Review - The Mentalist Season 2 Episode 8 His Red Right Hand

This is the review I've wanted to get to all day. I said I loved the latest episode of Fringe, but The Mentalist last night blew my mind. Absolutely riveting from the first minute to the last. The Mentalist is generally a light show, but if you don't watch The Mentalist for that reason, you must watch this episode. If you don't, I'm likely to burst into your house and jam your face against a television (joking of course).

Minelli's telling off of the reporter was such an amazing scene. It's a shame Gregory Itzin probably won't be on very many episodes since Minelli quit. His delivery during that scene was as close to perfect as it gets. I can't put into words how I felt while watching. It literally gave me chills.

Bosco dying? Did anyone see that coming? Rebecca couldn't kill him the first time, and couldn't kill him the second time, but he died anyways. That's harsh. I saw Bruno Heller's quote in TV Guide Magazine that an agent would die. I started thinking, and I couldn't figure out how the writers would kill off a character in such a light-hearted show. Well I got my answer. They threw out everything light and just pounded us over and over again with emotional scenes.

Simon Baker as always was at the top of his game, bring out Jane's single-mindedness when it comes to Red John. There is almost a switch that is turned whenever Red John comes into the picture. Jane can be fun, easy going, and rather carefree during normal murder investigations, even if they involve the most heinous crime, but the personal element Red John brings is quite profound.

I don't know if this episode signals a turning point where The Mentalist becomes more serious (the opening credits were quite awkward), but this episode proved the writers and actors can deliver an episode of pure emotional if they want. A fun Mentalist is great, and a dramatic Mentalist is just as good. It'll be interesting to see how the writers deal with their ability.

Score: 10/10

I know you want to know who I think Red John is, but wait a while, and I'll have a totally separate post for that.