Writer: Bruno Heller
Director: David NutterCast: Simon Baker (Patrick Jane), Robin Tunney (Teresa Lisbon), Tim Kang (Kimball Cho), Amanda Righetti (Grace Van Pelt), Owain Yeoman (Wayne Rigsby), John Bishop (Joe O'Keefe), Dylan Minnette (Frankie O'Keefe), Todd Felix (Randall), Judith Hoag (Sandra Boatwright), Eric Stonestreet (Malcolm Boatwright), Xander Berkeley (Sheriff McAllister), Elpidia Carrillo (Mercedes O'Keefe), Douglas Spain (Hector Ramirez), Robert A. Johnson (Deputy), Sharmila Devar (Meera), Sarah Hernandez (Raquel) & Jillian Bowen (Melanie O'Keefe)
"You made her feel like a captured princess instead of a small townchoir nerd. And she made you feel like a dashing pirate instead
of what you are... sort of a bad-tempered pharmacist."
-- Patrick Jane (Simon Baker)
The "Pilot" did a good job of making me forget The Mentalist is just a serious-minded Psych clone. I was also pleased to see Robin Tunney back on TV after she was killed off in Prison Break's second season (a blessing in disguise?), and Simon Baker made a strong impression as the lead; mentalist Patrick Jane, who uses his showbiz powers of observation and psychological trickery to help the police catch criminals…
"Red Hair And Silver Tape" finds Patrick and Teresa (Tunney) investigating the murder of small-town waitress Melanie O'Keefe (Jillian Bowen), whose body was discovered in a vineyard. Teresa suspects the obvious culprit in this scenarios: a spurned lover. But Patrick comes to believe a fledgling serial-killer is responsible -- his theory given credibility when a similar murder involving a red-haired teenage girl is dug up on file.
This episode wasn't as involving as the "Pilot", primarily because Patrick's skills weren't utilized as intelligently (see: the "rock, paper, scissors" moment), and the episode even decided to involve hypnotism -- with Patrick persuading a witness to tell him the truth. I was pleased to see the other characters, particularly Teresa, kick up a stink about Patrick's unconventional method in that scene -- but, considering it worked, might every episode involve Patrick putting the weak-minded under his spell?
One thing I enjoyed about the "Pilot" was how it made me believe psychological illusionists (like our own Derren Brown) might be invaluable crime consultants, but if The Mentalist starts edging into hypnotism, it's a slippery slope to a land of mumbo-jumbo. Can we just stick to perceptive observations, lateral deductions and body-language analysis?
As before, Simon Baker is very good and already looks extremely comfortable in the role. Tunney is playing catch-up to her co-star, but understandably the series wants its audience to invest in the charming Baker right now. As a crime-fighting duo, I'm not sensing much chemistry between them just yet (or is a will-they/won't-they relationship too cliché these days?) Still, I enjoyed a scene where tranquil Patrick becomes trapped in a life-or-death situation he can't charm his way out of, and is rescued by Teresa and her physical approach to crime-fighting. He's the brains, she's the brawn; a fun twist on audience preconceptions.
The supporting cast are just background hum right now as the leads assert themselves, so a moment when dopey Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) and sexy Grace (Amanda Righetti) work together as part of an operation to lure out the killer didn't carry much weight or humour. Although I salute writer Bruno Heller for devising a way to get leggy Amanda Righetti into a tight red dress by episode 2. Bravo. It was also nice to see Xander Berkeley (24's George Mason) as a shady Sheriff. And for once the unwritten rule that a recognizable guest star on a cop show will be unmasked as that week's villain didn't hold true. They even toyed with the idea for a bit.
Overall, this wasn't as strong as the "Pilot", but the premise is still appealing and Baker undoubtedly holds your attention long enough for the plot to take grip. But, as with all US police procedurals (especially ones with a high-concept gimmick -- remember Raines?), 43-minutes isn't long enough to really satisfy murder-mystery fans. This genre works best as feature-length special or as a three-part mini-series, if you ask me.
30 September 2008
CBS, 9/8c
