The show follows Patrick Jane, a fraudulent psychic, who joins CBI to track down a serial killer who killed his family.
CBS must be credited for its eccentric array of mystery dramas which continue to remain as fresh as their pilot episodes in our heart of hearts. The police procedural drama kept CBS subscribers glued to their TV sets for seven straight seasons until it bid adieu in 2015. Luckily, for the fans, it was a happy ending for the lead Patrick Jane, played by Simon Baker, who married his boss and CBI officer Teresa Lisbon.
Highlights —
- The amazing cast of CBS’ ‘The Mentalist’
- The mystery around the serial killer – Red John
- Which episode is the best episode of CBS’ ‘The Mentalist’?
And for those who have slept on the popular series, scroll down to know why you should watch this mystery drama The Mentalist.
1/5
It is one of those series that inspired a book
There are certain web shows which find their roots in best-selling novels but CBS’ ‘The Mentalist’ had such extra-ordinary success since 2008 that it spawned a book of its own. David Daniel, a huge fan of the show, decided to pen down “The Mentalist Code and The Search for Red John”, and released it only after the identity of Red John was revealed to the public in season 5.
2/5
‘The Mentalist’ dropped clues about the identity of Red John time and again
The main antagonist of the show kept Jane and Teresa on their toes the entire time before his chapter was finally closed in season 6 of The Mentalist. But fans who followed the show right from the start know that the writers gave a few (smartly hidden) clues to the viewers from time to time.
For instance, in season 1, murder victim Jared Renfrew scribbles “He is Mac” on the wall before getting killed. [SPOLIER ALERT] Mac meant Thomas McAllister.
3/5
There was too much mystery around Red John because creators couldn’t decide who he should be
Bruno Heller, the creator of the show, in an interview with EW, revealed that Red John’s identity had only emerged a few years ago and there had always been three to four possibilities.
The show creators felt it would be unfair if they kept dancing around the mystery of Red John and not bring it to a justifiable conclusion. “I always hated heist movies where they don’t get away with the heist or revenge movies where they don’t actually wreck their revenge. That always seemed like a cheat. The show started with [Jane] having a very good reason to catch and kill this guy and it would have been almost dishonest not to have that as the conclusion to this chapter”, told Heller.
4/5
‘The Mentalist’ has won several awards over the years
It wasn’t just the high viewership numbers that kept ‘The Mentalist’ engine running for seven years; they collected several critical awards along the way.
Simon Baker earned a nomination for Best Lead Actor in Drama series by the Australian Film Institute (AFI) and Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2010. The Australian actor was also nominated for an Emmy and Golden Globe in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
‘The Mentalist’ remained a fan-favourite drama series since its inception 12 years ago when it won People’s Choice Award for Favourite New TV Drama in 2009. Bruno Heller’s drama series later bagged two People’s Choice Award nominations for Favourite TV Crime Drama in 2014 and 2015.
5/5
Jane: A crime-fighter with a quirky sense of humour
Before joining CBI as a consultant, Patrick Jane was introduced as a psychic with incomparable talent and intellect for solving crimes. While the fans remained hitched to the show for its ingeniously written episodes, Jane took over the task of entertaining the audience whilst he fights crimes in the city.
Jane can be too much of a trouble for Teresa and Abbott and can get his colleagues in problem due to his unconventional ways of investigation. One-liners like “I see you bought a new safe, I guess it’s not safe enough”, and “Do you think Aquaman would give batman a ticket” still remains fresh in the minds of ‘The Mentalist’ fans.
Season 3 finale is better than the final episode of the series. Period.
In hopes of seeking revenge from Red John, the killer of his family, Jane offers his wit and observational skills to the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to fight crime and track down the mysterious killer. All of which, no doubt, made great TV for viewers. Episode 23 and 24 of season 3 which aired under the name “Strawberries and Cream” (Part I and Part II) in 2011, received heavy praise from reviewers and audiences worldwide.
After Patrick gunned down Red John in a face to face encounter, the audience was left speculating whether the person, shot by Jane, was the real Red John or not. Both part I and part II of the season 3 finale received an impeccable rating of 9.1 and 9.6 on IMDb. “Strawberries and Cream (I and II)” are the most important episodes of ‘The Mentalist’ given the shock value.
The cat and mouse play between a charming officer and a foxy serial killer creates a great recipe for a crime drama. But excellent writing and an equally competent supporting cast of officers Lisbon, Van Pelt, Cho, and Rigsby made CBS’ ‘The Mentalist‘ stand out amongst several other remarkable crime dramas. With a strong rating of 8.1 (IMDb) and 8.7 (TV.com), ‘The Mentalist’ has proved its mettle as a successful police procedural series which is also available to stream on Amazon Prime.
