TV: The Mentalist

[Munsu]

This is a new procedural show for CBS that started last week, and I'm enjoying it quite a bit so far. It stars Simon Baker (The Guardian, Smith) and Robin Tunney (End of Days, The Craft, Prison Break).

The procedural deals with Patrick Jane, a consultant to the CBI (California Bureau of Investigation), who used to be a fake psychic (a con artist). Though this is pretty much a procedural show, the underlying plot deals with a serial killer that has a connection to Patrick Jane and that's what the show should be dealing with throughout the season/series. The strength of the show is with this character which is quite good, and his interesting investigative skills.

Show airs on Tuesdays at 9pm.

I know that at least one of you guys watches this show, here are the first two episodes:
http://www.mininova.org/tor/1837728
http://www.mininova.org/tor/1865616

THE MENTALIST stars Golden Globe Award nominee Simon Baker as Patrick Jane, an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation. Within the Bureau, Jane is notorious for his blatant lack of protocol and his semi-celebrity past as a psychic medium, whose paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned. Jane's role in cracking a series of tough high-profile cases is greatly valued by his fellow agents. However, no-nonsense Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon openly resists having Jane in her unit and alternates between reluctantly acknowledging Jane's usefulness and blasting him for his theatrics, narcissism and dangerous lack of boundaries. Lisbon's team includes agents Kimball Cho, Wayne Rigsby and rookie member Grace Van Pelt, who all think Jane's a loose cannon but admire his charm and knack for clearing cases.

http://www.cbs.com/primetime/the_men.../?source=Gfall

[animus]

The mininova tracker thing scared me when I clicked the website and saw 0 seeds and 8 leechers for episode 1.

[Munsu]

The mininova tracker thing scared me when I clicked the website and saw 0 seeds and 8 leechers for episode 1.

Wierd, so it has 0 seeds or is the site displaying the wrong numbers?

[animus]

The site's just displaying the wrong numbers. I'm downloading it now, it's got about 1k seeds.

[Abdula]

I was just saying I was gonna make a thread if you didn't already make one. Last episode was pretty good. From the get go I thought it was the wife, something just seemed off with her and not just the fact that she was married to that guy either. Then for a moment they managed to make me believe it was the sheriff but I was pleasantly surprised in the end and a bit creeped out too.

I liked the scene where the sheriff asked him what he does and he played janken with him. It was so simple yet so funny and really you'd be hard pressed to prove that he isn't a real psychic. I really like the way he interacts with the other characters in the show, from the way he messes with his boss even though I still don't understand why she doesn't listen to him but I guess that is from a need to prove him wrong and keep him in line which I can understand. Even the way he interacted with the girl's little brother. He is sitting there eating ice cream acting like he doesn't have a care in the world and asking the kid to show him his gun or hypnotizing the girl, that was so cool.

I gotta say though he is really reckless, not that we didn't know that already but why the hell would he stay in the room after she left since he already said the killer was coming back and he was completely unarmed. That little trick he pulled to try and get out the room was hilarious though but you would think he would have learned his lesson when his family was killed. I thought they were gonna play him off as the fearless " I already lost everything that was important to me" kinda character but thats not him at all. He is actually pretty pitiful and doesn't seem at all like the kind of guy that would throw himself into the line of fire

I really just love this show, can't say enough about it.

[Munsu]

I agree with all you said above. I suspected the wife myself, but the sheriff had caught my eye since the beginning, especially with that actor playing him (he was awesome in 24), so they sure fooled me.

I myself think he has a bit of a death wish, some survivors guilt for sure, or something like that. Though, I kinda enjoy thinking that all of it was calculated (like when he said that he knew that Terasa would take the guy down, and that's why he didn't do anything). But who knows.

The hypnosis thing was awesome and hilarious. At first I thought he had failed, until I saw her again. I hope they don't over use the tactic, though he did mention that she was an easy person to do it on, so that's that.

The show has a bit of Life in it.

[animus]

Watched the first episode. It does kinda feel a bit like Life. The main characters are both quite quirky, but Cruise is a lot more talkative. Pretty good feel so far. Gonna follow this.

[Munsu]

Well, there's no episode this week due to the Presidential Debate. While we're at it, CBS has ordered 6 more episodes of the series:

Exclusive: CBS Extends 'The Mentalist'
Oct 6, 2008, 10:54 AM | by Michael Ausiello

Categories: The Mentalist

Even a fake psychic could've seen this coming: CBS has inched closer to granting a full-season order to its freshman smash The Mentalist, ordering six additional scripts for the Simon Baker-led drama.

The move comes as The Mentalist has emerged as this season's only surefire hit. In its first two outings, the show has won its time slot with an average 15.4 million viewers.

An official back-nine order, which would bring The Mentalist's season 1 episode total to 22, could come as early as this week. Meanwhile, I'm still on the fence about whether to season-pass this thing. Please submit your pro/con arguments below.

http://ausiellofiles.ew.com/2008/10/...tends-the.html

[animus]

Martin Bedell from the Terminator series was in this episode, cool.

[Munsu]

Martin Bedell from the Terminator series was in this episode, cool.

Lol, no wonder he looked so familiar. I don't know about you guys, but I really enjoyed the background music in this particular episode... it seemed like they were having a bit of fun with this episode.

In other news, the network has officially given the series a full season order. No surprise since it has had very very good ratings. I wish it could lend some of its viewers to Life and Terminator.

[animus]

Meh, this show's like the only good compelling primetime show CBS really has. But it would be great if people that watched this show spilled onto Life.

But yeah, really good episode. It was a little random at the end though how they just sat there and didn't deny it.

[Abdula]

I think its going the other way, the people who like Life are watching this. At least that the case with me

What did they have to deny. They had already admitted that they were there when she was killed but each pointed the figure at someone else in the group, so it didn't make any sense denying anything after he had already figured it out.

[animus]

Only two of them were pointing fingers at eachother. They could've gotten less time as just accomplices rather than actually murdering someone. Patrick figured it out, but he didn't have solid proof to convict the last 2 for murder, outside of being witnesses to a murder and lying.

[Abdula]

Even though they didn't waste screen time on it, it was implied that the last two did exactly the same thing the first two did. Besides although they don't look the part, they are supposed to just be high school kids, once he figured it out they were too shocked to deny anything. If they had any brains at all they wouldn't have been accusing each other of anything because then Jane would have had nothing at all.

[Munsu]

Meh, this show's like the only good compelling primetime show CBS really has. But it would be great if people that watched this show spilled onto Life.

Well, CBS shows have been kicking ass in the ratings night in and night out. The original CSI is still very good, and my favorite procedural is NCIS. I don't know if you've seen it, but NCIS is a real kickass show. The characters and the how the plot develops are very very good.

[animus]

I really liked episode 6, really fun.

[Munsu]

I'm with you... fun-wise, it was probably the best this season. As soon as I saw that it was going to be a casino episode, I knew imediately that it was the perfect setting for Jane to bring out his bag of tricks.

I know they're trying to make he red-head chick and the idiot a couple, but for some reason I see her falling for Jane.

[Munsu]

Last episode was a good one, we learn many things from Jane's past. I liked Elisabeth Röhm appearing in the show as Sophie. I think she would make a great love interest for Jane, but I don't think that's happening. The scene with the monkey were great.

[TwisT]

This show has been great and so far i have only one thing to complain about. And that is the absence of Red John. Nothing with any episode so far has had anything to do with him. When i watched the first episode it was one of the most intriguing things about this show. And i actually thought that it would pop up every now and then. See Jane's trying to close in. Even if we would see nothing of Red John himself to at least see them finding some leads or the aftermath of his crimes. I had a feeling it would resemble Life alot with the main plot always being there, making itself reminded and reeling us viewers in even further.

It's still an awesome show to watch but every week i find myself hoping for a glimpse of something Red John related.

Anyways it was great to see some flashbacks of how Jane was after what happened.

[Munsu]

I bet the Red John thing will be addressed on the tv show sweeps period, which I think is in March if not mistaken.