The Mentalist: Black Hearts (6x21)

I continue to be fascinated and delighted by this current decision to stretch a single case over multiple episodes. Now, we finally have some closure on the trafficking case, but we're opening up even more questions about Lisbon's future. Let's dive in.

As far as the case goes, I'll be brief: the team narrows down on the bad guy by tracing the ownership of the truck to his company, but they need to get proof that he's responsible for the trafficking. In order to find him, they must first find the ex-doctor who removed the organs from the kidnapped girls. They track him down, but Cho and Fischer almost get themselves blown up for their trouble. They are able to question the doctor, which leads them to almost tracking down a client of our big bad guy. Unfortunately, the bad guy is one step ahead of them, and his client disappears before they can find him.

So, Jane goes over and has a drink with their prime suspect, drugging him in the process. He and Lisbon then stage an elaborate ruse to get the guy to confess. They dress up as doctors and pretend to gruesomely murder someone, while the bad guy, strapped to a nearby table, watches. Jane then prepares to cut open the bad guy, but he hands over his computer password in desperation, and thus gives them the evidence they need.

Abbott asks Jane and Lisbon if they really tortured the guy for answers, but they both deny it. Even after Jane leaves, Lisbon doesn't tell on him.

The subplot involves Marcus "no pressure" Pike. He gets Lisbon a job in DC without asking her first, and then seems all put out when she doesn't accept right away. Lisbon tells Cho that she might be leaving, and the two share a nice moment together where they remember all the good times they've had as friends and colleagues. Lisbon finally decides to accept the job offer and move to DC. Pike, at this point, apropos of absolutely nothing, decides to propose to Lisbon. She is understandably flustered and says she needs time to think about it. She then goes to tell Jane that she's decided to leave, but chickens out before she can do so.

So... problems?

As you might be able to tell from my not-so-objective description of the plot, I am suddenly not a big fan of Pike. Seriously. He went from sort of bland and really only interesting because he was a threat to Jane/Lisbon, to suddenly being a complete asshole. I couldn't believe his audacity in the way he was trying to control Lisbon. I cannot be the only one bothered by this. He keeps saying "no pressure," but he's pressuring her to the extreme! It's completely ridiculous. He was acting like a big baby about her inability to make up her mind, and then when she finally agreed to go with him, he springs another huge decision on her! Why the hell would he propose? They haven't even said "I love you" yet. This is nonsense.

The reason I think Pike doesn't work well in the show is fairly simple: if we want to feel anxious about the future of Jane and Lisbon, then Pike should be a stand up guy who we feel genuine affection for, and we should be able to see why he and Lisbon would be good together. After this episode, I feel none of that. I'm disgusted by Pike's behavior. If Lisbon actually leaves with him and closes the door on a future with Jane, it won't make any sense for her character whatsoever.

The good stuff, however, made this episode enjoyable despite the annoying behavior of Pike.

Firstly, I must admit to a mistake in last week's review... for some reason I thought Daniella's sister had been one of the corpses that Cho had found. Luckily, I was wrong about that. One of the most touching moments in the episode was when Daniella and Amy reunited after their horrible ordeal. Even though a lot of girls died before they could stop the trafficking, some of them made it home alive.

The bad guy had proper menace. I was pretty afraid of him and what he was capable of. He was able to keep one step ahead of Jane for quite some time, which is, as we know, difficult to do. Then we've got the scene where Jane and Lisbon psychologically torture him... it was a bit dark, even for this show, but they managed to mix in the humor, too. I actually felt a little sorry for the guy in that moment, which I think might have been the plan. (The fact that Wylie screamed and faked being murdered is also just fantastic. I love that little guy.)

Lisbon and Cho's scene together was another highlight for me. Their relationship has never been the reason I watched the show or anything, but it was unexpectedly sweet to see them hug, and to hear about Cho's abiding respect for Lisbon.

And then of course we have Lisbon and Jane... if the writers of this show are not building us up to a declaration of love in this season finale, then I'm sorry, they don't know what they're doing. That scene on the couch... so much love and longing between these two. I just can't. And you have the way Lisbon is willing to do crazy and illegal things to help Jane, and then willing to cover it up to protect him. And then Jane saying "we make a good team sometimes!" Aww! Also, it seems everyone in the office is a Jisbon shipper, including Fischer. She remarks on how Jane and Lisbon always work together, which just makes it all the more painful to contemplate Lisbon leaving!

I guess I'll leave it off there for the time being. Next week is the finale!

7/10