The Mentalist tells the story of Patrick Jane, an independent consultant with the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI), who has a remarkable track record for solving serious crimes by using his razor sharp skills of observation. He also makes frequent use of his mentalist abilities to lead witnesses or offenders into offering the actual facts of the case, as known only to them.
Within the Bureau, Patrick Jane is notorious for his blatant lack of protocol and his semi-celebrity past as a psychic medium, whose paranormal abilities he now admits he feigned. Patrick Jane's role in cracking a series of tough high-profile cases is greatly valued by his fellow agents.
However, Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon openly resists having Patrick Jane in her unit and alternates between reluctantly acknowledging Patrick Jane's usefulness and blasting him for his theatrics, narcissism and dangerous lack of boundaries. Lisbon's team includes agents Kimball Cho, Wayne Rigsby and rookie member Grace Van Pelt, who all think Patrick Jane is a loose cannon but admire his charm and knack for clearing cases.
Season 4 picks up directly after last season's cliffhanger. Jane faces murder charges after he kills a man he suspects to be Red John, while the rest of the CBI team help prove his innocence, despite being under suspension. The end of the episode sees Jane's immediate release and his discovery that the man he killed was not his nemisis. The rest of the season deals with the FBI's investigation into Red John after he is tricked into murdering another serial killer for Jane. Van Pelt also deals with the aftermath of her fiance's death, who attempted to kill her on Red John's orders. At the end of the season Jane seemingly sinks into a depressed state and quits the CBI, revealed later to be a part of a ruse to capture Red John, a plan which ultimately backfires.
Characters[]
Character Appearances[]
Main Characters[]
- Simon Baker as Patrick Jane (24/24)
- Robin Tunney as Teresa Lisbon (24/24)
- Tim Kang as Kimball Cho (24/24)
- Owain Yeoman as Wayne Rigsby (24/24)
- Amanda Righetti as Grace Van Pelt (24/24)
Recurring Characters[]
- Michael Rady as CBI Agent Luther Wainwright (9/24) †
- Catherine Dent as FBI Agent Susan Darcy (5/24)
- Samaire Armstrong as Summer Edgecombe (5/24)
- Jillian Bach as DDA Sarah Harrigan (4/24)
- Michael Gaston as CBI Director Gale Bertram (2/24)
- Kate Norby as Sally Carter (2/24) †
- David Norona as ADA Oscar Ardiles (2/24)
- Alicia Witt as Rosalind Harker (2/24)
- Unknown/Simon Baker as Red John (2/24) *
Notable Guest Cast[]
- Ken Lerner as Judge Markland (Scarlet Ribbons)
- Reed Diamond as CBI Agent Ray Haffner (Little Red Book)
- Joshua Bitton as CBI Agent Rick Tork (Little Red Book)
- Pruitt Taylor Vince as CBI Agent J.J. LaRoche (Little Red Book)
- Henry Thomas as Tommy Lisbon (Where in the World is Carmine O'Brien?)
- David Paymer as James Panzer (Blinking Red Light) †
- William Mapother as Richard Haibach (Blinking Red Light)
- Eric Winter as FBI Agent Craig O'Laughlin (Hallucination) (My Bloody Valentine)
- Morena Baccarin as Erica Flynn (War Of The Roses)
- Malcolm McDowell as Bret Stiles (His Thoughts Were Red Thoughts)
- Emmanuelle Chriqui as Lorelei Martins (The Crimson Hat)
* Red Is The New Black - unknown actor as Roy Tagliaferro at Rosalind's house. The Crimson Hat - Simon Baker voicing Red John.
Episodes[]
Image | Title | Writer(s) | Director | Airdate | Viewers | Ep. Number |
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Scarlet Ribbons | Writer(s): Bruno Heller | Director: Charles Beeson | September 22, 2011 | 13.56 | 4.01 | |
Patrick Jane is arrested, and while he is in prison, he desperately tries to prove that the man he killed was Red John.
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Little Red Book | Writer(s): Tom Szentgyorgyi | Director: Eric Laneuville | September 29, 2011 | 12.92 | 4.02 | |
Lisbon is under suspension and the rest of the team has been reassigned. Jane is reinstated as a CBI consultant and has to work with a new team, but he works to get his former team reinstated. Special Guest Cast: Reed Diamond as Ray Haffner & Pruitt Taylor Vince as J.J. LaRoche
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Pretty Red Balloon | Writer(s): Ashley Gable | Director: John F. Showalter | October 6, 2011 | 13.15 | 4.03 | |
Jane and the CBI team are assigned with a kidnapping case, the victim being the son of a former client from Jane's days as a psychic. Meanwhile, Jane encounters his former client's new "spiritual advisor".
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Ring Around the Rosie | Writer(s): Daniel Cerone | Director: Chris Long | October 13, 2011 | 12.39 | 4.04 | |
Jane notices a man carrying a gun at a rally and commits himself to prove that the man is a psychopath, on the brink of murdering someone. Meanwhile, Lisbon investigates the death of a photographer at the same rally.
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Blood and Sand | Writer(s): Eoghan Mahony | Director: John Polson | October 20, 2011 | 12.54 | 4.05 | |
The CBI team investigates the murder of a woman whose corpse washed up on an island off the coast of California. Rigsby worries that his relationship with a public defender will create awkwardness between him and Van Pelt.
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Where in the World is Carmine O'Brien? | Writer(s): David Appelbaum | Director: Bobby Roth | October 27, 2011 | 12.42 | 4.06 | |
When the CBI team travels to a resort town to find out who murdered a police chief, Lisbon crosses paths with her brother Tommy, now a bounty hunter, who's tracking a bail jumper. Special Guest Cast: Henry Thomas as Tommy Lisbon
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Blinking Red Light | Writer(s): Ken Woodruff | Director: Simon Baker | November 3, 2011 | 13.66 | 4.07 | |
When the CBI are called in to assist the San Francisco police in a homicide investigation, Jane and the team quickly find themselves at the forefront of a search for a serial killer. Special Guest Cast: David Paymer as James Panzer
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Pink Tops | Writer(s): Erika Green Swafford | Director: Tom Verica | November 17, 2011 | 12.21 | 4.08 | |
After an undercover cop is found dead outside a nightclub, the CBI must retrace her investigation in order to find the killer. Enlisting the help of a prostitute who has knowledge of the Sacramento underworld, Jane and the team must investigate an elusive drug kingpin who may be behind the crime.
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The Redshirt | Writer(s): Jordan Harper | Director: Eric Laneuville | December 8, 2011 | 13.04 | 4.09 | |
Jane and the CBI investigate when a retired football star quarterback is presumed dead after his car blows up. Meanwhile, while preparing for a court case, Rigsby and Harrigan take their relationship to the next level.
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Fugue In Red | Writer(s): Daniel Cerone | Director: Randall Zisk | December 15, 2011 | 13.16 | 4.10 | |
During the search for a firefighter's killer, Jane is attacked and nearly drowned, resulting in a temporary loss of his memory and a return to his pre-CBI con man persona.
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Always Bet On Red | Writer(s): Ashley Gable | Director: John F. Showalter | December 15, 2011 | 13.65 | 4.11 | |
Jane and the CBI team investigate the murder of a high-end divorce attorney, with many enemies, after he is killed on his speed boat. Meanwhile, Agent Darcy questions Jane about Red John's involvement in Panzer's murder.
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My Bloody Valentine | Writer(s): Bruno Heller | Director: Elodie Keene | January 19, 2012 | 14.22 | 4.12 | |
Jane investigates the death of a mob boss's son. Meanwhile, Van Pelt is haunted by memories of O'Laughlin's shooting. Special Guest Cast: Eric Winter as Craig O'Laughlin
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Red Is The New Black | Writer(s): Eoghan Mahony | Director: Tom Verica | February 2, 2012 | 13.87 | 4.13 | |
Jane and the CBI narrow down the list of suspects after a disgraced clothing designer on the verge of a comeback becomes a fashion victim. Meanwhile, FBI Agent Darcy continues her investigation into finding Red John
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At First Blush | Writer(s): David Appelbaum | Director: Roxann Dawson | February 9, 2012 | 14.68 | 4.14 | |
Patrick believes that a woman on trial for murder is innocent, and convinces Lisbon to open an investigation just as the jury begins its deliberations.
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War Of The Roses | Writer(s): Ken Woodruff | Director: Geary McLeod | February 16, 2012 | 13.55 | 4.15 | |
When a charity worker is killed, Jane has Erica Flynn, a murderer he helped imprison, furloughed in exchange for information she claims to have about the case. Meanwhile, Rigsby and Sarah try to adjust to impending parenthood. Special Guest Cast: Morena Baccarin as Erica Flynn
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His Thoughts Were Red Thoughts | Writer(s): Jordan Harper | Director: Charles Beeson | February 16, 2012 | 13.36 | 4.16 | |
Jane is reunited with his former nemesis, cult leader Brett Stiles, when the head of an anti-cult activist is murdered. Stiles attempts to recruit Grace into his cult, Visualize. Surprisingly, he gets dangerously close to her. Special Guest Cast: Malcolm McDowell as Bret Stiles
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Cheap Burgundy | Writer(s): Bruno Heller | Director: Bruno Heller | March 8, 2012 | 13.84 | 4.17 | |
While CBI tries to get a smug business owner to confess to a murder, FBI agent Darcy asks for Patrick's help with her murder investigation. However, her real motive is to find out more about Patrick's relationship to Red John.
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Ruddy Cheeks | Writer(s): Erika Green Swafford | Director: Eric Laneuville | March 9, 2012 | 11.83 | 4.18 | |
As CBI tries to figure out who murdered a terminally ill cancer patient, who only had weeks to live, Cho's addiction results in a near - tragic mistake in the field.
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Pink Champagne on Ice | Writer(s): Eoghan Mahony | Director: David Von Ancken | March 29, 2012 | 13.62 | 4.19 | |
Patrick discovers that an old magician friend is being forced to rob the casino where he works in order to rescue his kidnapped girlfriend.
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Something's Rotten in Redmund | Writer(s): Rebecca Perry Cutter | Director: Guy Ferland | April 5, 2012 | 12.59 | 4.20 | |
The investigation of a murder of a high school English teacher gives Jane an opportunity to show off his acting skills to a drama class.
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Ruby Slippers | Writer(s): Daniel Cerone | Director: Kevin Hooks | 26, 2012 | 12.03 | 4.21 | |
Jane and the CBI get involved in the world of a Drag Queen Cabaret when a body is found burned to death in the alley behind their theater.
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So Long, and Thanks for All the Red Snapper | Writer(s): Ashley Gable | Director: Chris Long | May 3, 2012 | 12.94 | 4.22 | |
The investigation into the death of a surfer get Lisbon back in touch with an old flame, while Summer makes a fateful decision that could affect her relationship with Cho.
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Red Rover, Red Rover | Writer(s): Tom Szentgyorgyi | Director: John F. Showalter | May 10, 2012 | 12.62 | 4.23 | |
While Jane contemplates whether to give up trying to find Red John, his unorthodox methods of getting confessions out of murder suspects may have finally crossed the line.
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The Crimson Hat | Writer(s): Bruno Heller | Director: Chris Long | May 17, 2012 | 13.09 | 4.24 | |
After another failed attempt to defeat Red John, Patrick Jane hits rock bottom, finds a lover and shoots one of his own. Special Guest Cast: Emmanuelle Chriqui as Lorelei Martins
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