One of my favourite shows so far! Simon Baker is an amazing actor. I loved seeing him play Patrick Jane. He always plays his characters so naturally and convincing, that you sometimes wonder whether he's actually acting. The dynamic between Cho/Rigsby, Van Pelt/Rigsby and Lisbon/Jane were one of the best things about the show. Even the characters in later seasons such as Dennis and Wylie were a great asset to the show. I am ashamed I only found out about this show 5 years after its end. What I also love about this show is that everything is so well thought of. The script, the development of the characters, the acting, everything is so compelling and interesting and you just never get bored. Especially the relationships between the characters are so well written. Not once did I think it was too cheesy or slow or too fast or not believable. You follow these characters on their journey and how they become friends or how they fall in love with subtle hints throughout the show, and you just root for their happiness. It's so beautiful and so real. Nothing feels forced or strange. The only part that I might be a little sad about or think that should have been handled better is the development of Cho. He was an interesting and funny character, but they didn't really focus much on him compared to the others. There were some moments where I really felt they could have given him an interesting storyline or zoom in a bit more on that particular situation, but they just let it slide so easily, that I was thinking afterwards: why did they hint on this situation and then just forget about it? Why introducing a storyline to just throw it away later on? That was the only thing I was a bit frustrated about. They should have given the actor more credit, more things to work with. Other than that, this will always be one of my favourite shows! Sad that it ended, but in a good way. I will forever be in love with Simon Baker's smile and Patrick Jane's wit.
I really liked the show. I saw some episodes on TV and did not see every episode.
Now, after it is finished and every episode is on Netflix I binged it which was a nice thing for me.
If you think about watching this show please keep in mind, that is not designed for binge watching. The meta plot of Red John is sometimes forgotten and after the Red John case is solved there are only small meta plots.
The show lives and dies with Jane and his relationship to Lispon. I do not know if the marriage was a great idea at the end. Yes, Jane finally is happy again. Yes, Lispon is happy as well. But did they really need to marry?
Kimbel Cho is a wonderful sidekick to the show. I wished that he had gained more attention by the script writers as he is funny as hell the way he is saying things, not what he i saying.
In the end I can give a solid 5/7 to the show and can recommend it to everyone who likes a nice crime series with a character your would punch if you meet him but love to watch on the screen.
Review by SolBlockedParent2020-06-14T07:53:58Z
There are several serials with a protagonist applying out of the box techniques to solve crimes. Somehow they take inspiration from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's iconic Sherlock Holmes. He has a particular sentence which he keeps shouting about, 'You all see, but you don't observe'
The mentalist is on the same lines. There have been many and I'm sure there will be many too, but this sets a different place in viewers mind because of the back story and execution.
Each one of us has a frustrating part which believes if the criminals don't follow rules, then why should the police, they should be given free rein with all the unorthodox methods for finding the culprits. The mentalist gives this particular emotion a vent. The lead of this series, Mr Patrick Jane is very well versed in hot reading, cold reading, manipulation, keen observation, deduction etc. Though he uses these skills to help the Police solve crimes, he has an open agenda of revenge. That's something that connects him with the audience. He works with Detective Lisbon, the formal head of the team. She being a girl adds the balance on screen.
Do not go expecting mind benders and complex plots. There scarcely are any thrilling moments (Go see Sherlock for that) The show wins in terms of execution. The relations between fellow team members. Relations between Jane and Lisbon are convincing. Patrick Jane acted by Simon Baker is the most pleasing of them all. His charming, playful demeanour seals it for me at least.
to summarize, the following things make the show a success.
A lead character with a tragic back story that connects
Execution and inter-team relations
Mr Simon Baker