TV News and Reviews

The Mentalist came back tonight with a new episode, “Crimson Casanova”. This episode involved the CBI group investigating the murder of a woman who’d spent the night with the local “pick-up artist”. It was a fun episode, with the sleazy and somewhat dorky Casanova passing his “wisdom” on to the team and even influencing Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) to try out his techniques on Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti). Amusingly, and to the relief of offended women everywhere, she wasn’t impressed in the least.

Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) was delightful in this episode, getting to be flirty, pushy, taunting, and bizarre, while using his unusual techniques of getting information out of people. Everything he does is always a tiny bit sensual, as he usually invades a suspect’s personal space in order to fluster them. With that gorgeous smile, soft voice, and gentle aggressiveness, he either seduces or frightens them–or both.

We also got to see Cho (Tim Kang) ramping up the sexy vibe in his undercover work as a pick-up artist. Jane, of course, was coaching him, but it turned out Cho was a natural. It was stunning to see how the cranky and rumpled Cho could turn into hot sexy designer-sunglasses-wearing hottie in no time flat. He also got to show a glimmer of sensitivity with one of the women in the case. It was a nice moment for Cho.

All in all, a good episode. I’m enjoying the balance in these between Patrick Jane’s quirkiness and the rest of the team’s investigative work. And I liked that Lisbon (Robin Tunney) gave Jane a dose of his own irreverent medicine, tweaking him on the nose in the same way he did a suspect. For the show to work, she needs to retain her power in the dynamic, even if it’s just through teasing. A two-way street is always more enjoyable to watch in a relationship. Jane gives the whole team a hard time, whether intentionally or unintentionally, and it’s good when they give it right back.

We also got to see a more serious moment with Jane, when two gorgeous girls try to pick him up at the bar. He declines, telling them he’s married. I’d noticed in previous episodes that he was still wearing the ring, but this was the first time I think it’s been acknowledged. His feelings bled through earlier in the episode, when he chastised the husband of the victim for not caring at all about the death of his wife. The thing that makes us accept Jane’s irreverence and sometime coldness is because we see the chinks in the armor. We see what he’s covering up, what he’s protecting underneath. And that makes him human, rather than just a collection of quirks.

A regretful Jane (Simon Baker), comforted by Lisbon (Robin Tunney), in The Mentalist episode “Red John’s friends”, c2009 CBS.

Watch The Mentalist on CBS Tuesdays, 9/8c.