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The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 22

Blood Brothers

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AIRED: May 12, 2009

8.8

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Episode Summary

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Patrick Jane must find a way to convince a group of students at a wilderness program for troubled kids to tell him the truth about the circumstances leading to the death of one of their fellow students.

Fan Episode Reviews (9)

An Improvement.

7.5

By bearcatjb, Sep 23, 2011

Another point-of-a-gun confession, like that of two episodes back –Red Sauce- that on its own would not hold up in court. This "confess or die" trick, simply means that the confession was garnered under duress, under threat of life. It therefore means that the confession itself is suspect.

Unlike the Red Sauce episode, this time at least the writers followed through with having the kid confess again at the station house, where he wasn't under any threat of life.

As well, this time it was good to see Jane explain how he came to his conclusions. It was also good earlier to see the rest of the team ask him how he did something, and even come across as fed-up or annoyed when he didn't answer, letting Jane know that they aren't simply his ready-made audience when he wants to show how smart he is.

Now all that's needed is for someone to smack the smirk off his face –fugitively of course- and let him know that they rather he save his condescending smile for the perps and not for his colleagues and friends.moreless
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I don't want to be concerned, but I am...

6.0

By sandbur, Sep 23, 2011

I started out this season thinking the "Jane" character was the strong element in the series and there was some catch-up to do with the rest of the characters. That catch-up occurred and for one brief shining moment that was known as mid season, all was right with the series.

But there has been a slow, inexorable slide, in the stories but also in the main character until, with this episode, I am starting to find him...well...annoying!

And I am really surprised.

What happened to the character of understated tactics and presentation? What happened to the quiet reliance on his past experiences as the means to bring his gift to bear on his present work? "Jane" is in danger of becoming obnoxious and spoiled and unpleasant to watch.

I hope the early success and the hype about the sexiest man thing, etc., hasn't fatally detracted from a series that was...could still be...about substance. Reign it in CBS...moreless
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Jane excels once more, not hesitating even to lure children into his mental confusion traps, in order to dig out the truth. And of course, he pulls everything off in impeccable style. Gotta love him!moreless

10

By Lyta_499, Sep 12, 2011

This was a very entertaining story, having to do with a juvenile delinquents school, located in the middle of a forest, run by a strict principal who was supposedly helping the kids overcome their discipline problems by bonding them with nature and making them follow a hard schedule. Of course, as the episode unravels we understand that the kids are more oppressed than aided, and that the principal's morals and severity are simply superficial, as he is sexually exploiting an underaged student. (Loved the scene where the sheriff hit him in the face, that served him right!).

The investigation in particular concerns the murder of one of the students, that turns out to be related to a secret club they have founded, inspired by an old legend about the ghost of a woodsman, Zachariah, who supposedly runs around the woods with an axe, hacking people up. Jane exploits the kids' credulity and impressionability in the best scene of the episode, where they are gathered around a bonfire and he builds up the story to a climax, scaring the killer into confession. By the way, Rigsby as a decaying corpse, that was priceless! Moral dilemma: should parents trust the discipline of their kids to programs like that one, or is there another solution? I think there is a subtle answer in the scene where the parents accuse the principal of not living up to his responsibilities. Nobody can really help the kids better than their own parents.

Great, fun episode. Now for the finale!!moreless
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Another dazzling mentalist episode.

9.5

By sramv9, Sep 12, 2011

I love this guy. He is just such a pleasure to watch. This episode really gives Mr. Patrick Jane the stage. He's dealing with kids and he clearly feels he needs to put on a show to win them over. He does both. He's so smooth! he shows his usual disrespect for authority figures and his glib yet melancholy disdain for the morally depraved. But figuring out which rotten apple did the murder is not as simple as it might at one point seem when everything points to that a certain someone being a total moral letch. Instead, they have to go deeper int the secret subculture that has been ruling the kids for the last couple of years.moreless
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Pretty good episode.

7.5

By thefanof, Sep 12, 2011

Not outstanding by any means, but this was still a fairly good episode of The Mentalist. I think the problem is that the show is just not as original as it once was and is really starting to be very similar to the rest of the CBS procedurals such as Numb3rs and CSI: NY. It is almost as if they order a script and can just give it to any show, put in some minor tweaks and put it on the air.

Formulaic? Yes, but I still really love watching the program and cannot wait until next week's [epic] finale.moreless
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Cast & Crew: STARS

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Simon Baker	Patrick Jane
Robin Tunney	Teresa Lisbon
Tim Kang	Kimball Cho
Owain Yeoman	Wayne Rigsby
Amanda Righetti	Grace Van Pelt

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Cast & Crew: RECURRING AND GUESTS

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Clayton Rohner	Asher MacLean	Guest Star
Cameron Monaghan	Elliot	Guest Star
Drew Osborne	Bryan	Guest Star

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Simon Baker as Patrick Janein The Mental...

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Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) and Agent Lis...

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Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) questions the...

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (0)
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QUOTES (8)
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- Marshall Winston: CBI! CBI! Like that's supposed to mean something!
  
  Cho: Yeah, we do need better brand awareness.
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- Rigsby: I hate the woods.
  
  Cho: Would you rather be playing desk jockey with Van Pelt right now?
  
  Rigsby: Who sends their kids to a place like this? It's not cheap either.
  
  Cho: A little deprivation and discipline is good for the soul.
  
  Rigsby: Yeah, but this is like a juvie prison camp.
  
  Cho: No. This is like spring break in Cancun compared to juvie.
  
  Rigsby: Wait, you were in juvenile hall? Seriously?
  
  Cho: Yeah, didn't you read my file?
  
  Rigsby: No. Wait, did you read mine?
  
  Cho: Of course.
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- Lisbon: I hope you got something useful for all the trouble you caused.
  
  Jane: Yes, I did. The story of the mad axeman Zachariah, who lives in these here woods.
  
  Lisbon: Ah, Z.
  
  Jane: Yes, Z. I would have gotten more, but you came back too quickly.
  
  Lisbon: Reality check. I'm your supervising agent. I'm not your decoy.
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- Chief Brody: Do you have any actual facts?
  
  Jane: Well, it's an actual fact that you dislike Mr. MacLean here because he's a tree-hugging, liberal wacko who's probably running some kind of a cult. And he dislikes you because you're a small-minded, provincial hayseed. Not that you are necessarily. That's just what he thinks.
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- (One of the students has gone missing)
  
  Lisbon: We should start looking in the woods around the school.
  
  Jane: Oh, that sounds horribly tedious. Shout if you need me.
  
  Lisbon: Go ahead, relax. Enjoy yourself. God forbid you should do anything tedious.
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- Jane: Who's Zachariah?
  
  Mr. Maclean: Who?
  
  Jane: Zachariah?
  
  Mr. Maclean: Never heard of him. Who is he?
  
  Jane: Liar.
  
  Mr. Maclean: Liar?
  
  Jane: Pants on fire. They're ablaze.
  
  Mr. Maclean: I wanna cooperate with you people, but this man is trying to...I don't know what he's trying to do, but I resent it.
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- Patrick Jane: Excuse me, what kind of tree is this?
  
  Chief Elaine Brody: Couldn't say.
  
  Patrick Jane: Smells good. So you're not a local?
  
  Chief Elaine Brody: Born five miles down the road, just don't give a crap about trees.
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- Asher MacLean: I think you might show a little more respect.
  
  Patrick Jane: Respect for...?
  
  Chief Elaine Brody: There's a dead child here.
  
  Patrick Jane: Yes, yes, he's dead. He doesn't care how I talk to you.
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NOTES (3)
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- This episode had 16.21 million viewers when it originally aired.
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- International Episode Titles:
  Czech Republic: Pokrevní bratři (Blood-Related Brothers)
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- Original International Air Dates:
  Australia: May 27, 2009 on Nine
  Germany: July 26, 2009 on SAT 1
  United Kingdom: August 20, 2009 on Five
  Belgium: October 7, 2009 on VT4
  Sweden: October 13, 2009 on TV3
  Czech Republic: April 26, 2010 on TV Nova
  Slovakia: August 17, 2010 on Markiza
  Poland: May 2, 2011 on TVN
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ALLUSIONS (1)
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- On Jane's first visit to principal Asher MacLean's office, he stops at a picture of MacLean in hunting attire and shouldering a hunting bow. Jane says, "You know, you look like Burt Reynolds in this shot."
  
  The allusion refers to the 1972 film Deliverance starring Burt Reynolds as a businessman who goes on a canoe trip with three friends. In the film, Reynolds' character Lewis sported a similar hunting bow and was an experienced outdoorsman, as was MacLean.
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