While the episode in itself wasn't much more than an average episode, I still feel obliged to up the rating simply because it gets what the Mentalist is all about. People don't choose THIS show to follow regular police work, because there are so many others to do that part much better. The Mentalist is about character relations and unconventional investigations.
In this episode, we get to know a bunch of people living on an island off the coast of Californa. First and foremost, we learn why they live there, how they live there and which people stand out in the bunch. We get to know how they relate to one another and why it is such a mystery that someone happens to wash up the shore of that island of all. That is universe building. That is what The Mentalist did so well back in Season 1 and what was missing so badly in latter half Season 3.
The case itself is also interesting, especially what lead the victim to the island and how it hits home with Jane in the final scene. We have some suspects to keep us guessing and even though the reveal isn't overly surprising having followed this show for so long it's still satisfying in execution and the red herring à la two completely unrelated killers.
What I wouldn't have said no to would be some more interaction between Rigsby and Sarah. Last season when they first hit it off (319) we only saw the awkwardness between two not-so-social butterflies, and this episode gave us nothing more to show us how they've grown to like each other. But hey, we'll probably see more of her later this season, so there's plenty of time for that.
The reviewer before me pointed out how there should be more Red John references per episode, and while I can agree, this episode actually does that, although subtle. Think about who the flower was for and why she came to the island is all I say. It's not necessary to have Red John present in every episode. I personally liked it better in Season 1 (yes, you will be hearing that from me a lot) when he was just mentioned every once in a while to remind us that he's always on Jane's mind and then have the serious Red John investigations in separate episodes. This season is getting it right.
To round it up, I can't stress enough how much Van Pelt has grown on me this season. It's gotten to a point where her scenes are almost as interesting as Jane's and this episode reminds us that the trend is continuing. Coffee lady had it coming.
Episode score: 8.5
Personal season average, thus far: 8.8
