 |
| Why yes Jane, you are a smidge nuts. |
But I still liked it!
I guess the main thing I took away from this season premiere was that nothing was a surprise to me. Which is a let down. The finale had some wonderful "holy shit!" moments, and I got none of those here.
The PROS:
-- The tie-in to the finale. This literally picks up a mere few days after the event and I really like that the entire team has been suspended. Call me crazy, but I like some consequences to their actions for following Don Quixote (Jane) while he pulls his windmills down on his head.
-- Lisbon blissed-out on drugs. Can we have Lisbon get drunk, please? I don't know why but seeing her goofy on painkillers just made me grin like a loon and I need more of that in my life. Goofy-Lisbon, I mean...not painkillers. I'm not Greg House, I swear...
-- Jane and Lisbon: Their fondness for each other. These two make the show and I rather enjoy seeing that their friendship means something to them. Lets face it, there were seasons where we weren't even sure they liked each other, let alone cared. I loved that even Lisbon questioned Jane's sanity as he did, and that she admitted to not trusting him a whole lot. Good girl, Lisbon.
-- The team interaction - I'll never get tired of seeing the team interact in a good way and circle their wagons around each other.
-- The girl in the basement: Okay, admittedly, this was the only part of the episode I didn't see coming. Course I knew Carter had something to do with the girl once they trotted out the fact that he'd inserted himself in her missing persons case - classic serial killer/badguy psychopathy there. But I'll admit to making a sound of surprise when Suszie StayAtHomePsycho waltzed in and started ranting at the chick in the basement room.
-- Jane's summation speech. Shades of "A Time to Kill" there and it was brilliant. Of course we knew he'd get off, didn't we?
It does make us look at Jane in a new light. That for all his talk about killing Red John when he finds him, he actually did it. And then looked scarily okay with it afterward. What it tells me is that he's not any closer to redemption, that Lisbon's influence on him hasn't influenced him at all, and that depresses me. It's season 4, Show, time to move Jane's character along, now.
The CONS:
-- Cho and his door kicking. Okay so they're on suspension, but seriously, like no one is going to know that he did all that with no badge to back up his actions? Warrant? We don't need no stinking warrant! Not that Cho has ever been worried about consequences to his actions, though. Which is why he sucks as leader material.
-- Van Pelt and her self flagellation. Seriously, I couldn't stand all the goo goo eyes and the soap opera BS when Agent Annoying was alive, now that he's dead, I have to watch VP mope. And then we have to watch her run into Rigsby's arms. Please, Show, can we develop Rigsby in some way that doesn't revolved around his undying love for Van Pelt? In case you can't tell, I haven't been impressed with Van Pelt's character in a LONG time.
-- Jane and his gambling in jail - I actually liked his elaborate jail-break in S2 better. But then again, I have accepted the ridiculous things his character can get away with in this show.
-- The lack of surprises. Maybe there were too many hints in the summer hiatus interviews or something but I never believed that was Red John dead on that mall floor. They have built Red John to omniscient status and made him had a ridiculous amount of moles, spies and minions ( seriously the CBI has the worst security anywhere) and I feel like we're never going to get anywhere with that. At some point, we have to have some resolution. Of course, Heller probably thinks that resolution comes at the end of the Show's life, but I think that there is still a story to be told for Jane and Team Lisbon after Red John's demise. At the very least, if Jane's character doesn't find some kind of resolution/redemption and fast, he'll stagnate.
Now it seems like Red John has NEVER been one person, but a network of people indoctrinated to the party line, a cult of followers bent on spreading his "word." Which reminds me, bring back Malcolm McDowell FAST because he is brilliant and I adore him, even if he is a little too perfect for the part of Red John.
The VERDICT: SOLID Episode, but no "wow" factor
I liked the episode, don't get me wrong. But I was underwhelmed. I guess I could blame all the action from the lead in "Person of Interest" pilot for sucking the wow out of me, but really, I think it might have to be blamed on Mentalists predilection for predictability.
Was no one annoyed by Lisbon being so indifferent towards Jane's actions? I wnat to blame it al on the painkillers though but it reminded me of a review you wrote for 3.14 when you said that Lisbon is "caving like a house of cards".
ReplyDeleteWhat I loved and what drew me to the character was that she had her own beliefs and that she stood up for them. Where's the woman who told jane all along that she would stop him? That no matter what you just couldn't kill a man like that? Where's the Little Miss Fierce from previous seasons?
Not sure what the writers are doing here but I found her almost ooc, maybe they want to satisfy some shipper fantasies?
If that means that they sacrifice her character then I am sure out of the show.
Sorry had to rant a little....