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Episode Guide > Season 1, Episode 13

The Mentalist: Paint It Red

 

Episode Score

 
9.0 Superb
205 votes

Your Score

Air Date

Sunday January 18, 2009

Production Code

3T7812

Episode Summary

A business tycoon's son-in-law is found dead near where a $50 million painting once hung in his father-in-law's office. Jane and the CBI try to find out how he might have been involved and who else is responsible.

  •  
    9.5 Superb

    Very clever art case. hide show

    Lisbon must love having Jane working for her – he does most of the work, gives them the culprits and they get the credit and the awesome closure rate. Add to that Jane's theatrics which make work so entertaining and unpredictable.

    Patrick has way too much fun with Van Pelt, it's hilarious to watch her grinding her teeth.

    It's smart not to put the original painting on display, it gets stolen it's just a copy – I liked the machine gun in the painting! "Is that a Kalishnikoff?"

    Patrick actually mentioning his daughter? That was a first. He was all too right though, even if it was a pretext. The father was a complete jerk.

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  •  
    10 Perfect

    This is such a good show and so refreshing! I look forward to it and can't wait each week for the next amazing episode. Thankyou for such a cast of talented actors, writers, producers and everyone on the show--your all great! hide show

    I love this show so much! Its so amazing and well written and the actors are just so great! Thankyou for giving us all such a wonderful show! The episodes are all so entertaining and I've never been disappointed! Its so nice to have a show that my family and my friends all look so forward to watching and enjoying so much. Thankyou again--your all truly appreciated! The stories are so well done and intresting and they always leave you wanting more and we all can't wait for the next episode! My electric went off during one of the shows one week and I was so heartbroken-and then the next day I was so relieved when my friend had it taped! Thanks again for such a wonderful show!

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  •  
    9 Superb

    As this series proceeds it just keeps getting better and better. hide show

    Apart from "Red Rum" this must be my favourite episode so far. We get to watch Jane work in some of his finest moments, and it's the first episode where the strength of his personality is shown in a more direct manner. The sequence where he visits the Russian mobster and the conversation he has with him, as well as his whole attitude towards him show that Jane doesn't really care about what he's supposed to do, or what other people would do in his place. He just has his own special way of seeing things, having been forced to re-evaluate the importance of everything through the traumatic loss of his wife and daughter. He knows what matters and it's not money, following orders, being liked or making a career. He has left all that behind and he just speaks his mind whenever he feels like it, trying to do the decent thing. That comes through very clearly in the scene in the tycoon's office, when he tells him about his behaviour towards his daughter.
    Now apart from that all the time he is being extremely clever and perceptive. He does all of our favourite things in this episode. He's humoristic, drives his colleagues insane(especially Lisbon, I just love the chemistry developing between those two, and Robin Tunney is someone I've always liked as a person so I totally approve of Lisbon and Jane clicking), catches people off guard with his discoveries, tricks them into revealing the truth, and during the whole time he gets to be classy and carefree about it. Simon Baker really does the character justice. He gives everyone hell, switches the real painting for the fake one, defies a Russian mobster and actually ends up being liked by him, defies a world-class multi-millionaire and ends up getting his approval too, helps the millionaire's daughter get a sense of closure and mourn for her dead husband, catches the bad guys and in the final scene drive Cho and Rigsby totally insane! Again! Hilarious.

    Small glitch in the episode summary here: It's not the millionaire's son that gets killed, but his son-in-law.

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  •  
    9 Superb

    Best episode yet. hide show

    A a man and a woman try to have sex in an office after hours when they discover the dead body of another man. Cut to the next day and they try to give some made up story to Jane and the CBI about the reason they were in the office when they found the body.
    Now, I just KNEW this wouldn't fly with Jane and he would reveal he knew the truth but it was riveting nonetheless.
    The whole episode revolved around the theft of a painting worth $50m and the death of the man in the office who was the son-in-law of the paintings owner.
    Oh man and when Jane insisted on taking Van Pelt with him to investigate the painting forger? :D "don't embarrass me" she said before they went into his studio. Of course that's exactly what Jane done by telling the painter and his clients that Van Pelt was his fiancee! "you see that's what I meant!" she said.
    The best bit was when Jane decided to go after the Russian Mobster Arlov with Rigsby and Cho despite Lisbons warnings that he had diplomatic immumity.
    Jane turned up at the doors of the mobsters mansion, party in full swing, with one of the fake paintings covered with a cloth under his arm. When hes granted an audience with the mobster he takes the the cloth of the painting and it's just a crude drawing! :D The real genius bit was when he gave the signal to Rigsby and Cho who were hiding somewhere in the mansion unbeknowst to the viewer through the use of a coded phrase. Cho pulled the fire alarm and Jane then switched his crude painting with the "real" one! :D
    The funniest bit? When Lisbon asked Van Pelt where Jane, Rigsby and Cho were in the CBI.

    Lisbon: Where is everyone? Van Pelt: Weird, they all called in to sign out. Jane wasn't feeling well, Rigsby's on a hot date and Cho got King's tickets.

    Lisbon: Son of a...

    Van Pelt: What?

    Lisbon: Jane doesn't get sick, Rigsbys not on a date because he's in love with you and the Kings aren't playing tonight.

    Van Pelt: You know about that?

    Lisbon: They're on the East Coast road trip they're playing the Nicks tomorrow night.

    Van Pelt: No I mean about Rigsby how do you know about that?

    Lisbon: Everybody knows about that, the Attorny General knows about that.

    Van Pelt: I'm so embarrassed!

    Lisbon: Please...

    :lol:

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  •  
    7.8 Good

    Patrick tries to find a painting valued at 50 million. hide show

    Trying to retain some of the viewership from the Ravens and Steelers epic clash The Mentalist went into turbo mode as Patrick Jane busted out unprecedented levels of psychic power in the opening scene, almost to the point where it was unbelievable, even by this show's standards. This was a good episode overall though with some good twists and turns along the way and the same fresh and witty dialogue we've grown to expect from the hit series. The ending was a bit of surprise, but it also played to the strengths of the show: Jane outsmarting everyone.

    I wish we learned a little more about Red John but I have a feeling we'll get back to that topic toward the end of the season.

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Episode Cast and Crew

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  • Featured Music:
    "Trouble" by Bitter:Sweet (Opening scenes) []
  • In the U.S., this episode aired at a special time at Sunday 10pm after the NFL's AFC Championship game. []
  • Original International Air Dates:
    The Netherlands: March 19, 2009 on SBS 6
    Belgium: April 22, 2009 on VT4
    Denmark: April 27, 2009 on TV3
    Sweden: May 12, 2009 on TV3
    Germany: May 24, 2009 on Sat1
    Croatia: May 27, 2009 on RTL
    UK: June 18, 2009 on Five
    Finland: November 26, 2009 on MTV3 []
  • Patrick: Horrible job you found for yourself, Kathryn. Helping a greedy egotist snatch up beautiful things he has no ability to appreciate. []
  • Patrick: (to Arlov) Most successful criminal bosses show a similar profile. Sadistic, violent, but also highly methodical, they're psychologically astute. []
  • Arlov: Are you mad?
    Patrick: No, just kidding. It's just a prop to get me into the room. I am aware that you have the real painting.
    Arlov: Really? You are aware, and how are you aware of this?
    Patrick: I guessed. Confirmed by the predatory smile on your face when you asked me about it just then. You enjoy trapping people in nets of their own making, don't you? []
More Quotes

Allusions

  • The episode title might be an allusion to "Paint It Black", a hit song recorded by The Rolling Stones in 1966. []
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