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The Mentalist Season 4 Episode 9

The Redshirt

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AIRED: Dec 08, 2011

8.0

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Episode Summary

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Jane and Lisbon are investigating the murder of an NFL star who was blown up in a car explosion while Rigsby and Harrigan take their relationship to the next level.

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Fan Episode Reviews (3)

it was OK

7.0

By Rumenka2009, Dec 25, 2011

it was OK but very predictable. from the first moment it had to be either agent or manager. Also, if they allow other characters to have more screen time it would have made it more interesting. I like when Jane and Cho work together, they seems to be really good pair.
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It's actually good episode!

9.0

By zurimov, Dec 12, 2011

This episode is downright filler...but a GREAT filler!

Jane's gambits were good; I only caught the suspect at the end. So much red herrings and twists and turns that it feels like Season 1 Jane, which I have to admit is the best Jane ever has been. But I digress.

Yes, the story actually takes time to prepare the revelation. That photograph of Rigsby, that coffee stain, that arrest of bootleggers...Slow, but pays off.

Some of the scenes are also genuinely funny. That psychic set-up, that Cho sleeps and Rigsby rattles, that sudden change of one of the guy's girlfriends, that Wainwright wants autographs...Well! Worth chuckles.

Yes, I do like the characters in the episode. Rigsby's new gf isn't bad, Wainwright is cool as ever, Doc's transformation is worth applaud, and the end...hahahahahahamoreless
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Nice standalone with a twist, however a tad predictable. (Episode spoilers ahead)

8.0

By herr_sebbe, Dec 12, 2011

I still have no major complaints about Season 4, however this episode is more of the good than the great. The case idea of a live murder victim would have been original had it not already been done (in reverse) in Season 3's "Red Hot" and the killer was a bit too obvious. Oh, so it was the jealous former football player who pointed towards the red herring. What gives?

To review this episode, I am actually going to put the case aside a bit to look at the rest. First of all, we have Doc Dugan's character arc. It's actually quite interesting to watch him descend from his personal cloud from which he's hitting on van Pelt, down to earth where he embraces Anna, and the theme behind it is philosophical, as reflected upon by Jane and Lisbon in the final scene. Would you like to see what people really think of you when you're dead?

We also get the side story with Rigsby and Sarah, and here I have a little thing to point out that I've noticed often in this show. When the main characters are in a relationship with someone (mainly Rigsby-Pelt, Pelt-O'Laughlin and now Rigsby-Sarah) there is a tendency never to show any of the good sides and only focus on the bad. The Rigsby-VP relationship came off to me as rather problematic for this very reason. Now we get our first inside look into the current relationship and guess what: The first thing we see is them fighting. Yes, there needs to be conflict to keep it interesting and yes, there is a limited amount of episode time, but in order for the conflict to BE interesting, we also need to know that there is something good at stake. I hope they take this into concideration in the other two love stories we've been promised this season.

Jane this episode. That is some character writing I applaud. Jane is up to something in every scene he's in and it really does bring back Season 1 memories. Instead of only Lisbon, he interacts with VP and Cho and he keeps coming up with new tricks and traps whenever a new character appears.

And Wainwright's reaction to Dugan being alive: Awesome.

Kudos to the writer.

Boo to the director. Lights, PLEASE!!! You've been doing great this season. Don't screw that up.

All in all, however, the good outweighs the bad and I give this episode an 8/10. Really looking forward to next week's episode that should be great by default. And until then, there's ice cream. :)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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Jillian Bach	Sarah Harrigan	Guest Star
Craig Bierko	Trevor 'Doc' Dugan	Guest Star
John Eric Bentley	Steve Penn	Guest Star
Michael Rady	Luther Wainwright	Recurring Role

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Episode Photos

Robin Tunney in The Mentalist from the e...

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Simon Baker and Robin Tunney in The Ment...

© 2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.
Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Craig Bierko,...

© 2011 CBS Broadcasting, Inc.
Simon Baker and John Eric Bentley in The...

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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TRIVIA (1)
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- The game shown on the TV at Doc's bar in the opening scenes is an from an actual U.S. college football game. On September 16, 2006, the #19 Nebraska Cornhuskers played the #4 University of Southern California (USC) Trojans in Los Angeles. The score on screen was 21-3 for USC and USC went on to win the game 21-10.
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QUOTES (3)
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- Patrick Jane: The truth hurts, I know. It's biologically based actually. Our brains process sound faster than they do light, but light moves faster than sound. So the brain is constantly shifting reality so the world syncs up.
  Doc Dugan: What does that have to do with anything?
  Patrick Jane: This. Only when someone is standing 30 yards away do we see and hear the world exactly as it is. That's when your brain, sound and light are all in perfect harmony.
  Doc Dugan: So?
  Patrick Jane: The rest of the time we are living in a world of lies. Lies are what make the world make sense. Ergo, the truth hurts.
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- Lisbon: Would you want that - to hear what people say about you when you're dead?
  Jane: When I'm dead, they can burn me in effigy or build a statue or forget about me completely. I couldn't care less.
  Lisbon: You don't mean that. Everybody wants to be remembered.
  Jane: Childish vanity.
  Lisbon: I want to be remembered.
  Jane: And you shall be - fondly, because you won't care about it because when you're dead you're dead. And until then, (waitress brings an ice cream sundae and two spoons to their table) there's ice cream.
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- Doc: Your own funeral, that's when you hear the truth, what people really think of you. Woman worships me. Would you like to find out why?
  Van Pelt: No, thanks.
  Doc: You sure?
  Van Pelt: Tempting, really, but... I shot and killed my last boyfriend. I'm not ready for a relationship yet.
  Doc: Okay. Rain check.
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NOTES (4)
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- International Episode Titles:
  Germany: Wahrheit tut weh (Truth Hurts)
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- This episode had 13.04 million viewers when it originally aired.
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- Special billing was given to Craig Bierko (and) for this episode.
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- Original International Air Dates:
  Canada: December 8, 2011 on CTV
  United Kingdom: February 17, 2012 on Channel 5/Channel 5 HD
  Germany: April 1, 2012 on Sat.1
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ALLUSIONS (0)
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