Synopsis
CBI Agents are called to an abandoned light bulb factory, in Sacramento’s Industrial District. A body was discovered in an enclosed box, with scratches on the cover suggesting the victim was buried alive. Meanwhile, it has been nine years since consultant Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) lost his family. Their murderer Red John commemorates the event by leaving a “Happy Anniversary” card for Jane to find on his car before he goes to work. When Jane visits his families graves, he finds another message for him from Red John, given via a little girl “Do you give up yet?”
Concise Verdict: Wow. Seriously wow. I could rave on and on about what an awesome episode this was. But as words fail me I’m going to leave that up to commenters this time and focus mainly on the analysis. 10/10 ‘Nuff said.
Detailed AKA Humungous Review (spoilers galore)
So, yeah. That was quite an episode. It raised a lot of questions but I’ll mainly be focusing on trying to answer the following one: Were Jane’s actions here part of a long con or a result of the events within? Or were they both?
There were a lot of great details here and I tried to be as inclusive as possible.
Note: I purposely skipped on analyzing the title cause it might be deemed spoiler-ish for the next episode. Will talk about it then, I promise.
Teaser-Graveyard Scene: Jane, Lisbon, and Luther
Lisbon (Robin Tunney) starts the episode impatiently wanting Jane to hurry and join her at the crime scene. RJ’s card derails him and he goes to the cemetery instead where he encounters the child Haley who gives him RJ’s message. Lisbon then arrives at the scene (obviously Jane called her) where CBI head Luther Wainwright (Micheal Rady) says that it’s the anniversary of Jane’s family’s death. Lisbon tells him “I know, nine years”.
-Lisbon obviously was the one to call Wainwright, as I doubt Jane would bother. His arrival before her is probably due to him being closer to the location (Lisbon was at a crime scene elsewhere). Now I think Lisbon’s knowledge coupled with her impatience for Jane to join her hints that she already knew about the anniversary and had been worried about Jane. It’s nice to think of her wanting to look out for him by distracting him via a case.
Unfortunately we don’t get to see Jane and CBI Head Luther Wainwright’s interaction when the latter first arrives at the scene. That would have been interesting and I suspect a revealing scene; probably why it was omitted.
Luther tells Lisbon“Apparently Red John, or someone pretending him lured the girl from a class field trip.”
-I found the fact that Luther is leaving room for the possibility that RJ wasn’t the perp here very interesting. I wonder if he truly believes that or if he’s just being open for all interpretations. And what may those other interpretations be? That there is an RJ copycat, RJ is dead (like Jane insisted)? Or that RJ is alive, but he’d sent one of his lackeys? Does Wainwright believe Jane, that RJ is dead, or does he believe FBI Agent Darcy( Cheap Burgundy), that he’s not. A later scene explains this more. But for now…
Lisbon and Luther find out that Jane brainwashed Haley (the little girl who saw RJ) into forgetting her encounter with the man. Wainwright asks Jane why he’d do that when the girl can identify the serial killer. Jane recites the description he got from the girl: “he’s white, he wore a baseball cap, he had an odd voice.”
-Unfortunately, there’s nothing new here. We already know all of this.
Luther then points out that she might remember more if she were questioned properly, that Jane cost them an important witness. Jane defends “People who can identify Red John end up dead.”
-One can only applaud Jane for fearing for the little girl’s life. I do think, however, that if RJ wanted to harm her he would have already. He could have just killed her then left her body with a note attached for Jane to find. Also, Jane truly wasted a precious opportunity here. He should have hypnotized the girl (with her mom’s permission, of course) to get more information out of her, in the presence of a sketch artist. But it seems like, for once, Jane has decided to err on the side of safety, something I’ve been wishing for since the start of the show, so I’d be a hypocrite if I complained now. Grr..
Luther starts saying that he understands why Jane would be protective, but Jane interrupts to threaten that he’ll hurt Luther badly if he questions Haley or even tries to talk to her. Luther asks Lisbon in disbelief if Jane really just threatens him. She doesn’t answer and takes off after the consultant.
-Jane’s reaction here makes his pain and terror obvious. He fears that an innocent little girl might be harmed by RJ. Again, I don’t think he needed to go to the extreme of hypnotizing her, but, again, I totally understand where he’s coming from. As to Luther, come on man, can’t you recognize an empty threat made out of anger when you see one? Jeez…
At least Lisbon does. She follows Jane and tries to talk him down. She tells him he doesn’t need to apologize to Luther (bless her, she knows a lost cause when she sees one) but adds that Wainwright is right, that they should interview the girl properly. She then tells Jane that RJ is messing with his head and warns “Don’t let him.” She then asks Jane if he’s all right. Jane tells her “I appreciate your concern,” adding “Your phone is ringing,” and takes off while she’s distracted the better to avoid her concern.
-Jane’s little avoidance tactic here is repeated throughout the entire episode. If only he’d taken one of Lisbon’s attempts then the blow up at the end probably wouldn’t have happened But more on that later…
Dazed Jane at CBI/goes to victim’s workplace with Lisbon
At CBI, Jane drinks his tea in a daze, not really listening to Lisbon and the team as they discuss the case. She notices this, and brings him out of his reverie to go talk to the victim’s boss and co-workers. There, Jane makes a mistake regarding the dynamics of the victim’s acquaintances.
-Jane’s face here when it turned out he was wrong was full of confusion (which he didn’t quite succeed in hiding). Seeing the normally confident Jane miss one so badly was quite sad and disturbing.
Lisbon feels so too as she asks Jane what’s going on when they leave. Jane says “nothing” before admitting to being a little “out of sorts” but that it’s nothing serious. Lisbon then asks if he wants something to eat. Jane declines, and says he’s taking the rest of the day off.
-Oh bittersweet irony. I never thought I’d see the day when Lisbon is the one asking about food and Jane is the one who turns it down.
Lisbon is disappointed that she didn’t get Jane to have lunch with her (where I don’t doubt she would have attempted to draw him into a healthy conversation). She gazes at his departing figure worry written all over her face.
Jane/Alone in the Restaurant
Patrick goes to a restaurant where he is greeted by name and told that his order will be up shortly. A waiter comes over to his table and serves Jane what appear to be a type of vegetable (carrot?) juice. He does this consecutively until Jane has had a little from three separate glasses.
-The waitress knowing Jane, the fact that Patrick didn’t need to place his order, and that it was brought to him almost immediately hints that his presence was expected. It might be that Jane’s visit to this place was a ritual he’d practiced for years now, possibly every year on the anniversary of his family’s death. Hear that sound? It’s not glass, but my old heart breaking.
As to the drinks, one can only guess at Jane’s choice. Personally, I think the juice was a poor substitute for Jane sharing a meal with his family. And as I doubt he can put away three meals, three drinks it is. Or he might have had three orders, but only ate some of each like how he didn’t finish the three juices.
Jane Burns his RJ Files
The next scene has him back at the CBI at night. He goes up to his perch in the CBI attic with what seems to be a bottle of whiskey and matches. Jane pulls out a box from under his makeshift bed full of files on Red John.
-In the previous review I stated that Jane hasn’t been investigating RJ based on the fact that we don’t ever see him in his attic anymore, and on the fact that it seems he is unaware of CBI official files on RJ had been handed over to the FBI Agent Susan Darcy. The fact that Jane has his own copies explains why he may be unaware that the RJ files are no longer at CBI; he doesn’t need to study them as he has his own. It also raises the possibility that Jane might have been, in fact, still investigating RJ, only off-screen.
Jane pulls a file out from the box, with the label of James Panzer. Inside the file, there is a line which states “Subject is a victim of Red John serial killer.”
-So Panzer’s death has been officially attributed to Red John. I’m assuming after Jane admitted to Darcy that RJ is alive (Cheap Burgundy) she wrapped up her investigation (into Panzer’s murder) and forwarded the results to the CBI, putting the fact that RJ is still alive on the record. This explains Luther’s lack of surprise by RJ being back at the beginning of the episode. But RJ’s known existence also has deeper implications for Jane…
Jane burns his files on RJ, hastening the process with the whiskey he brought with him, but drinking up most of it.
-….I think the sight of the little girl with a smiley on her hand pushed Jane to finally, ultimately, give up on RJ, not wanting to lose any more victims to the man. Jane says just as much in the next scene…
Lisbon’s office: Jane/Lisbon/Luther:
The next scene (the next day) shows Jane sleeping on the couch in Lisbon’s office. Wainwright and Lisbon stand outside her office where the boss tells her that security says Jane’s fire could have burned the building down.
– Could it be that the fire spread to the rest of the attic and that’s why Jane spent the night in his couch in Lisbon’s office instead of in his perch? I don’t thinks so. There would have been soot on Jane’s clothes (there isn’t any) and Luther would have probably made a bigger fuss. Most likely, the fire set off the building’s fire alarm system and had security come running. As to Jane being on Lisbon’s couch, it hints at two things: a.) he really is over RJ, otherwise he probably would have slept in the attic. b.) Jane feels safe in Lisbon’s office, or he probably would have slept in his comfy brown couch in the bullpen. It was either privacy he wanted, or being in his best friend’s comfort zone that motivated this decision.
Say it with me: aw!
Luther tells Lisbon he could suspend Jane, but that he thinks his actions are a cry for help. He just needs to know what the issue is.
-You mean, other than the 9th anniversary of his family’s death and the note RJ left him? Honestly, Luther…To be fair, Lisbon concurs, saying “me too”, meaning she’s also confused on what’s happening with him. This is where I had to remind myself that Lisbon’s probably been around Jane on more than one sad anniversary, and that he’s also been teased by RJ before, so she probably thinks that he would have gotten used to it by now. Also, that Luther and Lisbon are just tv characters, so they can’t read my reviews, otherwise, they’d know that Jane has probably long since decided to give up on RJ (Blood and Sand) and is now coming to terms with doing so officially.
Lisbon asks Wainwright to let her do the talking. They both enter her office and she wakes Jane up, asking him what’s going on, why he burnt his RJ files.
Jane tells her that he’s hung over, but at her prodding says that RJ is right, it’s time to give up. “Nothing’s working. Nothing. It’s just a game and he keeps winning. The only way to stop him is if I stop playing.”
-Jane’s conclusion here is remarkably reasonable…which makes me doubt if he’s being sincere XD. Another reason is that right before Jane talks, he glances at Wainwright. He is aware of the younger man’s presence and watchful gaze. So it could be that Jane’s words were being said for Wainwright’s benefit. But who knows why. He could have done so to save himself from getting a lecture from Luther on safety, or because he thinks Luther is an RJ agent and wants him to deliver the message that he’d given up to his boss. I think both are legit possibilities.
-Personally though, I think Jane was being completely sincere, here. He just seemed very downtrodden. He seemed to barely be able to get his words out, perhaps because of Luther’s presence; he didn’t want to admit that he’s given up, moving on because he can’t win in front of his boss. I think that’s the most likely case, especially when you factor in the little swallow, bile, Jane has to trample down right before he says that he’s moved on.
-But there’s simply no way to know for sure. Seriously, Baker was phenomenal here. You can just see the despair wafting from him. If Jane was acting, he deserves an Oscar for his performance. This reminds me of the scene where Jane kisses Erica in her hotel room, and the absolutely traumatized look he had on afterwards. Act or sincere emotions? I doubt we’ll ever find out…
Lisbon seemed to believe him anyway…
She tells him “That it’s a big change, Jane,” to which he responds “Well change is good, isn’t it?”
-Teresa’s concerned reaction at the bomb Jane dropped is very realistic. It’s also foreshadowing. The man had been practically living for revenge all these years. It doesn’t seem like he’ll be able to give that up easily…that much becomes apparent by the end of this episode…
Lisbon then demands to know if it means that Jane is leaving the CBI. Jane quickly replies “No, of course not. What will I do for amusement?”
-I love this. Lisbon is so used to Jane’s presence that she immediately needs to know if he plans on leaving. I’m willing to bet that she was freaking out internally. Just like I’m willing to bet that Jane knows she was, which is why he immediately reassured her that he’s staying put.
Jane Questions Marcy, the Victim’s Fiancée
I felt this scene to be very important because, one again, a comparison seemed to be made between the victim and Jane. See the following quotes:
“He was a great soul. He was wise and kind.” “He had a strong sense of morality. He believed in right and wrong and would tell you which was which. I loved him for that, but not everyone did.”
-Sound like anyone we know?
Jane tells Lisbon that he’s feeling woozy and so he’ll move things along. He verbally attacks Marcy, asking: “What are you guilty about? The tears, all the talk of how great he is, he’s been gone a year, and you’ve been behaving like he disappeared this morning. That’s guilt.”
– Says the man who’s still grieving for his family nine years after their deaths. Although, I guess he could be speaking from personal experience here. Jane’s guilt for his family’s death is no doubt part of the reason for his grief. His next statement reveals more…
“Were you cheating on him? Not while he was alive, but now, yes. That’s it. You’ve been sleeping around on the sainted dead fiancée.”
-Again, I suspect this might reflect Jane’s own situation. His vocabulary, the word “cheating” suggests that he equates starting a new relationship, moving on from his dead wife, as cheating on her. But then he contradicts himself…
When Marcy says, “It’s complicated.” Jane tells her “It’s simple. You’ve moved on. It happens. You just don’t want to admit it because you think it looks bad.”
-More projection? Mind you, I don’t think Jane cares much about what others think, but I do think he doesn’t want to look bad to himself; fail his own standards, as it is. The fact that he’s remained single all these years hints that he feels compelled to remain grieving until he finds his family’s killer. But if that were true, then his giving up now has serious implications. To show RJ that he’s truly moved on, Jane needs to be willing to enter in a new relationship.
Jane Loses it
Just in case Marcy’s description of her fiancée wasn’t enough to depict how similar he is to Jane, the scene where Jane catches the Marx, the perp, is.
Jane tell him that he is: “Viscous and heartless. You gave Castro the most terrifying death possible. You’re evil.”
Jane then goes on to hit the man on the head with a shovel, and keep him locked in a coffin in a graveyard, until he confesses to his crime. He keeps him overnight and next morning calls Lisbon to where he’s at and tells her what he’d done. Lisbon is understandably shocked at his actions and begs him to tell him where Marx is buried. Jane only does so after the killer confesses his crime, through the baby monitor Jane kept with him in the coffin.
When Wainwright finds out, he blows a mild gasket, telling Jane that he tortured the man and that the case will never hold up in court because the confession was obtained via torture. Jane’s answer is a bland “let the lawyers sort it out”. Lisbon tries to diffuse the situation telling Wainwright that accountants found financial evidence that Marx stole the firm’s money and that the DA will charge him with theft and security fraud, and that Lisbon will try to build a murder case from that as well to show his motive for killing the victim.
Luther doesn’t care. He tells Jane SAC PD wants to arrest him, elaborating: “You tortured the guy, for Christ sakes. Jane, you tortured him. Do you have any notion how that makes the CBI looks?”
Jane answers: “I gave an evil psychopath justice.”
Good old verbose Grace stands up for Jane but politically correct Cho and Rigsby keep their mouths shut.
Lisbon tries to get Jane to understand that what he did was wrong, no doubt, again, in an attempt to diffuse the situation. But Jane won’t have any of it: “Yes, of course I did, I crossed the line. I had to, to get Marx. It was the only way to get Marx.” He brushes off Lisbon’s comment that he’s been under a lot of stress and continues to unapologetically defend his actions. When Lisbon finally tells him that maybe he needs a break, Luther pounces on the idea and suspends Jane. He tells him he’ll have a hearing in 30 days to review whether he’ll remain at CBI. Luther goes further to tell Jane that he’ll personally ask that Jane’s services be no longer retained, adding “I understand that you are under some distress, Jane, but you shamed us today. And I’m not gonna let that happen again.”
-Boom! Remember when I said that I don’t think Jane cares much about what other people think? This is an example of an instant where he obviously does care. You can just see Luther’s words cutting him to the very core, and his breathing became increasingly shallow here.
Unfortunately, Jane’s always been vindictive (unless he feels he got what he deserved) and he retaliates at Wainwright by digging for himself an even bigger hole. Like Luther shamed Jane, Jane utterly humiliates him by calling him a baby and a momma’s boy. He doesn’t stop even when Lisbon tells him to and points to his mouth, saying Luther still has her milk on his face.
Here Luther blows a major gasket, he goes crazy and tries to attack Jane and has to be held off by Rigsby and Cho. When he calms down, Jane continues the humiliation by wiping off the corner of his mouth. Luther tells him, he’s not suspended, he’s fired and tells him to get out.
-Damn. I don’t care what anyone says. Until I see proof of a long con, Jane here was acting completely on impulse, the stress of RJ coupled with the shame he felt at Luther suspending him causing him to lose his head and cause himself to get fired.
Lisbon obviously thinks so as well. She tells Jane not do anything rash, adding “We can work this out, we’ll fix it.”
Jane tells her, “I doubt that.”
Lisbon: “I’ll come by your place tonight, we’ll talk it out, okay?” and asks him to let her help him.
Jane’s reply? “You’re sweet.”
Yes she is. Also, Jane is an idiot.
But he’s been through a lot and we can’t help but love him.
Best scene
The winner: End scene. Need I explain why? Everyone was fantastic here. Lisbon worried, trying to stop the impending explosion, Grace’s utter shock when it happens, Lisbon’s helpless expression, Rigsby and Cho watching the scene in despair, the music (god, the music!!). Baker, Tunney, Rady, Righetti, Kang, Yeoman, Blake, everyone was in top form here.
1st runner up: The team discusses Jane. Rigsby asks Cho and Grace if they know that Jane told Lisbon he was giving up on RJ. They concur and Cho says it’s hard to believe.
-I love this because it makes me imagine that mommy Lisbon talked to her kids one by one and asked them to take it easy on their older brother, he’s going through a hard time.
Then, Grace asks Cho and Rigsby if they think Jane is cracking up. They’re quick to reassure her no, their concern written all over their faces.
2nd runner up: Jane drinks his three meals alone. This was such a heartbreaking scene.
Best Quotes
“Jane seem off to you?” -Grace
“Always.”-Cho, in response to the above.
Conclusion
So, were Jane’s actions here part of a long con or a result of the events within? Or were they both?
I guess it depends on whether you believe him when he says he’s given up the chase. Also might depend on who fans think is smarter: Jane or RJ.
If we think about it from the beginning, RJ was what set this entire episode in motion. After finding the card from RJ on his car, Jane visits his family’s graves; this despite Lisbon’s call earlier to hurry and meet her at a crime scene.
-Now Red John had obviously placed the card on Jane’s car, knowing Patrick would feel compelled to visit his family graves. The question here is, had Jane, likewise, read RJ’s mind, sort to speak, and known the killer had another message to give him, hence his going to the graveyard? Or had he simply gone there to brood?
Then we have Jane’s blow-out with Luther at the end.
Here’s the thing: Jane has a pattern of acting out outrageously after RJ slips from his hand. In Season two’s premiere, Redemption, Minelli tells him “Ever since the Tanner incident, you’ve been going way too hot.” To recap, that was after he shot an important RJ lead to save Lisbon’s life. Then there was Jane insufferably acting out most of season three after his run in with RJ in the Season two finale.
In this season, however, Jane shooting Carter seemed to have lifted a huge weight off his shoulders. With the world thinking that RJ was dead, Jane seemed to be content to move on with his life. He even placed a flower in the ocean, as a message to his family. At the time I stated that it was a symbol that he wants to get over their deaths and his revenge, and that was why Jane refused to admit RJ was still alive. Another reason, undoubtedly was letting RJ retire, kept him from killing again.
But it seemed RJ’s shadow, Jane’s failure to catch him, continued to haunt him. In Blinking Red Light, Jane felt compelled to catch Panzer at all costs. It was almost as if he couldn’t bear to let another killer walk free. So he brought RJ back from the dead to kill Panzer.
But, again, Jane then tried to go back to the new status quo; public knowledge being that RJ was dead.
Darcy’s investigation made that impossible. So in this episode, Jane had to admit to himself, and the world, that he can’t catch RJ and that he’s officially moved on.
But his failure continues to haunt him. Once again, Jane runs into an evil killer whom he can’t bear to not catch, and goes to evermore needlessly extreme methods to do so.
I say needlessly because I believe the accountants would have eventually figured out what was going on, as they did here, and Lisbon and co. would have gotten a warrant to search Marx house and probably found the keychain that belonged to the victim.
Despite Jane’s statement “what’s the point if you don’t catch the bad guys” that wasn’t what he was after. What he was after was revenge, he said it himself. He wanted to give Marx a taste of his own medicine. Unfortunately, that’s not how society works.
It appears that the title of the previous episode, “Farewell and Thanks for All the Red Snapper” was actually foreshadowing for the events of this episode, Cho and Summer’s break up was just a decoy. Like their doomed relationship, Jane’s time at CBI, his friendship with Lisbon seems to be impossible. He’s a man with his own code of ethics and he’s been increasingly unable to restrain himself from them in favor of the CBI’s, and his country’s laws. And no matter how much Lisbon’s been bending the rules for him, she knows better than to out rightly flaunt them, even the ones she disagrees with. They’ve been able to work together for eight years, but seem to now be at an impasse.
As to Luther, he lacks the experience and the emotional capacity to comprehend all that Jane is going through. No one can blame him for loosing his cool, but it’s so tragic that, had Lisbon’s boss been Minelli or Hightower, this situation probably would never have occurred. Even LaRoche recognized how damaged Jane was and said just as much when Jane threatened him.
Now what? No idea. Can’t wait to see the finale. Thank god the show’s been renewed or I’d be a whole lotta worried.
Meanwhile, here’s an awesome Mentalist video that might depress you (totally worth it though).
And here’s the episode’s fantastic art by Chizuru-chibi to make up for it 😉
Image by Chizuru-chibi. Copyright Reviewbrain May, 2012. Not to be used without permission.
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May 17th, 2012 at 5:28 pm
“As to the drinks, one can only guess at Jane’s choice.”
The “vegetable drink” Jane had at the restaurant ritual was a bloody (RED) Mary, one for each life Jane believes he destroyed (including his own).
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May 17th, 2012 at 5:43 pm
“Does Wainwright believe Jane, that RJ is dead, or does he believe Darcy, that he’s not. A later scene explains this more. But for now…”
In a way, for this scene, it does not matter which way Wainwright believes at heart: If the “real” RJ is alive, we already know he was quite pleased to send a lackey, ally, friend, whatever to a mall to pretend to be RJ in a situation that was meant to be a trap for him, run by a man whose family RJ destroyed (so, ya know, can’t be expecting hearts and puppies here). He might have taken perverse delight in personally singling out that girl and sending her to Jane. Then again, he might well have been cautious enough to dredge up another bit of cannon fodder to do the job.
“-One can only applaud Jane for fearing for the little girl’s life. I do think, however, that if RJ wanted to harm her he would have already. He could have just killed her then left her body with a note attached for Jane to find. Also, Jane truly wasted a precious opportunity here. He should have hypnotized the girl (with her mom’s permission, of course) to get more information out of her”
But then Jane wouldn’t have hours and days of anxiety and fear for the girl’s life anticipating her slaughter, and where’s the fun in that? (Does that make ME sound creepy? I swear I’m not a serial killer.) I would bet that Jane did as you suggested minus the mother’s permission and the sketch artist, and is quite happily keeping details to himself.
“Luther asks Lisbon in disbelief if Jane really just threatens him. She doesn’t answer and takes off after the consultant.”
The expression on her face then looks a lot like the one I get when I’m thinking “I want so very badly to tell you what I really think of you right now, but I don’t have another job lined up, so I’m keeping my mouth shut,” at one of my bosses. I do kind of wonder if he thinks Jane is threatening him to keep him away from more details about RJ as part of his psychopathic-RJ-lackey identity, or if Wainwright realizes this is genuine emotion, putting paid to the theory that Jane is anywhere on the Antisocial Personality Disorder spectrum.
“It might be that Jane’s visit to this place was a ritual he’d practiced for years now, possibly every year on the anniversary of his family’s death. Hear that sound? It’s not glass, but my old heart breaking.
“As to the drinks, one can only guess at Jane’s choice. Personally, I think the juice was a poor substitute for Jane sharing a meal with his family. And as I doubt he can put away three meals, three drinks it is.”
It did look very much like a ritual to me. If I am not greatly mistaken, those were Bloody Maries (vodka, tomato juice, and a variety of seasonings and garnishes) he was drinking, not merely vegetable juice. At least he started his drinking binge with something remotely resembling nutrition.
Aside from the agony of his little ritual, it was interesting to me to note that his family were buried in or near Sacramento. It makes me wonder if he had an inkling of his plan for revenge before he had his breakdown – or if he ended up moving their graves from the Malibu area after he made the move. It costs a bit, but should be within his budget. Odd though, if he did have them moved, that he never went to check on their graves (he told Danny he had not been there since their funeral in “Cackle Bladder Blood”).
I haven’t even finished reading your review, but I want to post this much before I head off to work… More later.
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May 17th, 2012 at 5:52 pm
The drink was probably a bloody mary.
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May 17th, 2012 at 5:54 pm
God, this episode was … awesome.
Simon Baker deserves an Oscar for that performance. And a Golden Globe. I want him to have that damn Golden Globe! I can`t be the only one who noticed that “The Mentalist” is never even nominated, despite its awesomeness…
Anyways, back to the episode at hand…
Oh my god, I can`t wait for the finale. I didn`t know whether to laugh or cry all through this episode, there was so much symbolism and context and so many great lines …
You were right about the restaurant scene. Completely and utterly heartbreaking.
I`m not sure whether Jane giving up was genuine or not. At first I was sure he was, but then an episode tag made me change my mind and now I don`t know what to think anymore.
It IS true that Jane did say he was giving up only once Wainwright was there. He admitted defeat, gave up … and Jane doesn´t usually show weakness like that in front of anyone except maybe Lisbon. Especially not in front of someone like Wainwright, who would try and psycho-analyze it right away.
On the other hand he was so defeated and … hopeless. He appeared genuinely hopeless, but then again he could have shown true emotions despite it all being an act.
I`m so confused about the whole thing, which is why I didn`t participate in your poll this time. There is no “He said it all for Wainwright`s benefit but he meant every word, too” button.
I think Jane was serious about WANTING to give up, of letting go and moving on, but at the same time he knew that he couldn`t have what he wanted, so he simply pretended this was what he was doing, while in reality it is all part of an impressive long-con.
In fact, I`ll go even farther and claim that – even though he said he wouldn´t leave the CBI (probably said that to make Lisbon feel better) – his provocation of Wainwright was aimed at getting fired. If he was really setting things up for a long-con, then leaving the CBI by getting fired was definitely part of the plan. Red John would definitely hear that Jane got fired, and there is nothing to say “I`m not investigating this anymore” louder than actually leaving. And since most of the finale seems to take place in VEGAS, of all places, he not only left the CBI but also the whole STATE. Now that`s a pretty clear message, isn`t it?
I just think that his friendship with Lisbon is too strong, too deeply rooted to make him get up and leave like that. He absolutely has to have an ulterior motive for that, and a long-con would give him that motive. I don`t think he could leave her behind if he wasn`t convinced it would make things better in the long run and get him closer to Red John, maybe even help him finally get that bastard.
Huh … I guess I actually DO think this is a long-con. Oh, well. We´ll see tonight. Or better yet: you guys will. And I`ll catch up tomorrow.
I`ll come back here after watching the episode – provided I don`t die of a heart-attack or end up admitted to the psych ward for screaming at my laptop again …
Thanks for the great review, as usually!
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May 17th, 2012 at 6:06 pm
I had the same thoughts about the graves back in Season three. It was very surprising to see them so far away from Malibu. I`ve actually got a theory on that:
When Danny asked Jane why he never comes to the cemetery, Jane said “Because they aren`t here”.
I was wondering if maybe he meant it literally, as in: “they are not buried here”. I`ve always thought that if Red John really wanted to torture Jane, he`d go and dig them up, maybe steal their remains. It would be the ultimate torture, to take them away from him all over again. So my theory is that Jane actually buried them somewhere else, somewhere secret, and he`s the only one who knows where. And that would make these two graves the “official” ones, in case anyone asks or wants to see them (as Danny did).
And Red John could go digging there until his fingers bled, and he wouldn`t come up with anything because they aren`t there.
Another thing I noticed: In “Red Rover, Red Rover” the headstones were switched. In “Cackle Bladder Blood” it was Charlotte on the right and Angela on the left and in “Red Rover” it`s the other way round. I`m guessing this is simply a mistake – all the more surprising, because usually the producers are a lot more careful than that… Oh well.
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May 17th, 2012 at 7:00 pm
Thanks for a great review…personally I think Jane seemed so genuinely distressed throughout the entire episode, that I do believe that his emotions were real. But I also feel there’s a long-con at hand, and that maybe his sadness and stress are a result of his HAVING to leave CBI and Lisbon and co in order to put this final con in motion. I think he may know that sacrifices are at hand in order for this long-con to work-and he’s sorry to have to do this. All this coupled with it being this family’s anniversary and his usual desperation to catch RJ would have any man in the doldrums.
Lots of interesting camera angles etc in this ep too, plus that gloomy music overshadowing a number of scenes. It almost added a sense of menace to Jane’s character-I was actually afraid of what he might do at any given moment. And I kept on expecting a Jane/Lisbon blow-up..but nothing, just a ‘You’re sweet’ and the elevator doors closing between them..how symbolic.
Can’t wait to see the finale tmr now!
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May 17th, 2012 at 8:59 pm
“I just think that his friendship with Lisbon is too strong, too deeply rooted to make him get up and leave like that.”
But this statement presumes that Jane is leaving by his own free will, when in fact, he was fired after further inciting Wainwright, after the man suspended him. I don’t know, to me, if it was all for RJ’s benefit, why not just say he’s done with investigating the man and then quit right then and there? Why would he need to get Luther to fire him?
Hope next episode answers these questions..thanks for your comment!
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May 17th, 2012 at 9:01 pm
“I do kind of wonder if he thinks Jane is threatening him to keep him away from more details about RJ as part of his psychopathic-RJ-lackey identity, or if Wainwright realizes this is genuine emotion, putting paid to the theory that Jane is anywhere on the Antisocial Personality Disorder spectrum.”
That’s the question I was in-eloquently trying to ask, thanks *_*
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May 17th, 2012 at 9:12 pm
Great review as always 🙂 Though I’m shaking with fear because of the finale (and some of you already know what I’m talking about), I somehow can’t wait for it after reading this review. I’ve been holding my breath for two months, now it’s time to let it out. We can all hold hands “virtually”. And for the question, I really really can’t tell if all of this was just a con or if it was real. Brilliant !
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May 17th, 2012 at 10:22 pm
Thanks for the brilliant review. I agree with those who think it is both a long con and that Jane’s emotions are genuine. Two of the reasons I think it is a long con is the odd glance Jane gave at Wainwright in Lisbon’s office, and the fact that Jane has a smile on his face after Wainwright fires him.
I also remember reading an interview with Simon Baker where he mentioned he liked inserting ambiguity into his acting, which is how I would describe his motivations in this episode. Definitely hoping for some answers tonight, and for some signs of hope for Patrick Jane’s future.
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May 17th, 2012 at 11:53 pm
Jane has done the opposite of give up. He did all of this so that Red John will think Jane is finished with CBI and finished looking for him. It was all very calculated and purposeful. As far as Jane’s repeated actions towards Wainright during the episode, it’s obvious to me that Jane believes that Wainright is RJ’s latest mole and wants to leave no doubt when Wainright communicates all of this to RJ that Jane has gone off his head. Jane had to go pretty far to get Wainright to finally fire him, not that it would have been unwelcome if Wainright lost it and revealed his true colors in response.
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May 18th, 2012 at 6:07 am
There’s a lot to write about this episde. I watched it last week and just read the review now. I was going to go to sleep, but I wanted to type out my thoughts first.
While Jane knew what he was doing, the blow with the shovel was legally justified as self-defense. What dug his grave here was the fact that he kept the guy imprisoned in a coffin.
What Jane did was exactly right and he did give Marks justice. Van Pelt agreed, and Rigsby and Cho I’m sure did as well, but they’re too afraid of Wainwright (who by the way, is far too immature and callow to be leading the CBI) to admit it.
Wainwright is a jackass and it was clear from the beginning that he had no business having this job in the first place. He wants to pretend to be a professional and talk about Jane shaming the CBI and backstab Jane at every turn, yet he was exposed for the little kid he is in this episode. He can’t take Jane’s digs, even after all this time. “I’LL KILL YOU!” You want to know who shamed the CBI? Its “director”. That five year old should never be in a position of authority.
Maybe others caught on as well, but as soon as Jane took out the files, I thought to myself “he’s going to burn them.” I guess I’ve seen this kind of scene before.
I don’t think Jane knew Red John had another message for him. I just think the natural place to go after being reminded of his wife’s death was to the cemetery.
I didn’t like Jane’s reaction afterwards. If the girl was in danger from having seen Red John, what he did wouldn’t have helped. Remember what Red John did to the guy in Season 1? He brutally murdered him anyway, even though the guy was too scared to say anything about Red John. RJ does not allow people who have real incriminating evidence on him to live. So either the girl was in no danger in the first place, making what Jane did pointless, or the girl is still in danger regardless, making what Jane did pointless. Jane’s refusal to follow up on the lead is suspicious and supports the theory that he really has given up.
As for the poll, I’d vote none of the above. I would tend to think Jane was acting (hard not to), but it may not necessarily have been purely for Wainwright. What was he trying to accomplish at the end? I actually am inclined to take it seriously. He wanted to give Marks justice. Wainwright acted like a little #*&^$, refusing to support him, and threatening to get Jane fired. Jane was annoyed by Wainwright, as he should’ve been (consider that Jane closes all the difficult cases and all Wainwright has done is whine and obstruct, like the useless tool he is), so he reacted with jabs, and twisted the dagger a little. I don’t think Jane was aiming to be fired. Things just developed. A series of logical reactions.
Lisbon’s “we’ll talk” was typical of her, and just empty words, because they’d never talk. She’s said that kind of thing before, and probably because of Jane’s unwillingness to reveal himself, the talks never really materialized. Jane was breaking it entirely. To me, he was leaving and did not intend to come back. He’s going it alone.
Finally, it should be “commemorates” not “commiserates” in the first paragraph. 🙂
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May 18th, 2012 at 8:33 am
Hi Sid,
Wanted to reply to some thoughts before watching the new episode..
“While Jane knew what he was doing, the blow with the shovel was legally justified as self-defense. What dug his grave here was the fact that he kept the guy imprisoned in a coffin.”
Not just that. His staking out the graveyard, arranging matters with The supervisor, the baby monitor, it all shows what he did was premeditated. Not a lot of room for self-defense.
“What Jane did was exactly right and he did give Marks justice. Van Pelt agreed, and Rigsby and Cho I’m sure did as well, but they’re too afraid of Wainwright (who by the way, is far too immature and callow to be leading the CBI) to admit it.”
That’s not the point. The point is its pointless to catch the bad guy when the methods you use render any evidence useless. It’s how killers walk from their crimes every day.
And they weren’t afraid, they were being politically correct and acting as is befitting of their positions as law enforcers in the CBI. Also, while Jane readily assumed they agree with his actions, I’m not so sure. Cho is no stranger to bending the rules with violence, but Rigsby? I doubt he’s okay with what happened. He’s probably horrified at what Jane pulled. Cho as well, simply because while Jane has no qualms about breaking rules, violence and torture is not his usual MO. He’s worried about him, as shown when he told Lisbon that he thinks Jane’s in trouble.
“Wainwright is a jackass and it was clear from the beginning that he had no business having this job in the first place. He wants to pretend to be a professional and talk about Jane shaming the CBI and backstab Jane at every turn, yet he was exposed for the little kid he is in this episode. He can’t take Jane’s digs, even after all this time. “I’LL KILL YOU!” You want to know who shamed the CBI? Its “director”. That five year old should never be in a position of authority.”
All true. But awful bosses are a fact of life and Jane should have been able to deal with it better. Think of all the efforts he went through to butter up Hightower and Laroche. I think the problem here was that Jane didn’t respect Luther and so couldn’t be bothered to handle him the way he would have otherwise. That’s his right, but then he has to face the consequences. Perhaps this is why that smile was about after Luther fired him. He realized that he finally had enough.
Using your words, one could also argue that Jane has no business working for the CBI either. Minelli said in S1, the purpose of the unit is to solve sensitive crimes with discretion. None of what Jane did here was discreet.
Earlier in the season we talked about how Lisbon might feel burned out by her job. It seems Jane was as well. It must be exhausting for him to keep up all pretenses of living a normal “lawful” life (Probably was easier when he had his wife and daughter to think about.)
But think of the reactions of all his friends from his past life (Cackle bladder blood). It doesn’t really matter what people think but it might have been foreshadowing (Jack from Pink Champagne on ice.)
Jane’s been able to manage in the past due to the superior intelligence, experience, and/or compassion of his previous bosses that caused him to be able to work well with them. Unfortunately, they were probably the exceptions to the rule, like Jane is, and not the status quo. Jane is too special to be handled by just anyone. One can hardly blame Luther for being in over his head. Jane ate him up and spit him out in that final scene. The boy had no idea what hit him.
“I don’t think Jane knew Red John had another message for him. I just think the natural place to go after being reminded of his wife’s death was to the cemetery.”
I’m inclined to agree.
“I didn’t like Jane’s reaction afterwards. If the girl was in danger from having seen Red John, what he did wouldn’t have helped. Remember what Red John did to the guy in Season 1? He brutally murdered him anyway, even though the guy was too scared to say anything about Red John. RJ does not allow people who have real incriminating evidence on him to live. So either the girl was in no danger in the first place, making what Jane did pointless, or the girl is still in danger regardless, making what Jane did pointless. Jane’s refusal to follow up on the lead is suspicious and supports the theory that he really has given up”
Totally agree with everything here 🙂
“I don’t think Jane was aiming to be fired. Things just developed. A series of logical reactions.”
Totally agree here with this.
“Lisbon’s “we’ll talk” was typical of her, and just empty words, because they’d never talk. She’s said that kind of thing before, and probably because of Jane’s unwillingness to reveal himself, the talks never really materialized.”
I have to disagree that they’d never talk as we have evidence that they have before. Jane and Lisbon talked after episode Redacted (albeit off-screen) because she knew everything about Jane letting Hightower escape in that season’s finale, showing he’d already explained everything to her.
And in this season, Lisbon knew about the red smiley in Jane’s home, enough to take him there to make him regain his memory (fugue in red). She walked through his home knowing exactly where to go, so she’s been there before.
And we’ve actually witnessed one of their talks when Jane explains to Lisbon why he won’t admit RJ’s alive.
Not to mention the talk from one of my all-time favorite episodes when Jane reveals to Lisbon that he’s been in a mental hospital. He didn’t have to do that, he could have just said Sophie miller helped him out after his family’s death.
Thanks for your great comments, Sid, and for pointing out I got the wrong verb 🙂
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May 18th, 2012 at 8:55 am
Hey brainy,
“Baker, Righetti, Kang, Rady, Yeoman, Blake were all on top form here.”
Where’s Tunney?
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May 18th, 2012 at 9:39 am
Hello Reviewbrain,
Woah. Again, the kind of episode that stirs you, still, when you wake up in the morning…I’ve yet to watch the finale, but I think Jane is pulling a good and extended con. A few reasons why I think so,
1) He might have left a flower in the ocean for his loved ones, but why would he still have that “Bloody Mary Ritual”? Probably he might have thoughts of letting go in the begining, but a lightbulb went off his head that “letting go” is the only trick he hasn’t tried on Red John yet.
2) Hence, he *needs* to be fired to carry out that long con. Doesn’t look good if he just quit, with Darcy on his tail, FBI and CBI might think he really IS joining Red John. Its important that CBI must see him getting fired. At he end scene, it took place at the bullpen, quite an open space to get riled at if you ask me. They can do it at Lisbon’s or Wainwright’s office. Which brings to point why Jane must be seen fired, because there are moles in CBI.
The end scene had interesting camera angles, as Mon pointed out. My pet theory is, i think we are looking through the moles’ point of view. Notice how the camera view pulls out at the second storey, bird’s eye view of the bullpen, as if someone was watching and walking away after Wainwright suspends Jane. Then when Jane taunts, the camera angle pulls in again, as if that someone takes a backstep to catch the scene… It was an odd angle really…
Perhaps the CBI is full of moles :S
I find it critical, just like the camera views when Red John was watching the surveillance in Season 1 finale.
On a sidenote, Cho had funny lines. Fav: “That should terrify him” – about the baby monitor. Also, the writers use another “Benjamin” name in this episode, should we over-analyse this? 😀
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May 18th, 2012 at 10:04 am
*_* where indeed? How could I forget my favorite actress on the show. Have to remedy that!!
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May 18th, 2012 at 11:06 am
Ok for those who watched the finale, if you are not dead, please say something :O I literally collapsed when I read reviews about it, just like I predicted. Especially when I read “the two sleep together”. I’m a living dead right now (I know I post my comment at the wrong place but I can’t think).
PS: Great review 😉
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May 18th, 2012 at 12:10 pm
I think that this is a long con, and the reason it feels so like the truth, is because some of it is.
You have to believe a lie before any one else will, and Patrick always does put some of his truth into any con he does.
Great review again. Thank you, and great drawing too.
The wonderful acting and writing on this show put it in a league of it’sown.
Looking forward to the finale with baited breath!!
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May 18th, 2012 at 1:40 pm
And here are the rest of my comments from a first read-through of your review – good stuff, by the way – and Cheers to Chibi for that adorable art.
“Most likely, the fire set off the building’s fire alarm system and had security come running.”
For a drunken fire bug, he was actually being pretty responsible. The fire in the galvanized aluminum bucket was not especially likely to get out of control. It is not astronomically improbable, just not highly probable. I’m not really sure if the building’s fire detection system would have caught it, out on the roof. Maybe one of the guards saw it while making the rounds of the outside of the building. If the fire alarm system did catch it, how likely that the building has a sprinkler system? In reality Luther should be bitching about water damage everywhere and cleaning up the mess.
“b.) Jane feels safe in Lisbon’s office, or he probably would have slept in his comfy brown couch in the bullpen. It was either privacy he wanted, or being in his best friend’s comfort zone that motivated this decision.”
Meh. Who was he trying to kid? He bought that couch in Lisbon’s office for himself. That makeshift bed in the attic may be a great place to program one’s dreams to work on a case, but for actual comfort and ease of not falling out, the couch wins it. White couch vs. brown leather couch? Now that’s a question. I think having a bit more peace and privacy via the glass walls of Lisbon’s office plus the sweating one does while processing alcohol makes the leather less desirable. Still, Jane didn’t buy a couch for Hightower’s office. Side note: If he had, picture the comedy gold of him sacking out on his couch in Hightower’s office and both La Roche and Wainwright trying to make him leave….
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May 18th, 2012 at 1:43 pm
“When Danny asked Jane why he never comes to the cemetery, Jane said “Because they aren`t here”.
I was wondering if maybe he meant it literally, as in: “they are not buried here”. I`ve always thought that if Red John really wanted to torture Jane, he`d go and dig them up, maybe steal their remains. It would be the ultimate torture, to take them away from him all over again.”
That is a very intriguing idea. I like it a lot. Make it so. (And suddenly I remember that I am not, in fact, Jean-Luc Piccard.)
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May 18th, 2012 at 1:50 pm
“1) He might have left a flower in the ocean for his loved ones, but why would he still have that “Bloody Mary Ritual”? Probably he might have thoughts of letting go in the begining, but a lightbulb went off his head that “letting go” is the only trick he hasn’t tried on Red John yet.”
No matter how well one is dealing with grief the rest of the year, anniversaries can mess with one’s head in odd ways if not openly acknowledged. And he really has only recently started to process his grief rather than stoke it into rage and vengeance.
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May 18th, 2012 at 2:08 pm
“He didn’t have to do that, he could have just said Sophie miller helped him out after his family’s death.”
He opened more in that episode because he felt he had to. He was forcing Lisbon to take on a tricky investigation and to step on toes.
“Not a lot of room for self-defense.”
Well, yes, it was premeditated, as Jane’s arrangements always are. But the fact of the matter is, the guy had a gun and intended to use it.
“That’s not the point. The point is its pointless to catch the bad guy when the methods you use render any evidence useless. It’s how killers walk from their crimes every day.”
As indicated in previous episodes, the DA and his team are usually able to clean up Jane’s mess. He tells them exactly what happened and shows them the way. Him sometimes doing things like this are the price they have to pay. He doesn’t draw a salary really, simply getting a fee for each case (at least that’s how it looked like). A “consultant” is typically an expert that can be consulted with, but someone who has a real job with a real salary. For example, a cryptographer. This is Jane’s job and he’s been solving difficult cases for them, which is definitely not the job of a consultant.
“I have to disagree that they’d never talk as we have evidence that they have before. Jane and Lisbon talked after episode Redacted (albeit off-screen) because she knew everything about Jane letting Hightower escape in that season’s finale, showing he’d already explained everything to her. ”
OK, granted that they had to have had talks. I just mean on the episodes. Maybe the only really serious talk was when Lisbon kept pressing him in the Sophie Miller case. Jane is a very troubled person and he doesn’t seem to talk to anyone.
“Jane is too special to be handled by just anyone. One can hardly blame Luther for being in over his head. Jane ate him up and spit him out in that final scene. The boy had no idea what hit him.”
I agree Jane is very special, but as you said, Luther is just a boy, not a professional, and in way over his head. Him losing his temper because of Jane’s digs is typical of what a child would do.
“And in this season, Lisbon knew about the red smiley in Jane’s home, enough to take him there to make him regain his memory (fugue in red). She walked through his home knowing exactly where to go, so she’s been there before. ”
That episode was before I found this blog, but it was sickening to me. Granted that he needed to be brought back to keep the series going, but Lisbon selfishly chose to torture him by making him remember, even when he begged not to be reminded. Jane becoming a “good” person who helps people was a result of the guilt, self-torment, and misery that filled his life after RJ.
Anyway, I did find a few other typos, but it would be tedious to type them out publicly, no?
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May 18th, 2012 at 6:51 pm
Lol. Don’t worry about the other typos, I’ll probably get around to editing the review properly. I’m usually more concerned with getting reviews posted in time for discussion before new episode airs.
As to Fugue in Red, I see the situation quite differently than you do but it doesn’t make a lot of sense to talk about it here, since I’ve dedicated an entire post for it.
Not sure what Jane’s job description is. But I feel it has little to do with the issue. Whatever antics Jane had pulled in the past none were as bad as the ones in this episode, besides shooting Carter which he was arrested and tried for. Balancing his grievances with his talent has always been an issue for his superiors (Hightower in particular was very sly in handling it). Wainwright simply lost his cool and forgot that Jane’s results are usually worth the problems he causes.
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May 18th, 2012 at 9:34 pm
I think Jane’s role does matter.
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May 18th, 2012 at 10:03 pm
Fair enough 🙂
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May 19th, 2012 at 4:51 am
Wonderful review and great comments as always. I didn’t envy you this one at all! I thought the girl chosen for the graveyard scene was perfect casting. She had such a way about her that was so innocent that made the scene especially creepy. I don’t blame Jane for what he did, who would want the death of another little girl on his conscience.
The restaurant scene was heartbreaking and I wonder how much thought Simon put into how he was going to play this. Am I the only one who thinks that the choice of Bloody Mary’s is a bit creepy – sorry to use the word again.
Loved the scene in Lisbon’s office, I had noticed the look he gave Wainwright before he started talking. That made me suspicious.
The final scene, was amazing, Wainwright is accused of losing control but no one ever stands a chance, Jane just knows what buttons to push, what a persons weak spots are. The most interesting aspect of the final scene was Jane saying to Lisbon ‘You’re sweet’. I thought this was a strange thing to say to her but perhaps he was reacting to the fact that even after what he had done Lisbon was not pushing him away and wanting to help.
I watch other procedurals and the acting standard in them is no where near the standard that Simon Baker reaches, he can make so many emotions fleet across his face in such a short space of time, and the depth he can create behind his eyes is phenomenal.
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May 20th, 2012 at 5:16 am
One thing I forgot when the team were discussing Jane giving up Red John it meant they had come to realise that he wasn’t dead.
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May 20th, 2012 at 5:52 am
Yes, they did, didn’t they? My guess is, they’ve known since Darcy issued an investigation. They don’t looked as shocked.
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May 20th, 2012 at 8:27 am
I don’t know, I can’t help but feel that Jane is pulling a long con here.
A few things seem out of place for it not to be a con – not exactly sure what, a few expressions I suppose – and Jane is always very careful to make his cons very ‘as they would actually happen’, very truthful.
I do think that he’s moving on a little, if only because the season so far has slowly slowly (in my opinion) been giving us hints towards something for Jane and Lisbon. Excluding the few fun flirting moments in Season 1 and 2 mainly, its just been all ‘very good friends’ moments, however in the last few episodes it seems to be building up to something – ie him helping her put her coat on, the quote about lisbon being mean to him because she likes him, all the moments in Fugue in Red etc… But I don’t think he’ll ever give up the hunt for Red John.
Anyways, I love your reviews <3. I'm about to watch the finale but wanted to read this first. XD
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May 20th, 2012 at 10:44 am
HAHAHAHAHA! Oh god, that`s brilliant. Jane camping in Hightower´s office… the best part would be the absolute confusion on Lisbon`s face … brilliant! *cries with laughter* oh god….damn, I`ll never get this out of my head!
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May 20th, 2012 at 10:46 am
When I wrote this, we already knew that most of the finale would happen in Vegas, and my doubt that Jane would simply leave Lisbon like that stems from this knowledge. Maybe he`d leave the CBI, but never Sacramento if it wasn`t for some sort of elaborate plan…
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May 20th, 2012 at 10:52 am
“I didn’t like Jane’s reaction afterwards. If the girl was in danger from having seen Red John, what he did wouldn’t have helped. Remember what Red John did to the guy in Season 1? He brutally murdered him anyway, even though the guy was too scared to say anything about Red John. RJ does not allow people who have real incriminating evidence on him to live. So either the girl was in no danger in the first place, making what Jane did pointless, or the girl is still in danger regardless, making what Jane did pointless.”
However, if we go with the theory that Jane believes Wainwright is a mole, then his actions make perfect sense, because he admitted out loud that he erased her memory of the incident – in front of Wainwright. That way, if Wainwright were to report back to Red John, the killer would know that the little girl can´t actually give a description of him, giving him no reason to kill her. And even if Wainwright wasn`t a mole, the more Jane spreads the knowledge about what he did, the less likely the girl`s death is.
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May 20th, 2012 at 11:38 am
“However, if we go with the theory that Jane believes Wainwright is a mole, then his actions make perfect sense, because he admitted out loud that he erased her memory of the incident – in front of Wainwright.”
Jane believing Wainwright to be a mole adds another layer of meaning to the message he sent W. by kissing Erika goodbye in front of him – message to RJ, not just to Lisbon’s boss, about how free and easy Jane’s affections are so any that might be detected toward L. mean less.
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May 22nd, 2012 at 4:05 am
I’m a little late lol . This was a great episode and I really enjoyed reading this review.
At first I was worried about Jane that he was slipping with his reading skills. He was a little extreme with his interrogation when he joined Cho in the room and took away the inhaler. We knew something was wrong.
However seemingly distracted Jane was still able to figure out who was the guilty person. Jane was still amazing. This guy is GREAT !!!
Regarding Haley, while it is true that Red John could have easily killed her from before, maybe he was waiting until after the message was properly delivered. Red John has killed his pawns after his message has been delivered.
I did notice that Grace was the one among the three team members to defend Jane’s method.
I really loved the compassion that Lisbon showed when Jane was walking to the elevator.
I am looking forward to reading the ” Crimson Hat ” review !!!!
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May 23rd, 2012 at 5:18 am
I just don’t believe Red John thinks that way. That he’d think “I was going to kill that girl, but since Jane says he hypnotized her, I’ll lay off.” Based on what I’ve seen in the episodes, if he decides to kill a person, he doesn’t change his mind, especially not for something like that.
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May 23rd, 2012 at 5:06 pm
sid, you have a point. If RJ decided to kill that girl, it would take a skill set that I doubt anyone on that team has to keep her alive. It may be possible that Jane got a little more detail out of the girl than he was letting on, and is protecting his advantage. But I doubt that there was much else there for him to get out of the girl. I do think he is passionately grasping at straws to do whatever *he* can to try to protect her. We had already seen Wainwright slip up and get outsmarted by Erika – how much more can RJ get past him? The girl would not be safe with W. in charge of her safety; and if RJ had a set criteria for deciding the girl’s fate rather than having it set in stone, W’s foolish mistakes could tip the balance the wrong way, theoretically.
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May 24th, 2012 at 8:32 am
It’s not just Wainright. The character has been getting a lot of grief for his mistakes, but have we forgotten how RJ got Kristina who was in protective custody? Or that Rebecca was killed at CBI? and that Todd Johnson was burned alive in the holding cell? None of these happened during Wainright’s watch. RJ can get to whomever, whenever he wants regardless of who is heading the CBI. This is why I completely agree with Sid that Jane hypnotizing the girl will not matter in the least to RJ if his intention really is to kill her. Your description of Jane grasping at straws is remarkably on point. If Jane was thinking clearly he would have known that nothing he’d do would matter. But on the anniversary of his family’s death, I doubt he was in the ideal frame of mind. Or it could be, like you said, he wants to keep whatever info Haley had to offer to himself. I just don’t think so..
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May 24th, 2012 at 8:33 am
Yes it does…
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May 24th, 2012 at 8:35 am
This:
“The final scene, was amazing, Wainwright is accused of losing control but no one ever stands a chance, Jane just knows what buttons to push, what a persons weak spots are.”
Thank you.
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May 24th, 2012 at 1:35 pm
“Or that Rebecca was killed at CBI?”
How sure are we that her death was not suicide? Wasn’t it cyanide – classic poison for spies who have to die rather than give anything up under torture?
Your point still stands, though, regardless of who dealt Rebecca’s end.
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May 24th, 2012 at 5:11 pm
Great review, Reviewbrain! 🙂 I’m coming a little late (computer crashed..), so the doubts have already been lifted about Jane’s attitude (at least for some viewers I guess). Nevertheless, I tend to agree with you: the episode fits the pattern of him “acting outrageously after RJ’s slips from his hand” as you put it. There was certainly a part of him that acted genuinely; he chose to torture a cold blooded murderer indeed, but in a way that fitted his own situation too. I did it in the cemetery where is family is buried. There’s also the fact that he might feel like the victim, entrapped by a cruel man in a position that doesn’t allow him any freedom. The victim was left to die from suffocation in a makeshift coffin while Jane is entrapped in a suffocating half-life, he can’t do anything to get a normal live for fear that RJ would strike again (cf. what he said to Lisbon after the mess with Kristina, that he can’t be close to anyone). And him giving the killer a taste of his own medicine was a way to get revenge over his own frustration. That might show that indeed there was some truth in this, at the vey least subconsciously.
Also I felt bad for Wainwright. His character isn’t very likeable but still the poor guy didn’t stand a chance against Jane at his worst. Guess he had it coming since that “clinical psychopath” comment… Even though, ouch!
Chzuru-Chibi outdid herself this time! The drawing is adorable! Love the flying purple unicorn! lol!
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May 24th, 2012 at 5:30 pm
Of course, RJ would have gotten his way if he wanted to kill Haley after sending the message. I felt that hypnotizing the little girl was more a way to send RJ another message: “I won’t try to get anything out of her so there is no need for you to kill her”. It was the first answer he sent to the “are you giving up?” : Jane was already saying yes in a spontaneous way: he just aked the girl some basic questions, that’s all. He may have gotten the idea for the more elaborate plan afterwards, but still it was a way to acknowledge RJ’s superiority in this matter. I don’t know if I make myself clear: RJ killed Jane’s little girl after Jane had humiliated him. Here, when confronted with another little girl who may become another victim, he tacitly admits that he hasn’t really the power to protect her, that RJ always finds a way to get to his targets. Thus, he admits that RJ is more powerful than himself. That’s the only way to get Haley out of the picture.
(Or I’m reading too much into it. Again. 🙂 )
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May 24th, 2012 at 10:35 pm
I actually just re-watched the Rebecca episode (which oddly enough was not a season finale), and it seems to point to suicide. The false tooth cyanide thing. Obviously we don’t know for sure, but it’s the simplest explanation.
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May 25th, 2012 at 3:36 pm
Re: Rebecca’s death. Sid, Windsparrow, watch the scene again. That was no suicide. Rebecca is being escorted by two cops when she sees, recognizes and smiles at a man approaching her. The man is wearing a glove coated with a greenish jellylike poison which he brushes against her hand as he passes her in the hallway. She collapses almost immediately, starts foaming at the mouth and when Jane finds her sees the green poison on her hand, applied topically and knows it’s the cause of her death. Hence his cursing RJ repeatedly. He knows RJ (or one of his men) killed her.
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May 25th, 2012 at 4:40 pm
It has been a long time since I watched that ep – and I definitely was not watching it for those kind of details. I could not remember clearly.
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May 26th, 2012 at 4:44 pm
Poor Wainwright? Altho’ there isn’t conclusive evidence, it’s pretty obvious that Jane’s contempt for Wainwright and his threats against him meant that Jane had determined that Wainwright had ties to Red John. The final episode went a long way towards supporting that theory. In fact, I ‘m surprised Jane hasn’t figured out yet that Red John has to be someone pretty high up on the Law Enforcement food chain. There seem to be moles everywhere in CBI, the FBI and on local police forces. For example, how could a numbskull like Wainwright get to the position he was in?
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May 26th, 2012 at 7:59 pm
Well, honestly, I didn’t understand it that way at all. For me, Jane chose Luther because he was easily manipulated: he knew that he would spread the new of his change of attitude towards RJ and that he was the most easy person in the bullpen to bully. He wanted to make him lose his composure, just like he chose that short agent back then in ‘Little Red Book’: both were insecure and felt they had something to prove. Jane pressed where it hurt and used their insecurities. Now I may be mistaken, and I’ll be happy to discuss Wainwright’s character (the comments for the next review would be a better place for it, I think! ;)).
Also, RJ is not the only guru who has moles in law enforcement: Stiles is well known for it (that is if RJ’s network isn’t connected with Vizualise…) We’ll never know, but there might be other plausible reasons to explain why Luther could get his job: his CV may have been really impressive, like he had worked in another important position before (although not on the field, that much is obvious); or he could have been a good friend of Bertram, or another high ranked officer; or Bertram could have chosen him to give a more youthful image to the CBI after the debacle with Hightower, to show they got a fresh start; and so on…
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May 26th, 2012 at 9:58 pm
There obviously isn’t conclusive proof of my theory. However, it fits pretty well. Also, Stiles and Red John are, minimally, in contact with each other, but the plots have suggested that their relationship is much more. It would be of no surprise that Stiles were using his relationship with Red John to make his own inroads into Law Enforcement Agencies or even, possibly, share them with Red John. They’re both in the mentalism business and both have an inordinate interest in Jane.
You could be right. Maybe Wainwright was just a dufus and leave it at that. I give the writers of the show credit for having at least two plotlines simultaneously. The short one where things appear to be as they are on the surface and the more interesting one where the seemingly superficial activities are part of a more intricate series-wide plot.
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May 27th, 2012 at 6:36 pm
I don’t see evidence of that all. Jane has had plenty of contempt for a lot of people since the pilot, doesn’t mean he suspects them all of being RJ allies. Not to mention that Jane in Season three suspected Laroche, Bertram and Hightower at one point or another of being RJ allies. None of them were. As to how a “numbskull like Wainwright” got into his position, lets just say it happens all the time in real life. Also, I don’t necessarily like Wainwright, but he isn’t nearly as terrible as people make him out to be. His only crime in my book would be his inclination to listen too much to Jane and too little to Lisbon. Besides this episode, can you name one instant where he didn’t stand by Jane? He’s given him free reign in every case (Ring Around the Rosie, Blinking Red Light, War of the Roses) and even Luther’s handing Darcy evidence of the RJ case doesn’t seem to be a mistake if you look at things from his perspective. He doesn’t know Jane. This person from another law enforcement agency is confirming his own suspicions that his employee is dangerous. Why would he not help her uncover the truth? I really think people are way too biased against him. As they were against Laroche and Hightower. Yes, he might be an RJ spy, but until we get conclusive evidence I’ll be keeping an open mind.
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May 27th, 2012 at 7:01 pm
You are correct. No conclusive evidence. But, one of the entertaining parts of this for me is try to see where the writers are going with this. They’ve dropped enough little clues along the way that it’s quite plausible that Wainwright was a mole and that Jane’s utter contempt of him and threats towards him are because Jane suspected as much. There’s also lots of hints that Red John and Stiles have a relationship of some sort and that both have made extensive, and possibly shared, inroads into several Law Enforcement Agencies. The best way to accomplish that is if you’re in a very high position in one of those agencies. The surprise I have is that Jane has not pursued this avenue in his nine years of chasing Red John. Jane, who is usually way ahead of the curve, is way behind on this one, presumably because the writers would want the revelation to be a shocker yet still consistent with the hints that they’ve been dropping all along.
Anyway, altho’ they haven’t slugged us in the face with conclusive evidence that Wainwright was a Red John associate, it would surprise me if that didn’t reveal itself somewhere down the road.
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May 28th, 2012 at 4:51 am
re: suicide
I confess I never saw the guy. guess you’re right
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May 30th, 2012 at 9:47 pm
think of how that would stand up in court.
It all comes down to self-control. “But he said something mean about me!”
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October 26th, 2012 at 5:49 pm
At the cemetery where Jane visits the family graves, I wondered why the gravestones just had the names & a symbol (should have paid more attention to what it was). There are no dates. You’d think that he would expressed some sentiments, such as “beloved wife and mother,” or something like that. Maybe too maudlin for Jane? Anyway, I don’t think that Red John would have hurt the little girl who passed on RJ’s message. That’s not his target demographic which is usually young women, Jane’s daughter was an exception because RJ was intentionally going after Jane’s family to hurt him. By the way, isn’t RJ supposed to be retired? Why is he still taunting Jane then? Semiretired?
I wonder why Jane would chose to memorialize his wife’s and daughter’s death date. Why not remember a happier time such as their birthdays or his wedding anniversary? Maybe to make himself feel even guiltier?
What Jane did to the perp by putting him in the coffin finally did it for me. That wasn’t over the line. That was sadistic–& I know the perp was evil, but let the justice system deal with him. Lisbon needs to run far, far away from Jane if she is considering him in a romantic light. This isn’t the only example. At least when he shot the guy he believed to be RJ–there was a personal reason for Jane to seek revenge. Then there was the Panzer case. Not to mention the instances in which Jane has been cruelly rude to grieving families and friends of victims (I know he justifies it as trying to flush out the bad guy, but still, a lot of this provocation has been completely unnecessary). He’s alienated so many people that, when he got kidnapped, the team concluded that his list of enemies is pretty much everyone he’s come into contact with on cases including law-enforcement officials. And I think that my memory is better than Lisbon’s if she can’t remember all of the (again, unnecessary) problems that Jane’s antics have caused her despite Jane’s being told by Lisbon’s bosses that she would be the one to pay the price for his shennanigans.
I’m not saying that he doesn’t have good qualities. He does like children. He is an entertaining character. But not really a good guy, in my opinion, & certainly not a romantic prospect. A guy still wearing his wedding ring after his wife died so many years ago does not seem to be moving through the stages of grief.
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December 6th, 2012 at 4:14 am
It might just be me who thinks this, but i believe that Jane wanted to be fired, he was already suspended, so why else would he need to take it a step further and provoke his boss and end up getting fired? True, it may be he just lost it but hey that’s just me 🙂
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April 20th, 2020 at 12:21 am
Wainwright has always reminded me of a very young guy at my previous job who rose up the ranks very quickly. Some of the guys called him “Baby Boy” when he wasn’t around. Not a bad person, but moved up way too quickly. “A good kid but in over his head” is how I tend to think of BB, and by extension Wainwright. However, it was also long my thought that he was getting moved up by a particular person powerful in my organization who wanted to position both lackeys and unwitting lackeys in ways to serve himself. If Wainwright is a Red John lackey, I tend to err on the side of “unwitting lackey”. Either way, Jane convincing him that he’s given up gets the job done.
As the episode progressed, I believed that Jane was giving up. Burning the files and the scene on the couch were very convincing. But then, he goaded Wainwright into firing him. So then, if he wanted to get fired, one has to wonder how much of the rest of his behavior was false. Or maybe he had a moment of hopelessness, genuinely gave up in that moment, but it didn’t stick.
I thought what he did to the killer was absolutely horrifying. Lisbon begging him to tell her where he was, him coldly turning the monitor on only to turn it off again. That was some Dark Jane. Makes me sad. Like Panzer, he says it was the only way to get him, but it wasn’t (might not have been for Panzer either, but at least the argument can be made; here they were already running down the financial motive).
His Anniversary Rituals intrigue me. We know that the previous 8 years he did not visit the graves, but this year he did, either because of the note or because he’s moved into a different stage of grieving his family. I tend to think the latter. The tragic Bloody Mary scene. I agree he does this every year. I wonder if he is re-enacting a specific meal. The last one they had together, or something. Something about the way he tasted that first drink. It was heartbreaking. Some of you have also commented in the past about the beach house, how often he goes there, etc. The two times we’ve seen him go there (excluding Fugue) have been season finales, which might make that another Death Day Ritual. Tragic.
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