Red Sauce is the twentieth episode of season one of The Mentalist. It aired on April 28th 2009 in the US and August 6th 2009 in the UK.
Recap[]
Lisbon blows out her birthday candles and open presents. Jane correctly guesses that Van Pelt got her a yoga mat, then wins $10 on the fact that Rigsby got her a gift certificate for a spa treatment. Again, he guesses that Cho bought her a nice bottle of champagne. Lisbon believes that Jane has forgotten her birthday, but Jane says his gift is on the way.
They get a call.
A man is dead in a pile of sticks, shot in the head. No ID, but Jane thinks he worked in an arcade because he had a token and cheap prize on him. He thinks he came from up river because the river flooded recently and he's on top of the sticks.
Lisbon swears grumpily that she's not grumpy that Jane didn't get her a gift.
They go to an arcade up river. The tokens match. A manager IDs the guy as Ed Diedrikson. He trips all over himself talking to Jane. He says his wife said Ed was away on a family emergency.
They talk to people in the arcade. Rigsby shares that he hates talking to teenagers, it's like talking to mud. Jane shows some whippersnappers how pinball is supposed to be played.
Cho, Van Pelt and Lisbon go to visit Ed's wife Jenny. They paid for the house in cash, no mortgage. It's big.
Rigbsy enjoys a lollipop as Jane plays pinball. The kids stand in awe. And then it turns out that Jane hypnotized one.
The kid says Ed would get them weed or loan them money, but would charge a high vig. He tells about a time Ed broke a kid's finger for flipping him off. He says Ed cussed in something foreign. Jane taps the kid twice on the shoulder and he blinks, looking totally confused.
Jenny watches the team from inside but won't let them in. Lisbon decides they have reason to believe someone's life is in danger. They bust down the door and are greeted with a shotgun-wielding Jenny. She says she has people coming.
Jane calls, telling Lisbon he thinks the Diedriksons were in witness protection. And then more armed men rebust in the door. Lisbon IDs her team. The US Marshals ID themselves. Jenny relaxes.
CBI breaks the news about dead Ed to Jenny, and the Marshals. They knew he was missing but that's all. Ed used to be in the mob when he was Eddie Russo.
The US Marshal thinks they must have contacted someone from their old life. Jane tells the Marshals that Ed was selling drugs as a front for a biker named Tiny.
Van Pelt and Cho talk to Jenny/Gina. Jane picks up that Gina doesn't like it there. No good Italian food. She thinks Ed's old mob boss did it. She says they didn't talk to anyone from their old life, or anyone at all. She thinks somebody paid a marshal to rat them out. Jane promises her they'll catch them.
Lisbon hands out assignments. Van Pelt and Rigsby drop in on a biker garage. When they ask for Tiny he comes at them. They cuff him. He says Ed was a rat. He says a few weeks ago he and Ed got busted with ten pounds of weed and Ed got out right away. He assumed he was a snitch. But he says he didn't kill him.
At the office, Rigsby reports on Tiny's story and says the arrest report shows no trace of Ed.
Van Pelt says the old mob boss Sonny Bataglia retired and the new boss would have no reason to want Ed dead. As luck would have it, Sonny retired to a golf course nearby.
Jane interrupts his game. He says he's not a cop and he's alone. Sonny responds by telling his goon to shoot Jane. The goon draws a gun.
Jane starts talking, saying there are three reason he's not terrified. 1 - You don't get to be Sonny's age shooting people willy nilly on golf courses. 2 - He can significantly improve his golf game. 3 - He knows where to find Eddie Russo.
Sonny starts on golf first.
Lisbon welcomes the two US Marshals to her office. She asks them if they got Eddie off the hook for a drug bust. They say no. Exley says Russo was all out testimony and no use to them anymore. He thinks it was either the local cops or she's just as misinformed as she is disrespectful and dumb.
Lisbon notices Jane is gone. She decides not to send someone after him.
Back on the course, Sonny follows Jane's advice, singing as he swings. He's pleased. Now he's ready to talk about Eddie Russo. Jane sees that Sonny didn't know. He breaks the news. Sonny doesn't know who did it. He says if he finds out, he'd like to send whoever did it some flowers and a thank you note. He gives Jane his number. He says it must have been an angry husband, Ed was a degenerate skirt hound.
Jane reports back to CBI, saying that Sonny didn't do it.
Van Pelt reports that Ed's car was just towed from outside the arcade, which means someone picked him up from work.
Cho and Rigsby talk to the manger to find out who picked Ed up. His wife, a pretty black lady about 5' 10", which perfectly describes Marshal Knox.
Marshal Exley comes storming into CBI, angry they put in an official request to talk to his partner. Lisbon tells him the police department confirmed Knox sprung Ed the night he got arrested. They can't find her.
Police officers inspect a stopped car. Knox is at the wheel. She's barely breathing. They find pill bottles and a note saying "I'm sorry."
They take her to the hospital. Lisbon tells Exley his partner looks like she's going to be OK. Jane suggests Exley talk to Knox. He thinks Knox was having an affair with Ed and Exley was secretly in love with her. He says if Exley knew about their affair he'd be their prime suspect. Jane says Exley's best defense is a total lack of detective skills.
Cho and Lisbon go to the hospital. Jane dials Van Pelt's phone and tells her to ask for Mary. Sonny answers. He does the same thing with Rigsby's phone and asks Rigsby if he has shiny sweats.
Jane preps Van Pelt as they go talk to Jenny. She's supposed to stay until Gina's comfortable and then leave. Jane calls Sonny himself, asking if anyone has left any messages for Mary. Sonny curses him out.
Jane brought groceries. He plans to cook for her.
Later, he stirs the sauce and talks to Gina. Van Pelt gets her call and excuses herself. Jane shares wine with Gina after a good meal. He tells her they think her husband had an affair with Knox. She doesn't buy it, says that he changed. But Jane doesn't buy it. He asks her to confess to killing Eddie.
He tells her he talked to Sonny, and he thinks that she encouraged Eddie to rat in the first place. He tells her she can make him look good with the cops and confess or make him look good with Sonny and die. Jane dials and hangs up, saying Sonny's associate is on his way. Then he dials Sonny to "prove" how mad he is. Jane refers to the woman they spoke of earlier, saying he'll put her on. Sonny, irate about prank calls for Mary, lets loose a string of descriptive and vulgar death threats, which Gina believes are meant for her.
Jane asks her which it'll be, confess or die. Jane looks out the window, saying he's there. Gina sees Rigsby walking up in his sweats and shades, looking like a hired gun.
Jane takes out a tape recorder as she confesses, saying she followed Eddie and shot him then dumped him over the edge. Agent Rigsby arrests her. She knows she's been played.
Exley tells Lisbon and Jane that Knox wanted to apologize personally. He apologizes, too, saying he was out of line. Jane hugs him.
Lisbon tells Jane that toying with mafia bosses is no way to close cases. He thinks Lisbon is still grumpy about the birthday present thing. He sticks a bow on her office door. She opens it. There's a pony inside.
Cast[]
Main Cast[]
- Simon Baker as Patrick Jane
- Robin Tunney as Teresa Lisbon
- Tim Kang as Kimball Cho
- Owain Yeoman as Wayne Rigsby
- Amanda Righetti as Grace Van Pelt
Recurring Cast[]
- James Start as Rohn
Guest Cast[]
- Frankie Ingrassia as Jenny Diedrikson/Gina Russo
- Fredric Lehne as US Marshal Exley
- Tembi Locke as US Marshal Christy Knox
- Dan Lauria as Sonny Bataglia
- Andy Mackenzie as Tiny
- Chris J. Nelson as Putt-Putt
- Tony Lazzara as Ed Diedrikson
- Jack Kehler as Playland Owner
- Jack Betts as Mobster
- Brendon Eggertsen as Midget Thug
- Preston James Hillier as Police Officer
- Leonard Kelly-Young as Forensic Tech
- Tony Longo as Biker
- Nahid Azami as Gambler
- Frederick Keeve as Country Club Member
- Steve Bernard as Coroner's Technician
- Phil Idrissi as Bodyguard
Trivia[]
This episode appears to reference the TV show LOST. The male marshal in this episode is portrayed by Fredric Lehne, who played the marshal Edward Mars in early episodes of LOST. Also, 'Rousseau' is the surname of Danielle Rousseau, a LOST character who shot her boyfriend. There is a parallel between this and the shooting of Ed by his wife, who also had the surname Rousseau.
| Season 1 Episodes |
| Pilot · Red Hair and Silver Tape · Red Tide · Ladies in Red · Redwood · Red Handed · Seeing Red · The Thin Red Line · Flame Red · Red Brick and Ivy · Red John's Friends · Red Rum · Paint It Red · Crimson Casanova · Scarlett Fever · Bloodshot · Carnelian, Inc. · Russet Potatoes · A Dozen Red Roses · Red Sauce · Miss Red · Blood Brothers · Red John's Footsteps |