The Mentalist: Behind the Red Curtain (5x18)

Okay. This episode, like virtually every other episode of The Mentalist from the past few years, had a fairly boring plot but a few good character-building things. I'm going to be brief -

The plot fell into a lot of traps. The idea of a murder in the world of theatre has been done to death, and the only way this could have worked is if they had found new ways of showing us the drama, or if they had been more self-aware that they were following in a lot of footsteps, and consequently done a parody or a satire of theatre-murders. As is, it came off very bland and predictable. On top of that, most of the guest actors weren't really up to the task at hand.

But, there were good things about this episode. For one, J.J. La Roche was back, and it was fantastic to see the way he and Jane played off of each other this week. It was actually quite comical, which I enjoyed. I am also very intrigued by the continuing hunt for Red John, although I was disappointed to see yet another potential link to Red John be killed. I think it would be more interesting to keep one alive for a while, just to see how Jane handles it.

Another great part of this episode: Van Pelt is back! You know... it's funny, I never really thought all that much about Van Pelt, but once she was gone, I missed her. This show is such a boy's club if Lisbon is the only female lead. It was nice to see how Rigsby and Lisbon both greeted her, but it was sort of sad that we didn't get to see her reconnect much with Cho or Jane.

There were also a few comic moments this week, like Jane telling one of the actors that he was pitchy, and his remark to the producer: "You're a producer, produce him!" I also love the continued concern that Lisbon has for Jane's meddling. I hope that this season sees some sort of a meaningful climax that brings us an actual step closer to Red John. 

I know this was quite short, but honestly I have very little to say. I didn't hate this episode, but nothing really impressed me, either.

6/10