The Mentalist: Wedding in Red (6x03)

Let's jump straight into the plot.

Jane wants to keep an eye on Sheriff McAllister (one of the Red John suspects), so he convinces Lisbon to take a case in Napa. The case involves a wedding between a rich, snobby socialite girl and a lower class Hispanic man. Cliche of all cliches, but it actually worked. Despite the families battling about their kids getting married, the couple very clearly loved each other. The victim is the bride-to-be's uncle, who everyone agrees is nobody worth murdering, or even really talking about.

Everyone reacted really strangely to hearing about his death. It was basically just some disappointed sighing, and the bride seemed more upset about her wedding being ruined than anything else. I guess I could say this attitude was one of the biggest flaws in this episode. The weird reaction to murder had me thinking that something bigger was going on - maybe the reason that nobody seemed surprised or concerned is that they weren't, and that the murder took place with their knowledge. However, in the end it was nothing like that. Instead, one of the groom's friends had been trying to steal a rare and expensive bible, and he had been caught in the act. The murder was pretty run of the mill, in that sense. 

I enjoyed all of the characters of the week, though. They were an eclectic bunch, with hidden family secrets and drama going on in every direction. It worked pretty well, in an over the top sort of way.

The focus of the episode, however, was more on Sheriff McAllister. Thanks to Sophie Miller, Jane and Lisbon know some information about Red John, including a supposed fear of heights. And  McAllister is certainly very unwilling to climb any ladders or get too close to any cliff sides. Lisbon wonders if this is proof that he could be Red John, but Jane wonders why Red John would even admit to such a phobia in the first place. McAllister was an excellent element in this episode. He seemed to be at the height of friendliness, but at the same time his interest in Jane was a little disconcerting. You could never quite tell what was going on in his mind.

And then, at the end, when Jane is in real trouble, McAllister saves him. Jane has been threatened and dragged up onto the roof at gunpoint by the murderer, and just when all hope seems lost, McAllister climbs a ladder and shoots the bad guy away from Jane. This seems to suggest that he's not quite afraid of heights after all. Many people might take this as definitive proof that he is not Red John, but I started to wonder. Why would he act so weird about heights if he wasn't afraid of them? Maybe McAllister is playing a game? I guess only time shall tell.

In subplot news, CBI regulations have just changed, meaning that Rigsby and Van Pelt can be open about their relationship. They can even get married if they want. Van Pelt seems to be fishing for just such an outcome, but Rigsby seems rather indifferent. (Brief tangent - it was cool to see Rigsby's son, but mostly it just highlighted the fact that they haven't brought him up in a long time. It almost felt weird to see him here). 

After a talk with Cho, Rigsby decides that he knows what he wants with Grace. As part of the case involves the need for a distraction at the wedding reception, Rigsby takes the opportunity to propose to Van Pelt. She's shocked, but immediately accepts. They decide not to waste any time, and they get married right away. Lisbon acts as Grace's witness, and Cho as Rigsby's. The wedding was really sweet, and Van Pelt looked really beautiful in the dress. In the end, the two of them ride off in a horse drawn carriage, which was just cheesy enough to work.

One slight problem with the wedding scene: I didn't understand why Jane was watching from outside the room. Would Rigsby and Van Pelt really not let him come into the room? He had a lot of emotion on his face, and it was all adorable and whatnot, but it felt a bit odd to me that he was outside of the moment.

In all, a very strong episode. A few missteps here and there, but I was kept intrigued by McAllister the whole way through, and I'm happy to see Van Pelt and Rigsby get their chance for a happy ever after. (Totally unfounded and random prediction: one of them is going to die at Red John's hands. God I hope I'm wrong).

8/10