The premise itself is what had me hooked. A long time ago, we learned that J.J. LaRoche had something mysterious hidden in a Tupperware container, and now it's come back to become the focus of an episode. We also have Brenda Shettrick become the focus, and we finally get her sneaky, conniving, evil ways out into the open.
Due, once again, to time constraints, I'm going to be brief about this episode. What was so good about this was how it tied back to earlier parts of the show while still feeling fresh. The trick that they pulled on Brenda was classic, and it was so fun to see her grow more and more panicked as things advanced. I noticed that Cho didn't have much of a role in this one, but even he was totally onboard with the... unorthodox... way of catching Brenda.
The whole team, all five of them, work together like a well oiled machine. I love that Jane doesn't even think about hiding the truth from Lisbon - he tells her immediately about J.J's request, and Lisbon immediately tells the others. One of the most powerful moments in the episode came when LaRoche was angry that Jane had gone to Lisbon, but he justifies his actions quite simply: "Lisbon is my partner."
The back story with LaRoche's mother and the rape was also handled very well. Just enough was given to us throughout that I actually guessed about the tongue before the reveal came at the end, but it was still satisfying to see the look on Lisbon's face as all the pieces clicked together. I also assume that Jane had deduced the truth along the way, so that even though he never opened that Tupperware, he still knew the truth. The strange friendship/enmity between Jane and LaRoche is very interesting to watch unfold, and I like the way they actually respect each other, when all is said and done.
The flirtatious banter between Jane and Lisbon is really starting to make me crazy. I have shipped them from Season One, but I was never sure how they were going to be able to make it work without making it seem awkward and trite. Right now, my wish (although I don't think they will ever do this) is for there to be a reveal way later down the line that they've actually been together for some time, and that we just don't get to see it. The comfortable way they are around each other, all the smiles and the humorous flirting... it just makes it seem to me as if something in their dynamic has shifted. I'd love to see these two characters end up together and happy in the end, but I just don't know how they're going to pull it off tactfully. We shall see!
All of this praise is not to say that there weren't a few slip-ups here and there. For example, it was a bit of a stupid red herring to have LaRoche pull a gun on an innocent man in the park with Tupperware identical to his own.
I think my biggest problem was Jane's speech to Brenda once they had her on tape tipping off the drug lord. To have this character be a villain was a really cool idea, since she's just always sort of been... around, but unnoticed. But to attribute her villainy to a compulsive need for love and attention? Weak. Lazy. This could have been such an easy fix, too. Hell, I would have been cool with power and money as a motivator. It's cliche, but it's not insulting.
In all, these were minor flops in an otherwise excellent episode. We end with the rather chilling idea of Jane locking himself up in his little cave and begging Lisbon for absolutely no interruptions. He thinks that will help him find Red John, and I think he may be right.
Until next time!
8.5/10
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