The Mentalist: Season 4

Season four picks up where the Strawberries & Cream (the final episode of S3) left off. Jane is under arrest for killing the man he believed to be RJ.We aren't told early on in the season whether this man was the real RJ or not, but the man he killed certainly has dark secrets, which are unveiled early in this fourth season. While Jane is on trial for his life, Lisbon and her team are suspended for their role in implicating the director of CBI as the RJ "mole" inside the CBI at the end of S3. After being released from prison (I won't say how that plays out), Jane is assigned a new team, headed by Agent Ray Haffner, an increasingly mysterious character from this point in S4, through the most recent fifth season of the Mentalist.Also, we are introduced to the new boss, Luther Wainwright. He's young and well educated, but his academic approaches naturally clash with Jane's unconventional, yet often effective, approach to solving CBI cases.We are also introduced to Susan Darcy, an FBI agent who takes over the case of the San Joaquin killer (4x07), quickly becomes involved in learning whether or not Jane actually killed RJ. By 4x11, this seems more and more unlikely. The writers also reintroduce Rosalind Harker (from season 1) in two episodes. She plays a key role in clarifying whether or not the man Jane killed was RJ, or whether RJ is still alive (Teaser).Van Pelt goes through a period of recovery after shooting O'Laughlin. Rigsby finds true love with a member of the DA office, and their relationship goes a few steps beyond just dating in season 4. Cho becomes romantically interested in one of the CBI's central informants during the middle of the season. It was good to see his character expanded in this way, without betraying the core of who Cho is on the show. We also meet Tommy Lisbon, Teresa Lisbon's younger brother in one episode, as well as one of her old flames in one of the final episodes in the show.During the two-part finale, Jane is *not* with the CBI, comes into close contact with one of RJ's mistresses, and in the final ten minutes of Season 4, Jane is in RJ's limo. One scene I think the fans really liked was seeing Jane and Lisbon finally hold hands after an intense chase of the limo. I won't disclose anymore!In all, this season does a good job at keeping the RJ arch very much central to the show, while letting it continue to be a crime drama at the same time. I'd recommend this purchase!

I've been watching TV since it was invented and there has been no better TV series - or even a one-off film - than The Mentalist. I have the entire DVD set but ordered one digital episode (Blinking Red Light) because the disk is damaged. I may back up all my DVDs with digital. It's hard to say in a few words all the ways TM is so worth watching repeatedly. There is immense depth of character whose nuances continue to show up with every rerun. The acting by Simon Baker, Robin Tunney and Tim Kang is spot-on perfect and not a stereotype in sight. The ethical values that shine through are admirable, the diversity in casting appears naturally appropriate for the story, as is the diversity of worldviews. The stories are clever, funny, sad, tragic, inspiring, and always creative. Even the staging: Look at Patrick Jane's hideaway in the CBI attic. Astonishingly clever! And the sex and violence are always within reason for the story, never overdone. Almost no skin. Robin's underwear is utilitarian; Simon wears pajamas to bed. What kissing occurs is restrained. It's gentle and lovely, supported by background music that is the same. As for the sex scenes, there are very few but the way Simon Baker handles them makes them a work of art. Just watch his relationship with women, the haunting loneliness he cannot express, the subdued lust in the Erica Flynn episodes so tightly controlled you hardly notice. The one brief moment it surfaced has to be the most sensuous scene ever done, with almost no physical contact. The staging, directing, acting, lighting, dialog all worked together to create a theatrical masterpiece. And above all is the character of Patrick Jane that Baker created. Totally 3 dimensional. It unfolds gradually, revealing a complex childlike character, heartbreakingly lovable, compassionate and nonjudgmental, yet so driven by a need to avenge the murder of his wife and daughter that he never hesitates to commit cold blooded murder. (Watch "Blinking Red Light" where Jane struggles with his conscious and then sets up a killer to sign his own death warrant.) And none of this is the least bit melodramatic.

Seasons I - IV should come complete with a notice from the Surgeon General's Office: "Warning. THE MENTALIST may be addictive to anyone unfamiliar with great television." "Well" (I hear you thinking), "maybe just ONE season." Fool not yourself, Gentle Viewer. Simply bite the bullet and buy all four. Today. Right now. For one thing, they are a joy to watch sans commercials. I'm sure those who've managed to find their way here unaided know enough about the cast and particulars to go on with, and they have probably already figured out that the show is stunningly brilliant. Yes, it is Sherlock Holmes in modern garb with a twist, but it is so much more. THE MENTALIST, in fact, lays almost every icon and cliché of the whole mystery/crime genre on its ear, and, in some cases, goes them one better. Just one "for instance" will suffice (half the fun is searching out the others): there are two variations (so far) on MURDER ON THE ORIENT EXPRESS. In addition, there are elements from many and diverse television dramas of the past, from THE FUGITIVE and PERRY MASON to STAR TREK. Yes, STAR TREK (Kimball Cho as Spock?). Bruno Heller knows - as did Gene Roddenberry - that an audience needs a cast they can care about, which means a group of well developed characters who care about each other. I'm not sure Mr. Heller did all this on purpose, mind you, but the fact is that some of THE MENTALIST episodes - to say nothing of the seasons themselves - have as many layers and contain as many traditions as the HARRY POTTER novels, including Jane Austen's penchant for misdirection, but it is certainly great fun thinking along those lines whether or not. And really, what more can we ask. The series IS great fun. Treat yourself and buy it. Watch it with friends who are unfamiliar and not yet addicted. You will NOT be sorry.

Die dritte Staffel endete mit einem furiosen Finale. Natürlich war ich sehr gespannt, wie es weitergeht. Red John tot, Patrick Jane hinter Gittern? Die Lösung in der ersten Folge war sehr gut und man fand die richtige Schiene, um den Mentalisten weiter beim CBI weiterarbeiten zu lassen.Allerdings denke ich, man hätte noch mehr aus diesen Vorfällen herausholen können. Mir ging das alles viel zu schnell. Lisbon hatte ja sogar noch ihren Verband um, als es zur Gerichtsverhandlung kam, das öffentliche Interesse an diesem Fall kam viel zu wenig rüber und Patrick Jane im Gefängnis hätte alleine noch interessante Geschichten parat gehabt. Es gab dort bestimmt nicht wenige Insassen, die eine Rechnung mit ihm zu begleichen hatten. Auf der anderen Seite hat Patrick Jane einen mutmaßlichen Serienmörder zur Strecke gebracht, das ihm sicherlich Resepkt bei Mithäftlingen einbrachte. Und dann wäre da auch noch die Frage, welchen Einfluß Red John besaß, sowohl in Hinblick auf "Jünger" die im Gefängnis ihre Strafe absitzen, als auch auf die Mitwirkenden in der Gerichtsverhandlung.Man hätte auch Lisbon und dem Team mehr Raum geben können, damit sie Patrick aus seiner mißlichen Lage befreien. Es gab also sicherlich noch eine Menge Möglichkeiten für die Drehbuchautoren, um dann vielleicht erst in Folge drei die tatsächliche Lösung aus der ersten Folge zu präsentieren, die - wie schon geschrieben - sehr gut war.Ansonsten gab es in der vierten Staffel einmal mehr viele super gute Folgen . Meine persönliche Lieblingsfolge ist "Rote Absätze", in dem man hier auch eine klare Botschaft sendet: Gegen Homophobie und für sexuelle Vielfalt. Allein der Lied zum Schluß ... wow. Diese Folge geht richtig unter die Haut.Das Staffelfinale ist wieder überragend, auch wenn man über die eine oder andere Situation nicht zu lange nachdenken sollte (z.B. wie kam Patrick Jane nach dem vermeintlichen Attentat aus dem CBI usw.). Aber über diese kleinen Schwächen kann man hinwegsehen, weil diese Serie im positiven Sinne einfach anders ist, als viele andere Krimiserien.Ich habe mir angewöhnt (um meiin Englisch zu trainieren), die meisten Folgen auch auf Englisch anzusehen. Ich kann das nur empfehlen, denn viele Dialoge sind im Original viel besser (auch wenn wir uns über die Deutsche Synchronisation wirklich nicht ärgern müssen - sie ist sehr gut). Allerdings, wenn man Simon Bakers Originalsstimme hört, dann fällt die deutsche Stimme leider nicht mehr so gut aus.Fünf Sterne für diese wahnsinnig starke Serie. Keine Frage!

Versand und VerpackungWie von Amazon erwartet ein sehr schneller Versand. Das Produkt kam innerhalb von wenigen Tagen an.Die Hülle der DVD's ist eine gute, normale DVD-HülleProAlles was man von einer DVD-Box erwartet. Die einzelnen Disk's sitzen fest und sicher in der Hülle und lassen sich gut aus der Hülle entfernen. Die DVD's werden ohne Probleme vom Abspielgerät erkannt und die Wiedergabe erfolgt ohne Fehler.KontraNichts negativesKaufempfehlung

I watch very little TV but this ten yr old series has become one of my favorites. I'm rationing the episodes because I don't want it to end. Fortunately it went through seven seasons and I've bought them all. It's an ensemble cast, character development gets richer every season, and the writing and direction keeps pace. I've seen both The lead characters in other roles and these were both roles of a lifetime. Can't recommend all seasons highly enough.

My wife and I love this series. If you know the continuum of story from season 1, then the plot gets more riveting as each season unfolds. However, each episode can be watched individual as a microcosm for what the show is all about.From Wikipedia: Mentalism is a performing art in which its practitioners, known as mentalists, appear to demonstrate highly developed mental or intuitive abilities. Performances may appear to include telepathy, clairvoyance, divination, precognition, psychokinesis, mediumship, mind control, memory feats and rapid mathematics. Hypnosis may also be used as a stage tool. Mentalists are sometimes referred to as psychic entertainers.The show is that, but in the context of crime solving drama, so it is much, much more.

Zu der Serie als solches muss man wohl nicht mehr viel sagen – auch in der vierten Staffel gelingt es Patrick Jane dank seines besonderen Talents immer wieder, die verzwicktesten Mordfälle zu lösen und im Finale kommt er endlich auch seinem Erzfeind „Red John“ ein Stücken näher.Von der DVD-Ausgabe war ich allerdings (auch im Vergleich zu den vorherigen Staffeln) etwas enttäuscht. Die Verpackung wirkt nicht besonders hochwertig, dass die DVDs teilweise übereinander gestapelt sind, macht das Herausnehmen schwieriger, und es gibt wenig Bonusmaterial.Diese tolle Serie hätte eine bessere Bearbeitung verdient.