The Mentalist: It's A Jane Of A Show

The Cast of The Mentalist.

Television today is proving that for a crime drama, it must have twist to make it interesting in any way. In addition to that fact it must have a compelling character(s) to draw in an audience. The Mentalist is enlists what I mentioned above, and through its hook it draws an audience in. The hook in question is the smart witted character of  Patrick Jane, a former con artist. Without this character, The Mentalist would be a CSI wannabe.

Created in 2008, The Mentalist follows the CBI (California Bureau of Investigation) team of Teresa Libson as they solve homicides in the state of California. In her team is Patrick Jane (portrayed by the amazingly talented Simon Baker) who has a knack for observation, tricks and trouble. There is a much larger story arc behind it all though, since it involves the large conspiracy of Red John. Red John is like the arch-enemy of Patrick Jane, and is practically untouchable since he has not been caught. While working at the CBI, Jane uses this to help him hunt down Red John to avenge his murdered wife and daughter. So you can expect a much larger story arc of Red John and Jane's obsession with him.

The Mentalist is not all gloom and doom though, within moments of its first episode, The Mentalist gives you the idea of what the whole show is going to feel like. From The Mentalist you can expect mystery, action, humor, and antics from Jane. There is also the element of conspiracy with the whole Red John thing, and the constant wonder of who is really Red John. The Mentalist so far is not willing to tell us just yet either.

Simon Baker as Patrick Jane.

The Mentalist story centers around its main character Patrick Jane and he became the real reason you watched the The Mentalist (you aside from the crime stuff). Being a former Con Man, Jane knows how to read people's expressions and body language. He uses these skills to figure out people's secrets and who is the true murderer. This causes him to pull of tricks on people to make the real killer come out. Although some of his actions do get him in trouble. In every episode you are guaranteed that Jane will do something that will cause trouble and be one step ahead of everyone. There is more to Jane though than just his crime solving skills, and this is what makes Jane such a fascinating character. Jane has his dark side which is brought out whenever Red John makes a move. As I mentioned above, Jane's family was murdered by Red John and Patrick commits himself to finding Red John for revenge. I also love the fact that The Mentalist hasn't made Jane have few love interests and make Jane very devoted to his deceased wife. This is also a credit to the actor himself for creating such a great character that can very well carry the show. The Mentalist could have been a very different show without Simon Baker.

Despite the highlight of Patrick Jane, The Mentalist basically follows a similar pattern for most of its episodes. With the occasional addition of character and plot development, the episodes usually have a murder, investigating, Jane telling them to release people and causing trouble with the finale of a clever trap for the criminal. In a way it seems like the CBI team Jane works in is like his personal gang of minions or rather goons. They unquestionably do what Jane asks and it seems like Jane is really the one solving the crimes. Although for The Mentalist this works since its always entertaining to see a Jane plan play out.

To sum it up The Mentalist is a decent show and a good way to spend your now Sunday evenings with. It is similar to Castle, but not as great as Bones. I do worry though that after Red John is revealed, what will The Mentalist do next with its next big story arc? Promo below.