The Mentalist should stay blind for another episode or two

I’ve started this post three different times. I kept changing what I wanted to write about as the latest episode of The Mentalist (“Bloodshot”) went on.

First I was going to talk about how predictable it was that Jane was going to become blind at some point. It’s usually one of the things a TV hero has to go through, one of the plot devices you see in everything from M*A*S*H (Hawkeye) to Mannix (Mannix). It happened to Harry on Night Court and Alexander Scott on I Spy. Even Lassie was blind in an episode if I remember correctly. I’m sure at some point we’ll see Jane unable to walk, a relative come out of the woodwork accused of murder, and an episode where Jane and one of the other CBI members are held hostage during a bank robbery.

So I was going to write about that, but then we had the scene with Rigsby dragging Van Pelt’s new boyfriend into the men’s room to warn him not to hurt her. I was going to title the post The Mental Case, because I thought it showed Rigsby really going a little nutty and over the top with his protection of the girl he loves. Of course, we found out in the bathroom why this happened: the new boyfriend was the killer. It was a scene both predictable and shocking, because I actually guessed earlier in the episode that they might make the boyfriend the killer, but then I put it completely out of my head, thinking the writers would never do that. I thought it was going to be the start of a story arc where Van Pelt has a real boyfriend and that makes Rigsby jealous and confess his love for her at some point. So when the guy came up behind Rigsby and beat him unconscious, I was actually shocked because I had put that possibility out of my mind.

So I was going to write about that but then we had the ending, where Jane takes off his bandages (himself, of course) and he can see again! I was thinking, wouldn’t it have been great it they made Jane blind for another episode or two? It would have been more realistic, instead of having Jane get blinded, solve a case, and then get his sight back all in one episode. That’s been done 50,000 times before, and it would have been cool if the writers said, “Hey, let’s make this slightly more realistic and have him solve one more case while being blind.” I don’t want the show to turn into Longstreet, but having a short story arc where he doens’t have his sight could have been an interesting twist.

Clacked by Bob Sassone
on Mar 18, 2009 @ 15:01 EST5EDT