Rating: 
It’s official. After over four years of speculation, we now know for a fact that Red John is a character we’ve already seen on The Mentalist (at least that’s how I read it). Or as Jane (Simon Baker) said in the episodes closing moments, “he’s someone I know.”
I wasn’t surprised at all that Jane was attempting to break Lorelei (Emmanuelle Chriqui) out of prison. It’s well documented the lengths he’s willing to go to in order to catch Red John, if he didn’t make that clear back when he shot a man dead, then it’s time for you to reevaluate your thoughts on the character.
The Mentalist once again delved into its endless pool of brilliant guest stars, this time bringing back Brett Stiles (the magnificent Malcolm McDowell) for his fourth appearance on the show, albeit for one scene.
But what a great way to start the episode, from the great chemistry Baker and McDowell share down to the cinema setting and classic film allusions with North by Northwest (Alfred Hitchcock, 1959) seeming to foreshadow events down the line. Also, CONTINUITY was observed. Jane cashed in the favor Stiles owed him after he helped the cult leader out last season in 4.16 ‘His Thoughts Were Red Thoughts’, as the Visualize church provided the personnel and transport for Lorelei’s escape (notice the small sticker with visualize logo on the back of the truck – an excellent detail I missed on first watch).
After initially seeming disappointed that it wasn’t Red John who’d planned her escape and telling Jane she’ll ‘never’ tell him who or where Red John is, Lorelei and Jane escape to the beach for a while. The scenes on the beach – up until the tense encounter with the park ranger (Ron Perkins), anyway – were strangely beautiful as Jane and Lorelei’s undoubted connection was amplified yet again. They huddle for warmth, lying together in the sand and falling asleep.
I always got the feeling that Lorelei wasn’t your average evil serial killer accomplice, and that was proven here as we got some backstory and an explanation for her Red John connection.
Her sister, Miranda (Erin O’Brien), was raped and left for dead, and this is after she was initially SOLD to another couple as a kid. I should’ve put the dots together a lot earlier, especially when Lorelei spouted the usual Red John philosophy so similar to what Rebecca (Shauna Bloom) said in 2.08 ‘His Red Right Hand’, but I didn’t. When I saw the crime scene photo of Miranda’s murder, the familiar Red John alias ‘Roy’ carved into the floor, I was genuinely surprised – so that worked very well as a reveal for me personally.
Red John had murdered Lorelei’s sister in order to make her a victim and then ‘save’ her, bringing her on side to his warped mantra of ‘no light without darkness, life without death’ and so on. Sounds an awful lot like what Red John is trying with Jane in some way, only that’s a much longer game. Plus it’ll never truly work. As dark as Jane will get and as twisted as his actions may become, he’ll kill Red John in the end, not join him. Though could he join him without even realizing it? OK, I’ll stop.
All of this makes Lorelei a much more sympathetic and rounded character than any previous Red John cohort – mostly because they’ve always been killed so soon after capture. As a character, Lorelei is a joy to have on the show, so I’m very glad she’s still here. That being said – I don’t see her lasting beyond this season.
Lorelei won’t believe Jane’s revelation about Red John murdering her sister – even after seeing the crime scene photo. As Jane presses on with the revelation, Lorelei becomes the umpteenth person to note the similarities between Jane and his nemesis, before responding to Jane’s subsequent denial with a line of such great importance that it cannot be stressed enough:
“How would you know? I know. I only wonder why the two of you didn’t become lifelong friends the moment you shook hands.”
That’s right, Red John is someone Jane (and almost certainly the audience) has already seen. Fans have suspected as such for a long time, but that was purely because we think it would be more interesting and entertaining. For the characters though, they’ve been looking for a needle in a haystack – think about how many people there is in California alone. Now that has been significantly whittled down.
However, not only has Jane met Red John, but they shook hands. Yes, literally shook hands (see next weeks Canadian PROMO). The question is, did this happen on or off screen? Will I be judged for re-watching every episode to see who shakes Jane’s hand? Will I care if I am?
Of course, Jane’s main reason for letting Lorelei go off by herself is both that he’s already gotten an amazingly vital piece of information out of her and that he hopes his humility towards her will bring her back to him once she finds out the truth about Miranda and Red John. I do get the sense though that the genuinely cares for her, especially now that he knows she’s more of a brainwashed victim than anything else.
Lisbon (Robin Tunney) spent the entirety of this episode working with creepy Bob Kirkland (Kevin Corrigan) of Homeland Security, who we were introduced to in last week’s episode as he told Lisbon to back off the Volker (Henry Ian Cusick) case. I say ‘introduced to’, but we actually glimpsed him briefly in the 100th episode ‘Red Dawn’, as he seemed to be the one giving orders to FBI Director Alexa Shultz (Polly Walker) to keep an eye on Jane and the Red John case from the moment he was in on it. Very suspicious indeed. Is he working for Red John or just another man going after him? Saying that, he’s not just another man, he’s HOMELAND SECURITY. Just how high up does this thing go? It doesn’t get much higher than that. That flashback in 5.05 and his odd ‘no, but I know you’ greeting to Jane in 5.07 have certainly put him on some fans radar as a possible Red John disciple, possibly even the man himself.
After faking a crash in order to complete his ‘kidnapped’ cover, Jane sits in his CBI attic of demons and broods in the dark, this time with added neck brace. Of course Lisbon knows Jane set the whole thing up – does anyone know Jane (at least this Jane) better than Lisbon? Certainly not. Well, Red John does, I suppose.
I’m happy that Jane told Lisbon what Lorelei told him. I honestly don’t care that he’s being ‘selfish’ and going off on his own a lot – the darkness in Jane is compelling – but it’s nice to see he still trusts her the most, even if he’d rather protect her by holding it back.
Looking at Jane, his face battered and bruised as a slightly manic smile crosses his face, I realised once again that nothing will stop him when it comes to Red John. Luckily for him, after this episode, he’s closer than ever.
- OTHER POINTS
- This was such a well-made episode. The directing by Simon Baker, writing by Daniel Cerone and (as ever) the music by Blake Neely all deserve a special mention.
- How creepy was that atmosphere created as Jane entered Miranda’s cabin? I half expected to find Red John inside at one point.
- I missed the team this week, though their limited screen time was understandable.
- I’m reminded of last season’s finale ‘The Crimson Hat’ as the show again went for the look and feel of a feature film. Mission accomplished, guys.
- Malcolm McDowell and Emmanuelle Chriqui both guest starring in the same episode. It doesn’t get much better.
- The slow motion shot of Jane running to the cinema, the music – that’s how you start an episode.
- As a film lover, the filmic references in that opening scene were great to see. Plus, both North by Northwest and Double Indemnity (Billy Wilder, 1944) are two of my favorite films – go figure.
Such is the importance of this episode in discovering the identity of Red John; I thought I’d post my short suspect list here. It’s just the names in no particular order, as I don’t want to bog down the review in too much rambling. Tell me what you think in the comments and hit me with your own theories.
JJ Laroche’s Connor’s Suspect List:
- Walter Mashburn
- Gale Bertram
- Max Winter
- CBI Ron
- Virgil Minelli
These are my suspects for various different reasons, however the fact remains that there is only two people who overtly match the personality I’d expect to see in Red John – Brett Stiles and Patrick Jane himself. It’s not the latter, and the former seems too obvious to me (he is literally perfect for it in both personality and resources), though maybe that’s the point? Is Stiles a red herring or a double bluff? It’s important to note also that Red John, like Jane, is a master manipulator – so he won’t necessarily come across as we expect him to (charming, persuasive, egotistical, magnetic).
Not only was this an expertly crafted piece of television that keeps up The Mentalist’s stellar start to its fifth season (which is shaping up to be the best since its first run), it was also an incredibly important episode – maybe the most important yet.
Please do tell me what you think of my review and anything about the show in the comments.
Check back next week for my review of 5.09 ‘Black Cherry’, for which you can watch the extended CBS PROMO HERE.
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41 Comments
Nice review! As far as Red John suspects go, I’d add Brett Stiles. Jane attempting to free Lorelei from prison helps him too(if he’s Red John) and I still think we got Lorelei to mislead us, otherwise she’d already be dead with a nice bloody smiley face above her. Speaking of which, I sure miss those.
Then there’s Dr. Linus Wagner who’s still probably my favorite suspect. The Red John theme was used in the Pilot episode even though it was a copycat case. Or was it? He could easily have people do the killings for him even from prison(or escape when necessary), and he avoided death penalty in season 3 by helping Lisbon find Jane before it was too late.
A few more come to mind; LaRoche, Bret Partridge(always there for copycat incidents), Robert(Bob) Kirkland, Gardiner Renfrew(Jared Renfrew’s brother from Red John’s Friends). Too many elaborate theories for and against every single suspect, obviously :)
Thanks!
There’s no way it’s Wagner. He’s been in prison for years, and we’ve seen and heard from Red John numerous times since then. They wont have all of that turn out not to be him.
Also, you can rule out all bald people (Bertram, Laroche) as Rosalind (who we have no reason to doubt) was Red John’s lover and stated that he has ‘short, straight hair’ something unmistakable even for someone who is blind. Also, note Red John’s build when he recites the poem to Jane in 2.23 – there’s no way it could be Laroche, because he’s bald AND too large to be Red John.
It has to be Bret Stiles. In season 3.3 “The Blood on His Hands” Jane gets a text from Bret to meet him in the park. Jane is there waiting for him on a park bench. Bret sits down beside Jane, hands him a card and says, “Accept this as a gift from an old friend.” The card has an address on it and the team rushes to the house where they find Kristina Frye in a catatonic state. Now, who but Red John would have had that information? Not surprisingly, Bret had taken to the friendly skies after he left Jane.
It’s obviously Bret Stiles. In season 3, episode 3 “The Blood on His Hands” Jane gets a text from Bret to meet him in the park. Jane is waiting for him on a park bench. Bret sits down beside him, hands him a card and says, “Accept this as a gift from an old friend.” The card has an address on it. The team rushes to the address where they find Kristina in a catatonic state. Now who else but Red John would have that information? Bret, not surprisingly, takes to the friendly skies immediately after leaving Jane.
The access to such information that Stiles has is one of many reasons for him being the ‘obvious’ choice for Red John…but that’s my point, is he TOO obvious? That being said, Malcolm McDowell would make for a fantastic Red John and it’s possible the ‘obvious’ part is a double bluff on the writers part. I’m not counting on it though.
Thanks for commenting.
Great review! I love your suspect list. I am going with Minelli for now. It makes sense in my head ;)
Thanks, Jordan!
As you can see, Minelli was one of my top suspects, but the more I think about it the more I’m thinking it’s not him.
Also, I can take Max Winter off the list, him and Jane never shook hands throughout the entirety of their meeting, not once.
My top three candidates are Minelli (my first suspect way back in season one), Stiles (who I started suspecting after his second appearance) and Kirkland, who seems to be a red herring but I feel could be a double bluff.
Stiles would be my number one choice if I wasn’t so sure he’s a red herring. Thanks for commenting!
I’m not all too sure it was Red John we saw in season 2 finale. Hair is something you can easily grow or get rid of so I wouldn’t really take Rosalind’s description for granted. I’m pretty sure Red John hasn’t committed half the murders he’s credited for in the series, he always has someone else to do it for him. I’m not even sure he’s committed any murders himself after Jane’s family.
I take your point on the hair, but I still don’t see it being someone completely bald. I do agree that he wont have committed all murders in his name that we’ve seen, but to say he hasn’t done ANY since Jane’s family is a little off base I feel…I don’t think there’s any way he’s not killed since then. Especially when we see the face. And as far as I’m concerned, that was definitely him in the season 2 finale, it was definitely him in the season 1 finale, definitely him on the other end of the phone in the season 4 finale and definitely him in Rosalind’s house holding the teacup in 4.13. I just don’t see any reason for it not to be, those parts are played straight, there’d be no other reason to keep him in the shadows (not seen in s1 finale, mask in s2 finale, head out of frame in 4.13). My point is, I highly doubt we’d get all of these exciting, mysterious sightings throughout the show only to find out it was never him. I know show runners can be mischievous (and rightly so) but I think people completely over exaggerate how much Bruno Heller trolls the audience.
Thanks for your comments!
I don’t know really. If it was Red John in 2.23 I think Jane would recognize him later. I just really like the thought of Wagner being Red John and Jane not realizing he got him already. Either way, I’m sure we will all be disappointed when we finally find out the truth.
If it’s true Jane shook hands with Red John, we can rule out many suspects already and practically “catch” him. Linus Wagner is the only person he shook hands with in the Pilot episode, for example, and I don’t recall him ever shaking hands with Bret Partridge. I’m really considering watching all of the episodes to make a list… :D
I’m just 100% confident it was him. All Jane saw was a mask, all he heard was a (clearly manipulated and distorted) high pitched voice…so he wouldn’t necessarily recognise him later.
Excellent review. If nothing else, Red Sails in the Sunset got me to bust out my North By Northwest dvd and then follow it up with Rear Window. Much better than watching football after Thanksgiving dinner.
My personal favorite from your list of suspects is Walter Mashburn. I think he fits in a lot of ways. That said, this episode made me question that a little bit. What Lorelei said sort of implied that Jane was somewhat indifferent to or disliked Red John upon meeting him. While Jane and Mashburn may not have become hetero male life mates, they did seem to hit off. Also against him is the fact that he hasn’t appeared since season 3.
I’ve never gone in much for the Minnelli as Red John theory. That said, I think the biggest thing in his favor is that the writers have brought Minnelli back twice for guest spots. Yes, I’m sure Gregory Itzin is delightful and he’s certainly delightful as Minnelli, but maybe the real reason was to remind the viewers of him because he’ll be important later on. Also, Virgil is such an awful name to have to grow up with it may turn someone into a serial killer.
I think you’re right about Bret Stiles being a red herring. Way too obvious. Plus I’ve always agreed with Jane’s belief that Stiles would never dirty his own hands, he’d only ever manipulate people into doing things for him. But who knows, maybe Red John hasn’t committed any murders himself. It would make me very happy if it ends up that Jane did in fact partially get his revenge at the end of season 3 because Timothy Carter killed Jane’s family on the head Red John’s orders.
Thanks, Cece. There’s not much better than a Hitchcock double bill.
I like Mashburn for it a lot too, in fact I’d go as far as saying he’s my number 1 suspect. The only thing going against him in my mind is exactly what you said, Lorelei’s wording seems to suggest they didn’t exactly get on, and as you said Mashburn and Jane very much enjoyed each others company. Or maybe she just meant that they haven’t seem much of each other since? That would fit with Mashburn as him and Jane have only been together in 2 episodes.
Honestly, I completely rushed into that list. On second thought, I’m ruling out Max Winter completely (him and Jane never shook hands as far as I can see) which is a shame as I thought that’d be a great twist and Jack Coleman would make a great Red John. Then again, there’s so many great actors on The Mentalist, I’m sure many of them would make a great Red John.
Here’s my updated suspect list, after more consideration:
Walter Mashburn
Robert Kirkland
Ron
Virgil Minelli
Gale Bertram
I’ve not bought into the Brett Partridge theory for a long time now, so if it was him they’d certainly succeed in surprising me.
Here’s a question: technically it’s still possible Red John is someone we the audience haven’t seen (Jane is sure to have met many people off-screen). I highly doubt it is, but what do you think? Should we even be considering that possibility anymore?
You’re right about Stiles being ‘obvious’, but I had to put him on the list by sheer virtue of the fact that he’s perfect for it. Maybe that’s the point…a double bluff? Occam’s Razor has come up in the show before..
I’ve toyed with the idea that Carter may turn out to have been Red John, in some capacity anyway, after all…but I’m not sure how I’d feel about that. At this point I genuinely just think he was a pawn to test Jane’s nerve and to continue turning Jane into the monster he’s chasing.
Thanks for the great comments!
~~Here’s a question: technically it’s still possible Red John is someone we the audience haven’t seen (Jane is sure to have met many people off-screen). I highly doubt it is, but what do you think? Should we even be considering that possibility anymore?~~
Well, it’s always a possibility, just as Red John being someone we’ve seen Jane with but didn’t shake hands with onscreen is a possibility. I’m going to be generous (I’m a jaded Lost fan who takes a showrunner’s words with tons of salt) and give Bruno Heller the benefit of the doubt and say I don’t think he’d do fans dirty like that.
~~You’re right about Stiles being ‘obvious’, but I had to put him on the list by sheer virtue of the fact that he’s perfect for it. Maybe that’s the point…a double bluff? Occam’s Razor has come up in the show before..~~
Oh, I absolutely understand why you had to put him on the list and he may well turn out to be Red John. I’m starting to think that maybe I’m wanting to rule out too many people as obvious since now I kind of want to rule out all the names we saw on a certain list. Maybe whoever Red John is will probably be someone who seems obvious to die hard fans.
For the record, I think it would be hilarious if Red John is CBI Ron.
Connor Great review, as always.
RJ, it could be anyone who has been in contact with Jane, in recent years. In this sense the episode brings nothing we suspect not before, but this time speaks to is someone fived Jane (not really have been onscreen) is someone who knows Jane: Bret Stiles, Kirkland, Minelli, Masburn, Ardiles, any of the heads of the CBI, one of the heads of the FBI). It could also be any of their peers in the CBI …
Also the episode reveals who is Lorelei, a victim, like Jane. I found her beautiful eyes lost in the infinite sea. His performance was exquisite and just feeling sorry for her. I also loved the scenes of Kirkland and Lisbon, very well directed. I liked the episode out of the common scenarios, tiring always seeing the same scenarios. Baker did a great job, especially in the direction of the actors and the music-image combination. Also in creating suspense. I love the child looking at Jane, the child seems to be reading his mind, is disturbing and also represents the innocence.
The perversity of RJ not only reaches monstrous killings.
RJ also transformed the goodness in perversity, can transform the character of human beings. That is clear in the episode with Lorelei.
Perhaps the major challenge of RJ is putting Jane in their favor
Thanks Mar.
Ardiles is an interesting one. Of course anything is possible, there’s just nothing to support that, certainly not in terms of his personality. But as I said, who knows?
If you mean what I think you mean by that last line, I agree. Red John’s game, certainly for the past few seasons, seems to have been to try and manipulate Jane into doing terrible things (shooting a man dead, manipulating another man into getting killed, framing a victims dead father for it, hitting a man with a shovel and locking him in a coffin) in order to do exactly what he’s done to Lorelei…pray on his pain and turn him. That’s certainly the root they went down from the Season 2 finale up until the end of season 4. I’m not too sure if they’re continuing down that line right now, but it wouldn’t surprise me.
Thanks again.
I just don’t want RJ to be Walter, I like him too much. I guess I’m just a casual fan because I don’t remember the names of the characters , I do know Stiles, Mashburn and now Kirkland.
Hey, Gata!
I like Walter too, I think everyone does, he’s a lot of fun. In many ways though, maybe it’d be more effective if Red John ended up being someone we at least feel some sort of affection for? It’s not a given of course, but possible.
For reference, here’s the names that were on the list (in no order) and the episodes they’ve been in: Brett Partridge (1.01, 2.23) Brett Stiles (2.20, 3.03, 4.16, 5.08) Walter Mashburn (2.13, 3.07) Linus Wagner (1.01, 3.08) Virgil Minelli (many!) Ellis Mars (3.09) Osvaldo Ardiles (3.22, 3.24, 4.01, 4.14) Dr. Towlen Morning (2.08-dead) Dean Harkin (2.16) Cooper (from Visualize in 4.16) and Detective Vint Mulinary (3.03).
It’s also worth noting that at this point Jane is literally just listing everyone he’s met (and presumably shook hands with) so this is just one page of many names. The question is – why did they show us THIS page? Is there a reason? IS IT JUST A TEASE? Either way, it was great to see. I love how this show never forgets even the most minor of characters.
Thanks!
Patrick derives from Patronus, founding Roman families, Patricians, specifically allowed to wear RED sandals (not that Roman alone doesn’t make one see RED) and Jane is a variation/derivation of the name JOHN.
But, Patrick Jane IS NOT Red John…
…also, based on the Red John ‘smiley’ it makes me think RJ is left handed, his arm blocking a clear completion arc for the circle, thus the nonchalant flair finish.
So, a medically trained, high level manipulator, with a powerful mental influence on converts, and certainly a lot of personal wealth. Plus, his men are devoted, but his women are enthralled.
Peter,
There is a lot of deception going on on Red John’s part, obviously, so there isn’t any one person I can think of on the show that overtly displays ALL of these attributes. It’s a bit of a mix and match at the moment.
Correct, Patrick Jane is not Red John. A fact stated by Bruno Heller himself.
Thanks.
I think RJ is Walter M. (he is just how the blind woman (forgot the name) described RJ) but I believe that the manipulation for him does Bret Stiles.
Hey Anna,
Mashburn is my no.1 suspect at the moment, but that’s been on a constant shift for over four years now.
Thanks for commenting.
@Cece
I wouldn’t rule out everyone on that list — could very well be one of them. Who knows?
CBI RON as RJ would have a hint of dark humour to it, wouldn’t it?
I find it interesting that during Red Sails in the Sunset, Kirkland stutters every time he says Lorelei’s name. It’s like he’s got a pet name for her and he has to be careful every time he almost slips and says it.
I’m not too sure about that, seems like a stretch. He does have an odd speech pattern though.
Your review is very good Connor. I agree with you, this was a great episode. Emmanuelle Chriqui and Kevin Corrigan were extraordinary. Above all feature an excellent performance by all actors.
Now we know the type of victim is Lorelei and for me she is becoming a fascinating character. It is so strange dependence on RJ. We also began to have many clues about RJ. There is also a strange relationship between Kirkland and Lisbon. It’s as if none of them had just trusted the other.
And I liked the episode so much, it’s hard to put into words the feelings. The photography and music at times were better than ever. A great episode.
Completely agree on Lorelei. She has become such a great and interesting character, especially after this episode. She’s got depth.
We are getting clues now, and what a season it’s been so far. I have literally no idea where it’s going to go from here.
I’m glad you pointed out the great cinematography/camera work and music in this – it was a very well made episode. Simon did a great job directing (as he always does) and Blake Neely – well, what more can I say about his work on this show that I haven’t already?
Thanks!
the most intelligent review and reviewer i have come across. don’t know how i missed you connor. am going to read your other reviews.
quick bit of info, the little boy in the convenience store is, i think, claude baker, simon’s older son. beautiful kid — looks just like his mother. harry is the smaller of the soccer player kids.
simon is a terrific director. obvious he works hard. there are always allusions to great films. lots of hitchcock in this one. every shot if so beautiful. the morning shot of patrick lying curled in the sand in his three piece suit was poetry. also the final shot of patrick was a combo of the joker, dr. strange love, and the picture of dorian gray. ghastly.
loralei (spelling is theirs not mine) is a wonderful character. the only person i’ve ever seen call patrick on his act and make him back down. smart and insightful. hard to believe that character gave that info to patrick by mistake. if it was a mistake, she would certainly realize it. as soon as she said it, patrick and every other viewer understood its import. so the idea that it’s a blunder she wasn’t aware of is an example of the characters doing what the writers need them to do; not what they would do. but i guess i’ll have to make that stretch. i loved how sexy the last scenes with them were. a lot of chemistry between baker and chiriqui.
lisbon definitely did a hair fluff when she saw kirkland. really, teresa? him of the sweaty upper lip? one of my favorite patrick moments: “who’s that guy?” injured and in pain but still a jealous little boy.
i’m kind of sad to have the red john universe narrowed down. i never wanted it to be someone we already know. makes me think about the series concluding.
i’m also bothered by red john raping someone. i like that he had a set killing ritual. seems a little low rent for his character.
regarding suspects. in the pilot, patrick called red john an ugly little man, sad. it’s more interesting if that truly was slander and red john is actually handsome, charming, brilliant, rich and a good dancer. i don’t want it to be that red john got mad because jane’s comment was too near the knuckle. as patrick has said, “doesn’t play nearly as well.” got to be someone who can at least hold a birthday candle to jane.
brett stiles? charismatic and brilliant and wealthy. pretty hard to look at. but three mistresses and one rape? don’t think that’s in the cards for a seventy-something man. unless he has someone pinch hit for him in that area.
walter mashburn. money yes. but for me, no mystique whatsoever. also, he wore a mock turtleneck. dorky.
great episode. very much like a movie. every shot beautifully designed. good editing. always love the music.
Thank you very much, you’re too kind.
You’re right, the kid in the store and the smaller one playing football were indeed Simon’s kids.
I love film/cinema, so the classic film references were brilliant to see.
I’ve seen many people make ‘The Joker’ comparison with that last shot, and I can certainly see it.
I completely agree on Lorelei, the writers have done such a great job with her character.
I’ve mentioned the rape thing elsewhere. I’ve always been under the impression that during Red John’s earlier, ‘purer’ killings (when we were under the impression that he was simply a serial killer) had some sort of sexual element to them. This was backed up by some of the comments made by Criminal Psychologists in the Red John documentary on the Season 3 DVD.
I completely, 100% agree on the idea of Red John being handsome, charming, brilliant etc. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about, because that’s exactly how they’ve set him up – he’s unlike any average serial killer. That’s the irony of it, he’s the exact opposite of what Jane made him out to be. He’s magnetic, not pathetic.
The Mentalist will end either next season or the season after that at the most. This is a good thing. It means they wont overstretch it like a lot of shows and it also means we get a proper ending – The Mentalist will be a complete work we can enjoy for years to come, and that is the most important thing. I’ve always found the idea of Red John being someone we know more exciting if anything, though as long as it’s written well I’m open to anything.
Thanks so much for your considered and flattering comments. I hope you continue to enjoy my reviews.
hi connor-
if you’ll indulge me if i circle back to this episode as i hibernate during this long mentalist mid-season lull. (cannot believe panama red was the finale — kind of a dud compared with every other season. but i’ll say no more until you review it.) building on your comment about the sexual component in red john’s activities. i think one of the people who got violated in that way by red john is patrick. red john sent his lover, loralei to have sex with jane — he could have had her bail him out and take him for a drink before telling him who sent her — but he himself wanted the intimate contact. and he got it by proxy. best of all, he got it without patrick’s consent. carnal knowledge without consent. the law has a term for that, no?
i think red john has a deep homoerotic attraction to patrick. there’s a real desire to merge there. when patrick commented that recruiting him would fulfill red john’s heart’s desire, i think he was exactly right. and since jane is well-read, insightful and reads carl jung for fun, for god’s sake, (in the warehouse in crimson hat), he is psychologically astute enough to know what’s going on.
Connor–
The inclusion of Dr. Towlen Morning on the “red list” (term from TV Fanatic’s review by Christine Orlando) indicates that it could be someone who was not seen to shake hands with Jane. Dr. Morning was dead in the first episode in which he appeared, & no one, Jane included (unless he was deceiving us, which I suppose is possible) knew who he was. It had probably been a few years earlier that they met–long enough ago for Jane to have forgotten what the guy looked like. That opens up the possibility that other suspects shook hands with Jane offscreen. Thus, you can put Max Winter back on your suspect list.
If we go by Rosalind Harker’s description of Red John, Mashburn is too tall (6’3″, nearly Rigsby’s height) & Bertram is too bald (Rosalind would likely have been able to detect a wig so I don’t think that it would have been a sufficient disguise).
I really enjoy your reviews.
Hey Arco!
You’re right on the handshake, of course. The inclusion of Brett Partridge also confirms this. My review of ‘Black Cherry’, including my thoughts on that list, should be up tonight or tomorrow at the latest. Have a read and let me know what you think.
Mashburn is my no.1 suspect but the height thing is an issue. I choose to believe Rosalind’s story, why shouldn’t we? However, she’s blind and if any of those attributes she described are going to be inaccurate it’s the height. But that’s a good 4 inches taller than she said – so maybe that’s proof enough it isn’t Mashburn? I’m not sure. The hair is not so easy to mistake. A wig is possible (and she wouldn’t necessarily notice it) but I do have a tendency to doubt bald candidates for this reason.
The thing with Max Winter is, his episode gave the feeling that we saw every meeting between Jane and him – I’m sure of that in fact – during which they never shook hands.
Thanks, it’s great fun writing them. Thanks a lot for your comments.
It’s Walter Mashburn – charisma, resources, adrenaline junkie. Also, if you wanted to destroy Patrick Jane, you’d want to take everything away from him – Mashburn bedded Lisbon remember.
FBI Agent Gabe Mancini
Just watched an old episode where Jane helped a guy who said he knew Red John get out of prison by catching the real killer. Of course Red John killed him before Jane could find out what he knew – but before he died, he managed to write on the wall “he is Man…”
I got the impression he had fun with Mashburn and considered him kind of a friend, which would rule him out.
Always like your comments, Connor and those of the people who follow you.
They’d have to pedal really hard to give Mashburn the requisite charisma. He’s just a rich daddy longlegs in a mock turtleneck, in my opinion. Patrick is so elegant and brilliant and dripping with sex appeal. Mashburn looks like a bad yearbook picture.
And I want Red John to be a match for Jane in every way. Too bad Cary Grant is no longer with us. For years, I’ve found comments speculating on who Red John is pretty tedious. The series seemed to have endless possibilities and I loved the idea that every few episodes there was another unpredictable twist and new disturbing character. Now it feels limited and considering the candidates, squalid. Is the big reveal going to be that a guy spins around in his chair and it’s…some dork that we’ve seen before with a flashlight under his chin?
At least, Bradley Whitford brought the power of celebrity and being a significant actor to the role. All these other guys (except Malcolm McDowell) can’t really hold the stage in the same way. They’re, at best, second bananas as actors. No one’s basing a series on them. Simon Baker walks on the set and compels you to look at him. So does McDowell and every other great actor. Predictable as it would be, if Brett Styles were twenty-five years younger, I’d prefer him. (Though I’ve mentioned before my problems with seventy-somethings having three mistresses and one rape to their credit.) At least I wouldn’t laugh and say “yeah, right” as they parade out some non-entity. Feels like they’d have to build a persona over time with one of these guys and that might broadcast who Red John is. If Red John shows up in the last episode or two, my vote would be to hire a well-known actor who would bring some built-in power to the part. Red John has to fly at the same altitude as Jack Nicholson. Then I won’t be disappointed.
I am a huge fan of the mentalist from day one. I go back and forth with my suspects lol. Could be so many different people. One of my top suspects is brett stiles especially the whole kristina frye thing. My sister has jus recently started watching the mentalist by borrowing my dvds. She recently watched the episode where brett stiles gives the address to kristina’s whereabouts. I mentioned how I thought it was him because he knew the location and she put something interesting to me that I had never thought of……when we are first introduced to visualize they mention that all their members have to make confessional videos about all the bad things they have done (and only senior staff have access to these videos). What if red john is a member of vizualise and on his video he made mention of kidnapping kristina frye (bad thing he has done) and also mentions her location. As brett stiles is the most senior staff it would make sense why he knows her location (watching the video) and also makes sense why he also said to patrick i know more than you and red john (watching confessional videos)…..just a thought!! :)
Another thing I wanted opinion on – in the episode where the team goes to the location of where the dead frozen man has been laid with the flowers, lisbon notifies everyone on the phone however she is not there with them when they investigate and this is the same time bosco and his team are murdered by rebecca. Where was she????