The Mentalist: My Blue Heaven (6x09)

I don't know what to think about this episode of The Mentalist. It was just so... not like The Mentalist! But I don't actually think that's a bad thing. I'm not sure if a procedural cop show has ever been so daring in changing up the game like this. There was no crime of the week at all, really. And since we've finished our really long Red John A-plot, this really is like hitting a reset button on the whole show. I'll take you through what happened, and then I'll talk a bit about it. Ultimately, I'll just say upfront, I think this episode worked really, really well. There were, as always, a few things I would have liked to see go differently, but this one gets a high rating from me.

Two years have passed since Jane killed Red John, and he has been hiding out on an island where he's safe from the hands of the law. He spends time with a woman, Kim Fischer, and loosens up a bit. Abbot shows up on the island and offers Jane a job with the FBI. If he accepts, all the charges against him will be dropped. Jane says yes, but only if Abbot agrees to certain terms. For example, he will be a free man - no parole. Also, he will work with Lisbon. Abbot pretends to agree, but once they get back on US soil, he gives his own terms - Jane will report directly to him, and there will be parole. It also turns out that Kim is an FBI agent, and she was playing Jane. Jane does not agree to Abbot's terms, and he's taken to a detention center.

The rest of the team have settled in to new lives - Cho now works with Abbot at the FBI; Rigsby and Van Pelt have started a private security company, and they have a kid! Yay! Lisbon is now a police chief in a small town, and while she seems to have moved on with her life, she still receives letters from Jane. In fact, the letters are how Abbot managed to track him down. There's also another little subplot on the island where Jane is staying. A drug lord is looking to make a deal, but Jane has Abbot take him in, thus saving the little island community from the evil influence of this man.

Alright, so let's talk about this!

Cons: Well, okay, I suppose I do have some issues with the Kim Fischer character. And no, it's not because I ship Jisbon (although I do). I'm cool with introducing a potential love interest for Jane, really I am. But the twist with her being an agent was sort of lame. Couldn't they have just given him a genuine connection with someone? Eh, I guess not. Also, believe it or not, I was a bit annoyed at how easily Jane was duped. He's a really smart guy, as has been proven time and time again. And now, with Abbot, he just walks right in to what's essentially a trap? It felt a little unbelievable to me.

But now on to the pros! The island community was a really lovely setting. It felt very homey and simple, and Jane's interactions with the local people were fantastic. I loved his sloppy Spanish and the fact that he's lonely even around so many people. The little side plot about the drug lord might have felt unnecessary or even out of place, but it allowed Jane to have an emotional investment in the community. He felt for these people, and wanted to help rid them of a dangerous person. Not only does it connect Jane to this community, but it connects Jane back to his old life of catching bad guys. It shows that while Red John may have been his only goal for a very long time, he's still good at solving crimes, and he wants to do it to help more people.

Then we've got Rigsby, Van Pelt, and Cho. I'm wondering what's going to happen with these three. Cho, it seems, could be very central to the main story, since he works for the FBI now, and therefore could potentially work with Jane. Rigsby and Van Pelt are pretty well out of the picture, though. What does that mean? I gotta say, I really loved what they did with Cho, when Jane showed up. Cho was his usual stalwart self, and Jane called him on it. Cho said he was happy to see Jane, and such is the nature of Kimball Cho that he's probably telling the truth - he just doesn't want to show it. And as for Rigsby and Van Pelt, I'm so happy that they're both working and successful, and that they've started a family!

Then there's Lisbon. It definitely seems like they're moving in a romantic direction between Lisbon and Jane now. What's interesting about it is that these two people have never had the chance to get to know each other in a world without Red John looming over their heads. All of the letters and that hug at the end would seem to suggest that they care about each other, but do they even get along? It will be interesting to see. There's no relationship on television quite like theirs. One of my favorite moments in the episode was actually right towards the end,when Jane is demanding that he work with Lisbon, and Lisbon just goes - wait a sec, I have a job! I just love this so much. Basically, Jane assumes that Lisbon will just drop everything and work with him, but she very clearly has a life outside of him now. I just loved that moment. I think the implications of it are going to spread over the next few episodes.

Over all, I think this episode set a good tone for a reset of such an amazing show. As we move forward, a lot of things are going to be changing, and if this episode is any indication, I'd say we're on our way to some great material.

8/10