The Mentalist - Red Listed

Two of Jane's (Simon Baker) Red John suspects, Reede Smith (Drew Powell) and Robert Kirkland (Kevin Corrigan), investigate Jane as a suspect in the torture and killing of a murderer he once buried alive to coerce a confession. One, however, already knows who is responsible. Jane finds the entire situation interesting since the misinformation he left out to be found by whoever was spying on the mentalist pointed to the man as one of seven fake Red John suspects. Not willing to let the other seriously awful people meet the same fate, Lisbon (Robin Tunney) enlists the help of Cho (Harry Groener), Rigsby (Owain Yeoman), and Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) to offer them all CBI protection.

Needing help, Jane calls on the recently deceased (but actually very much alive) Madeleine Hightower (Aunjanue Ellis) who confirms Jane's suspicions that he is being watched, but for Homeland Security and not the FBI as Jane had suspected. After confronting Kirkland about the fake list and his knowledge that Homeland has been spying on him Jane finds himself kidnapped by the agent and taken to the remote location where Kirkland has already tortured and/or killed two of the mentalist's fake suspects.


After Jane's disappearance, Hightower comes out of hiding to help Lisbon hunt down her partner and the man willing to kill the mentalist and six, or more, innocent people to get to the serial killer who he believes is responsible for his brother's death. Kirkland's cover story to feel out Smith about a secret cabal in law enforcement turns out to be true as one of the Red John suspects kills another and whittles Jane's list down to only five names.

I'll admit Kirkland was one of my favorites to be Red John so I'm surprised to see him eliminated so early (relatively speaking). I was happy to see Hightower's return, and her respectful but prickly relationship with Jane is always fun to watch. Next week returns another Red John suspect in Ray Haffner (Reed Diamond) as the search for the serial killer continues.