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{{quote|'''mentalist''' /'men-tə-list/ noun. Someone who uses mental acuity, hypnosis and/or suggestion. A master manipulator of thoughts and behavior.}}
{{quote|'''Lisbon:''' I
'''Jane:''' No, she doesn’t! I retract that apology.
Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) is a consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation, but rather than using knowledge of applied sciences, he uses the knowledge of human behavior. Armed with only the [[Sherlock Scan]], suggestions and hypnosis, Jane often reveals overlooked details to the amusement of his team, when he's not keeping them in the dark for kicks. He used to [[Phony Psychic|claim that he was psychic]] by using these abilities, until he profiles a serial killer named "Red John." Insulted, Red John [[Death by Origin Story|killed his family]] and left a note calling him out on this.
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{{tropelist}}
* [[Abusive Parent]]: Lisbon's father. Jane's probably qualifies too, at least for emotional abuse.
* {{spoiler|[[Actually a Doombot]]: Jane kills a man who claims to be Red John in the Season 3 finale}}. In the Season 4 premiere,
* [[Alcoholic Parent]]: Also Lisbon's father. She is thus hard on other alcoholic parents she meets.
* [[Always Save the Girl]]: Jane claims that he will always save Lisbon, which is one part incredibly sweet coming from wildly untruthful and dangerously unpredictable flirt-machine Jane and one part hilarious, because Lisbon could kick Jane's ass. She is always the one who shoots/catches/kicks the shit out of the bad guy, often saving Jane in the process.
** {{spoiler|Of course, in the
* [[Artistic License Religion]]: The portrayal of Wicca on the episode
** Although it could be seen that the "priestess" was an [[Alternate Character Interpretation|attention-seeking girl with no understanding of the faith she claimed to follow]], viewers were not shown any contrast to this image, which is essential in portraying something that most viewers know little to nothing about. For the curious, we here at TV Tropes have a comprehensive page on [[Wicca]]. [[Older Than They Think|"The pentacle"]] is a symbol of "black magic and human sacrifice" [[Face Palm|indeed...]] Not that any other contemporary portrayal of Wicca (or even Islam and other large but less American religions) in crime shows is any better. If someone who isn't Christian shows up, there's a good chance they'll be weird or suspicious enough to be a murder suspect.
** Not that they typically get Christianity right, either. Most depictions of any religion in fictional works tend to be some version of [[Crystal Dragon Jesus]] for whatever religion is being portrayed.
* [[Asshole Victim]]: Tons, the worst being
* [[The Atoner]]: Jane, whenever a case brings him into contact with someone that he scammed back in his psychic con artist days.
* [[Attention Whore]]: Jane should have known better than badmouthing a serial killer in a nationwide TV show...
** After the murder of his wife and daughter, he ''does'' know better. In fact, he
** He even knows better than that. In "Blinking Red Light", knowing that the serial killer in the episode is an [[Attention Whore]] himself,
* [[Batman Gambit]]: Jane is very good at pulling these off. In the episode "Red Sauce", he
** Another example from the episode "Black Gold and Red Blood"
*** Which grows even more complex and awesome when Jane
** When Jayne is forced to work with another team, he quickly notices that one agent is self conscious about his height and the team lead is a strong believer in
** Season 4
*** {{spoiler|1=Seems to be a case of [[Out-Gambitted]]. Red John never cared a whit that anyone thought he was dead and probably knew that Jane thought he was manipulating him; Red John has taken the opportunity to mess with Jane further by stalking the FBI agent investigating the murder and, later, killing the morgue assistant who let Jane bring Red John's blind ex-girlfriend confirm that the fake-Red John Jane killed was not Red John (confused yet?) and dumping the body in his blind ex's house for the police to find. He has taken to directly taunting Jane via webcam and other means too, and the FBI agent he is stalking rightly suspects Jane covered up the fact that Red John was still alive so Jane might go to jail for his convoluted scheming
* [[Bavarian Fire Drill]]: When trespassing, Jane easily convinced the police that he was the homeowner and that the true homeowner was the trespasser, or at least seriously confused them. This is by no means an isolated incident.
* [[Becoming the Mask]]: The undercover [[Dirty Cop]] who kills a fellow undercover narc in "Pink Top". The cop is tired of shitty pay and thankless work, therefore joins the drug dealers. In fact, Jane realizes that the police officer is truly dirty when he notices that the cop no longer bothers to change out of undercover clothes upon getting back to HQ.
* [[Belligerent Sexual Tension]]: Patrick Jane and Kristina Frye.
* [[Big Bad]]: Red John, whoever he really is. He's the only consistent villain and he has his own [[Myth Arc]].
* [[Big Damn Heroes]]: In "Pretty Red Balloons", when an AK-armed killer pins down both Cho and Rigsby and then holds Lisbon at
* [[Big Damn Villains]]:
* [[Big Eater]]: Rigsby.
** Averted increasingly. His constant snacking during cases and stakeouts seems to fade almost entirely by season two. This is possibly due to actor Owain Yeoman [[Reality Subtext|becoming a vegetarian]] in [[Real Life]].
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* [[Blind Driving]]: Happens twice, both times by Jane. The first time he is temporarily blind and guided by Grace in the passenger seat, while the second time he is blindfolded and guided by the ''unconscious reactions'' of Walter Mashburn in the passenger seat. Surprisingly, he fares much better in the latter case. Considering in the latter case he totaled a half million dollar car, you can imagine how badly the first went.
* [[Bluffing the Murderer]]: Pretty common tactics by Jane.
* [[Bluff the Eavesdropper]]: Used in the
* [[Bondage Is Bad]]: In "Red Rover, Red Rover", Jane calls out the victim's co-worker for being into "whips and latex". {{spoiler|Well, he also handcuffed a coworker and BURIED HIM ALIVE, so... a subversion
* [[Boring Invincible Hero]]: Patrick Jane. Out of all the wild, insane statements and hunches he makes, he's never been wrong. EVER.
** Also Cho seems to always be right and know things he has no way of knowing. But compared to
* [[Break the Cutie]]: The entire reason Jane joined CBI.
** {{spoiler|Van Pelt's fiance, FBI Special Agent O'Laughlin
* [[Briar Patching]]: In Season 3, when Jane is captured by
* [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]]: Jane. Sometimes veering into [[Crazy Awesome]], as his bizarre manner frequently puts people around him off their game.
* [[The Butler Did It]]: In
* [[Calling Card]]: "Red John" leaves a smiley face painted in blood at every murder. In the first episode, the location where one was painted ''disproved'' that "Red John" was the murderer. Led to some slight [[Memetic Mutation]] online, ''particularly'' on [[Facebook]].
* [[Catch Phrase]]: She doesn't say it a hell of a lot, but Van Pelt developed a fondness for saying "eureka" once she learned what it means.
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* [[Charity Ball]]: There's one to raise funds for the CBI.
* [[The Charmer]]: Jane. Jesus God. He is the absolute epitome of this trope. Also: '''Jane'''.
* [[Check, Please!]]:
* [[Chekhov's Boomerang]]: The corrupt doctor in "Pilot"
* [[Chekhov's Gun]]: An actual gun is used as one in
* [[Chekhov's Gunman]]:
** Literally.
** There are two
* [[Chekhov's Skill]]: Rigsby background as an arson investigator is first mentioned in "Flame Red
* [[The Chessmaster]]: Jane frequently gets murderers to incriminate themselves this way. Sometimes he even lets his coworkers in on the plan.
** Red John too, who "has no allies, only pawns
* [[Church of Happyology]]: Visualize. Led [[Star Trek|by]] [[A Clockwork Orange (film)|Malcom]] [[Caligula|McDowell]]. It uses straight-up violence in addition to legal harassment. They also have some kind of link with Red John.
* [[Class Reunion]]: The subject of an entire episode in
** [[Running Gag|Yes, but this was a cathartic brawl.]] Souls were healed...
* [[Collapsed Mid-Speech]]: A chef does this.
* [[Complexity Addiction]]: If the killer in "Jolly Red Elf" had just left the victim dead on his couch, the death would most likely have been passed off as accidental alcohol poisoning. Instead
* [[Con Men Hate Guns]]: Jane doesn't usually carry a weapon, and mostly avoids physical violence altogether, but he seems to have a particular dislike of firearms. Being held at gunpoint upsets him visibly more than it does the other characters (who in fairness, are cops, and thus have an excuse for being unusually composed
* [[Cool Car]] : Jane's vintage Citroen DS.
* [[Cowboy Cop]]: The whole team at times, but special mention goes to Jane and Cho. Jane isn't even a cop and somehow manages to always get away with blatant disregard for any rules, and Cho, who's proven just as eager as Jane to step over boundaries is an extremely interesting variation of the trope... really, how often is the [[Cowboy Cop]] also [[The Stoic]]?
** Cho in "Blood In, Blood Out": "Mr. Reed, I apologize for accusing you of several crimes which I knew you had not committed. And for assaulting you. Repeatedly."
* [[Crazy Prepared]]: In one episode, it is revealed that Jane routinely checks the shoe bottoms of people in wheelchairs for the off chance that they are faking it. He says that the events of the episode was the first time it payed off.
* [[Cryptic Background Reference]]: There was one in "Code Red" regarding Lisbon and Jane's relationship before the series started, that Lisbon knew Jane would never swear on his child's grave, "not for anything
* [[Dark and Troubled Past]]: The only ones that don't have this haven't had much of their past revealed.
** Jane had a morally-ambiguous and insensitive father and his own showboating got his wife and daughter murdered. Big surprise, he's been having some issues ever since.
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** Rigsby's father was a biker, which apparently didn't work out so well, as he [[Berserk Button|really hates bikers.]]
** Van Pelt grew up in a small town and was judged and held back based on her appearance and gender as a kid. This did not combine well with her ambition, and for a while she had trouble taking her focus off her work.
* [[Dead Man's Chest]]: In "Redline", the killer stuffs the body into the trunk of a sports car when security shows up unexpectedly. The killer is unable to retrieve the body and the car ends up on the
* [[Deadpan Snarker]]: Lisbon, whether reacting to Jane's antics or Tasering a violent suspect. Cho as well, [[The Stoic|with emphasis on the 'deadpan']].
** Jane slips into this when his sympathy runs out.
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* [[Donut Mess with a Cop]]: Lisbon's team sometimes treats themselves to donuts (and pizza) as a reward for the successful closure of a case.
** Jane tends to subtly mock other cops through donuts.
*** Hell, he once gives Bosco's unit a box full of
* [[Dope Slap]]: Van Pelt gives one to Rigsby in "Red Bulls" for not wearing a bulletproof vest... while she's lying on a gurney after getting shot in her bulletproof vest.
* [[Dramatic Necklace Removal]]: This is the dying act of {{spoiler|O'Laughlin to spite Grace}}.
* [[Driving Question]]: Who is Red John?
* [[Dropped a Bridge on Him]]:
* [[Dying Declaration of Love]]: {{spoiler|Bosco}}.
* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]:
** In the Season 4 episode "Pink Champagne on Ice", a
* [[Everybody Lives]]: In "Ruby Slippers",
* [[Everyone Can See It]]: Everyone can see that Bosco is in love with Lisbon, apart from her.
** Everyone can plainly see the sexual tension between Rigsby and Van Pelt as well (even the Attorney General of California, according to Lisbon). When they start secretly dating everyone catches on immediately... except for Lisbon.
* [[Evil Plan]]: Red John's plans to thwart the CBI nearly always involve these.
** The evilest one, in
* [[The Faceless]]: Red John, naturally. First time, he is shown from behind. Second time, he is seen wearing a mask.
** The producers have promised Red John will finally be seen in {{spoiler|
* [[Fair Cop]]: The ''whole cast''.
** Except for Jane. [[Running Gag|He's a consultant.]]
** [[Lampshade|Lampshaded]] by Jane in "Red Capret Treatment" when he appears on Karen Cross's TV show and refers to Rigsby and Lisbon as "conveniently telogenic" cops.
* [[Fan Service]]: Rigsby is seen wet and shirtless and then dry in a small t-shirt in "Blood Brothers
** Also, any time Cho wears a short-sleeved shirt.
** Let's not forget [[Stacie Leah Rippy]], even though her appearance was only for 1 episode as (obscure) character Kessie Dunningar (?).
** Also in the same vein (i.e. [[Fan Service]], but the [[Germans Love David Hasselhoff]] principle also applies here): Wendy Bruin and Amy Farrington who appeared as Sonya Mitchell in the episode
** The dead undercover narc in "Pink Top". That epically short skirt, tight dress, and big breasts...
* [[Fan Service Pack]]: In the first season, Lisbon was rather frumpy. With
* [[Fate Worse Than Death]]: Whatever Red John does to
* [[Filler]]: Anything that's not related to Red John [[Myth Arc]] or Rigsby-Van Pelt relationship, it is.
* [[Financial Abuse]]: Jane's father, Alex. While traveling the carnival circuit, dear ol' dad took all of a $10,000 payday (that Patrick brought in by selling a con) and gave Patrick a mere pittance while he gambled the rest away with poker buddies.
* [[Five-Man Band]]:
* [[Fixing the Game]]: Jane starts out cheating using his psychic powers, later he just plain cheats.
* [[A Fool for a Client]]: Jane represents himself in the trial mentioned below.
* [[Foregone Conclusion]]: Jane is brought to trial for murdering Red John in
* [[Friend to All Children]]: Jane ''loves'' children, possibly due to losing his daughter. Lisbon also seems to have a major soft spot.
** Lisbon actively uses this against Jane in the premiere of the program's third season, bilking him into working on a case he didn't want to work by introducing him to the victim's daughter, who's about the same age Jane's daughter would have been were she alive. It works, and Jane's impressed, but he also tries to make her feel guilty about it for the rest of the episode and says that he's going to have his revenge.
* [[Fun with Subtitles]]: In "Red Sauce" from the first season, the CBI has reason to suspect one Sonny Battaglia, a well-connected gangster type. Van Pelt mentions that he lives in Palm Desert and Jane, with notable interest, asks "Palm Desert, California?" Lisbon, realizing what he's thinking, immediately replies "No." "Palm Desert's not in California?" asks Jane. "No, you can't sneak off and try to talk to Sonny Battaglia!" replies Lisbon. Jane gives a giggle and says that he thought that she meant that Palm Desert wasn't in California. "It is in California, right?" The scene changes and a subtitle at the bottom of the screen reads "Palm Desert
* [[Genre Savvy]]: In "Strawberries and Cream
* [[Good Cop, Bad Cop]]: In "Red Gold
* [[Guile Hero]]: Our friend [[The Trickster|Patrick Jane]] pretty much embodies this.
* [[Have You Told Anyone Else?]]: The killer in "Red Alert", when confessing the details of his second murder, which he committed because the victim had stumbled across evidence that had the potential to reveal his attempt to frame someone else for his first murder, notes that "she said that she hadn't told anyone else [about the evidence], so I met her at her home [and killed her]
* [[She Cleans Up Nicely|He Cleans Up Nicely]] Kimball Cho! [[Incredibly Lame Pun|No business like Cho business!]]
* [[Heroic BSOD]]: Jane, after coming home to discover the grisly scene of his family's murder. The episode "Red Brick and Ivy" reveals that the BSOD was what sent Jane off to a padded room for a while.
** Jane undergoes brief BSODs when he unexpectedly sees the dead bodies in "His Red Right Hand" and "Aingavite Baa
* [[Heroic Sociopath]]: The
* [[Hero Insurance]]: When the new chief rolls in, Jane gets explicit [[Hero Insurance]]. "You're golden for anything less than murder." Lisbon, however, does ''not'' get the same protection, and Jane is told very specifically that if he breaks the law, she's taking the fall for it.
* [[Hero with an F In Good]]: Aside from performing good deeds, Jane fails to follow most of the typical practices of 'good' people.
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** However, one of those smaller cities, Citrus Heights, was shown as a rural mountain town. Citrus Heights is a flat, overdeveloped suburb in the middle of the Sacramento Valley.
* [[Hollywood Law]]: A few examples.
** In one episode, a hitman- a psychopathic, sadistic hitman who had been killing for years, no less- is released on the technicality that Jane uncovered the evidence leading to his arrest by
*** Justified in a sense. At that point, still halfway of the episode, the judge remains one of the possible hitman contractors, so the writers don't want to clinch the real culprit right away.
** In another, [[Heroes|Noah Bennet]] is arrested for killing his wife's murderer, but so is another man- the latter had beat him with blunt object after trying to warn the guy to stay away from his girlfriend,
*** Well, given that the murdered is a [[Complete Monster]] and both guys could confirm it, they might have jury-proof case.
** The
*** {{spoiler|The only possible way out is if he was found [[Insanity Defence|temporarily insane]] thanks to confronting the man he believed to be his wife and daughter's killer, but that is unlikely since he was
* [[How Many Fingers?]]: Used by Lisbon on a female suspect in "Red Herring
** Jane was knocked out by a baseball in "Throwing Fire". when he woke up, Cho held up three fingers and asked him how many. He answered six.
* [[I Always Wanted to Say That]]: Jane in "Red All Over", after he finds an excuse to say "Stop the presses".
** Jane again in "The Red Mile" when he's able to say excitedly that "The butler did it".
* [[Idiosyncratic Episode Naming]]: Episode titles either include "Red
* [[If You Ever Do Anything to Hurt Her...]]: Whenever Van Pelt gets new boyfriend, Rigsby takes few minutes to explain some things to him.
* [[I Just Want to Be Normal]]: Jane has a lot of fun with his abilities while catching criminals, but when he talks to Lisbon about Rigsby and Van Pelt's relationship...
{{quote|Lisbon: Okay, I am not jealous and resentful. That is nonsense.
Jane: Yet you recall my exact words. There's no shame in it. I feel that way too sometimes. Why does everyone else get to have a normal life?
* [[I Never Said It Was Poison]]: Happens in "Red Badge", though they already knew who the killer was and it took an elaborate setup just to make him slip. A minor case showed up in "Seeing Red", but the killer already confessed anyway.
* [[Important Haircut]]: Inverted. Flashbacks to Jane's days as a [[Phony Psychic]], such as the episode
* [[Instant Seduction]]: Analyzed in
* [[Interdisciplinary Sleuth]]: Jane.
* [[Internal Affairs]]: Season 3 has as a recurring character Agent JJ LaRoche of the Professional Standards Unit, the agent assigned to investigate the murder of a prisoner in CBI custody.
* [[It Has Been an Honor]]: Lisbon says this to Cho and Rigsby, when she
* [[It's Personal]]: Patrick Jane was really only interested in helping authorities catch Red John for the extra fame it would bring him... until Red John [[And Your Little Dog, Too|murdered his wife and daughter]].
** Also, do not invade Kimball Cho's house and assault his girlfriend. [[What an Idiot!|Don't be so stupid!]] [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|That'll get you killed!]]
** Also-also, do not
* [[Jail Bait Wait]]: A guy in Red Tide made this a regular practice.
* [[Jerkass]]: Admit it. Jane is an epic asshole.
* [[Job Title]]
* [[Kangaroo Court]]: In "Bloodstream
* [[Karma Houdini]]: The dating service woman head (who's also played by [[V|Anna]]) hints at the possibility of the Jury letting her off scot-free in regards to her husband's murder because her
* [[Kick the Dog]]: Jane, we know you don't get along with Bosco, but unplugging his morphine so he'll wake up and talk? Geez Louise.
** In fact, this pushes Lisbon to finally give Jane a proper, and very much deserved, [[What the Hell, Hero?]].
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* [[Last-Name Basis]]
** Averted increasingly often as the team gets closer. Of course, Van Pelt was called 'Grace' from the start and Bosco and Lisbon were already familiar. It's just bizarre that Jane refuses to call Minelli anything but 'Virgil', though.
** Lisbon even used this to try to trick a killer once when he was alone with him. Talking on the phone, she asked Jane to tell Rigsby that 'Teresa needs his help
* [[Leitmotif]]: You can tell when Rigsby and Van Pelt are going to have a romantic and/or sexually tense scene, because they have a special theme that always plays. To a lesser degree, there's a small variety of playful music accompanying Jane's mind screwing.
* [[Let's You and Him Fight]]: Unable to prove the identity of a serial killer and knowing more will die if he fails to act, Jane goes on a talk show with the killer and goads him into mocking
* [[Limited Wardrobe]]: Jane only seems to own three-piece suits. He does, however, get the occasional temporary change.
** Same for Van Pelt, who always seems to dress ''a la'' Myka from ''[[Warehouse 13]]'' - but not quite the same.
* [[Living Lie Detector]]: Among Jane's list of powers. Lisbon still had to take a polygraph, though, presumably due to Jane's bias.
* [[The Lost Lenore]]: Patrick's Wife.
* [[Mad Artist]]:
* [[Magician Detective]]
* [[Mind Rape]]: When {{spoiler|Red John is done with Christina Frye, she only responds when Jane calls upon her 'departed spirit' as though performing a seance
* [[Mind Screw]]: Patrick Jane's favored method of catching the killers... as well as pranking his colleagues.
* [[The Mole]]:
** Also, there is {{spoiler|Bosco's secretary Rebecca}} from
* [[Moment Killer]]: Jane has a ''classic'' moment where he {{spoiler|interrupts an [[Anguished Declaration of Love]] from Rigsby to Van Pelt
** He has all-around awful timing, occasionally cheerfully breaking into a very dramatic moment.
** Van Pelt has a remarkable tendency to interrupt tense moments as well, but she doesn't contrast the mood as starkly and seems to understand that she's done this.
* [[Monster Clown]]: In "18-5-4", (R-E-D) the victim's fear of clowns was used to give him a particularly traumatic death. {{spoiler|By his own wife, no less
* [[Mr. Fanservice]]: Jane, Cho, and Rigsby all qualify.
* [[Mugging the Monster]]: Jane and the boys attempt to steal a painting off a psychotic Russian Mafia lord.
* [[Myopic Architecture]]: In one episode, the [[Victim of the Week]] was killed via exposure to a deadly virus kept in a high security vault accessed by retina scan - which didn't work right and would let in anybody who presented their eye for scanning.
* [[Myth Arc]]: Jane's manhunt toward Red John. The titles of all episodes always include the word of "red", red objects, red shades, or anything anyhow related to "red" to represent the fact that Red John is still the main villain of the series.
** [[Will They or Won't They?]] between Van Pelt and Rigsby also qualifies. It has been three seasons and their relationship are still not resolved.
*** YMMV about that last one ; they already have, after all, and broke up, but there's still tension.
* [[Never Trust a Trailer]]: The promos for the
* [[No Celebrities Were Harmed]]: Karen Cross of "Red Carpet Treatment" is a stand-in for Nancy Grace.
* [[No Except Yes]]: Jane likes to use this one to brush off his [[Blackmail Is Such an Ugly Word|antics]].
{{quote|'''Jane:''' The message the aide brought in made [the Mayor] nervous. So I took it.
'''Lisbon:''' You're stealing now?
'''Jane:''' Well, let's just call it purloining.
* [[Non-Idle Rich]]: It can be assumed Patrick Jane made a lot of money during his years as a psychic. At the end of "Blood Money," he only looks slightly put out at having to pay $16,000 in court fines. He still wants to go to the range with Lisbon and shoot something.
** This is certainly not the first time it's been hinted that Jane has some serious riches. In an episode in the first season, he won $250,000 at blackjack by memorizing cards and blew a large amount (if not all) of it on expensive gifts for the team. Later, he won $300,000 in poker and {{spoiler|donated that to pay for the operation of the mother of one people who had been investigated in the case
*** Not to mention that when the team rejected his expensive gifts of jewellery, instead of taking them back and getting a refund or selling them on, he put them into a donations bin for a charity store.
** In
** The
* [[Non Sequitur Thud]]: Jane, after getting whacked in the head with a baseball. [[Played for Drama]] in that his comment just before losing consciousness references a flashback to his own troubled childhood.
** On the flip side, just after gaining it, he insists he's fine, brushing off the [[How Many Fingers?]] question with 'six'.
* [[Noodle Implements]]:
* [[Noodle Incident]]: In the
{{quote|'''Jane:''' (after getting slapped by an old friend he hasn't seen in years) AHH. What was that for?
'''Sam:''' Detroit.
'''Jane:''' Oh, yeah. Fair enough.
** Also, pretty much the main focus of the episode
* [[Not Me This Time]]: In one episode, a serial abductor/killer known as the balloon killer was suspected of kidnapping a child. However, after shooting him, he implies (and Jane confirms via phone and a note) that he's innocent.
* [[Not So Different]]: Jane and Red John, according to one of Red John's flunkies.
{{quote|'''{{spoiler|Rebecca:}}''' You're very much like him, you know, the way you look at people and see right through them. That is just spooky.}}
* [[Not So Stoic]]: Cho [[It's Personal|wasn't]] [[Berserk Button|as collected]] [[Roaring Rampage of Revenge|as usual]] in "Blood In, Blood Out
* [[Obfuscating Disability]]:
** Also
* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]:
** Jane uses this when it suits him, as well; it helps him get away with more.
** {{spoiler|Annabelle Draber}} in "Blood Money" (
* [[Overshadowed by Awesome]]: ''Everyone'' to Jane.
{{quote|'''Jane:''' Doctors always want to believe they're the smartest person in the room - while of course that's me.}}
* [[Painting the Fourth Wall]]: In the first-season episode "Redwood
* [[The Password Is Always Swordfish]]: In the episode "Ladies in Red" (
** Later
* [[Phony Psychic]]: Played with. Jane used to be one, until "Red John" paid a visit to his family. Now he decries all "psychics" as phonies. That doesn't stop people from asking if he has [[Psychic Powers]]. Especially Van Pelt.
* [[Photographic Memory]]: Jane shows this skill while pointing out clues. In "Red Handed", he explains to Van Pelt that information can be placed in different location in his "memory palace
* [[Psycho Lesbian]]: In "Rhapsody With Red",
* [[Put on a Bus]]: Whatever happened to Kristina Frye?
* [["The Reason You Suck" Speech]]: [[Da Chief|Virgil Minelli]] delivers a [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] of one to the standard "How are you feeling" reporter question:
{{quote|'''Minelli:''' You know, for ''8 years'', I've put up with the idiotic questions of the media, and I've never said squat. But today, I must tell you Meredith, you've really set a new standard in ''horse's-assery''. You people have no...''concept''...of what we do. We go into dark, horrible places, alone and afraid. And we do it with no money, broken down vehicles, with computers that have more viruses than a $10 whore. How? Good people. And I lost 3 good people today, and a fourth is in critical condition. And you ask me how I'm ''feeling''? I'm feeling ''sad'', you ''moron''. Any other questions? (''silence'') Okay then, good day to you. Lisbon, carry on
* [[Red Herring]]: In the episode "Bleeding Heart
** {{spoiler|About midway through the third season, in the episode where Hightower is framed and Jane helps her escape, Director Bertram quotes a William Blake poem. Savvy viewers will recognize this as a hallmark of Red John and his followers. Fast-forward to the season finale, and it turns out that Bertram isn't Red John's inside man after all
* [[Red Wire Blue Wire]]: Lisbon is in a house with a bomb. Jane (on the phone) helps her find the bomb, but says to just get out of there - he's [[Genre Savvy|not going to play]] [[Red Wire Blue Wire]] with her. She only has seconds so she simply pulls out ''all'' the wires, which works.
* [[Refuge in Audacity]]: Pretty much Jane's MO. He does things the cops couldn't possibly get away with, and he avoids punishment (other than the tongue-lashings) simply by being too unpredictable to catch ahead of time.
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* [[Revenge]]: Jane's whole purpose for working with the CBI. {{spoiler|Sam Bosco}} asks Jane to avenge him before dying:
{{quote|'''{{spoiler|Sam Bosco:}}''' Do me a favor. When you catch him, don't arrest him. Kill the son of a bitch.
'''Jane:''' That's the plan.
** Revenge has been a recurring theme in the series. Besides Jane's hunt for Red John, there have been several vengeance killings investigated by the CBI. How the person feels about it afterwards varies - at least one person says it was worth it; another says it doesn't help because her daughter is still dead - but Jane always asks.
* [[Riddle for the Ages]]: This, and a [[Noodle Incident]], was '''''the whole focus''''' for the episode
* [[Room Full of Crazy]]: {{spoiler|The Red John copycat killer}} in the second season finale.
* [[Running Gag]]: Jane ''loves'' to point out that he's not actually a cop, just a consultant.
* [[Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right]]: Any number of times.
** One particularly notable example was "Red John's Friends
** It's also deconstructed when a competent defense attorney uses Jane's usual behavior to get an ironclad case against a serial killer thrown out in court since due process had been violated.
** In "Blood for Blood
* [[Serial Killer]]: "Red John". Unusually, he is able to find, and manipulate, other serial killers. He's technically retired in that most of his last victims are to cover his tracks, or to avenge an insult, whereas he began as someone who targeted women seemingly for kicks; a dramatic change of M.O.
* [[Sharp-Dressed Man]]: Patrick Jane.
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* [[Sherlock Scan]]: Essentially Jane's MO.
* [[Shipper on Deck]]: Cho developed a tendency to bug and encourage Rigsby about Van Pelt whenever the two were alone. Jane has also had a couple of shipper moments.
* [[Ship Tease]]: Here we go. First, there's Rigsby and Van Pelt, who seem to be the [[Official Couple]], and
** Then there's "The Crimson Hat", which just plain ''oozes'' Jisbon shipage. In addition to the little scene at the church where Lisbon [[Slap Slap Kiss|pointedly exclaims how much she hates Jane]] (with her usual amount of "[[Can't Live with Them Can't Live Without Them]]" affection), there's Jane's "Good luck, Teresa. I love you." right before {{spoiler|he fakes shooting her multiple times}}. Of course, when Lisbon asks him what he meant by that, Patrick [[Status Quo Is God|feigns forgetfulness and asks what he said]], because he was a little hyped up at the time and can't remember. Then after she saves him {{spoiler|from Red John's girl and goon}}, they're holding hands. Really, writers? ''Really?'' You just love to yank the shippers' chains, don't you?
* [[Shout-Out]]: Rigsby snatches a girl's microphone out of her hand and takes over, at one point stating
** Jane always has "[[Blackaddera|cunning plan]]".
** Jane, to a bouncer blocking his way: "[[Star Wars|These aren't the droids]] [[Jedi Mind Trick|you're looking for.]]"
** Jane again: "[[And Justice for All|You're out of order! You're out of order! This whole trial's out of order!]]"
** Hightower: "[[Firefly|I was aimin' for his head."]]
** Jane sings the sea shanty from ''[[Jaws]]'' at the start of "Ladies in Red
** Jane saying "You should have seen me ten years ago" might be a [[Shout-Out]] to Simon Baker's 2001 CBS drama series, ''[[The Guardian]]''.
* [[Shut UP, Hannibal]]: Watching Patrick Jane in action has made his colleagues less awed by others doing a [[Sherlock Scan]].
{{quote|'''Dr. Daniel:''' You're ambitious, more than you let anyone see. A girl from nowheresville, desperate to make it big, but you're worried that you'll always be smalltown, smalltime, you haven't got what it takes, and that's why you're so shut down to everything but this job.
'''Van Pelt:''' Dr. Daniel, no offense, but I've been working with Patrick Jane for nine months now. You wanna get under my skin, you're gonna have to up your game.
* [[Silent Conversation]]: {{spoiler|The last words Bosco has to Jane are seen but not heard by Lisbon and the audience
* [[Slap Slap Kiss]]: Happens, of all people, to
* [[Sleepyhead]]: Patrick Jane loves to nap.
* [[Smart People Play Chess]]: Patrick Jane is clear example of this trope, as episode "18-5-4" demonstrates.
** To show off Patrick's amazing memory skills, they play without a board, instead just telling each other what moves they make.
* [[The Sociopath]]: It's a crime show so this is to be expected but of particular interest is during one episode they have friendly chat about the titular character meeting the criteria for antisocial personality disorder.
** That said, only about 3 of the 7 or 20-odd points (depending on which checklist they used) of the criteria are mentioned, and he is incorrectly scored on the "Glibness / Superficial Charm" bit- he ''might'' fit that, but its the "superficial" part
* [[The Sponsor]]: In the episode "Jolly Red Elf", the bizarre death of a Santa-suit clad alcoholic lead Jane to seek out his AA sponsor, who was later revealed to have been in love with the victim.
* [[Stepping Out for a Quick Cup of Coffee]]: Minelli pulls this one in "Red John's Friends" (see [[Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right]] above).
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** To be fair to Cho, in the first seven episodes or so he actually smiled. [[Flanderization|For some reason]] his ability to emote has been severely reduced over the seasons.
** He's finally called out for that in "Pink Tops". A witness isn't intimidated by Cho's attitude and demands some courtesy if she is to talk with him. At the end of the episode, when Cho finally defrosts on her, she is willing to become an informant.
* [[Stylistic Suck]]: In "Red Sky in the Morning", Patrick points out that
* [[Swiper No Swiping]]: One of Patrick Jane's stock-in-trade tools. It doesn't really work on its own, but is useful when applied properly in combination with some of his other tactics.
* [[Temporary Blindness]]: Jane in
* [[That One Case]]: Red John again.
* [[There Are No Therapists]]: Averted, just barely. Patrick Jane did need to be institutionalized after his wife and daughter were murdered, and it took him months to become functional again, but it seems to be largely without followup, even when his methods go to the illegal. After Jane {{spoiler|shoots Tanner, who had a gun
{{quote|'''Lisbon:''' You signed off on him after one session.
'''Dr. Carmen:''' He has good mental health.
'''Lisbon:''' Now I want to see your license to practice.
'''Dr. Carmen:''' Ha ha.
** This is possibly because Dr. Carmen needed to focus on Lisbon because he {{spoiler|planned to frame her for murder}}. This, understandably, does not make Lisbon any warmer toward therapy.
** Van Pelt is is seen in therapy after she
* [[There Is No Kill Like Overkill]]:
* [[There Should Be a Law]]: Lisbon and Van Pelt take certain not-quite-crimes - like being creepy - ''very'' seriously.
* [[To Absent Friends]]: The team gathers at CBI for rounds of tequila after {{spoiler|Sam Bosco}}'s death.
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* [[Trailers Always Lie]]:
** Trailer for second season finale promises that Jane will meet Red John. We see Red John's feet.
** Trailer for third season finale promises the same thing. Season
* [[Turn in Your Badge]]: Rigsby was forced to do this, but it was taken back once they realized he was hypnotized. So did Lisbon when she failed her polygraph test.
** The whole team went unregulated for an episode for breaking protocol. Minelli looked the other way because it was a Red John case.
* [[Two Shots From Behind the Bar]]: In one episode, Rigsby's father (an ex-con) is "helping" on a case, and goes into a [[Bad Guy Bar]]. Moments later, several people run out. Rigsby enters and finds his father with a shiv pointed at some guy's throat and the bartender with a shotgun pointed at Rigsby Sr.
* [[Ubermensch]]: Jane. He recognizes no restrictions in his quest for Red John. He considers this more important than (common) morality. The following lays his philosophy out (Jane has been arrested by [[Obstructive Bureaucrat|Bosco]], and Lisbon has come to see him):
{{quote|'''Lisbon:''' Look, I hope we can get you out of this mess. But it's also true that I do hope that you learn a lesson from this. There are real boundaries in life. These are real prison walls.
'''Jane:''' Only in your mind, Lisbon. Only in your mind.
* [[Ultimate Job Security]]: Jane has this. In fact, he's so valuable to the CBI that if his antics ever go too far, it's ''Lisbon'' whose job will be in trouble.
* [[Uncomfortable Elevator Moment]]: Rigsby and Van Pelt had one in the pilot after Jane teased them for the [[Everyone Can See It|very obvious]] [[Unresolved Sexual Tension]] between them.
* [[Undercover As Lovers]]: Jane and both the women on the team. In
* [[Unreliable Voiceover]]: Used to chilling effect in "Red Alert". The murderer confesses, but says that the victim drove him to it: she led him on, lured him to her house, rejected him, and then threatened to expose him. The flashback we see while he's talking, however, tells a [[Attempted Rape|different story]]. Lisbon is [[Genre Savvy|not fooled]].
* [[Unresolved Sexual Tension]], [[Will They or Won't They?]]: Rigsby/Van Pelt. Oh, god.
** {{spoiler|They do eventually get together, but thanks to the work restrictions break up again
** It's present between Jane and Lisbon too, albeit subtle and overshadowed by the whole Rigsby/Van Pelt thing. He's not above teasing her about it. And although the actors have both said it won't happen, we still get scenes like the one in "Rose-Coloured Glasses", where they ''slow-dance''. Sheesh.
* [[Unwitting Pawn]]: Most of the CBI, but particularly {{spoiler|Jane himself, ironically}}. Lampshaded in {{spoiler|"Red John's Friends"}} by Lisbon. "You think you're playing him and he thinks he's playing you. One of you is wrong."
* [[Villainous Rescue]]: {{spoiler|Red John saves Jane from his copycat killer in the second season finale}}.
* [[Wham! Episode]]:
** Season 2's "His Red Right Hand".
** Season 3's "Strawberries and Cream".
** Season 4's "Blinking Red Light".
* [[What Happened to the Mouse?]]: After the
** {{spoiler|The team just explain the trail of thought that led Jane to believe they were looking for a Red John accomplice; combined with the fact that he was La Roche's short list of suspects, that they can link the assassin at the hotel to the info they gave him (with video evidence), and the fact that he ''killed two cops'', makes the case pretty tight. They don't even have to prove he was an ally of Red John, really; the fact that he was a ruthless murderer and was a viable suspect should be enough, especially since fleeing from justice was just faked by Jane
* [[What the Hell, Hero?]]: Lisbon does this to Jane more than just a few times.
** At the end of "Red Rover, Red Rover", CBI Director Wainright suspends Jane for psychologically torturing a confession out of the Killer of the Week. When Jane mouths off, Wainright fires him.
*** {{spoiler|Which naturally turns out to be the setup for another [[Batman Gambit]] to catch Red John. And RJ sees it coming
* [[Wicked Cultured]]: Red John listens to Bach and quotes William Blake's poetry.
* [[Widower Hero]]: Patrick Jane, straight up.
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* [[The Wonka]]: Jane.
* [[Worthy Opponent]]: Red John considers Jane to be one.
** Jane couldn't give a shit. But he certainly respects La Roche, the [[Who Watches the Watchmen?|Internal Affairs]] officer and his foil, very highly. Not that he likes
* [[Would You Like to Hear How They Died?]]:
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