The Mentalist Season 6

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

And then there were seven… CBI criminal consultant and former sham psychic Patrick Jane is closing in on the elusive serial killer Red John – who murdered Jane’s family years before. Armed with a list of seven suspects (confirmed by the diabolical killer himself), Jane and the CBI team will narrow down the list in Season Six, while simultaneously solving the state’s most serious crimes.

I really liked the extended plot Red John provided, with its higher level of plotting, machination, fascination–and the character development it provided for not just Patrick Jane but also Lisbon, Hightower, the FBI woman who had the case, etc. Since Jane found Red John, the series has run the risk of being just another FBI show with a wonderful trickster protagonist. The recent shows have an undercurrent running through them about how Lisbon is able to fall in love, but not with Jane and how he remains lonely. That is the only thing that keeps them beyond routine. I had hoped that we would have more than just a couple episodes of intrigue when Highbaugh (am I getting the name right?) stalked the CBI crew, but I found that unconvincing in some ways–the psychological motivation for him was there, but the skill at haunting them through their cell phones and on the internet seemed beyond his abilities. I keep waiting for the return of the woman in the long black dress who tried to stab Jane while he confronted Red John at last. And the list that he hinted to the FBI existed and could name all the people in the tiger, tiger organization–even if Jane doesn’t know it–should in some way resurface. The show hooked me because it had the long-term Red John plot. Plus its writers did wonderful things, like the episode that ends with psychic Kristina Frye catatonic and convinced she’s dead, so that she can only talk to Jane through herself as a medium. THAT is the kind of writing I want to see more of now.

-Kanost

I love The Mentalist so much. I’ve watched the entire series many times over and it never gets old or boring. I adore Simon Baker as an actor and he brings incredible charisma, charm, and humanity to all of his characters, but especially to Patrick Jane. And let’s face it, the man is beautiful! When he smiles, it’s like he’s glowing and he lights up everything around him like a glorious ray of sunshine. Seriously, I love him beyond all reason and my only complaint about The Mentalist is that the writers could have given him some Captain Kirk moments where he inexplicably loses his shirt because he can. (Helpful tip – before The Mentalist, Simon Baker starred in The Guardian, a legal drama, and you can see inklings of Patrick Jane in Nick Fallin, but more importantly, Nick Fallin likes to swim in a speedo!).

And just so you know, The Mentalist isn’t one of my favorite shows just because of Simon Baker. It is a great show in its own right with a strong cast (tons of familiar faces in guest appearances, too) and excellent storytelling. The overarching “Red John” storyline is compelling, especially when you realize they’ve been dropping clues since the beginning and you start tying those clues together. When you finish the series, go back and re-watch it and you’ll catch more every time.

Malcolm McDowell plays a fantastic recurring character throughout the series as a self-enlightenment guru/cult leader. He’s such a talented actor to be able to traumatize me with A Clockwork Orange and Cat People… and I basically despised him after Star Trek: Generations (because if you’ve seen it, you know what he did and on the off chance you haven’t seen it but plan to, I won’t post a spoiler here, but rest assured that he played a very bad man who did a very bad thing…) and then after all that, to be able to make me love him again as Bret Stiles in The Mentalist (or as Maestro Thomas Pembridge in Mozart in the Jungle).

My favorite recurring character is Walter Mashburn, played by Currie Graham, another excellent actor I had held in contempt for his character on NYPD Blue. The scenes with Walter Mashburn are some of the most delightful moments in The Mentalist as his playboy billionaire social disconnect lands him in awkward, often comical situations when he tries to interact with the members of the CBI team, particularly Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney) who appears unimpressed by his money and flashy cars. Patrick Jane, on the hand, delights in Walter’s extravagance and together, they make quite the dynamic duo.

The Mentalist will make you laugh and cry and hold you in suspense and and delight you and reward you. You will cherish the characters for their genuine humanity and compelling backstories and find yourself effortlessly consumed by the plot. I highly recommend this unique and engaging crime drama to anyone over 13 (I would consider The Mentalist to be PG-13 most of the time, but certain episodes and storylines have intense and/or disturbing elements that are definitely not suitable for kids and might verge on R, depending on your tolerance for such things).

– ShadowCat83

DVD Wholesale Main Features:

Actors: Simon Baker, Robin Tunney, Tim Kang, Owain Yeoman, Amanda Righetti
Producers: Bruno Heller, Chris Long, Tom Szentgyorgyi, Daniel Cerone, Eoghan Mahony
Format: Multiple Formats, Box set, NTSC, Subtitled
Language: English
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Number of discs: 5
Studio: Warner Home Video
DVD Release Date: September 30, 2014
Run Time: 927 minutes