Mentalist Season five premiere review (The Crimson Ticket/Red Glass Bead)

Synopsis

The FBI and CBI battle over which organization will get to interrogate Red John ally Lorelie Martins (Emanuelle Chriqui). The former team’s involvement stems from them discovering, interfering, and then helping arrest the woman in an undercover mission staged by CBI consultant Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) and Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney). Lisbon is concerned Jane is unable to maintain objectivity with Lorelie because he had been intimate with her, but  Jane is loathe to give the Feds the case especially after Red John had told him he has a friend there. CBI head Gale Bertram (Michael Gaston) tries negotiating with FBI Head Alexa Shultz (Polly Walker) into giving them Lorelie. Meanwhile, for appearances sake, the CBI team has to partner with the FBI in investigating a double homicide.

Concise Verdict

While season four’s finale The Crimson Hat was a fantastic episode, it left viewers with a lot of questions and loose ends. Season five’s premiere answers most of those so neatly and perfectly (CONTINUITY, PEOPLE!) that I was left with remarkably very little to compla-err, say about it. Other than express my relief and delight in how Bruno Heller remains as profoundly talented and capable of bringing us fantastic episodes season after season.  The writing of the Red Glass Bead felt simultaneously familiar and fresh. The same could be said to the acting, direction and music. Mentalist, you are my happy place. I have missed you so much and am so glad to have you back. 9/10.

VIS #1: Teaser: CBI meets FBI

The scene at the beginning of the episode where viewers meet the FBI was fantastically written. The FBI shows up on the crime scene because they were told to take over all Lisbon’s cases until investigation into the Serious Crime’s Unit’s actions is over. Lisbon tells them that “the brass made a deal” and that they are all back at work as normal. Agent Read Smith (Drew Powell) expresses shock that they are going to walk away after they “destroyed the career of a fine FBI Agent, caused the death of your own boss, and this one” pointing at Jane, “this one’s got assault, narcotics and fraud charges on him.”

– Continuity, how I love thee! I love how Heller acknowledged all viewers’ questions off the bat.  I for one was very annoyed when I didn’t hear that the wonderful Catherine Dent would return as a guest star this season and that we were (again) meeting new FBI agents, but this statement reassured me that the reason would be explained as, obviously, she was the agent Smith was referring to.

FBI’s (Ivan Sergei) then proceeds to ask another question viewers undoubtedly had: “How’d you get such a sweet deal?” Jane tells them “It was the FBI that messed up, not the CBI.” Cho and Rigsby are quick to concur with the latter stating that they were able to capture Lorelie in spite of the FBI’s interference.

-Kang and Yeoman’s simple “That’s right” was very funny.  Something about the way they read the line just made me smile. Or maybe I’m just so glad this show is back.

Jane points out that one of the FBI agents is very angry and riles him up before turning to leave. FBI again iterate their disbelief that the team is not in jail. Cho tells them to walk away and Smith tells him to make him. Here, Lisbon intervenes to push the two away from each other but Smith who tells her to get her hands off him. A brawl ensues between the agents.

-I love how despite the fact that Jane being the one to raise tensions; it was Lisbon who inadvertently started the fight.  I like to think that Cho and Rigsby were coming to her defense when they started the fight. After all, their love for Lisbon boss has long been established. This would add extra depth to a later scene interesting when Lisbon reams them for the fight.

VIS #2 Jane and Lisbon talk to Bertram

Jane and Lisbon go to see Gale Bertram telling him “welcome back”. Bertram tells Jane he could not be less happy to be back.

-Welcome back indeed Michael Gaston! So happy to see him. Looks like Bertram was forced back from a vacation or something to fix up Jane’s latest mess.

Jane and Lisbon sincerely thank Bertram for “fixing things”. Bertram then admonishes them for fighting with the FBI and tells Jane he is down to his last chance, which he was only given because “getting rid of you now would be evidence of a scandal we are trying so hard to conceal.”

-Thank you, Heller for explaining why Jane wasn’t just fired after this latest fiasco. Building on Bertram’s pragmatism (which was established way back in season three) it makes perfect sense that the official would rather cover up the mess as he’s always been wary of a media frenzy.

VIS #3 Jane, Lisbon, and Red John’s FBI Friend

Jane and Lisbon argue over RJ was telling the truth that he has a friend in the FBI. Lisbon thinks he was lying and Jane insists RJ was pulling a double bluff, wanting them to think he’s lying when he’s actually telling the truth. When he asks Lisbon why she’s so insistent that RJ is lying Lisbon replies:

“Because I would like to feel solid ground under my feet. I would like to trust somebody or something. You with your wheels within wheels…..”

Lisbon drifts off when she realizes that sometime during her speech Jane took off, then continues on to say “you’re driving me nuts.”

-It’s no surprise Jane took off here. The scene is continuity on how Jane is impatient with and doesn’t bother to tolerate what he perceives as Lisbon’s inconvenient emotions. It makes a later scene, where he acknowledges Lisbon’s frustration that much sweeter…

VIS #4 Lisbon is Boss

When Lisbon returns to the office, Rigsby asks her where the FBI are. When she tells him they are pursuing other inquiries He says “sweet” and fist-bumps Cho. Lisbon then launches into the following tirade:

“Listen to me, the FBI is a fine organization and they are our partners. We need to work with them. They deserve our respect and our trust. Am I clear!”

Tough Teresa how I love thee. How I missedthee. Now I realize her rant her was possibly indirectly venting due to her frustrations (not the least of which are due to Jane) but I’ll take emotional frustration from her any way I can get it. Also, Lisbon was always a bit terse with her colleagues (see season one) so it’s not like her snap her is out of character. And while she takes a moment to rein herself in afterwards, her anger is totally legitimate as is shown by her later statement “You two go canvas the crime scene like you should’ve instead of fighting with the FBI”. Cho and Rigsby, appropriately chastened, follow orders.

VIS #5 Jane and Lisbon talk about Lorelie

After the FBI grants the CBI permission to talk to Lorelie, Jane asks Lisbon not to listen in on his interrogation, saying that he needs to tell her truthfully that they are alone.

-I think Jane’s request stemmed from the fact that he knew Lorelie would be able to tell that he was lying. Also, I think he knew he’d say things which might concern her, and wanted to spare her that.

-Lisbon agrees.

It’s very interesting to me that Lisbon was able to lie to Jane. Reminds me of the season three premiere (which I adored) and reassures me that she’s not just blindly following his instructions (a la season four). Hopefully this keeps up…

Lisbon warns Jane to be careful and not get pulled into Lorelie’s game. Jane feigns ignorance and makes a joke until Lisbon finally tells him: Go ahead, laugh.  But she’s practically the first person since your wife that you’ve, you know. Jane’s response is an exaggerated “Oh”.

-I think Jane here is as impressed as I am that Lisbon actually brought up his relationship with Lorelie. But her next sentence has a decidedly different affect on him.

Lisbon tells Jane “It wouldn’t be surprising if you had feelings for her.”

-I find it interesting that Lisbon’s assumption of Jane’s character, and how seriously he takes intercourse is not all that different than mine. It’s gratifying to say the least. After all, neither us can be blamed for thinking that considering he’s been celibate since he’s wife died. Jane’s response?

“She’s a stepping stone to red John. I knew that from the beginning I don’t have any feelings for her.”

-Lisbon gives Jane a look, like she doesn’t know what to do with that information. Or it could just be I’m projecting. Seriously, Jane’s words make complete sense. After all, he’s sacrificed (almost) everything else to find RJ, why not his body? On the other hand a part of me still went “sure Jane, if you say so” after he his statement. Regardless of whether Jane knew who Lorelie was when he slept with her, I find it very interesting how firmly he stated that he feels nothing for Lorelie.

VIS #6: Jane interrogates Lorelie

When Jane goes to talk to Lorelie she asks him why he works at the CBI: “Why do you bother. You’re trying to hold back the tide with a broom. I think, you do it to be close to Teresa Lisbon. I think you’re a little bit in love with her.”

-The music just swelled at this point, right and left, like a fly, teasing. Titillating. What’s even better was having Lisbon listening in on the conversation, despite telling Jane that she wouldn’t.

Jane chuckles and tells Lorelie that he does it to pass the time, before offering to do anything for Lorelie if she’ll help him with Red John. Lorelie asks him to kiss her. Jane asks what that would prove and when Lorelie calls him out on not doing her bidding he gives her a lingering kiss before telling her that he wants her out of prison, help her start a new life if she lets him get Red John. Lorelie tells him to see her again in the evening after she gets a chance to think.

-I think on some level Jane recognizes that Lorelie is jealous of Lisbon. What I’m wondering if anyone will ever raise the issue of whether that puts her in danger of RJ or not. It could be why Jane conceded and kissed Lorelie. It seemed to be him reassuring her that he feels more for her than he does his boss. Why else would she have requested the gesture? As to Jane’s response that he works at CBI to “pass the time”, that much is true and he’d said as much in season two’s premiere, but I think we can all agree that his affection for his boss, the whole team for that matter, is another reason. Him being in love with Lisbon? Well, lets just say that if Jane thought Lorelie is clever enough to read him lying to her about their talking alone, enough to ask Lisbon not to listen in on them, then that entails she’s clever enough to figure out how much Jane feels for Lisbon.

VIS #7 Lisbon Confronts Jane

On his way to his perch, Jane is stopped by Lisbon who asks him if he’s crazy. Jane is confused until she tells him: “I told you to be careful, I told you not to go over the edge!” Jane, bemused, is quick to rebut: “And I told you not to listen,” to which Lisbon snaps back “Don’t be childish, I am not your girlfriend, I’m an officer of the law. How can I not listen?”

-I just have to say how much I love Lisbon’s response here. It’s nice to see her remember her position within the CBI framework, not just as Jane’s friend. And I love how surprised he was that she didn’t do his bidding. Lisbon has been degraded to practically being Jane’s lackey so it’s nice to see she still has a mind of her own.

Lisbon goes on to tell Jane: “You kissed her, you offered to help her escape.” Jane explains “And I would ask her to marry me if I thought she’d buy it, I was playing her.” Lisbon vehemently replies “She’s playing you. We should’ve given her to the feds.

-I have to point out I was as confused as Jane seems to be here that he needs to explain himself to Lisbon. But Lisbon’s concern hints that she didn’t believe Jane when he told her he doesn’t feel anything for Lorelie. Also, her reaction is downright legitimate if one takes into consideration the last time Jane tangled with with a beautiful woman. Lets not forget that Jane never answered Lisbon’s question that time on if he’d known (i.e. intentionally let) Erica would escape. That could very well account for her fear here.

VIS #8 Jane asks Lisbon to not stand in his way.

When Jane goes to once again talk to Lorelie, Lisbon tells him that they haven’t resolved their issue. That one call to Bertram would put a stop to Jane’s interaction with the woman. Jane asks her “Please don’t do that” and tells that he’s sure he can turn Lorelie. Lisbon nods and Jane thanks her with a pat on the shoulder.

-It’s nice to see Lisbon asserting her authority, and to have it actually mean something again. I mean, I love them at friends but for the sake of realism we need the fact that Lisbon is Jane’s boss to actually be hinted at; for principle’s sake.

VIS #9  Jane apologizes to Lisbon

This was my favorite scene in the episode. Mr. Heller is a very sneaky person. Without having the characters really say anything, he conveys the fact that Jane acknowledges the many emotional undercurrents in their relationship that were strained due to what he had to do to get to Loralie. Also, that Jane values his and Lisbon’s relationship enough to try smooth things over, despite the risk said emotions have of interfering with his investigation. Then there’s Tunney’s fantastically wry delivery…

Image by Chizuruchibi. Copyright Reviewbrain October, 2012. Not to be used without permission.

Speaking of which, what do you suppose is Lisbon’s top issue?

Icings on the cake

I like the continuity that FBI boss is a woman.

There were a lot of Season one vibes going on, which I loved: Jane being only a moderate jerk (alas, losing Loralie, I’ll expect he’ll be back to full blown Jerk by next episode, Lisbon’s gorgeously natural styling, her season one bite (which, again I hope lasts, but suspect  Jane’s apology will have her back to her mellower self). Anyway, any reminders of that precious first season always make me happy. They were all fantastic but that was the one which started it all.

About Darcy; the exposition that she had a break down after shooting Luther was nicely done. Very realistic considering how she and Wainwright were on good terms. And her character had been so well developed, her passion for her job, that it’s possible she felt guilty that her zeal, desire to be a good agent is what brought him down.  I just have to say I would love if she were brought back to the show at some point. She really grew on me.

I LOVED the story Bertram came up with for the press as to how the operation had gone down between the CBI and the FBI. Also loved how the CBI agents had to go back to work to add credibility to the story; they can’t very well have been suspended for “good work” on a “joint operation” could they? Really very nicely done bringing back the status quo.

J/L car discussions. After Red Moon, Jane and Lisbon’s car scene discussion have become something I always associate with Heller, although it was Jordan Harper who first used the method back in Season two.

Honorable Mentions

Direction by Randy Zisk: Love how the episode started on Jane’s face looking at Lorelie through the two way mirror. Her small smiles as she was being processed show that she knew Jane was watching her. The scene where Jane interrogated Lorelie with Lisbon listening in was also beautifully staged.

Best Lines

“Woman can strangle people.” – Lisbon. Love the subtext here. Doesn’t take much to imagine who Lisbon pictures herself strangling.

“I know I can.” Grace, in response to the above. Rightetti’s timing and reading of this line was beautifully funny.

“Your temples are pulsing like some weird undersea creature. If that’s not anger you should see a doctor.”

“Don’t be childish, I am not your girlfriend, I’m an officer of the law. How can I not listen?”-Lisbon, to Jane.

“For what? There’s a long list of possibilities.” Lisbon, in reply to Jane’s apology. So true.

Pet Peeves

-I wish someone would have brought up FBI Agent Craig O’Laughlin, and how he was secretly one of RJ’s allies as in relation to why the case should be kept at CBI. Conversely, when Jane says that at FBI Lorelie will either escape or be killed I immediately remembered all of RJ’s people (Todd Johnson, Rebecca) who were killed at CBI and I wished the FBI would have used that argument to counter.

-Another RJ lead is lost in the wind. Is anyone else as unsurprised as I am? I really wish this plot line would have ended with  Strawberries and Cream. It would have been a fantastic send off, and Bradley Whitford was perfect. What a waste. All I can hope is that the real face off will be even better (not a tall order, considering how talented Heller is). But I’m honestly bored with RJ plot, have been for a while now.

Conclusion

I’m waiting on who new CBI head would be. I’d love for any of the previous heads to come back, but it would make most sense if it was Hightower. Enough time has passed for her to have resolved whatever legal issues could have been stopping her from returning. Also, now that Red John’s statement that he has a friend in the FBI seems completely true, it raises some questions:

-Was Loralie’s fear when the FBI took her genuine? It certainly seemed so. Was she in fact ready to talk, like Todd Johnson was, and thought she was going to get killed?

-Gale had said at the press conference that as part of the FBI and CBI’s deal, “One of our operatives had criminal charges fabricated against him to go undercover. We apologize to the public for that deception.”  Since RJ has someone at the FBI, he knows about the deal between the CBI to cover up the botched operation. But what will RJ make of Gale’s words that Jane charges were fabricated? Will he realize that Jane’s breakdown had been the start of a ruse on Jane’s part, or will he assume that Jane came up with the plot after RJ contacted him?

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Mentalist Fugue in Red Review

Synopsis

CBI serious crimes unit is called to a crime scene near Rancho Murieta Fire Station where hero firefighter Paul Satterfield has been found in the woods nearby with his throat cut. Consultant Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) goes searching for the murder weapon when he is attacked by the perp and drowned in a nearby pond. Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon (Tunney) finds him and paramedics manage to revive him. But when Jane comes to, it turns out that he suffers Dissociative fugue: temporary loss of personal identity.

Concise Verdict

I had tried avoiding as many spoilers as possible over this episode but a few pieces of knowledge managed to make their way into my twitter feed. The first was that Jane would lose his memory, reverting to his old self, and the second was that this episode contained Simon Baker’s favorite Jane/Lisbon scene so far this season.

I gave an inward groan at the first. Regulars know I have little patience with so called “thrilling” Jane-based plot lines and have been begging we go back to more case-based episodes. I was fully prepared to launch into my usual, “enough, we still have over three seasons to go and SLOW THE HECK DOWN ALREADY!” rant. Also, we’ve seen enough of the old Jane this season (via fake psychic reads) to know how he used to be. I didn’t see the necessity for more reminders of “look how much he’s grown” and started despairing that my inner Cynic might have permanently taken over. Fueled largely by the increasingly dramatic episodes this season, he pointed out that nothing screams desperation and a need to impress than excessive drama.

Then I watched this episode.

Due to the generous dose of character moments (I’m a sucker for those)  I had to re-watch Fugue in Red several times to make sure my judgment was not being compromised by how much I enjoyed those scenes.

I’m glad to report writer Daniel Cerone had Cynic effectively put a sock in it.

MY GOD WHAT AN AMAZING EPISODE!

Despite the “Jane in distress” plot this was a team episode. We got to learn a lot about how the members of the Serious Crimes unit view Jane and his existence in their lives. Was it gratuitous with all the Jane/Lisbon moments? Sure. Did those moments overshadow the case?  *gasp* No!  Because those moments were woven so intricately within the episode. The drama was not out of place and most importantly wasn’t used to distract from an otherwise weak episode (a major peeve of mine and a sure way to get a low rating on this blog). Not only was the writing excellent (including a new setting and clever set up) but so much attention was paid to the details. The direction, production and music were all outstanding and the acting was superb. This was a perfect episode in the same vein of ‘Blood and Sand’ and ‘Blinking Red Light’. I’m still concerned that all the thrilling plots are a bit too much for a relatively young show but if Heller et. al. are going to continue with these home runs, who am I to argue? But let it be known that I’m going to be holding this show to the great heights it has achieved. There was, however, a major cop out at the end (we needed about 30 more seconds) so:  9.8/10.

Detailed AKA Humungous Review (spoilers galore)

Before I get into the discussion (the bulk of which will revolve around Jane’s interactions with the team) here are a few interesting facts about Dissociative Fugue:

-It occurs after trauma.

-The person suffering the episode may acquire an entirely new personality, and a new life, disappearing from the places/people/life he or she knows.

-Once the person “wakes up” from their amnesia he/she will not remember anything that happened while they were in the fugue state.

-Dissociative fugue can be recurring if the underlying trauma is not dealt with.

So contrary to what I originally thought, Jane in this episode did not necessarily revert to who he was prior to Red John killing his family; he just as likely could have acquired new personality traits to supplement those he did not remember having.

I can’t believe I’m saying this but I actually appreciate this ambiguity. Whether Jane reverted to his conman self  or became a new person didn’t matter to me because the way he acted while under the fugue presented me with two equally pleasant possibilities: Jane always was a good person or at least wanted to become a good person OR Jane’s friendship to Lisbon was so strong he sensed it even while under his fugue. I’ll explain this more later but first let’s see how the team dealt with Jane’s loss of identity.

WAYNE RIGSBY (Owain Yeoman)

Despite being the victim of many of the mentalist’s antics, Wayne Rigsby likes Jane and has spoken up on his behalf more than once.  When Jane is forced to quit to investigate a Red John lead on his own (Red John’s Friends) Rigsby tells Lisbon”  “It’s not that we need him, he needs us!” In a later episode where Jane again leaves the CBI, this time out of anger because the Red John case was taken away from him, Rigsby uses the opposite approach. He tells Lisbon “No disrespect, but I think we need Jane,” tacitly urging her to bring the consultant back.

So Rigsby’s loyalty and occasional sensitivity has already been established. While there were a few instances where Rigsby was interpreted to not be a team player, his reluctance was explainable either by his inherent respect for rules and/or fear of losing his job.

Rigsby’s regard for Jane is further built upon in this episode. When Lisbon tells the team that Jane is coming back to work, Rigsby, concerned, states “This is crazy he should still be in the hospital” but goes with Lisbon’s instructions when she says that they should act normally around Jane; that he needs to be surrounded by familiarity until he gets his memory back.

But when Jane appears to show an interest in Grace Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) , Rigsby faces a new challenge to dealing with the mentalist that has nothing to do with his dilemma of breaking rules.

Jane shows up in the bullpen and when Van Pelt tells him he gave them a scare, he leans in close and tells her it wasn’t his intention.

It’s interesting that Rigsby immediately glances at Lisbon here (maybe hoping she’d intervene, or just checking to see if she sees what’s happening) before he chimes in to say he’s glad Jane is okay. Jane (intentionally?) calls Wayne “Pigsby” (perhaps to undermine him). Wayne corrects him and Lisbon then turns the discussion back onto the case.

Later Lisbon tells Jane and Rigsby to interview the firemen at the station. When Jane complains that he doubts he’d be useful Rigsby tells him he’s pretty good at picking out suspects mostly by “causing trouble.” Jane asks if Rigsby doesn’t mind the trouble and he replies “We’re a team, we help each other out.”

For his amiability, Rigsby has to then endure Jane’s asking him to help him out with the “luscious redhead” Van Pelt. Jane says since Rigsby and Grace obviously dated and she dumped him maybe Wayne can give him tips on how to “open the cookie jar” to get some “tasty ginger snaps”. Rigsby’s tip is a terse “back off”.

I don’t know what was funnier here, Rigsby’s reaction or Jane’s godawful lewdness but I was laughing so hard in this scene. For the record, I think that, perhaps more than being attracted to Grace, Jane was enjoying messing with Rigsby. I found his subsequent “I thought we were a team” very telling. It could also be that Jane was multi-tasking.

But despite Fugue Jane’s play at Van Pelt, Rigsby remains professional and the two work very well together; Jane ruffling feathers and Rigsby smoothing them over. I have to say watching Baker and Yeoman together was a great treat and I hope to get more scenes in the course of the season.

 GRACE VAN PELT (Amanda Righetti)

Grace’s reaction to learning that Jane was coming back to work and that they should behave normally is “I’m not sure how to be normal around Jane.”

-I was very surprised at this line especially since Grace always seemed to be the person who acts most naturally around Jane. She’s the only one who ever bothers arguing with him over non-work related matters, and they seem to have a nice sibling dynamic going on. Jane butts into her business (like he does with Wayne) and she seems to enjoy working with him; willingly going along with his cons. So, yeah, I find Grace’s reaction that she doesn’t know how to act around Jane a bit strange, but it could also be that despite how well they seem to get along, on some level she is wary of him.

Grace (unlike Rigsby) doesn’t notice anything strange about Jane’s attention to her (further support that Jane was indeed just being his normal friendly self with her). She does however seem flattered when Rigsby later mentions that the only reason Jane didn’t con her is because he wants to date her.

-I found her reaction to be realistic and quite amusing, especially coupled with Lisbon’s hilarious facial expression and darting eyes between Rigsby and Van Pelt. It was almost like she’s saying “God, please no more drama between these two.”

But Grace’s pleasure at the idea of Jane’s interest quickly turns into disgust when she sees him in action, conning a woman at a bar, saying that he’s in touch with her dead mother. She tells Lisbon “I hate him”.

-Given the fact that Grace knows Jane is suffering a Fugue state, her intolerance here could be more continuity to her PTSD after having to kill her murderous fiancee Craig. Or that trauma could have nothing to do with her annoyance here as Grace hasn’t always been the most patient woman. As it is, I’m glad that her behavior in this episode was mostly normal; that she seems recovered from her tragedy and has only become slightly tougher from it (i.e. her questioning of the victim’s wife).

KIMBALL CHO (Tim Kang)

Jane is teamed up with Cho to check out Wlicox’s house, the last fire the victim helped put out. When Jane balks at going door to door talking to the neighbors “like a salesman” Cho tells him “You do it all the time. You say it’s one of the more interesting things about being a consultant.” Jane laughs, then tells Cho he’s a clever one, indirectly calling Cho out on trying to manipulate him.

-Cho’s approach to dealing with Fugue Jane is exactly opposite of Rigsby’s. While Rigsby (who usually tries to limit Jane’s chaotic methods) was up front about those methods as part of Jane’s crime solving techniques (despite his disapproval of them) Cho lies to Jane despite his usually being more willing than Rigsby to go along with Jane’s indiscretions.

So Cho’s nonchalance at using Jane’s Fugue state to make his job easier here is very interesting. Perhaps he doesn’t believe that Jane is indeed suffering from memory loss and wanted to test him. Or maybe inwardly Cho always disapproved of Jane’s antics but had been going along with them all this time out of necessity; given the chance to avoid them, he didn’t refuse it. Or maybe the reason had more to do with control as hinted at by Jane’s semantics since he tells Cho “I’ll do your bidding.” We get more clues later.

When Jane goes to Wilcox’s home under the guise of searching for his daughter’s doll, Cho asks Jane what his play is. Jane says it’s to  “Bring a ray of hope to a family, I suppose and help my friends solve a crime.”

Cho tells him that he doesn’t buy it, that Jane doesn’t help them because he likes them.

Jane is taken aback by this statement: “I don’t like you?” he asks, confused and perhaps even disturbed.

-This reaction is not surprising as everyone else on the team has been more than friendly with Jane despite his annoying some of them. Cho’s comment on the other hand was blunt, perhaps cruelly so considering Jane’s memory lossand the fact that Jane hadn’t done anything to warrant it with him (up to that point anyway).

Cho elaborates. “You don’t not like us, but you have deeper reasons for helping people. Without those reasons you’re a hustler.”

-And there we have it. The reason Cho had no qualms conning Fugue Jane is because he doesn’t trust him. While Jane had obviously retained his mentalist abilities, in Cho’s opinion, he is bereft of the motivation to use those abilities for good.

Jane tells Cho that he’s wrong about him; he does like them and he wants to find the girl’s doll. When he does Jane takes the opportunity to manipulate Cho. First he fakes regaining part of his memory, getting Cho to reveal that Jane had a family. Jane runs with it “how can I forget my family” garnering enough of Cho’s pity so that he’ll leave him alone (i.e. to collect himself). Once alone, Jane tries cracking the safe in the house before he takes off.

-Personally I think Jane’s flight was a reaction to Cho’s negative assumptions of his character. Perhaps it was Jane’s way of getting back at Cho. Or, Jane could have become fearful of whatever little Cho revealed about his past. This theory is supported by his later telling Lisbon that he wants to leave, start a new life.

In the bullpen, when the team is fretting over losing Jane, Cho tells Lisbon “Look, don’t take this the wrong way but the death of Jane’s family made him a better person.”

-I’d say Cho’s statement was made out of anger at Jane’s actions except it isn’t in his character to do that. When we consider this along with Cho’s earlier remark that Jane without his tragedy is just a hustler, I think it’s safe to assume that Cho doesn’t think much of Jane as a person.

But what isn’t very clear is whether Cho thinks Jane’s quest for revenge is his reason for helping the CBI, or his quest for redemption. As far as we know the only person Jane told for a fact that he will kill RJ is Lisbon. He’d stated to the team that he’s seeking personal revenge but that could have been equated with his catching RJ, not necessarily killing him.

Regardless, even if what Cho said is true, it’s not necessarily relevant in this case. While Jane has retained some aspects of his character, ”Fugue Jane” does not necessarily equal “Jane before Red John”. But Cho isn’t exactly the most sympathetic person so it’s no wonder he didn’t bother with this distinction.

LISBON/JANE

There were oh so many good scenes between Fugue Jane and Lisbon, but for the sake of brevity I’ll only elaborate on the more telling moments.

Intro..

When Jane wakes up in the hospital, in reply to Lisbon’s “It’s good to see you breathing.” He replies “It’s good to see you period,” taking her in. He then asks her if they are sleeping together, explaining at her indignation that it’s the only reason a cop would come to his bedside. Poor Lisbon hopes that he’s putting her on. When it’s clear he’s not she starts telling him about himself, but stops short of explaining why he stopped pretending to be a psychic; that his wife and daughter were murdered.

Lisbon tells the team that Jane needs to be surrounded by a familiar environment and that he needs something to hold onto so they are going to give him that. But despite Lisbon’s contention, instead of having Jane accompany her during the case as is their norm, she lets him go along with the others.

Jane/Lisbon Bench Scene

When Lisbon tells Jane to check the Wilcox home with Cho he tells her “So it’s his turn to babysit me now.” Lisbon answers “Well somebody has to.”

-Notwithstanding the reasonableness of Lisbon’s statement, Jane’s comment does beg the question why Lisbon isn’t the one watching over him. It’s probably just a plot-based decision; a chance to show all the characters reactions to Fugue Jane. It also gives the actors more or less a fair share of screen time (something I’m forever grateful for and wish a continuous effort would be made to do so). But if readers think there is even the slightest chance that Lisbon was actively avoiding Fugue Jane for whatever reason, I’d be very interested in hearing why. I have my own theory, but more on that later…

After Jane recites some of the things he does remember Lisbon remarks that his memory palace is still intact. Jane’s reaction to this statement is one of my favorite this entire season: “I told you about the memory palace?”

-Fugue Jane’s tone and facial expression with this line says it all: he is surprised and intrigued that he apparently trusts this woman enough to share one of his mentalist secrets with her.

For his benefit Lisbon explains: “We’re friends.”

-Again, Jane’s facial expression is that of amiable wonder.

When Lisbon asks him what he remembers about his wedding ring, Jane interprets it as being the best way to gain a woman’s trust. Lisbon is incredulous over this explanation: “So you wear a wedding ring to get over on women.” Jane answers: “worked on you.”

-At this point I think Fugue Jane was trying to lure Lisbon into revealing more about his identity by insinuating that his wedding ring deceived her into trusting him. Or maybe it was his roundabout way of poking to see if his apparent trust for Lisbon is reciprocated. Either way, Jane was fishing for more information regarding their relationship. But Lisbon doesn’t bite, instead turning the conversation onto the case.

Later in response to Cho saying Jane’s loss of his family made him a better person, Lisbon responds that this person was always inside of Jane; that his family’s murder just brought him out. It’s nice to see that Lisbon knows Jane enough to think that he always was a good person. And I’m saying know because in my opinion this became fact ever since episode Throwing Fire when a young Jane was shown crying over having to deceive a dying girl (doing his father’s bidding).

Later, Lisbon defends Jane again, this time from Van Pelt, when the two women find him doing the fake psychic reading in a bar. At Grace’s “I hate him” Lisbon is quick to point out “that’s not him”.

Now, remember when I said I had a theory over why Lisbon was shuffling Jane off onto the others? A possible reason could be that Fugue Jane is such an incorrigible flirt. The man even dared to cop a feel of Lisbon’s behind as they leave the bar. I had a hard time picking my jaw up off the floor after that, though I’m not sure if it was due to his audacity or to the fact that Lisbon didn’t kill him for it. I do have a possible explanation for her patience other than the fact that Jane is obviously not himself. Perhaps she thinks that after being celibate for eight years, and without normal Jane’s inhibitions and issues, Fugue Jane might be finding it a little hard to reign in his libido.

Jane/Lisbon (2^nd) Hospital Scene

Lisbon escorts Jane to the hospital. When she tells him she’ll see him in the morning, he tells her not to bother, that he’s done with the detective work. Lisbon is understanding and tells Jane he can stay in the hospital till her recovers his memory, but Fugue Jane has no interest in that. He gleefully tells Lisbon that he plans on calling one of the many women he met to check him out. Frustrated Lisbon states that that she can compel Jane to stay as a witness. At her threat, his mood sobers:

“Why would you do that? You think I can’t see what’s going on here. You people, you’re tiptoeing, you’re dancing around some forgotten tragedy. I’m happy now. Just, just let me be happy.”

Talking about hitting where it hurts. Lisbon, selfless friend that she is, acquiesces to Jane’s request:  “Fair enough. Look I’ll miss you but I’ll leave you alone, okay?”

Tunney totally broke my heart here. Lisbon is such a sweetheart, but then that’s nothing new and it seems that Fugue Jane sensed as much.

I have three theories here:  Jane, sensing that Lisbon cares about him used that to get her to leave him alone. Or, Jane said the above statement to gauge Lisbon’s feelings for him, to see if she cares enough about him to let him go, either out of curiosity or to indirectly piece the puzzle of his life back together. Or, Jane, wanted to gauge how tragic his life truly by testing Lisbon. If his past is as horrible as he suspects then Lisbon will probably choose to leave him alone rather than risk dredging it up again.

So which is it?

But despite Jane’s request to be left in peace, when Lisbon asks him for parting advice on the case, he angles around to get her to ask him to finish it. First, he tells her he found out who the killer is, asking her if she needs him to spell it out. When she says she does, he then states “I suppose you need me to gift out the killer too”. At this point, Lisbon seems to realize what he’s doing and answers with a smile “You usually do.”

Jane responds that he’ll give her the killer as a parting gift the next morning, bidding her goodnight. Lisbon, pleased, settles in to spend the night in a chair in Jane’s hospital room. To her dismay, Jane points out that there’s room in his bed. Lisbon warily rolls her eyes but doesn’t budge from her seat.

Have I mentioned how much I adore Lisbon?

Jane/Lisbon bullpen goodbye scene

After the case is solved Jane comes to bid the team goodbye brandishing his “responsible adult”: an attractive young woman, Tamarra, on his arm. Lisbon congratulates him on solving the case even though some of the cash was missing. At Jane’s query she elaborates that Wilcox said Jane took the money but that Wilcox probably just hid it. Jane tells her “I’d look for an accomplice that’s a big job to pull off alone.”

-By this statement Jane is once again fishing for an invitation to stick around.

But Lisbon doesn’t seem to get it. She tells Jane that they’ll look for an accomplice and gives him his last paycheck. Jane then bids them farewell and starts to leave but not fast enough to keep Lisbon from noticing a diamond bracelet on his friend’s arm. “That looks real,” she comments in dismay. At this statement Tamarra gives Jane a smooch on the lips, saying that he wasn’t lying (presumably about the bracelet being genuine). Here Lisbon and the others realize that Jane did in fact steal the missing money.

A few points: Jane did not need to come back to CBI and he’s certainly not stupid enough to parade bling bought by the cash he stole there. I posit that Jane wanted to be caught, that he wanted to stay even though he didn’t have his memory back.

Further proof of this is that when Lisbon calls him out on running away, dares him to take a ride with her before he takes off, Jane agrees.

I think Jane wanted Lisbon to help him get his memory back. That he on some level realized she cared about him and that he trusted her enough to want to stick around, to dare face whatever it was she would get him to face because at least she’d be around for when he regains his memory and that it was better to have someone who knows him, that he seemingly trusts than some random stranger.

As to Lisbon, it’s ironic that after telling everyone that Jane needs to regain his memory on his own she is the one who actively forced him to regain it. The scene in the end where she leaves Jane to open the door to his room of terror, the crime scene of his wife and daughter’s murder was heartbreaking. Lisbon’s “I’m sorry” was heartfelt, yet resolute.  I can’t help but wonder if her actions here are a result of being affected by Jane’s “greater good” creed, or if this is all her. I imagine she thought it better in the long run. Firstly, so that Jane not be alone when he regains his memory, and perhaps more importantly that she keep this potentially harmful  (to himself and others) Jane from being let loose.

I so wish the episode lasted a bit longer so we can see what (if any) other comfort Lisbon would have offered Jane. But as Jane shouldn’t remember anything that happened during his fugue state, I can only assume (hope) that aside from being confused for a while, he’ll be fine (once Lisbon fills him in on what happened).

Best Scenes

Seriously, how can I be expected to choose? The entire episode was one best scene. I will venture a guess as to what was Simon Baker’s favorite Jane/Lisbon interaction: the scene in the hospital in which he tells her to let him be happy. It was my favorite scene, along with the intro, Lisbon crying over Jane, then his regaining consciousness. Other favorites include the hilarious (first) hospital scene, Cho confronting Jane, Rigsby and Jane in the fire station, the ending…see my dilemma? I am curious as to fans’ favorite moments so please let me know in the comments.

Honorable mentions

Karl Sonnenberg: those who do not know him, he is the technical/medical advisor on the show. He’s the one responsible for how realistic Jane’s revival scene was and probably for Simon Baker’s safety as he was acting the drowning scene.

Director Randy Zisk: Aside from the flawless thrilling intro, there were many lovely takes in the episode. The sweeping angled shot of the fire station showing us so much of this great setting was much appreciated. Other shots include moments where Jane is seen from Lisbon’s vantage, especially the last scene of the episode. It conveyed the conflicting idea that while Lisbon is more than willing to look out for Jane, he is ultimately alone in his tragedy; she can only look upon him from afar.

The entire cast was phenomenal. Kang as usual brings a quiet intensity to Cho while Rigsby’s reactions to Jane’s antics were delightful comic relief. Righetti gave a strong performance as well. But by default (due to the nature of the plot) Tunney and Baker stole the show.

Stacy Haiduk I recognized her instantly (its hard not to with those eyes) and was pleased that she was as intense as I expected.

Music: Blake Neely really outdid himself this time. The teaser music of the episode was exciting and blended flawlessly with the intro. The ending was a also real tearjerker. But then there were also tunes in between, especially when the victim’s wife was being questioned. Moody and lovely.

Icings on the Cake

Lisbon and Grace tag teaming to question the victim’s wife.

Finally getting an inkling of how Cho feels about Jane.

Jane’s awkward kiss with Tamarra. It conveyed his inner conflict and how unused he is to exhibiting this particular display of affection, especially to someone he barely knows.

 Teach me Please: This is a new category where I’ll place the fun (mostly mentalist) facts we learn on this show. In this episode, aside from the phenomenon of dissociative fugue, we learn how Jane uses anagrams to remember things:  Kids Prefer Cheese Over Fried Green Spinach is an anagram which represents the order of taxonomy in biology:(Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, Species). And an  anagram on how to spell the word because is: Big elephants can always understand small elephants.

Best Lines

The entire episode was full of great lines, from beginning to end. I mentioned many above but here are some I may have missed.

“It’s good to see you, period.”-Jane to Lisbon.

“Are we sleeping together?” Jane to Lisbon.

“Excuse me?!” Lisbon in response to the above.

“Well you’re a cop, that’s obvious. But you’re not treating me like a suspect and I can’t see any other reason for a police officer to come to my bedside unless we’re, unless we’re sleeping together.” Jane to Lisbon.

“ No. We. Are. Not sleeping…together.” Lisbon’s reading of this line was priceless.

“We’re working towards it though right, so I haven’t missed anything.” Jane!

“Are you putting me on?” Lisbon.

“Jane, I’m not impressed. I told you my mother died when I was a girl.” Lisbon. Wow. Really? I wonder when that happened. My bet is in episode Red Tide, off screen.

“The closest a man should come to touching a fitted sweater is helping a woman out of one.” Jane on fashion.

“Causing trouble mostly.” Rigsby, in answer to Jane on how he recognizes suspects.

“In Atlanta a woman credits her dog Floyd Henry for pulling a cancerous tumor which saved her life. Why do I remember that?” Jane in an aside to Rigsby as he interviews the firemen.

“You said I caused trouble.” Jane, to Rigsby when he receives glares for getting a dog to point to a paramedic as a suspect.

“Yeah, to help the investigation that guys the paramedic that saved your life.” Rigsby, in response to the above.

“We’re friends.” I melted at Lisbon’s simple explanation. Yes they are.

“Adrenaline. Couldn’t get enough of it. Drinking in all that glory, dancing in the fire. How do you compete with the high of being a hero? Everyday, a rush towards a big cliff. I bet getting stabbed was the biggest rush in his life.” Victim’s wife to Lisbon and Grace. Stacy Haiduk was so good. I love how she made her voice break a bit towards the end; belying she did care about her husband despite her bitterness.

“You don’t help us because you like us.” Cho to Jane. Major revelation.

“You don’t not like us. But you have deeper reasons for helping people. Without those reasons you’re a hustler.” See the above.

“Not me.” Grace on not being conned by Jane. Not much to be proud of when he didn’t even try, Grace.

“Really?” in answer to Rigsby saying Jane didn’t con her because he wants to date her. But what I loved about her statement is Tunney’s reaction to it, looking warily between her and Rigsby. So funny.

“Are you gonna make me call back up to get you out of this bar because I will do that, Paddy” Lisbon, to Jane. Awesome Lisbon is back!

“Let me know if you change your mind, or you know, get it back.” See the above.

“Put your game face on cockroach, for the dignity of your family.” Jane to Wilcox.

Conclusion

The responsibility of stating this episode’s possible moral fell on blunt Cho: Jane is a much better due to losing his family (i.e. good can come out of tragedy). This fact is quite true but let us be aware of the limits of this idea. Avid fans may remember Rebecca ( Red John’s lackey and Sam Bosco’s killer) said as much to Jane when she justified Red John’s actions to him; that he was creating light out of darkness (or something to that effect) in episode ‘His Right Red Hand’. Personally, I’m more inclined to go with Lisbon’s statement. That Jane always was a good person. Aside from the evidence in ‘Throwing fire’ we’ve had more support in this episode:

-Jane told Rigsby that he owed him 60 bucks. True, he wasn’t honest about the amount but perhaps he was just rounding down. What’s important is he admitted to owing him money.

-Jane did get the doll for the perp’s daughter.

-Jane called the perp a cockroach, showing his derision at the man for throwing away his life with his family.

-My theory that Jane only stole the cash from Wilcox because he wanted Lisbon to catch him with the money; to keep him from going anywhere.

That laughing you hear is Cynic; please ignore him.

And speaking of morals, Chizuruchibi has another very important moral from this episode:

Image by Chizuru-chibi. Copyright Reviewbrain December, 2011. Not to be used without permission.

 

Not only that, but if I were Lisbon, I’d be paranoid to ever let Jane out of my sight from now on…

 

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