it was just a test to see whether Jane turned or not. Then there’s the added bonus that it gives Jane one more thing to worry about; just something else to screw with Jane’s head.

VIS #5 Jane Shoots Lisbon/ “I Love You” moment

This scene had the most hits, question-wise:

Didi ‏@RFewTimeT  How do you interpret the “Love you”? I have my idea about it but I would like others opinion.

Maggie B. ‏@FragmentedShard: I’d like to hear your thoughts on why he said what he did right before he shot her and why the deflection of her asking him why he said it later?

 Raven ‏@Raven__Claw asked: I would want to know if Jane said the L word because he thought that Lisbon’s office might be bugged and if so why he avoided her question later. It would have make sense to say “I love you” if he knew there was a bug but no camera hidden. No one would have actually “seen” him shoot her… but why the hug? Or did he do this because he thought it could go wrong?

Fiona Henderson ‏@ginger_ninja24 Why do you think Lisbon asked Jane for clarification of what he said just before he ‘shot’ her? And why did Jane say those words?

Niro Rahu@NiroRahu And the most important scene I want to ask you about or discuss, the part where Lisbon questions Jane about ‘the last thing you said before shooting me’. Here I think my theory about Lisbon has fallen for Jane is proven and Jane’s nonchalant shrug just exasperated me. Can’t for once they not beat around the bush and talk about their feelings. I don’t know where Jane’s head was at that moment but the shipper in me wanted him to believe he meant it.

Collective Answer:

Jane definitely meant it. There was absolutely no reason for him to say it otherwise. I don’t think a bug could have caused Jane to say that he loved Lisbon. On the contrary. If he thought RJ bugged her office he wouldn’t have said “Good Luck Teresa” either, as it would give away the fact that they have something planned. If John heard either statements he’d probably get very suspicious.

So I’m with the answer that Jane was fearful things would go wrong, (like they might have gotten hurt trying to leave the CBI) so he wanted to get his feelings off his chest first.  Jane might have also been worried about having to “shoot” Lisbon. The gun could have been filled with blanks, but if not, he might have been worried that he’d hurt her even if she was wearing a Kevlar (or two, I’d like to think for my peace of mind). Then again, Bruno Heller could have just been throwing fans a candy filled bone. To be completely honest, the moment was a bit random.  But these two were due for a profession of some sort and if it had taken place at the church, it would have ruined an otherwise mostly light-hearted scene.

As to the deflection, we have several possibilities. Jane said he was “hyped up” when he said he loved Lisbon, hinting that it had come out unwittingly. But that’s a lie. Just like Lisbon asking Jane what he meant most likely was. I’m pretty sure she knew what Jane meant, but she needed added assurance. So does Jane, probably. After making the first move, he leaves the ball in Lisbon’s court. He wants to see how she’d react if she’s given an out. It’s an interesting decision from him, especially after Lisbon managed to raise the subject.

At this point, it seems that both realize that they’re harboring more than just feelings of friendship towards each other, but are tentative of taking matters further. It could have been an issue of timing. They were in the middle of a plan to catch RJ.

Mind you, Jane loving Lisbon doesn’t necessarily mean he is “in” love with her (don’t shoot the messenger) hence Lisbon’s question “What did you mean?” Might also be that Jane himself isn’t aware of what his feelings are and so dodged the question. Not likely though. I’d even venture to say that Jane’s attraction to Lisbon started at the pilot (that smile after the jumping paper frog). So perhaps Jane simply doesn’t think Lisbon is quite ready for the answer to her question.

Nor is the show. Writer’s have been blessedly very careful with these two (Good Wife people can take tips here; unless they intend to end Will/Alicia) and I think that’s very wise. We still have three years left on The Mentalist; plenty of time for Jane and Lisbon drama. We’ve seen their friendship gradually evolve and once again, like all the finales before it, this one takes the relationship to a new level, and gives us plenty of set-up for next season. Them having had this conversation would be premature. But by having Jane say the words means his feelings are in canon. Gratifying, considering teaser a la Ashley Gable in Strawberries and Cream.

VIS #6: Jane Thanks the Team

The team helps Jane and Lisbon entrap RJ. But their disgruntled reactions when Jane apologizes for deceiving them, and thanks them for helping him now, were very interesting. Grace’s resigned “whatever” seemed like she was sorry for all the energy she spent worrying about Jane (i.e. how upset she got when she heard about his arrest). Then there was Cho’s terse “We’re helping the boss.”

Windsparrow: I wonder about Cho being so hard on Jane. Not that he does not deserve it, but is it all resentment for Jane’s betrayal of the team, going off without explanation, or is it that Cho sees how Jane’s absence has hurt Lisbon, and is cutting Jane for her sake?

Reviewbrain: That’s quite an interesting take that hadn’t crossed my mind. It’s quite plausible. We’ve had plenty of evidence that Cho hearts his boss (Blood Stream, Little Red Book) and might be upset for her sake, knowing how worried she’s been. But it might be that Cho’s is angry because he himself was worried about Jane, especially considering his statement to Lisbon in the previous episode that he thinks Jane is in trouble. Viewers might remember Cho’s body language, arms crossed tightly as he (nervously!) rocked on his feet as Jane and Luther’s fight played out in Red Rover, Red Rover. Either way, his reaction is perfectly in character.

 As to Rigsby, he was quick to concur with Cho’s sentiment that he was going with the plan for Lisbon’s sake:  “Yeah. She’s helping you, we’re helping her.”

Poor Wayne. Rigsby was always devoted to Jane (i.e. “it’s not that we need him, he needs us”). But it seems like his hurt here is proportionate to how much he cared, and how sweet a character he is.

Most importantly thought, his and Cho’s statements reinforce a very important idea: this is Lisbon’s team.

VIS #7 Crimson Hat Revealed

Robin’s Green Shades ‏@RobinTunneyBlog Who is RJ’s mole in the FBI now? Not Darcy? And interesting what Jane was reading.. 😉

Jane was reading “Modern Man in Search of a Soul” from C. G. Jung (via RobinTunneyBlog, via Raven__Claw). I won’t comment cause I haven’t read the book myself, but it’s quite an intriguing title. As to RJ’s mole, when Jane meets up with Lorelei (with a melon substituting for Lisbon’s head), he learns that RJ had already figured out his ruse due to an informant he has in the FBI “I found out when they found out.” FBI found out when the hard- nosed Agent Darcy (Catherine Dent) investigates the death of Rigsby. She had visited Wainwright earlier to offer her condolences on Lisbon and Rigsby. There, upon her bewilderment at the events, Luther shares what Lisbon had told him, “it’s not what it seems”. This sets Susan’s mind to work trying to figure out what was going on until she find the CBI team, apprehends them, before going on to help them.

So who is RJ’s mole? My money’s either on a member of Darcy’s team, or one of her bosses, since RJ was so quick to hear about what is going on. Darcy’s helping the CBI at the end probably means that she’s in the clear. If she was working for Red John, then Lorelei wouldn’t have been in such a hurry to cut off Jane’s fingers and leave before Lisbon explains matters to Darcy. If the FBI agent was working for RJ, then time wouldn’t have been an issue; she could have just pretended that she didn’t believe Lisbon’s story. Also, I doubt she would have allowed Lorelei to fall into CBI’s hands, not without killing her first.

Then there’s her earlier visit to Wainwright at CBI, and the rhetoric between them also seemed like a conversation between two people who seemed to like and respect each other. If she’s innocent, then the fact that her bullets are what probably killed Wainwright when she shot RJ’s limo at the end really sucks for her, as depicted by her horrified reaction.

Speaking of which, Luther Wainwright revealed as being the man in the limousine was a huge shocker. There were plenty of questions regarding that, both from us reviewers and the readers. But first, let’s get one thing out of the way:

x_Vintage_x ‏@x_Vintage_x: Red John’s voice was SB’s. RJ IS NOT Jane. Why use him and not another actor? For the sake of not giving any identity?!

Reviewbrain: Luckily, MInTheSky ‏@bmoon_sky saw Simon Baker when he was filming in London. She shared on twitter:

“During a short photo session w/ fans, I asked: Did you do Red John’s voice? Simon Baker :”No, I didn’t.” http://pic.twitter.com/PMDntwxT

I’m going to go all mentalist on Simon Baker here and say that he used a contracted denial. It was great to have an answer to the question as I know a lot of people were bothered by the similarity. I would like to point out that a couple of years ago fans swore RJ’s voice in the season two finale was identical to Brett Partrige’s (crime scene tech from the pilot), even though at that time, RJ was pretty much whispering. A linguist would tell you that you can’t identify voices from whispers. In this episode, RJ was probably speaking through a voice altering device, so I wouldn’t worry too much about his voice.

Windisparrow The title “The Crimson Hat” is that Wainwright’s head wound, or is a reference to something I don’t get?

Reviewbrain: Great guess. When I first heard the title my mind immediately went to the hat as a magician’s hat. If that’s the case , then Luther here was the proverbial bunny pulled out of Red John’s hat.

Domenic Pugliano ‏@FLICKSTER77  I wonder if RJ was ever actually in the limo (BUT he does say to Loralie “We should get going” was he ever in there? Where did he go?

Reviewbrain: Red John was never there. He just said “we” so Jane wouldn’t suspect he wasn’t. My question is, why the heck was Wainwright in that limo in the first place?

According to Lorelei, RJ had wanted to meet with Jane. RJ said that Jane had strung him along quite a while until his friend with the FBI let him know something was up. This entails that the serial killer only used Luther to fill in for him after he discovered Jane’s ruse; presumably, the  better to horrify Jane and the others and show off his prowess. I assume that if Lorelei and company had managed to get away, they had planned to kill Luther and leave him for CBI to find (i.e. the coroner in episode Red is the New Black).

But then why Luther? It might be that Red John wanted Wainwright dead as punishment if he thought Luther had been in on Jane’s ruse. Then again, if RJ knew that the CBI head had been willing to give Jane his job back, he could have killed him to keep that from happening. It might be far-fetched but RJ had Rebecca kill an entire CBI team so Jane would get the RJ case back (Season two’s His Right Red Hand); so Jane could get RJ back. Here we have the opposite situation: Jane, going back to CBI, stops him from turning into RJ’s accomplice.

That is, of course, all supposing Luther is innocent of being an RJ lackey-something fans probably won’t take on faith. On the other hand…

Domenic Pugliano ‏@FLICKSTER77 If Wainwright was a mole, why was his mouth taped up?

Maybe RJ was worried that he’ll turn on him (like Todd Johnson almost did before he got killed in ‘Red Moon‘). Most likely, Luther was completely innocent and the tape was to keep him quiet. I’m also guessing that he was given some sort of sedative too, he was sitting way too still in his seat for a conscious hostage.

Domenic Pugliano ‏@FLICKSTER77 When Jane is talking to RJ in limo, Jane is not actually looking directly at him.. He is talking to his reflection. Jane is facing the front -whereas RJ is in the back.

I think this decision was made by the director as it would have probably not been as stylistically attractive/suspenseful if Jane turned to look around at RJ. Let’s not forget Lorelei was sitting right beside Jane and probably wouldn’t have allowed him to do that as he would have found out it wasn’t really Red John sitting behind him.

Domenic Pugliano ‏@FLICKSTER77: Why does RJ ask Loralie to cut 2 fingers from Jane’s hand??

It’s Jane’s punishment for trying to deceive RJ. What I found more interesting was the fact that he let Lorelei chose the fingers, and that she went right for the ring finger. Methinks Lorelei has a thing for Jane. And not just because she wants to make it impossible for him to wear his wedding ring…

VIS #8 End Scene: Lorelei, Jane, Lisbon

When Lisbon tells Lorelei she’s very happy to meet her, that it’s rare they get to talk with someone who knows Red John so well, Lorelei responds “Good to meet you two. I heard so much about you.”

-This sentence threw me and is the final possible clue on whether Jane knew who Lorelei was before he slept with her. Where did the woman hear so much about Lisbon? The obvious answer is from Red John. But the camera, shifting to Jane in the shadows at that moment, made the idea pop into my head, that maybe, just maybe, Jane had talked to Lorelei about Lisbon, during their night together. And he wouldn’t have done that if he had suspected her of being RJ’s girl.

Of course, this is all conjecture. Camera on Jane could have just been to show that Lorelei was trying to freak him out that RJ talks a lot about Lisbon.

What is certain is how Lorelei tried to rile both Jane and Lisbon up by telling Lisbon about their tryst, conveniently wording it as if they spent more time together than they actually had: “We were lovers, him and me. Did he tell you that?”

Lorelei was obviously trying to sabotage Jane’s friendship with Lisbon. Chriqui was fantastically evil here.  I absolutely loved her delivery: “No? Why not lover? Are you ashamed of me? Did we do something bad?”

Then there was Jane’s response to her riling. He comes out of the shadows where he had been hiding to tell Lorelei in no uncertain terms that she will talk to him. When she denies it, Patrick reiterates his conviction, kissing the woman on her head.

Victoria-lynn ‏@Totorsg: I was wondering what could mean the kiss Jane gave to Lorelei at the end of the episode. This scene disturbed me (lol).

NiroRahu@NiroRahu: Jane hiding his indiscretion with Lorelei. Obviously, Lisbon and Jane do not share any anecdotes on their sex life but kissing Lorelei’s head in front of Lisbon must mean what? Or did he just do that to show Lorelei he cares about, a way persuading her to tell them about Red John?

Reviewbrain: I absolutely loved that kiss and Jane’s hands (upside down) cupping the sides of Lorelei’s face when he gave it to her. She’s his precious witness, probably the most important person in his life right now (save for Lisbon) and he went through a lot of trouble to get her.

Windisparrow: At the end the way Jane walked behind Lorelei, put his hands on her shoulders, and kissed the top of her head looked to me like a statement of intent: Lorelei has given enough of herself away, and Jane plans to use what she has given him as ruthlessly as he used that baby monitor in the previous episode. He intends to crack her open and scoop out the insides. There was an air of dominance and ownership to it. She had belonged to Red John, who used her to get to Jane; now Jane is going to return the favor.

Reviewbrain: That’s an awesome analysis and totally fitting for that alpha male vibe Jane was exhibiting in that room after Lorelei’s attempt at rattling him by telling Lisbon about their night. It seemed like a challenge: “I’m so cool that I’m going to kiss you intimately on the head right in front of Lisbon. That’s how in control I am.”  The kiss, coupled with his grand exit was Jane flaunting his power.

Interestingly, Lorelei’s taunts worked against her. Now that the cat’s out of the bag, Jane’s got nothing to hide, hence both his symbolic and physical walk out of the shadows in that scene. Her revelation actually empowered him. Otherwise, I’m not sure Jane would have told Lisbon what happened between the siren and himself. I mean, why the heck would he? If he hadn’t known who Lorelie was then he risks appearing like a mark in front of Lisbon. If he had known the siren was RJ’s girl and slept with her anyway, he risks Lisbon thinking he’s a cold bastard, getting into bed with his family’s killer’s affiliate. Either way, the knowledge risks sabotaging their friendship and/or possibility of a future romantic relationship.

Now that Lisbon knows, however, I wonder if she will be bothered at all by the revelation. Each season we expect a confrontation between two based on the strain Jane’s quest for RJ puts on their friendship. And every season we’re shown that their bond (and Lisbon’s patience) is stronger than anyone can ever imagine. So viewers’ (and perhaps Jane’s, if it exists) concern might be once again be unfounded . But I’d be disappointed if a plot with so much potential was ignored; that would be such a waste.

Niro Rahu @NiroRahu: One more thing..I know Lorelie will be hanging around next season…but Jane wont continue his liaison with her still, will he? It’s Red John’s girl, he said it himself.

I wouldn’t worry about that, given the fact that Lorelie will most likely be in jail. On the other hand, this is Jane we’re talking about. He’s done stupider things in the past. But a prolonged relationship with RJ’s girl? We’ll have to wait and see now, won’t we.

Best Scenes

The Winner: Lisbon, Jane, and Lorelei

This scene was off the charts fantastic. The music, the acting! And so many undercurrents between Jane and Lorelei that the latter was only too happy to bring Lisbon into. The kiss, and the expression on Lisbon’s face makes that scene even better. The woman obviously has no idea what to think especially given what Lorelei told her that she and Jane were lovers. The whole thing just builds up so much anticipation for season five. Which is exactly what a finale is supposed to do.

1st Runner Up: Jane and Lisbon in Church.

Baker and Tunney were phenomenal here. I adored the tone behind every word out of Lisbon’s perfectly shaped mouth from “You scared the crap out of me” to “You son of bitch,” stated twice, the better to convey how aghast she was at Jane’s behavior. Then there was her delightfully wry “Brilliant, you did that part well, now what?” regarding the part of Jane’s plan in which he sinks into depression. As to Baker, Jane’s “Okay, we are in a church” when Lisbon cusses him was hilarious. The self-proclaimed agnostic  using the sanctity of the church to  hide from the devout woman’s wrath; talk about desperate. Finally, him sneaking out of Lisbon’s rant, banging his head on the pew first, was priceless.

2nd Runner Up: Jane and Lorelei at the bar. The dialogue, the ambiance, it was all so perfect.

Icings on the Cake

Continuity

Windisparrow: Did you notice parallel in the nature show Jane & L-lie watched with the one J watched in s1 in the motel?

Reviewbrain: Oh, yes, how can I not? The theme of tigers runs rampart within this show. It was done as an homage to one of this show’s main running themes: Blake’s Tiger Poem. The documentary was in Season one pilot, the verses were stated in Season two’s finale, Cho explained them in Season three, and now we have an allusion in season four.

windisparrow: In the pilot episode, while Jane was unable to sleep in his hotel room, he watched a nature documentary, featuring zebras being attacked by a cheetah. This time, they are being chased by lions. So the question is, who is the zebra and who is the big cat?

Honorable Mentions

Acting

I’m really running out of things to say to do justice to our regular players; Baker, Tunney, Kang, Yeoman and Righetti’s performances were all flawless, despite the latter three not having as much to do in this episode as the show’s stars. So I’ll bring attention to how completely badass both Catherine Dent and Emanuelle Chriqui were. The latter in particular shows a wide range of ability: feigned innocence, honest concern, psychotic loyalty, and indifferent cruelty. She had me at “When did that happen” in reply to Jane’s “there is no right or wrong”. I actually would have loved her as a romantic interest for Jane, but I love her even better as a foe.

Then there was Sonia Jackson as the homeless witness Bean. She grabbed my attention in a scene which would have otherwise been completely uninteresting given all that was happening with Jane. Very talented woman.

Direction

Chris Long: The teaser, the ending, the dust billowing around Jane and Lisbon in the scenic desert. I think this was one of the most romantically shot episodes of the season. Gorgeous.

Music

Like I said, composer Blake Neely’s whole work this season was fantastic; drums at the end were particular dramatic. But there was also the hauntingly melodic Chris Issak’s epic “I Wanna Fall in Love” to start off the episode. Perfect song choice to set up Jane and Lorelei’s relationship. Kudos to whoever chose it.

Wardrobe

We had quite a bit to say here:

Windsparrow: I am still impressed that a man wearing a jacket, shirt and pants can look so naked just because he is not wearing a vest. When I said that to the Man, after the episode was over, he said, “Good.” This says a thing or three about how carefully Simon Baker has crafted his portrayal of Patrick Jane. It also tells me I should avoid mentioning to the Man what I think of photos of Simon Baker surfing.

Reviewbrain: It took me so long to figure out why Jane felt so…exposed in this episode. I kept looking at his shirt and wondering “Is it cause more buttons than usual are open?” Until I figured out that it was the fact I was actually able to *see* those buttons. But yes, like you said, it felt like he was more naked sans vest than it did when he was topless in the hotel room. It’s a perfect example of how effective subtle details can be, perhaps even more so than having Lorelie’s gorgeous ra- err, figure on display. And while I appreciate the eye-candy, I hate blatant fan-service. Fit’s the character though, so I can’t complain. Grr.

Best Lines

“I do give up. I quit I burn the Red John files. I freak out at the boss I admit defeat and I sink into a terrible depression.” -Jane explaining his plan to Lisbon.

“Brilliant, you did that part great, now what?” -Lisbon, in response to the above. Tunney’s reading of this line was fantastic.

“I am giving him his heart’s desire, he will see what he wants to see.” -Jane, on Red John.

“Hey Lisbon. Must have been a while since you rode on the handlebars of a man’s bike. It’s kind of romantic. Wind in your hair.” -Jane to Lisbon, on her “head” riding with him on the bike.

“You’re a sick man.” -Lisbon, in response to the above.

“There’s a childish hopefulness about you that’s really quite adorable.”-Lorelie’s apt description of Jane.

” Melon. Honeydew. Organic.”- Jane to Lorelie, in response on what he used for Lisbon’s “head”.

“As you well know Patrick, there is no hell. When I die I won’t be punished. What If you really did have a change of heart. What if you and I were friends. Imagine the life we could lead. It’s a higher path. A nobler existence.” -Red John.

Conclusion: Jane/Lisbon Just Friends?

Windsparrow:  I just knew when Jane got around to telling Lisbon how he feels about her, there would be sparks. I just didn’t expect them to be so loud. There are these sweet moments between Jane and Lisbon – the teasing in the church: while talking with her in the church scene, Jane leaned closer and closer to Lisbon. The more emotional the talk, the nearer the physical proximity. The Man commented, “They could be kissing.” Then him saying “I’m sorry” in his for-Lisbon-only genuine tone coming through, the hug in her office and “Love you”, the expression on his face when she brought it up – daring her to say it outright, him reaching out to hold her hand after the near miss with the pruning shears – sweet, small moments that show the genuine affection he has for her. I keep replaying in my mind’s eye Jane reaching for Lisbon, running his hand down her arm then holding her hand. It’s such a beautiful gesture. It’s meaningfully and unequivocally intimate. And there is not one molecule of sibling-like feeling in it. The moves he makes toward her are such small steps, no hurry, because they matter to him. She matters to him. That’s real.

Reviewbrain: I don’t have much to say to that, so I’ll just move on to the last question for this review:

Jordan Davis ‏@imsonotMelville: Do you think Jane was still having a bit of a breakdown or more appropriate a break through?

Reviewbrain: With regards to the previous episode, I still honestly believe it was both. When Jane burned his RJ files and told Wainwright and Lisbon that he quit, he had his breakthrough that he needed to announce that he’d officially stopped hunting RJ in order to stop the serial killer, to answer RJ’s question of did he gives up yet. As to the end scene in Red Rover, Red Rover, I believe it was %100 percent a reaction to all Jane had going through, the stress of giving up on RJ manifesting itself. But Jane probably, in his subconscious felt that, although he’d already said he quit chasing RJ, quitting/getting fired from the CBI would probably send a stronger message of that happening. I just don’t think it was a conscious preplanned decision. Because then you’d then have to factor in the fact that Jane used the case to get himself fired. And I don’t believe he thought that far ahead. He meant to get Marx justice, and went overboard doing it, overcompensating for being unable to get RJ, as he’s done so many times before ( Season two’s Redemption, Blinking Red Light).

I personally like the thought that Jane really had a breakdown, had suspected, but hadn’t known who Lorelie was, and came up with the plan after he found out who she was, simply because, to me, it all makes Jane more human, and therefore more interesting. But I acknowledge that it’s not what Jane’s said and is therefore probably not true. But keeping in mind that Jane has no problem with spinning the truth to serve his purpose, I’ll be holding onto my theory until I get more proof to refute it. Mind you, the entire thing was left intentionally (conveniently) vague enough so that we can draw just about any conclusion we want, believe what we want to believe. There seems to be a lot of that going on  ^_^

Something to look out for for next year: who’ll be the new CBI head? Whoever it is, I suggest they perform some sort of exorcising ritual in the office in case there’s a dark spirit there that’s cursed the job…

Image by Chizuru-chibi. Copyright Reviewbrain June, 2012. Not to be used without permission.

Minelli burned out and retired after Bosco’s team got killed, Hightower was set up by RJ and had to remain fugitive for a while, Laroche was just a temp and poor Luther Wainwright was probably just a plot device. I’d be glad to see any of the previous heads brought back. One thing this season sorely missed was a charismatic leader and boss for Lisbon. Now it must be said that while Rady’s character was unfortunately (and quite disproportionately, IMHO) hated by many, his was a great portrayal of a young boss in over his head. Wish him all the best in his future endeavors.

Now, please head on over to Robin’s Green Shade’s Blog and check out which episode was voted the best this season.

Finally, thanks again to all my readers. You’ve been absolutely fantastic this year. Special thanks to blog affiliates tmredblog, Robin’s Green Shades, Simon Baker Forum, Hypnoweb, and guest reviewers Violet, CJDavey, and Windisparrow. Everyone else, you all know you absolutely rock. Of course, gratitude goes to fantastic cast and crew of the Mentalist who bring us this amazing show. May next year’s season be even better than this one.

*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.