Another yummie Mentalist ep

[tenaya]

I'm getting used to the style of this show. The camera lingered on that sign that said people had to have proper ID to get into the building and I knew that would be a clue. Since Jane sleeps/lives in the station, the bad guy needed to get access to get to Jane.

Jane losing his vision is a tried and true plot for tv shows but it's been a while since I've seen it used. Jane, who usually is so cheerful and impish, is quite different in the hospital room. Not scared or worried like you'd think, no, he was bitter and angry. I think he was thinking more about how this was going to impact his search for Red John rather then grieving for a personal lost. I don't really care for the choice of keeping his head up and doing a Stevie Wonder, but that's just me.

Not enough Cho, but at least he's dressed well here. He seems to have taken Jane's styling tips to heart. *g*

As for Lisbon tasering the bouncer, he had assaulted Rigsby by pushing him away and had threatened her simply by the act of approaching and looming over her. Yes, in the real world there would be an inquiry, possibly, but there was cause.

Jane must have smelled ammonia at the van and was using that to weed out suspects. It's interesting that when Jane was handing the watch...well, a fanfic writer could make the jump that he really is psychic.

I didn't quite understand why, in the flashback, he threw away the water he and the client had been drinking.

Oooh, character development! Van Pelt is "deeply repressed and emotionally shut down due to a trauma in her past." Very intriguing! I'm not usually a shipper but I am enjoying how this show is dealing with the Van Pelt/Rigsby storyline, which has been going on from the first ep. It's complicated and the characters have very real reactions. Van Pelt, the young, junior female detective knows it is impossible for her to look at Rigsby for a more intimate relationship. That would poison her position completely and she is not stupid enough to compromise herself that way.

I loved Rigsby getting all protective and then later, the way they needed to hold each other and know the other was okay. I'm loving it right now, so different than how tv usually does work place romances.

I thought it very realistic the way the bad guy took down Rigsby. Waited until he had his back turned, kicked out his knee to get him face down on the ground then beat the shit out of him with the handle of his gun. Very effective.

I am very curious about that California historical marker. Googling "J Walker Chandlery" did not give any results. Interesting detail.

I really like how Van Pelt is strong, competent, smart and still feminine. Of course the bit with blind Jane driving the car was stupid, and Lisbon showing up in the nick of time too predictable, but it can't be all be gold.

Comments

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

The water--he didn't want to have shared a drink (of any kind) for a woman who probably murdered her mother.

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

WITH a woman, that is.

[aurora-novarum.livejournal.com]

Wait, she killed her mother?! I didn't get that. I got the impression he was upset he'd "cold read" the woman wrong. Got that she had issues with her mother, but misread the relationship and was feeling guilty about that and thus tossed his water. Why he did it to her water too made me scratch my head, so you may have something there.

[gategrrl.livejournal.com]

I'd have to rewatch it...but since I'm not 100% sure either...he misread her, and her mother "forgiving" her (and he tried recovering from that) I got the feeling that since her mother--she said--was such a lousy, hurtful abusive person, that the woman might have killed her (passively or actively). He told them that she killed herself later on, though.

It was that that made me wonder if maybe she *had* killed her mother.

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

I took it to mean the daughter was a victim for the whole relationship and then was affronted that her mom STILL found her wanting.

I've a friend that was in that situation. She finally walked away from her mom after she finally realized nothing she could do would satisfy her mom. Years later, her mom passed away. S got a call from her mom's lawyer to say that she was not included in the will. Her mom specifically wanted S to know one last time that she was rejecting her, wanted to hurt her again. Maybe I was projecting....

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

I thought the same as you. He read her wrong, tried to do mollify his mistake. He touched her hand which in the past has been like some sort of light hypnosis spell he puts people in. I thought he was dissatisfied with his 'work' there. The 'reading' took place in a folly at cliffside so I thought he would dump the liquid to then bring back the empty glasses. But he had an attitude as he tossed it and then there was the issue that the woman committed suicide later. I didn't think she'd killed her mom because if she had, the 'your mother forgives you' should not have caused such anger and offense in her. It should have tapped into her guilt. I wonder if Jane thought she had killed her?

Maybe the attitude of tossing the drink was, "you win some, you lose some."

[deej1957.livejournal.com]

I watched an episode a few weeks ago when I was waiting for whatever comes on after it. It looked interesting.

However.... yes, I'm waiting till it's ff the air and available on netflix. Learned my lesson, Totally!!!!

[tenaya.livejournal.com]

So, even shows you shouldn't get fannish about you won't watch til later? SPN has a LOT to answer for!

At least you might know by them that something like, "Season 1-3 are okay but then that show tanks after that." At least you won't be led on that it might get better.

[moonchildetoo.livejournal.com]

There was such hype and squee leading up to the ep by those who had seen it early, that I felt a little deflated by the ep itself. Not that I didn't enjoy it, but I definitely didn't find it "best ever."

As you said, no Cho :-(

I liked that he was crabby and snarky and mean when blind, and then admitted "I'm just being mean because I can't see." He made a couple of comments that told me that he was having doubts that it would positively clear up like the doctor said. I think he was attempting to cushion himself against the possibility that it would be permanent.

Loved Virgil's "If he dies in here, drag him out to the parking lot." Was a little surprised by his faint, and wondered if there was going to be more to that, but they never did anything else with it. I wondered more than once whether he actually could see and was faking it, but I guess not.

Him thinking back to the two cases he'd screwed up badly, and knowing that the Team knew too - good stuff. I had the impression that the woman killed herself because of what Jane told her about her mother, i.e. it was his fault, and/or he thought so.

Grace's eyes like saucers when Lisbon mentioned the son's name, and she knew, instantly. Time now, I think, for her to acknowledge that Rigsby has good instincts about some things.

I'd thought the ep would be more Jane-centered, maybe Jane-Lisbon centered, so was disappointed that the main focus of the ep was Van Pelt and Rigsby instead.

That said, however, I think they made a mistake at the end in not letting her kiss him. I would have liked it a lot better if the guy had butted in, closed the door, and she had gone ahead and kissed him. It didn't have to be any kind of romantic kiss, it could have just been a "my god I'm so sorry and I'm glad you're okay" kiss. An "I care about you" kiss.

Did not get the water glasses thing, but maybe it was a petulance at having screwed up. If so, it was oddly done.

J. Walker Chandlery plaque

[(Anonymous)]

We live in Sacramento and recently went looking for the J. Walker Chandlery historical marker but it does not exist. First, markers in Old Sacramento are all mounted on the exterior of the buildings. Second, on a real plaque there is a "Marker No.__" plus an indication when it was placed. Third, and most importantly the building which supposedly is their headquarters on "The Mentalist" is located far from the original section of Sacramento and is in an area that historically flooded every few years until the current levees were constructed so there certainly would NOT have been a chandlery of that era in that area!

Re: J. Walker Chandlery plaque

[(Anonymous)]

The mentalist FBI office is off the 101 freeway just outside of downtown LA. It is near Olera Street.

Re: text of the J. Walker Chandlery plaque

[(Anonymous)]

"was an active hub to river commerce with San Francisco.
In the last quarter century, Sacramento had over 300
commercial steam boats, which transported cargo
and people to and from other California river towns
and cities. New Helvetia was started xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
of the Sacramento River...........................
..................................................."

Further:
J. Walker can be heard as jaywalker, and a chandlery is where soap is made. The C.B.I. are the clean-up crew, and Patrick Jane is the one who won't follow the petty rules.

Re: J. Walker Chandlery plaque

[(Anonymous)]

Also, if this were an historic California marker, the golden bear would appear at the top of the plaque.

They did fool me into looking this up though!

(How could we even think this was accurate after they show a lake inside the San Francisco city limits on that same episode??! The location scout for this series sticks.)

Re: J. Walker Chandlery plaque

[(Anonymous)]

It is a reference to the Stearns Wharf of Santa Barbara, the year, the bear all there:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stearns_Wharf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:StearnsWharfPlaqueSB.jpg