We have watched all the episodes of The Mentalist, right to the end - except that we never did see Season 1 - until one of our local channels in the UK decided to repeat the whole series from the beginning. Naturally, we had to watch these ones, 10 years after they were made, but still a joy to watch! They have reminded me of the reasons why I loved the show - the characterisations, the often dark humour, the clever plots, and the insights into the soul of Patrick Jane.
There is a lot to like in this episode. Simon Baker manages to capture the enigma that is Patrick - his skills at reading people, the childlike joy at simple little things like the taste of rain, and at almost the same time, the pain lurking not far under the surface, the irony of his comments about revenge being that he can give advice to others, but he knows he could not take his own advice when it comes to Red John. We are kept guessing, until nearly the end, the identity of the culprit, and the way we find out and how it is shown, is what has finally prompted me to write a review of this particular episode.
It is the performance of Fred Koehler as Tommy in the interview with Patrick, who has spotted clues as to Tommy's true character. Patrick can spot someone who is wearing a mask, as he is so good at that himself. I actually spotted those clues too, but dismissed them as not necessarily important. It is those few moments, after Tommy realises that he has been discovered, where his face is subtly transformed from that of a simpleton to that of a cynical, knowing killer, that impressed me! So hard to describe, but the eyebrows relax, and you see the light come on. That is one amazing piece of acting - worthy of an award, in my opinion! I have never seen Fred Koehler in anything else, but this makes me want to!
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