The Mentalist

Mentalist (noun): someone who uses mental acuity, hypnosis and/or suggestion; a master manipulator of thoughts and behaviour.

We have all wondered about one thing, how to read someone’s mind. Haven’t we? We all have tried it. But only very few have somehow managed to master the art of mind reading. Those few who have actually mastered this art, if honest, would agree that there is no such thing as mind reading. Not in the usual way we think they do. The Mentalist as a TV series is a must watch for you if you wish to get some hint about how the real mind reading is done.

The Mentalist is a psychological procedural suspense thriller TV series created by Bruno Heller that has been crafted out of the fine fabrics of general and criminal psychology. The craftmanship behind this fine piece of art has gone beyond the usual standards of excellence in entertainment on many dimensions, viz, cinematography, screenplay, plots, casts, location selection, storytelling, directional creativity and above all, background score by Blake Neely.

The entire series is based on the persona of the protagonist, Patrick Jane, who is a mentalist, the mentalist. Starting from the pilot, up to the eighth episode of the sixth season, the series tries to identity a dreaded dark power called “Red John” who happens to be a serial rapist and killer that never leaves any loose ends. Given the sheer brilliance of Jane in solving murder mysteries using subtle clues to which his mind acts like a magnet, you’ll find that Red John always happens to be a step ahead of him. And this Red John character is so hideous that you are bound to develop an awful appreciation for him no matter how much you detest him. And if you believe in God, then you will be perplexed by the theme of the series which is based on the poem “The Tyger” by William Blake. If God is right and he created the devil just like he created the saint, why is it wrong if the devil eventually wins?

There are seven seasons. Each of the first six seasons have about twenty-two episodes more or less. The seventh one has only thirteen. Each episode is about forty minutes give or take. So, before you start with the pilot episode, do your math. Because, you won’t be able to kill the urge to watch the next one after you watch one. Although every episode begins with a new murder case and ends with its closure, it is an indispensable part of the chain of events leading to the unravelling of the dark. Or should I say the unravelling of the light? After all light owes its existence to darkness, doesn’t it?