A witty, well-dressed, well-spoken, highly observant ex-con man joins the CBI as a consultant. The Mentalist is one of my childhood TV shows that simply put, rewired my brain. Granted I watched the show on cable. Which meant I only watched it if I got lucky, if the TV was free, if my schedule matched the airing time, and in an Arabic dub. But oh, it was such a brilliant show, and I am still obsessed with it.
Recently, I came across a psychic. He didn't call himself a psychic, but rather explained his skills somewhere in the lines of a person with skills of clairvoyance and telepathy. He also dressed very closely like Patrick Jane, the protagonist of The Mentalist. I kid you not, the moment I got home I jumped onto my PC to rewatch my favorite childhood TV show. And it still is, evidently, my favorite.
My biggest regret pertaining to this show is that I never really got to watch the entire thing. Plus, the nature of the time was so chaotic that I have only watched a very few episodes from the entire show. Let's get this out of the way, the chemistry between Patrick Jane and Agent Lisbon was one of the best in TV history. Not even in a romantic sense, just as co-workers and platonic friends they were such a cohesive and freely flowing couple.
To be fair, I have no knowledge of whether they do eventually become a couple or not, so don't spoil it for me. I am rewatching the series from scratch and so far I have reached the end of season two only.
And can we take a moment to talk about Agent Van Pelt? It is safe to say she was my childhood crush. I only remembered her from the later episodes but once I began rewatching the TV show I saw a younger Amanda Righetti ...and oooof, I think she just graduated from my childhood crush to current celebrity crush.
Her role may seem very bleak at the beginning as a new recruit in the CBI. But it becomes very apparent that she is not only the eye candy of the team but also the most practical thinker among the 5. She is calculated and her role is much deeper than the others since she is constantly battling with her job duties and trying to become a more prominent member of the team, love life, past, and the future of her career.
I am still on the edge of deciding if Agent Lisbon or Agent Van Pelt is the dominant powerful female role. The way Agent Lisbon, the boss of the team, is portrayed makes her the neck of the team and plays the role of keeping a tough sweetheart in the group that keeps everyone in check. I feel like Agent Van Pelt is the head, which also gives her the edge to become the lead female powerful role. She also has very distinct and clear thoughts about all of her mixed responsibilities, so my vote goes to her.
Even after rewatching the show for two whole seasons, my favorite character is still Agent Cho. I stand to believe that Agent Kimbal Cho is the most complex character in the group. If you are going to watch the show then you might have a difficult time liking him. But trust me, give it time, and you'll soon find Agent Cho to be the person you root for the most, even more than Patrick Jane himself.
Agent Cho is basically the muscle of the team. Don't get fooled by his calm demeanor, when push comes to shove, Cho is a total beast. It is very rare to see him smile, but when he does smile it lights up the room. He is a very tough nut to crack, but just like a coconut, he is all soft and nice on the inside.
"No matter what, I have your back." I think this phrase is the most fitting when it comes to describing Agent Cho. He is the calmest of all and probably the biggest supporter of Patrick. In season 2 there is a scene where Lisbon and the team let Patrick be on his own after he quit the CBI, but it was Cho who drives up to him and takes him along to the investigation. A subtle action, but very loud when it comes to describing Cho's character.
Also, how can you not love a man of action? No matter what or when, Cho is not scared to get his hands dirty. He is a very reserved man. He says little about himself and focuses on the job. Throughout the 2 seasons, all I did learn about him was that he was in a gang during his childhood and he also served in the military. His past experiences explain his current character. Calm, street smart, but also a hothead when needed.
I am still a huge fan of Simon Baker to date. I remember his acting as Patrick Jane had such a huge impact on me. You have to understand that the show is not a simple crime battling force's show. It is mainly a personal vendetta story of Patrick Jane against Red John, a serial killer that took revenge on Patrick by killing his wife and daughter. Patrick Jane retired from being a famous psychic to join the force to narrow down on Red John and uses his exceptional skills to solve crimes for the CBI.
It was Patrick Jane who first introduced me to the science of observing behaviors. In a domino styled chain of events, I found myself doing a crash course on "Critical Thinking 101" in the Murdoch University Dubai where we learned about the tricks our brain plays with us.
Patrick Jane is a loaded character with a lot to love about him. For one, he is the underdog who lost his wife and daughter to a serial killer that no one has closed in on. But more importantly, I found his nonchalant attitude very appealing. He has some of the most unorthodox ways of solving crimes, all of them based on human psychology and behaviorism.
Frankly, most of his antics could cause the team to lose the case in a court of law, but the show is fictional so it is okay.
The Mentalist is an extremely entertaining show with plenty of "AHA" and "OH OF COURSE!" moments in it. The characters are pretty fun to watch and are layered like onions. The first two seasons are typical late 2000s style, but it gets better. I cannot wait to see how the story grows, how the characters grow, and how the show improves as we climb the seasons.
The final episode of season two was such a huge hit of nostalgia. I remember getting goosebumps the first time I heard Red John's voice, and this time around it had the same effect. Listening to Patrick Jane takes me back and makes me feel calm and so happy. Jane sleeping under the mural Red John painted with his wife's blood still gives me the creeps...but I love it!
I highly recommend watching this show. It is filled with exciting cases and a very peculiar character who uses the strangest ways to solve them using the simplest of human instincts.
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