Under the spell
I have come late to "The Mentalist" cult, but I'm now totally under its spell.
Recently Foxtel Australia has rerun all 7 Seasons. Each day around morning teatime, as Patrick Jane sips his cup of Lapsang Souchong, I have my cup of Bushells Blue Label.
On one level "The Mentalist" is a police procedural, but there are two opposing characters that make the show so compelling. Firstly there's Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) who we see in every episode and whose previous occupation as a successful "fake" psychic gives him a unique perspective on solving crimes. The other character we don't really see until much later, Red John, the serial killer who killed Patrick's wife and daughter. However Red John has an ominous, all pervading presence with powers more like "The Matrix" than any run-of-the-mill serial killer.
Something else makes it special, the rich vein of humour running through the series despite the show dealing with murder in every episode. It comes from clever writing, but also the reactions from actors that are inside their characters. Brad Neely's score projects that feeling, there's mystery and intrigue, but with a light touch.
When you have a character as over-the-top as Patrick, you have to be careful not to have too many competing eccentric or zany characters, otherwise it would be like an episode of "The Munsters".
Creator Bruno Heller assembled the perfect team around Patrick: California Bureau of Investigation agents Rigsby, Van Pelt, Cho and their boss, Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney). All are dedicated detectives that have Patrick and each other's backs; one of the joys of the show is the interaction between Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) and Cho (Tim Kang).
The series gets extra spice when a character is introduced that proves a worthy adversary for Patrick, steel sharpening steel. There were plenty on both sides of the law; some connected to Red John. They usually turn up in more than one episode, Walter Mashburn, Erica Flynn, Bret Styles etc. The over-arching themes really pick up by Season 6.
"The Mentalist" was like sculptor's clay in the hands of its creators. When shows with set formats make unexpected changes it can lead to a fatal "jumping the shark", but the mentalist was so malleable that we learned to expect the unexpected.
The big resolution and change of direction midway through Season 6, simply gave the show new opportunities, proving that "The Mentalist" could have gone on for a long time. But the ending felt right, and like the best of things, left us wanting more. I'm not giving it away, suffice to say that although the producers tried to arrest falling ratings, the show kept its committed fans, and gained new ones like me who embrace it like a liferaft of originality in a sea of same old, same old.
Recently Foxtel Australia has rerun all 7 Seasons. Each day around morning teatime, as Patrick Jane sips his cup of Lapsang Souchong, I have my cup of Bushells Blue Label.
On one level "The Mentalist" is a police procedural, but there are two opposing characters that make the show so compelling. Firstly there's Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) who we see in every episode and whose previous occupation as a successful "fake" psychic gives him a unique perspective on solving crimes. The other character we don't really see until much later, Red John, the serial killer who killed Patrick's wife and daughter. However Red John has an ominous, all pervading presence with powers more like "The Matrix" than any run-of-the-mill serial killer.
Something else makes it special, the rich vein of humour running through the series despite the show dealing with murder in every episode. It comes from clever writing, but also the reactions from actors that are inside their characters. Brad Neely's score projects that feeling, there's mystery and intrigue, but with a light touch.
When you have a character as over-the-top as Patrick, you have to be careful not to have too many competing eccentric or zany characters, otherwise it would be like an episode of "The Munsters".
Creator Bruno Heller assembled the perfect team around Patrick: California Bureau of Investigation agents Rigsby, Van Pelt, Cho and their boss, Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney). All are dedicated detectives that have Patrick and each other's backs; one of the joys of the show is the interaction between Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) and Cho (Tim Kang).
The series gets extra spice when a character is introduced that proves a worthy adversary for Patrick, steel sharpening steel. There were plenty on both sides of the law; some connected to Red John. They usually turn up in more than one episode, Walter Mashburn, Erica Flynn, Bret Styles etc. The over-arching themes really pick up by Season 6.
"The Mentalist" was like sculptor's clay in the hands of its creators. When shows with set formats make unexpected changes it can lead to a fatal "jumping the shark", but the mentalist was so malleable that we learned to expect the unexpected.
The big resolution and change of direction midway through Season 6, simply gave the show new opportunities, proving that "The Mentalist" could have gone on for a long time. But the ending felt right, and like the best of things, left us wanting more. I'm not giving it away, suffice to say that although the producers tried to arrest falling ratings, the show kept its committed fans, and gained new ones like me who embrace it like a liferaft of originality in a sea of same old, same old.
- tomsview
- 8 août 2024