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The Mentalist - season 1

post #1 of 56
Thread Starter 
The new show, The Mentalist, starring Simon Baker, premieres tonight on CBS at 9 p.m. EDT. Mix a super-observant "mentalist" turned cop with a tragic backstory that drives his participation in law enforcement, and you get a somewhat suave take on having a Mr. Smarty-Pants on the police force solving crimes.
post #2 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

I, for one, will definitely be tuning in tonight!

It looks like a really interesting twist on the classic crime drama-- I love shows that keep me on my toes the whole time, and this sounds like it's going to fit the bill with this whole "super-observancy" twist.

Also, Simon Baker is one of my favorite actors. I think he just oozes charm and charisma, not to mention how incredibly handsome he is. I can't wait to see what he does with this role.
post #3 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

I'm going to give this a try, but,

The whole idea just looks like a cross between "Monk" and "Psych" to me. I had to roll my eyes when he said in the promos "It's a gift...or is it?"
post #4 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

I'm going to give it a looksee -- I really wanted to like Psych because of the similar premise, but that show tries too hard to be funny and the plots are right out of McMillian and Wife. Hopefully, The Mentalist will be more clever and modern.
post #5 of 56
Thread Starter 

re: The Mentalist - season 1

Eye candy on the show: Amanda Righetti and Robin Tunney.
post #6 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

Removed spoiler - just realized it hasn't aired everywhere yet. Will repost tonight.
post #7 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

I'll be watching this, but I really like Psych so I feel like this might just feel like a cheap ripoff. And yes, I know that Psych is very silly at times, but that's the whole point.
post #8 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

I'll be watching tonight, as I love Psych!
post #9 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe_H
I'll be watching this, but I really like Psych so I feel like this might just feel like a cheap ripoff. And yes, I know that Psych is very silly at times, but that's the whole point.

And Psych got there first.

I'll check this out but it really comes dangerously close to flat-out and unapologetically aping Psych's idea.
post #10 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

It was okay, Baker's character came off as somewhat of an arrogant and presumptuous jerk at times but more often than not he was likable enough.

Even though the show is doing something different with the Psych concept it's still too similar for comfort, it's very difficult for me to sit here and not say that the creators just blatantly ripped this concept off from that show, I mean how could they not have?
post #11 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

Well I tried watching this.
I got about twenty mins in, and turned it off.
I was completely bored by it.
I just didn't care about the case or characters.
post #12 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

I'll probably give it one more shot before deleting it. It was decent but pretty obvious to me at the beginning that the husband had done it... pretty obvious to me the doctor had done it for the main case as well. The only thing that surprised me was that his family was killed. That is, until it showed him walking into his house after the TV interview.
post #13 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

I wonder if the first segment was supposed to be obvious. I mean, they could have used music cues and it still would not have been any more obvious than it was.

One of the pitfalls in casting a semi-famous Emmy award winning actor in what is set up as a peripheral role is that it is blatantly obvious that he's the killer. I remember watching Rush Hour, and the moment Tom Wilkinson showed up, my friend said, "he's the villain". Anytime a semi-famous actor shows up as a non-person of interest, they're the killer/thief/mastermind. The only show that handles this consistently well is CSI -- they will cast two or three semi-famous actors and use a couple of them as red herrings. Most shows don't have this luxury.

That said, I did like the pacing and the back story, and a thumbs up for all of the cast and dialog. Hopefully, Robin Tunney will do more than just sneer in future episodes. Like, for instance, going under cover as a beach volleyball player.
post #14 of 56
Thread Starter 

re: The Mentalist - season 1

To be fair, when the pilot episode was shot, Zeljko Ivanek wasn't an Emmy winner, or much of a household name or face. But then again, "Monk" has the same problem, it's not really about the "whodunit" but the "howdunit" aspect of the crime.

I really think CBS should have just called this show "Mr. Smarty Pants" or "Smug Bastiche".
post #15 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

Well, fake psychics got there before Psych or The Mentalist, and the whole point of Baker's character is that he isn't still pretending to be a real psychic. He's trying to redeem himself, while Shawn is just looking for a way to make a living while having fun and messing with people's heads. The whole tone, intent and approach of the two shows is so different that I can't really take the "this is a rip-off of Psych" argument seriously.

If The Mentalist has a forerunner it is Sherlock Holmes. Baker solves cases by close observation reasoning, rather than forensics and shoe leather. Like Holmes he is a "consulting detective", not an official member of the police force, and his conclusions seem to come out of nowhere. The "John Edward" look-at-me-I-talk-to-the-dead bit is just an overlay to give the guy a backstory and - probably - to obscure the fact that this is much more an update of Conan Doyle than anything else.

(Actually the current show The Mentalist most resembles is House, which similarly borrows from the Holmes character.)

Regards,

Joe
post #16 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

It's like Psych meets Spiderman.
post #17 of 56

re: The Mentalist - season 1

Good show. I like Somon Baker's character.
post #18 of 56

Re: The Mentalist - season 1

The second episode was a pretty straightforward episode. This time you couldn't guess whodunnit by the casting. At least I didn't recognize any of the guest cast this around.

When they were setting up their trap and we saw the other redhead at the cafe we just knew that the other redhead was going to be next abductee. It was quite tense there when Jane was trying to text that the cook/wife team was there before they caught him.

Regarding the Psych similarities - what annoyed me was the publicity for the show and the reviews I read about it. They seemed to be saying how original the idea was, when we know it isn't.
post #19 of 56

Re: The Mentalist - season 1

Quote:
Originally Posted by NeilO
The second episode was a pretty straightforward episode. This time you couldn't guess whodunnit by the casting. At least I didn't recognize any of the guest cast this around.

When they were setting up their trap and we saw the other redhead at the cafe we just knew that the other redhead was going to be next abductee. It was quite tense there when Jane was trying to text that the cook/wife team was there before they caught him.


Agreed, though I did recognize Xander Berkeley as the sheriff, and at the end when he saw her I thought maybe it was him for a second, though I was pretty sure the whole time that it was the wife. My guess had been it was the wife herself and not the both of them though. The second the van pulled by while the sheriff was talking to the undercover girl cemented that.

Except for the few seconds I was confused by the sheriff, I knew it'd be the other redhead as well.

Its a decent show, so I'll keep it on my series recordings for now, but I'm not entirely convinced yet.
post #20 of 56

Re: The Mentalist - season 1

Wow..A month and nobody has discussed this show. I am really getting into it. And the cast and writing seem to be gelling well. Tonight's episode about the dead casino boss was very good. Loved the scene where Baker's was at the restaurant with the other 2 actors and they say they are not giving back the watches.
post #21 of 56

Re: The Mentalist - season 1

The one thing I don't like about the show is it starts with the premise that psychics, etc. aren't real, and that everything is done based on solid principles, but it often doesn't give even a cursory explanation of those principles. It's one thing I enjoy about watching House, and I'd enjoy it here as well. Even watching Boston Legal, I learned what Tortious Interference is. There's nothing like being educated a bit while being entertained. This show has the potential for that, but I don't really see it happening. In fact, it takes me from one vague thing (Psychics, etc.) and replaces it with another vague thing.
post #22 of 56

Re: The Mentalist - season 1

I thought last night's episode was a fabulous fun ride. Baker nailed it.
post #23 of 56

Re: The Mentalist - season 1

I liked it. And I especially liked that answers were provided as things went along (for the most part).
post #24 of 56

Re: The Mentalist - season 1

Another good episode. I am glad its doing well in the ratings. Usually, shows I like are cancelled after half a season.
post #25 of 56

Re: The Mentalist - season 1

Man this show is awful. I watched 20 minutes and that was enough, there's just nothing redeeming about it. I don't know what's worse Baker's constant grin or his know-it-all psycho analyzing. The supporting players are just as bad. Typical network crap.
post #26 of 56

Re: The Mentalist - season 1

I've been lukewarm on this show at times, but tonight was a great return for the series. I'm sure they won't, if the show gets multiple seasons, but more episodes like tonight's where he's trying to track down Red John to push the overall narrative along faster would only help this show I think.
post #27 of 56

Re: The Mentalist - season 1

Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe_H
I've been lukewarm on this show at times, but tonight was a great return for the series. I'm sure they won't, if the show gets multiple seasons, but more episodes like tonight's where he's trying to track down Red John to push the overall narrative along faster would only help this show I think.
Not sure if this is a spoiler or not, but regarding Red John the creator has said in at least one interview that Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
catching him is not a season finale event, but a series finale event.
post #28 of 56

Re: The Mentalist - season 1

Well from last nights episode we have to assume Red John is in law enforcement.
I wonder if its...
Warning: Spoiler! (Click to show)
The head of the CBI Virgil Minelli(Gregory Itzin)? He would have access to the database. And would know the movements of his agents. Just a guess.
post #29 of 56

Re: The Mentalist - season 1

Quote:
Well from last nights episode we have to assume Red John is in law enforcement.

Why? The clear implication (at least in the dialogue) was that Red John was hacking into the system from the outside and had been for some time. If he can do that to one CBI system he can certainly compromise others, so any "inside" information he has proves nothing one way or the other about his being in law enforcement himself.

Trivia moment: Both of the brothers in this episode have previously appeared on CSI: Todd Stashwick (Jared) played a poker player in "Revenge is a Dish Best Served Cold", while Gabriel Olds played a sleazy lawyer involved in a DUI hit-and-run in "Anatomy of a Lye".

Actually, both actors have appeared in a lot of crime shows, and Olds has played a lawyer in several non-crime shows. I wonder if the producers of all these shows just watch the competition or if they all use the same casting agents. In addition to doing CSI Olds has appeared on J.A.G., Numbers, Cold Case, L&O: SVU and Criminal Minds, while Stashwick has hit the CSI trifecta as well as showing up in two out of three L&O series (SVU, CI), Monk, Crossing Jordan, Burn Notice, Psych and Life.

And I enjoyed the episode. Generally when I dislike a show (or a movie for that matter) and decide I never want to watch it again, I don't bother posting about it. 1) It isn't really worth my time and 2) I assume any thread devoted to a series or movie is mostly going to attact people who liked at least some aspects of it. A TV show thread is sort of like a clubhouse for fans of that show. I've never seen the point of inviting myself in just to pee on the carpet.

Regards,

Joe
post #30 of 56

Re: The Mentalist - season 1

I enjoyed the past ep, but I was bothered by one thing in the reveal:

Why was the son's mother upset about the relationship with his half-sister (which was understandable) but the girl's mother (the housekeeper) appeared unconcerned about the same relationship? If anyone should know the bloodlines, it would be the housekeeper. Was there supposed to be another reveal that the two were unrelated, and that the dowager's assumption that the girl was her husband's daughter was incorrect? That would mean she killed the girl for no good reason.

Whenever my wife and I see Todd Stashwick, we always say, "hey, it's Dale from The Riches!" I always think he's secretly a conman regardless of his actual role.
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