CBS
(Season 1, Episode 5)
“Anything can happen on TV. The question is, where have you seen that done in real life?” -Jane, about his cell phone trick
I can tell you the precise time that I figured out who the killer was tonight. It was at 9:49pm ET. That’s pretty good for these shows, actually, to keep the audience guessing that long. But it also shows a pattern. The killer is never going to be the most obvious person (well, it kinda was last week). Tonight’s killer isn’t the best friend or the cheating fiancee or the scummy salesman. You know it’s going to be a character that probably had either a minor role and was kinda in the background, or someone who seemingly has nothing to do with the victim. This guilty party is both.
I really like this show, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that it continues to straddle the “predictable” world and the “clever” world. It’s one thing for a show to have a pattern, but a lot of these police shows have a formula, and that’s a different thing. The cast really does make the difference in this show.
I also don’t like how so much of the answer to the mystery is a shortcut. Jane takes a witness or one of the victims and either hypnotizes them or does something to make them remember all the important details. Tonight’s mystery of the dead girl and the kidnapped girl wouldn’t be solved if it isn’t for 20 minutes of Jane and the girl talking about what she remembered, based on songs on the car stereo and the smell of an air freshener and looking into her eyes. That’s kind of a cheat, isn’t it? I can understand shortcuts in a 22 minute sitcom where they have to wrap up everything and still fit in jokes, but I want more from my hour-long mysteries. I’d also like to be able to figure out who the killer is myself. This is a whodunnit, after all, but viewers aren’t given enough clues to help solve the case until the last 11 minutes, and by then everyone watching knows because it’s so obvious, and all that’s left is for Jane to do something with his cell phone to help Teresa, who is unwittingly with the killer alone in a deserted cabin. Even Murder, She Wrote was better than that.
Wow, that sounds like I don’t like this show, but I really do! The characters are good and there’s a nice balance between crime and humor and it’s an entertaining hour. I also liked seeing The West Wing’s head Secret Service agent Ron in this episode as the Sheriff.
Next week…well, it’s not on. It’s election night.
Clacked by Bob Sassone 
on Oct 28, 2008 @ 22:30 EST5EDT
Seriously, it took you 49 minutes? It was obvious within the first 5 minutes based on framing. Plus, its always the people from Popular.
Thank you! I was trying to remember what I knew him from. Hehe, Popular, love it!
Ditto, Chris. The minute they showed the search party guy with the misleading story, I knew it was him. Still, they did a good job of unveiling the plot. I also liked the writers’ awareness of writing a crime drama amidst numerous crime dramas i.e. TV juries & TV cell phone tricks. I wish they’d make Lisbon more sarcastic and aware as in the final 5 min i.e. ‘Do you believe he fell for that old trick?’ When she’s badass (knocking down thugs, shooting chefs, and catching rapists) she’s pretty interesting, but her moping 80% of the time always detracts. On a side note, I can’t believe she fell for Jane’s switcheroo, considering the ipod player was purple and the baggie he held up only contained black wires.
Finally, it’s a good show, but how is the CBI elite? Since Jane solves all their crimes, they’re just there to arrest people. Couldn’t the bureau save $ by just employing PJ? ;)
same could be said for Numb3rs … Charlie Epps always comes up with the answer … so why employ the rest of them.
When I saw the promos this summer for The Mentalist, I thought this series would be the first cancelled. Now I’m hooked in watching it. I enjoy the cast — except for Robin Tunney as Lisbon. There’s…nobody there. Plus, I love the opening theme.
Jane indicated that the perpetrators like to put themselves into the search party. The guy who did it ranted about the situation as they came up and had to be reprimanded to stop making judgments. it was there from the beginning if you caught the details (which is important for a show like this).
What I’m surprised that nobody referenced is the tip of the hat to the “other” Psychic detective show. The big tipoff to the killer’s identity was the smell of … pineapple.