The lead character Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) aka the 'Mentalist' plays a 'psychic' consultant for a serious crime unit headed by Lisbon (played Robin Tunney, "Prison Break") along with the rest of the cast, Cho (Tim Kang "Rambo"), Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti, "OC") and Rigby (Owain Yeoman "Nine"). But Patrick is no psychic, he relies upon acute observation and a penchant for playing mind games with the 'suspects' (and other members of the unit)to solve the case.
The character of Patrick is full of intrigue; he's sexy, funny, smooth but at the same time is tormented by a dark secret of his own doing. The dynamic between him and the rest of the unit is one of great 'hooks' of this show. The conventional law abiding enforcement officers are often at odds with Patrick's eccentric and often risqué way of going about solving crimes. The show plays up to this. The humour and tension between the characters do not appear to be contrived. And of course its always Patrick that comes out on top.
Unlike other crime TV series such as CSI, that depend on sophisticated, often over-the top 'scientific' methodology (CGI effects) to appeal to audiences, the Mentalist brings us back to the good old 'detective's hunch' style of crime-busting. It is a breathe of fresh air in a genre saturated with technical jargon and outlandish plot.
The way each case is solved is complex, yet very believable, and the magic comes from the sense of wonder at Patrick's mind tricks.
The show however still follows much of the conventional approach to to the crime genre, with the cliché of red-herrings, incompetent officers and a detective on a personal mission, but the charisma of Simon Baker as the lead detective Patrick Jane pulls the show together.
Another drawback is the seemingly lack of character depth in the minor cast members. Lisbon, Cho, Rigby and Van Pelt all play second fiddle to Patrick and look like sidekicks rather than team members. But the show is slowly providing space for their development.
The show is named after the lead protagonist, and he promptly delivers. He is charming yet gritty, nonchalant yet brilliant, careless yet vulnerable. He's warm and cold at the same time, full of contradictions and full of flaws. Simon Baker portrays these subtle shades of Patrick's personality with an ease, and has made this so accessible to the audience.
The Mentalist is one of those tortured anti-heroes the strikes a cord with the audience and we can not wait to unravel Patrick's full story.
