The Mentalist: Difference between revisions

Leading the team is Agent Teresa Lisbon who, when not blasting him for breaking protocol (or flirting with him), accepts Jane as very useful for closing cases. Rounding out the team are Agents Kimball Cho, Wayne Rigsby and rookie Grace Van Pelt.

 

 

 

{{tropelist}}

* [[Abusive Parent]]: Lisbon's father. Jane's probably qualifies too, at least for emotional abuse.

* [[Alcoholic Parent]]: Also Lisbon's father. She is thus hard on other alcoholic parents she meets.

** Also, since Lisbon (Robin Tunney) is best known for being Sarah in ''The Craft'', the whole episode "Red Rum" had a bit of this.

*** And Lisbon's crazy looked remarkably Tourette's-ish, Tunney's other major role being the lead in ''Niagara, Niagara.''

* [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]]: Jane. Sometimes veering into [[Crazy Awesome]], as his bizarre manner frequently puts people around him off their game.

* [[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.

* [[Celibate Hero]]: Jane has been disinterested in relationships ever since the death of his wife. He is, however, a terrible flirt.

* [[Changed My Mind, Kid]]: Jane does this to the team in the first episode of the second season.

** There are two {{spoiler|guards who are approaching Jane}} at the end of Strawberry and Cream. One of them has camera focused on him, for no more than two seconds. {{spoiler|That guard takes away Red John's accomplice's gun and phone, effectively putting Jane on the murder of an unarmed man}}.

* [[Chekhov's Skill]]: Rigsby background as an arson investigator is first mentioned in "Flame Red." It comes in handy investigating a firefighter's murder in "Red Fugue."

* [[Class Reunion]]: The subject of an entire episode in season two, where the [[Alpha Bitch]] and [[Jerk Jock]] pulled off one of the [[Kids Are Cruel|worst high school pranks ever]]. Jane [[Genre Savvy|singled out the suspect]] by having Rigsby pretend to be the [[Reunion Revenge|victim of that prank]]. The episode also provided a [[Crowning Moment of Funny]]: Jane accidentally talking the all-grown-up nerd into [[Who's Laughing Now?|a brawl]] with the [[Jerk Jock]] and his posse.

** [[Running Gag|Yes, but this was a cathartic brawl.]] Souls were healed...

* [[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 {{spoiler|she forced him to put on his Santa costume and pushed him off the roof of the building, drawing a huge amount of attention to the death - which still might have been passed off as a drunken accident if she hadn't also planted a suicide note, which the police took all of five minutes to confirm wasn't in the victim's handwriting.}}

* [[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,) and he handles guns very, very carefully when he handles them at all. This makes the few times he does use them {{spoiler|in season one, saving Lisbon's life, and in season three, in an attempt to exact his vengeance on Red John}} a bit more shocking.

* [[Death By Origin Story]]: Patrick Jane's wife and their daughter.

* [[Defrosting Ice Queen]]: Lisbon. She's a lot more lenient with her team than she used to be, Jane and his wacky schemes in particular.

** "Red Moon" in Season 3, an extremely well-done {{spoiler|Red John [[Myth Arc]]}} episode.

** "Blinking Red Light" in Season 4, where Jane plays off its coldest [[Batman Gambit]] in the series to prevail over the killer. {{spoiler|It also reopens Red John [[Myth Arc]]}}.

* [[Disorganized Outline Speech]]: A suspect uses one in proclaiming his innocence.

** Jane tends to subtly mock other cops through donuts.

*** Hell, he once gives Bosco's unit a box full of donut as a symbol of truce, claiming that he quits pursuing Red John case. Once he is out of office, Bosco orders his men to throw the donut away. Unknown to the unit, Jane has secretly placed an eavesdropper at that time.

* [[Dramatic Necklace Removal]]: This is the dying act of {{spoiler|O'Laughlin to spite Grace}}.

* [[Driving Question]]: Who is Red John?

* [[Dying Declaration of Love]]: {{spoiler|Bosco}}

* [[Even Evil Has Standards]]: {{spoiler|Red John does NOT tolerate "poor imitations" of his work, and is even kind enough to spare the life of the patsy the main perpetrators of the plot blackmailed into it (with his mother's life no less) with merely a shot to the leg.}}

* [[Five-Man Band]]: with Jane as [[The Hero]], Lisbon as [[The Lancer]], Cho as [[The Smart Guy]], Rigsby as [[The Big Guy]], and Van Pelt as [[The Chick]].

* [[Fixing the Game]]: Jane starts out cheating using his psychic powers, later he just plain cheats.

* [[Foregone Conclusion]]: Jane is brought to trial for murdering Red John in season 4 premiere. {{spoiler|He is found not guilty}}. Surprise.

* [[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.

* [[Genre Savvy]]: In "Strawberries and Cream," Jane makes a presumptuous remark about how the situation will turn out. This is the norm for him throughout the entire series - Jane being extraordinarily Genre Savvy at any time of day - but since this is the third season finale, of course the con of the episode is being played with much higher stakes. Accordingly, the tension of the moment is high and instead of just rolling her eyes like usual, Lisbon points out how arrogant Jane is being. "Pleeeeease don't say that, nothing is foolproof. ...And stop being so confident! It makes me nervous." Those who have seen spoilers for season four {{spoiler|know that Lisbon had the right idea. Within five minutes of the season four premiere, Jane will be in jail for homicide, and there will be no evidence of Red John's cellphone (with the call to O'Laughlin) or his gun. Acting extra confident in the season finale with the villain Red John who has proved time and again he's immensely more clever than Jane was not Jane's brightest move, but Lisbon got it.}}

* [[Good Cop, Bad Cop]]: In "Red Gold," Jane tells Hightower, who is out in the field instead of Lisbon, that she can be "Bad Cop."

* [[Heroic Sociopath]]: The New boss in "Ring Around the Rosie" (who has a degree in criminal psychology) diagnosed Jane as a Clinical Psychopath using an antisocial personality detector test

* [[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.

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* [[Holding the Floor]]: If it wasn't for this trope, Jane would be deader than dead.

* [[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".

* [[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.<br />

'''Sam:''' Detroit.<br />

'''Jane:''' Oh, yeah. Fair enough. }}

* [[Noodle Implements]]: {{spoiler|Red John manages to [[Mind Rape]] Kristina Frye into believing she's a ghost by only using a paintbrush, really bright lights and empty rooms.}}

* [[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.

** Jane uses this when it suits him, as well; it helps him get away with more.

** {{spoiler|Annabelle Draber}} in "Blood Money" (2x19), {{spoiler|the wheelchair-bound elderly mother and the real brains behind the operation of drug smuggler Hank Draber, uses obfuscating senility and [[Obfuscating Disability]]}}

{{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," Jane uses a tossed cell phone to distract a killer. He claims it was an original idea, but Lisbon says that she's seen it tons of times "on TV." Jane's response? "TV's one thing, but where have you seen it in real life?"

* [[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," which he sees as the carnival where he grew up. Jane attempts to teach Rigsby the "memory palace" trick in "Rose Colored Glasses." "Red All Over" has Jane remembering a room well enough to tell Lisbon where to look for a hidden bomb... over the phone.

* [[Real Life Relative]]: Simon Baker's, Tim Kang's and Owain Yeoman's wives have appeared on the show.

* [["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:

'''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.

* [[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.

* [[Sharp-Dressed Man]]: Patrick Jane.

** However, Jane is only ever seen in his hallmark three-piece suit, his curls can get unruly, the suit itself is somewhat rumpled, and his shoes are very worn.

* [[Sherlock Scan]]: Essentially Jane's MO.

* [[She Cleans Up Nicely]]: Lisbon, who is often overshadowed by the gorgeous Van Pelt, has one of these moments at a society fundraiser that she's been ordered to go to because the CBI is broke. Jane, [[UST]]-ee/[[All Love Is Unrequited|unrequited love]]/co-worker seems not to notice, but then he ''is'' [[The Chessmaster|Patrick Jane]], and probably thought he could screw with her in some way by not mentioning it. Made awesomer by the fact that when she gets called away to a crime scene, she just sticks her regular leather jacket over the top and looks eccentric and beautiful.

** Some fans have drawn a connection between this and his [[Bunny Ears Lawyer]] stunt of the week -- an unexpected [[Undercover As Lovers]], which leaves poor Lisbon torn between stunned and furious. [[Action Girl|She goes with furious]].

* [[Ship Tease]]: Here we go. First, there's Rigsby and Van Pelt, who seem to be the [[Official Couple]], and {{spoiler|do get together, with somewhat disastrous results}}. Then there's Lisbon and Bosco, which, while {{spoiler|canon as all hell}}, is almost universally hated by the fans. The crowner is Lisbon and ''Jane'', which has included some fairly un-platonic touching, an anguished declaration of ''caring'', [[Aw, Look -- They Really Do Love Each Other|which was]] [[Tear Jerker|heartbreaking]], at least two [[Undercover As Lovers]] gambits, and one slow dance. Yuh-huh. Slow dance. [[Sarcasm Mode|Of course you're just co-workers. How on earth would anyone think otherwise?]]

* [[Shout-Out]]: Rigsby snatches a girl's microphone out of her hand and takes over, at one point stating 'I'mma let you finish'. Now, where have we seen ''that'' before?

** Jane always has "[[Blackaddera|cunning plan]]".

** 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 thats important, not the "charm" part, and the fact that Jane is willing to use his charm to manipulate others is mitigated by the fact that he is also simply charming by nature.

* [[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.

* [[Stock Phrase]]: Two in one line by Jane. "'Stop the presses!' [[I Always Wanted to Say That]]."

* [[The Stoic]]: Cho. We're not sure if he's actually capable of facial expressions.

** Season 3's "Strawberries and Cream". {{spoiler|Jane meets and kills Red John. Season Four reveals it was only an accomplice, though.}}

** Season 4's "Blinking Red Light". {{spoiler|Red John's BACK!}}

** {{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.