The Mentalist Review: "Red Sky in the Morning"
Last night marked the second season finale of The Mentalist and we finally got some Red John action! Not to dwell, but seriously! Why do you think the writers left him out all season?
Going into "Red Sky in the Morning", we knew that there was a copy cat, but we were surprised that it was the roommate. It was a bit cheesy the way this storyline went. Really? Film students turned copycat murderers to make a film about Red John? For us, it seemed like this was just an easy way for the writers to bring back Red John. It was pretty great that Red John showed up and killed them. We were certain that RJ would have been flattered that they went to such extremes to copy him.
So now that we have a bit more information about him - can we really be sure that Red John really is a man? What we found interesting was the tone of "his" voice. It would be very presumptuous of us to assume that he is a man - rewatching the interactions between Jane and Red John, you can't be 100% sure Red John is a man.
A big theory would be that Kristina is Red John. What we found disturbing was her public outcry to him on TV. It's not like she is unaware of Jane's history, so why be such a fool and take him not seriously? Even when Jane showed up and her house and warned her - again - it didn't seem like she was in the least bit worried about her situation.
Do you think that Kristina packed her bags and left or that Red John came in and kidnapped her?
Obviously she is either with him on her own free will, is him, or was taken by him - but that question that still looms is which one? We think there is much more to Kristina than what we know - and this is just the beginning of her story.
We were a bit disappointed that nothing bigger happened between Red John and Jane - I mean for goodness sake Jane was tied up and couldn't go anywhere! RJ didn't even smack him around and what was up with the song? When Red John said:
Red John: Tiger tiger burning bright in the forest of the night. | permalink
What do you think he meant? Why do you think he is so fixated on Jane? He's been out of the equation all season long, then comes back and leaves us with a riddle?!
Overall, we loved last night's season finale and only wish The Mentalist gave us more like it! What did you think of the season finale?
Until next season, we leave you with a few of our favorite The Mentalist quotes after the jump!
Red John: If there's one thing I can't tolerate is cheap imitations of my work. | permalink
Lisbon: You should make that call.
Jane: What call?
Lisbon: Right, like I'm not a detective too. | permalink
Kristina: People do change Patrick, it's possible. | permalink
Jane: What the hell are you thinking! Don't you understand who you are dealing with! | permalink
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Jane: This is Red John. Lisbon: How can you tell? Jane: Because when it's him I can feel it.
October 18th, 2012 1:02 AM
Red John is Jane's father. The reference to Tyger-Tyger is a psychopathic justification that God created the evil RJ metes out. Jane's father is the same age as Orville Tanner, his first partner. Jane's father is a "psychic" who can hypnotize and manipulate people. He won't kill his own son, but killed the wife and child for leaving the circus. Jane's father hates cheap imitators. Jane's father is left handed and so is Red John when we see him drink tea. His father is not part of the circus anymore. Van Pelt is the daughter/sister of one of the victims Jane and his father ripped off in Iowa. She is from Iowa, and probably is related to the young girl who died after buying the phony crystal rock. Van Pelt wants to kill Jane and his father.
October 9th, 2011 2:23 PM
I keep thinking of that CIA forensic guy that was also there at the first episode that Jane says enjoys his work too much. Seems weird to see him back.
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May 14th, 2011 11:38 PM
Did he really say "roll tide?" I kept replaying it and still couldn't figure out what RJ said
October 2nd, 2010 10:13 PM
I'm just catching up with this program via Netflix, and I haven't really observed or given much thought to symbolism, foreshadowing, and other literary techniques. I initially thought that the characters were very two-dimensional, and that there was little chemistry between or among characters. I'm still fence-sitting, but if you have to look as hard as I've done to see the chemistry, then maybe it doesn't exists. In fact. thus far I think that Cho's character was given more personality than all other characters combined. So, after reading these posts, I'll have to go back and re-watch the entire show.
Meanwhile, I have an excellent ear, and I'm willing to bet (although we may never know) that it's Simon Baker's voice we hear as a cloaked, masked Red John. Listen over and over, and you'll note nearly identical consonant emphasis, especially on the "T," as well as syntactical nuances. All he's done is to make his voice nasal and slightly higher pitched. Likely, it's a joke on us de
September 25th, 2010 2:07 PM
After Patrick’s frantic hunt for Kristina, who still hasn’t been found, I was surprised that in this first episode of Season 3 of The Mentalist, he’s put her search on the back burner. But last season did leave us with him being calm and hiding Red John’s words from Lisbon, so apparently he’s got something on his mind that’s changed his perspective…
All in all, I thought the writer’s were successful in calculating what viewers want. (1) Engaging interaction between Patrick and Lisbon; (2) Reminder of VanPelt and Rigby’s feelings for one another; (3) A very funny scene with the drama-queen-wife driving Cho nuts and Cho fighting to remain stoic; (4) The scene inside the show showing the different team members (and the music playing), was a reminder that this team feels like a family, each personality unique while important to the whole.
The writers dutifully reminded us that Patrick doesn’t like to be touched. But I was delighted by the scene where Patrick was i
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September 18th, 2010 7:56 PM
The Mentalist is telling three stories, plus the one we think it's telling!
The first hidden story is a family drama about Julius Caesar and his children. (Bruno Heller, the producer and writer, worked on the series Rome before making the Mentalist.)
The second hidden story is about a secret group of enforcers, who police a segment of the population who are secretly descendants of the same bloodline as Caesar. (There's a new Matt Damon movie coming out about the exact same "Bureau" idea.)
The third hidden story is about the dilemma faced by powerful insiders who know the tricks, lies, and behind-the-scenes details of mass manipulation, in their struggle to find the concrete rewards that come through love and trust and innocence and a belief in mystical forces. This is may not seem very hidden, but it refers not just to fake psychics but hugely important figures in history that people are generally aware of were con-artists, and the current batch running the world.
Because o
August 4th, 2010 1:12 PM
I just read that Malcolm McDowell will be back as Brett Stiles. This ought to be good. The next episode will also bring in characters from Jane's past which will add dimension and more realism to his persona. Since they've already started shooting in late July, the anticipation is building up. Relax, Breathe.
July 29th, 2010 6:03 PM
Cant wait to see what the fall season brings. We do need some pretty strong material to keep us on edge, forget the buffoonery of the last season, put some meat on the barby and lets get the sizzle going. Jane in Jeopardy is quite the ticket when it comes to producing a frisson of disquietude, while a menacing villain is always de rigueur in police genre, our non-hero needs to reestablish his focus/raison d'etre. Give us back the old Jane.
July 28th, 2010 6:42 PM
Doesn't everyone know that Red John is really Shawn Spencer? Gus drove Shawn up from Santa Barbara; they ate pineapple on the way.
;)
OK, I don't know who Red John is, but I think it's too obvious for RJ to be the Psychic Healer and agree with others that RJ is definitely a man. Why Jane is keeping "Roll Tide" from Lisbon is as much a mystery, but I suspect we'll have the answer in the opening episode of Season 3. This episode was entitled "Red Sky in the Morning" and the premier episode of Season 3 is "Red Sky at Night", so they would appear to be bookends to the summer.
July 26th, 2010 6:54 PM
It would be really awesome if Red John was Kristina Frye. It seems "his" style to really mess with Jane's head and it would be an interesting form of torture for Jane to realise the person he had started to care about had killed his wife and child. That said, it's not very likely.
I also liked what Val said about Jane being Red John, but i'm not sure how that would play out.