Last night’s episode of The Mentalist begins with Colonel Aaron Raymond (guest star Wiley Pickett) washing his hands at the kitchen sink and a knife missing from the knife set on the wall. The Colonel then turns down the thermostat, the fan and we see the bloody foot of a dead woman lying on the floor while the Colonel goes out the side door. The scene then shifts to a training exercise/friendly competition between the FBI and Marine officers. The FBI won of course and I was surprised to see Patrick Jane volunteering as tribute (sorry, couldn’t resist) and that Abbott and Colonel Raymond were betting on who would emerge victorious from the training exercise. It was also intriguing to see Patrick Jane’s spidey senses start to tingle when Colonel Aaron Raymond approached Lisbon when the training exercise was completed. It could be that he knows when someone is hiding something or perhaps he’s just a little on edge when he sees other men show an interest in his Teresa. Jealous, possessive boyfriend anyone?
It’s also very refreshing to see a superior officer who can read Patrick Jane like an open book. Agent Abbott is the only boss that I have seen who believes in Jane’s skills more than any of the other bosses back at the CBI (shut down by the FBI back in season 6 episode 8) given that those bosses tend to reluctantly allow Jane to test out his theories rather than believing in them. Jane had nothing other than his gut instincts when he tells Abbott that Colonel Raymond, a decorated war veteran, is the one that murdered his wife, Nicole Raymond, eight months ago. Another man had been arrested for her murder and the case was closed; but Abbott, after some convincing from Lisbon, allowed the team look into it, quietly, of course, simply on a theory cooked up by Patrick Jane. The fist bump at the end between Patrick and Abbott was awesome and it’s great to see that they have an excellent work relationship.
The scene where Jane was trying to rile up the Colonel to find out how he’d react was an intriguing one. Though I applaud Jane for challenging the Colonel’s beliefs in well thought-out battle plans versus listening to one’s gut instincts, this particular scene is kind of ironic in a way because Patrick Jane always has a well-thought out plan, the only difference is that he knows how and when to change the plan so that it fits the situation as it unfolds.
I was relieved to see Patrick Jane bring Agent Vega into the loop on the investigation. I’m sick and tired of her constantly begging for Cho’s forgiveness and trust. Watching her interact with Wiley was much more interesting. It also looks like Wiley has a bit of a crush on Agent Vega because the tech genius kept stealing quick glances at her and it was hilarious to see Agent Vega feel embarrassed, in a good way of course. The scene where Vega and Wiley drove along the street like the Colonel Raymond and the mystery woman (dressed to look like his dead wife) did to test out if the quick change of clothes happened before stopping underneath the overpass where the mystery woman dumped her disguise. I also liked the scene where Wiley pretended to be someone from the IT department to flush out the mystery woman, who turned out to be Denise Sparks, a data analyst who works for the D.O.D (Department of Defense) at the Wynn Complex and the one where he lets Lisbon get a read on Denise at the coffee shop. Pure Patrick Jane genius.
Now, let’s talk Jane and Lisbon. Those two couldn’t have been more made for each other. The little loving smile from Lisbon when Jane told Judy, the Realtor lady, that he and his girlfriend were house-hunting and them working out the theory that Colonel Raymond murdered his wife together, or even when they briefly held hands before walking along the hallway of what seems to be an abandoned warehouse with the silver briefcase. That’s love right there.
The part where Jane and Lisbon pulled the whole reverse psychology thing on Colonel Raymond and Denise was great, I enjoyed watching the Colonel and Denise squirm like ants on a hot pan as they thought the briefcase contained the smoking gun that will land both of them in hot water and they both confessed to the murder, each pinning it on the other. Hooray for Patrick Jane!
Towards the end of the episode, Vega asked Jane if he knew who the real killer was and Jane didn’t want to tell her, saying that it didn’t matter. Vega then pressed Jane further about the contents of the case and Jane didn’t answer her, instead, he bid her goodnight and left, leaving Vega and Wiley wondering about the contents of the briefcase and when Vega finally gave in and opened the case, with Patrick and Lisbon watching nearby, there was a piece of paper in it that said “Curiosity killed the cat!” with a loud meow from Jane, causing both Vega and Wiley to raise their heads like a couple of meerkats.
Jane’s suggestion about leaving the FBI had obviously been on Lisbon’s mind the entire time. She even asked him about it at the very end of the episode. Jane obviously doesn’t have a definite plan; but he suggested that they sail around the world, go to Paris, a tropical island and other romantic spots. Yet, I think Lisbon is right when she told Patrick that he can’t quit the FBI because he’s having too much fun and he is, for the first time in forever (sorry, didn’t mean to get all Frozen on you). I sincerely hope that they both decide to keep on investigating and solving crime cases and go on some amazing romantic adventures together too.
What do you, fellow Jisbon fans, think that Jane and Lisbon’s future would be like? Will they leave the FBI for good and go off into the proverbial sunset? Guess only time will tell. Don’t forget that The Mentalist will be moving to Wednesday nights at 8 PM starting January 7th on CBS!
Photo via CBS
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It wasn’t clear by the end of the episode, who is the real killer; Col. Raymond or the girlfriend..