Warner Bros. | 2008 | 998 mins. | Not rated
“Mentalist” (noun): Someone who uses mental acuity, hypnosis and/or suggestion.” That’s the definition that opens each episode of The Mentalist: The Complete First Season and that’s exactly what Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) brings as a special consultant to the Major Crimes squad of the California Bureau of Investigation (yes, it’s a real law enforcement agency). Prior to becoming a consultant, Patrick Jane was a celebrity psychic who returned home one night to find his wife and young daughter slaughtered, with a taunt left by the killer blaming the murders on Jane’s facetiousness in discussing serial killer “Red John’s” crimes on various talk shows.
Overnight, Jane renounces his work as a psychic, and dedicates himself to working on complex cases where local authorities may lack the expertise to solve them. His “superior” is the tough, but smart Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney), who is constantly roping in the fickle, unconventional Jane during his undeniably successful investigating. Even though Jane is a consultant, it’s in name only; he is as dedicated as the team of experienced officers in the Unit: Intense Kimball Cho (Tim Kang), good-natured Wayne Rigsby (Owain Yeoman), and newcomer, Grace Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti). Seen briefly now and then is the Serious Crimes Unit’s overall supervisor, Virgil Minelli (Gregory Itzin), a grumpy force for conformity always worried about appeasing superiors and disgruntled, powerful people offended by Jane’s unconventional practices.
Patrick Jane is smarter than everyone in the room and he knows it. Cocky for sure, but it’s forgivable because he gets results. Sure, occasionally his intelligence is over the top—on one occasion, Jane sniffs a severed hand that has been baking in the sun, he detects hand lotion, musky cologne, and cigarette smoke. From this he determines that the man is a wealthy executive in the hotel or gaming industry and of course, he’s right. Most of the time though, the series doesn’t force us to believe he’s that smart; however, Simon Baker oozes enough charisma that he could probably sell an igloo to an Eskimo.
While Jane is a lighthearted guy throughout his escapes, the memories of the brutal that brought him to the CBI are never far away. Red John is always lurking in some way; if you look at the titles of the episodes, you can see that red figures prominently in all of them. Further, the character plays a part in a mid-season episode, and then again in the finale.
It’s always hard to tell of a series is going to experience a sophomore slump, but The Mentalist built a solid foundation for a healthy run during the shows first season. The thing that really makes the premise work, is that question of id he or isn’t he? Do his abilities lie in hid mental acuity or elsewhere? The Mentalist forces the audience to think, and that alone makes it noteworthy, while Simon Baker makes it worth watching.
Here are the 23 episodes of the six-disc set, The Mentalist: The Complete First Season, as described on its episode list pamphlet:
DISC ONE
Pilot
A brutal double murder. A happy face drawn in blood. Everyone thinks Red John has struck again. Everyone except Patrick.
Red Hair and Silver Tape
A recipe with too much butter leads Patrick to the killer of a pretty redhead who worked at a Napa Valley restaurant.
Red Tide
The body of a drowned surfer washes up on a California beach. But the water in her lungs isn’t from the sea.
Ladies in Red
“He’s here.” A wealthy investor vanishes from his San Francisco mansion – but Patrick insists he never left home.
DISC TWO
Redwood
After a woman is found stabbed to death, her best friend turns up bruised, disoriented and carrying a bloody knife.
Red Handed
A severed hand points Patrick to a big Vegas casino – and a big payday when Patrick hits the blackjack table.
Seeing Red
Takes one to know one. Patrick sets out to expose a professional psychic whose client met a suspicious death.
Thin Red Line
Just before a major meth dealer is set to face a jury, the star witness against him is found dead at a cheap motel.
DISC THREE
Flame Red
Former members of a National Guard unit have a lot in common: they’re from the same town. And each dies in a fire.
Red Brick and Ivy
Did Patrick’s ex-psychiatrist off her ex, a researcher who experimented on animals, or is an animal activist the culprit?
Red John’s Friends
A convicted killer says he has info on Red John. Patrick wants to follow up; his bosses don’t. So Patrick quits the CBI.
Red Rum
That old black magic. When an occult talisman is found near a dead teen’s body, suspicion falls on the neighborhood witch.
DISC FOUR
Paint it Red
The oil tycoon? The forger? The curator? A painting worth $50 million provides many people a motive for murder.
Crimson Casanova
A self-described “woman whisperer” wakes up next to his murdered lover, then flees the crime scene…into the arms of a new mark.
Scarlett Fever
After a socialite is poisoned at a soiree, Patrick discovers her country club clique is hiding a lot more than murder.
Bloodshot
Temporarily blinded in an explosion, Patrick searches for the bomber using his other senses — including his sense of humor.
DISC FIVE
Carnelian Inc.
It’s raining dead guys. A sky-diving financial honcho lands splat right in front of Patrick.
Russet Potatoes
Hypnosis and homicide: an innocent schlub under the influence thinks the corpse he’s lugging around is a sack of potatoes.
A Dozen Red Roses
In Hollywood, Patrick and the team come face to face with a faux Charlie Chaplin, a faux Marilyn — and a real murderer.
Red Sauce
Golfing buddies. Patrick uses his skills on the links to befriend a crime boss who may have offed an FBI informant.
DISC SIX
Miss Red
Why is Patrick sure a dead CEO’s psychiatrist girlfriend isn’t really a doctor? For one thing, her handwriting is legible.
Blood Brothers
“I thought we’d start with a ghost story.” At a wilderness school for troubled teens, Patrick spins a campfire tale to catch a killer.
Red John’s Footsteps
A dead girl on the ground. A smiley face drawn in the sky. Is Red John starting a new killing spree — or setting a trap for Patrick?
The Mentalist: The Complete First Season is presented in a clear, crisp, anamorphically enhanced 1.78:1 widescreen transfer that literally jumps off the screen. Colors are evenly balanced, and compression issues are non-existent.
The Dolby Digital Surround 5.1 English audio track is very solid. Separation effects are understated but present, and no hiss is noticeable. There’s also a Portuguese Dolby Surround Stereo track, as well. English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Chinese, Korean and Thai subtitles, and English close-captions are available.
The Package does include the following special features:
• Evidence of a Hit Series (24:12) features the cast and creator Bruno Heller discussing the series, characters and some general ideas about how the whole project came about.
• Cracking the Crystal Ball: Mentalist vs. Psychic (18:11) looks at the question of whether or not mentalism, or psychic readings, are credible.
• Pilot, Red John’s Friends, and Red John’s Footsteps all include very brief deleted scenes.
• Gag Reel (7:00) features the typical shenanigans.
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