In "The Mentalist" finale, "The Crimson Hat," it's clear that Red John has become more than a mere serial-killer-at-large, and has taken on the quality of a comic book nemesis. While we continually hope that our hero Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) will eventually triumph over evil, it's beginning to look like Red John may destroy Jane completely before that happens.
On a Bender
Fans have learned never to trust everything we see on "The Mentalist," but after his firing from the CBI, it wasn't tough to believe Jane would go on a bender in Vegas. What was harder to fathom was the intense affection of cocktail waitress Lorelai (Emmanuelle Chriqui). Jane is cute, but even a Vegas worker showing off more cleavage than a showgirl would be wary of an obvious train wreck.
Despite his loneliness and permanent hangover, we also still expect our favorite mentalist to be suspicious. So even though it still managed to be completely creepy to hear Lorelai suddenly confess she was with Red John, it wasn't that surprising.
Fessing Up
Finding out that Jane was working a long con on Red John to arrive at just this type of moment was simultaneously chilling and a relief. It was good to find out that he wasn't so far off his game, but disturbing to realize what lengths he was willing to go to. The fact that he was his irreverent self in a secret church meeting with Lisbon (Robin Tunney) upset her as much as the fact that he'd left her worrying over him for six months.
Three Big Words
When Red John requested Lisbon's dead body as proof of his sincerity in wanting a new life from his murderous "benefactor," The Mentalist" proved how well it's captured Jane's instability. Though we weren't surprised he was still pursuing Red John, we weren't sure he wouldn't snap and actually kill Teresa to get that one step closer to his nemesis.
Thankfully Jane decided to fake Lisbon's shooting. Of all the insanity he's put her through, his quickly murmured "I love you" may have surprised her -- and us -- the most.
Red John Escapes ... Again
Red John, of course, didn't fall for Jane's melon-in-a-box that was passing for Lisbon's head. The FBI's sudden arrival to break up the rogue CBI team's mission almost cost their former consultant a couple fingers, and possibly his life. To add to Jane's disappointment, the clever killer had communicated by cell phone and wasn't even in the limo sent with Lorelai to meet him. The painful twist was that there was a dead body in the car, and it was CBI boss Wainwright (Michael Rady).
Questions for Season 5
The next season of "The Mentalist" already has plenty of big questions for fans. Jane seems abnormally confident that Lorelai will talk, and after his previous torture of a suspect, it's unsettling to think how he might accomplish her confession.
We also found out there's an FBI informant. Agent Darcy's (Catherine Dent) arrival to save Jane from Red John might seem to clear her of guilt, but since there was no danger of actually capturing the villain, her white horse routine could simply be more misdirection.
Now that Jane's uttered those three important words, everyone will be tuning in next season to see if anything finally happens between him and Lisbon. As far as conspiracy theories regarding Red John, did anyone else think that the voice on the speaker phone in the limo sounded a bit like Jane?
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