Location, Location

Just two weeks ago (boy time does fly though) I was in Los Angeles 3,000 miles away from my town.  I attended a fan gathering, a convention called Mentalist Con.  While there I met up with four Twitter friends who were awesome.  They did a real search for Mentalist filming locations.  They posted some pics which you can check out by seeing their Twitter accounts  (@DualAlly, @everinn, @SteeleSimz and @klcarr892).

I did a bit of scouting locations and looking up Mentalist related LA things.  This was my fourth time in Hollywood and it is my favorite place to visit.  If you have never gone before seriously consider it.  If you are a fan of television (and how can you not be if you are reading this blog) there is always a chance you will see actual filming going on.  I happened upon CSI:NY filming two years ago.  If you like beaches, LA has those.  Not to mention the land is full of great shopping, wonderful dining, museums to explore and quite of lot of OMG- wow sites like the Hollywood sign or Capital Records building.  I was not paid by the Los Angeles tourism committee for that endorsement by the way.

Now on to some actual things for you to see.  This is just a sampling.  If you are a Mentalist fan then you are familiar with this building which acts as CBI Headquarters.

 The building is actually the back of the Pico House which is a historical landmark- it was the first hotel of Los Angeles.  The Pico House is located across the street from Union Station right after the always delightful Olvera Street.


If you venture into Beverly Hills you will find the Paley Center for Television which has an exhibit until 2015 called "Television Out of the Box" presented by Warner Brothers.  The exhibit features costumes etc of hit WB shows like Friends, The West Wing, Fringe and of course The Mentalist.

Want to see where they filmed Jordan Harper's great Red in Tooth and Claw?  Then ride the Expo Metro train to the USC stop.  There you can walk through the Rose Garden (a must if you are a fan of the series Bones).  This building is the Natural History Museum where that last season episode was shot.

The museum on it's own is a must see detailing the history of California, looking at dinosaur bones, seeing gems and meteorites.  Below is where one of the opening scenes of the Mentalist ep was shot.

You must attend the Warner Brothers Tour.  If you're lucky and they aren't filming on set you might be able to see the sound stage for The Mentalist!  It is cool anyways to learn more about the art of television and see such set pieces as this courthouse which has been used in The Mentalist often.

Another great place to see is the LA Zoo.  The zoo is huge but there are so many wonderful animals to gaze upon.  There is an elephant demonstration and also a petting farm for children (or the young at heart).   The zoo was used for the confrontation between Lisbon, Jane and Volker in Little Red Corvette.   The first picture is where Jane and Lisbon ran from.  The second is where Volker found Marvin.

Here is Union Station which has been used in countless shows.  Well every time you see a train station on television it is most likely Union Station.  I actually saw Chuck filming here once. This was used for The Mentalist episodes: Bloodstream, Miss Red and So Long, Goodbye, and Thanks for All the Red Snapper.  It provides easy transportation to places all over LA and actually California.  It is also neat to just look at.

So if you ever get a chance to go to Los Angeles see if you can find out places where your favorite shows filmed (they are most likely hot spots of tourist activity) and make your own scenic location route.  There is nothing like the feeling that you walked onto a set (one where you can actually take a picture) of something you love like a television show.

Patrick Jane, Captain Ahab and Moby Dick

     If my screen name doesn't make you ponder that I am a Herman Melville fan., well, maybe you should go back to sleep.  The first time I read a Melville novel was in the 8th grade- it was a very shorten version of his classic Moby Dick complete with illustrations in color!  The basic storyline was the same but the prose was gone.  So after highly enjoying that mini Moby I decided to read the real, full novel in high school.  I loved it.  It quickly became my favorite book ever and still holds that title to this day.  I even took a Melville appreciation course in college and had to (poor me ;)) read the book once again.  As a side note if you are ever in Massachusetts check out Arrowhead, Melville's former home, and see the white capped hill that inspired that white whale.
     Patrick Jane's journey has been compared to that of the classic novel.  The great, the all powerful creator Bruno Heller has said this on many occasions and in his last interview as well.  Is it completely like the story?  No, there is no tell it like is man named Cho, no mysteries to solve, and no red smile faces.  But the central premise of the story is a story of revenge.  How one man (Captain Ahab) becomes obsessed with killing the whale that took his leg and his narrow-mindedness costs him dearly. It is a story of revenge.  So let's go over some key themes in both The Mentalist and Moby Dick.  Maybe it will at least help you with a future book report. ;)

Feeling Like a Lamb

     Melville had originally intended a very different book.  But after a consultation with fellow writer Nathaniel Hawthrone, Melville was encouraged to take some risks and change dramatically what the book was about. (For non Hawthrone fans- what is wrong with you- NH liked to show how the sins of the past will come back to haunt you and whatever your past is made from will directly effect your future if not dealt with.)  Thus Moby Dick was born.  Melville wrote to Hawthrone "I have written a wicked book, and I feel spotless as a lamb."  I always thought that was such a cool quote.  But as a parallel to The Mentalist - God made the tyger and the lamb, you can't live without dark and light (William Blake, who Red John's follower's must read).  I wonder if Heller feels like Melville. ;)   It is interesting how we think of the lamb as pure, innocent.  The tyger (or tiger) is cunning, deadly.  Tiger- Jane/Red John.  Lamb- Lisbon  Also in Strawberries and Cream Gupta calls himself a baby, a lamb even though he has Lisbon tied to a bomb.  So we are what we perceive ourselves to be.  Thus maybe Jane is more lamb than tiger inside.

The Unbeatable Opponent

     For Captain Ahab he is pitted against a being he doesn't understand.   A white whale made of mythological proportions among the other seamen.   Everyone fears him.  The whale is a symbol.  A symbol of an opponent that logically Ahab knows he shouldn't pursue but he can't stop himself.  Ahab's intelligence is run over by the obsession to beat the unbeatable.   Okay now replace Ahab with Jane.  Jane is fighting someone who seems to have all the power and control.  Red John seems unbeatable. He is a symbol literally with that Red Smile and also spiritually of the power of evil in the world.  Jane is so smart against anyone else but here his obsession for revenge hinders him.

The Importance of Color

      In Moby Dick white is the repeating color.  Not only is it the whale's color but it appears consistently in prose (white waves, white face, cream) and many animals are white in color.  Ahab can't forget what he is pursuing because that symbol of white is forever around him (even his peg leg).  As is the case with Jane and the red color of John's smile face, the red of the blood shed, the red names and red-heads that serve as reminders.

What He/It Looks Like

     In the novel Ishmael says it is hard to describe the whale because of how he can look differently within the water.  It does not keep its shape.  And it is impossible to get too close without being in terrible danger.  Hmm.  Red John is described by Roslind as being under 6 feet tall...but if RJ is like MD maybe it is too hard to get an accurate description.  If someone gets close to RJ (Bosco in pursuit, Lorelei to kill) they wind up not only in danger but dead. 

The Morals of it All

     The classic novel is a study in morals.  Who is right and wrong.  Where you'll end up when you die.  What you owe other people.  TM also is all about morals.  Jane is sometimes fast and loose with his when pursuing a case and Lisbon, the ultimate symbol of Christianity (with her cross, going to church, prayer), is the moral fiber pulling him back from the edge.  BTW symbols of Christianity and thus the white color where important in the novel...in case you are ever asked in class.   Ahab never gains back his moral center.  He lost it and his sanity when the whale took his leg.   What happens to Jane when he is truly faced with the moral choice of killing Red John?  He made that choice once but will things be different this time?  What role will Lisbon play and how will this effect their friendship in the future?

    As the 6th season of The Mentalist approaches I can't wait to see what Heller does with his unique version of revenge.   A critic once wrote that no story after MD has ever compared as an interesting revenge tale.  I wonder if he has ever watched The Mentalist.  While Moby Dick ended with... (I shouldn't spoil you), we will be getting a what happens next here on TM and I can't wait to see that unfold.   Mentalist- A classic television show written as if it were a classic novel.

(On a footnote: The wonderful Ashley Gable written first season episode Flame Red deals directly with Moby Dick the book, the theme of revenge and morals, what the killer can appear like and what Jane plans to do to his elusive white whale.  A must see.)

Guess Who's Guesting on Your Favorite Show

I will first off state that there are spoilers here so never fear spoiler free people you wouldn't learn something that you don't want to.  (For example that I can't stand tube socks- whoops, sorry.)

The Mentalist has a wonderful leading cast.  The writers and producers are top notch.  Bruno Heller is brilliant.  The hard working crew makes every episode a sight to behold.   There is one other component that has led The Mentalist into being something special- the guest stars.  There are so many guest stars that have impacted the scene and have come back several times because they easily were fan favorites.  Tonight I bring you the top ten guest stars in no particular order.  Now this is just my opinion.  Everyone has an opinion.  Yes, I did critical views in college but that does not make me any more of an expert than you.  I just have a blog.  See, you need one.

-Malcolm McDowell (Bret Stiles)
     The man is a master for anyone to behold.  From this highly iconic movie work to his gems on the small screen (Heroes, Franklin and Bash) Mr. McDowell commends every scene he is in.  Watching him go head to head with Simon Baker on The Mentalist has been quite a thrill.  He created a fully functioning character that is still quite mysterious.  Mysterious enough that he could be Red John.

-Michael Gaston (Gale Bertram)
     Another Red John suspect in the hands of a wonderful actor.  Gaston changes Bertram up in every scene.  He goes from nice to condescending to almost scary and then back to lovable.  How does he do this?!  All it takes a simple shift in his eyes or month and he is a new variation of Bertram.  I never know whether to fear the man or fist pump him- which is perfect for a RJ candidate.

-Emmanuelle Chriqui (Lorelei Martins)
     In the hands of a lesser actress Lorelei could have been just ugh to behold.  But Chriqui does the impossible and has you rooting for a Red John Discipline- someone who asked for Lisbon's dead body and wanted to cut off Jane's fingers!  Wisely Chriqui displayed form her first scene a woman with something brewing underneath, an inner good.  Chriqui showed both Lorelei's dark side and her once good nature that she had before she went through hell and was changed.

-Samaire Armstrong (Summer Edgecombe)
     We have all seen hookers with a heart of gold...there was even a blockbuster about one staring Julia Roberts.  Armstrong though makes her Summer a real delight.  She is funny and full of it but with a hardness and a love for danger.  She is not perfect and not completely heart of gold in Armstrong's skilled hands.  This makes Summer more real.  Her chemistry with Tim Kang's Cho was also a highlight- chemistry that erupted with their first scene together.  To quote Lisbon about Summer- "I like her."  Thanks to Armstrong.

-Dove Cameron (Charlotte Jane)
     It is a tall order- you have to be like Simon Baker's Jane but still be your very own character.  You have to make the audience laugh and want to rewatch this ep even while you bring them to tears.  You have to form quickly a bond with your tv father that shows on screen.  A tall order for a Harvard Drama grad in their 60's never mind a young adult but Cameron not only did all of those things listed she mastered them.  She was as good as Baker which is the highest compliment I can give.

-Pruitt Taylor Vince (J.J. LaRoche)
     At first I wanted to dislike LaRoche but even when he was demoting Lisbon and going after Rigsby, Cho and Van Pelt I couldn't help but like him.  Vince is just that good.  In recurring appearances he has showed a tough side to LaRoche and a soft one as well without breaking characterization.  This past year his work in Red and Itchy should have earned him a guest star Emmy nod.  It was brilliant.

-Gregory Itzin  (Virgil Minelli)
     I still miss Minelli.  Itzen has been a fantastic actor in all his endeavors from guest shots on CSI and his work in 24.  He commends a scene making you laugh or wipe away a tear.  If you want to see great acting watch him read a reporter the riot act in His Right Red Hand.  Each and every time I see it, it moves me.  This past year when he turned up in the 100 ep it was as if no time had passed.  Another mark of a great actor.

-Currie Graham (Walter Mashburn)
     Graham has never had a role that he hasn't made memorable but his turn on The Mentalist took the cake.  He made it easy to see why Lisbon would be attracted to Mashy while still showing a hint of danger and his nice, soft side.  He made every scene believable.  Plus the way he reads funny lines- man I still laugh after many rewatches.

-Shauna Bloom (Rebecca Anderson)
     To take what appeared to be a background character and then make that the role of a lifetime with such utter scariness...I have no words.  I was unfamiliar with Bloom's work so it totally caught me by surprise when the reveal came.   Bloom was memorizing in her scene with Baker where Rebecca details how he and Red John are so alike and that Jane is wrong about her likes.  It can make your skin crawl.

-Bradley Whitford (Timothy Carter)
     The season 3 finale of The Mentalist that featured Jane coming face to face with a ...fake Red John is still devastating to this day.   Baker is beyond brilliant as you watch his heart break and Whitford, known as a nice guy Josh from The West Wing made one hell of a RJ.  The words, the facial expressions, the way he says things and how his body moves along with the speaking...just ugh.  Whitford makes it hard to see a better RJ confrontation scene than this one.

Okay those were my top ten guest stars of The Mentalist.  What are yours?

Red John- The Man, The Myth

The Red John sage of course began with the first episode.  We saw the copycat smile face in the Palm Springs home and learned that this serial killer had taken Jane's life away.  The first few episodes eluded back to the killer by Jane discussing his family (or lack there of).   In Flame Red we learned Jane's intentions and Lisbon's desire to not let Jane take RJ's life.  Then came Red John's Friends which pulled back the curtain a bit on the man behind the myth.  Red John was real.  Someone who had "friends", an organization.  He wasn't just some killer in the night anymore.  He manipulated Jane to get Jared Renfrew out of jail so that RJ could kill the man. The real chess match began.  Now it wasn't about just killing, it was about winning against his favorite plaything, the only person at his intelligence level, the only one who could go along the gray areas of life to keep the game up- it was about beating Jane.

So many times I read compliments from people that state in season 3 of The Mentalist Red John went from serial killer to all powerful being.  Honestly by ep eleven of season 1, Red John was already there.  Though I disagree with "all powerful".  As Lorelei said he is just a man.  A man who has resources and is also good at Mentalism.  Bruno Heller did a superb job of weaving this into the tapestry of his narrative.  Red John evolved by the middle of season 1.  He did so because Jane finally got an advantage.  Jane thus first went off the rails once the chase began.  I love how this all makes sense to why there wasn't more development on the RJ case front after Jane joined the CBI.  Although in the pilot Jane was calling RJ his, RJ himself hadn't joined on to that.  It was only after RJF episode that everything intensified.

If you are trying to guess who Red John could be it is interesting to point out that Sheriff McAllister and Partirdge (both members of the possible elite seven team) meet Jane in person in the first two eps and are made to look foolish by Jane.  (Which RJ hates.)  Of course off screen at this time Bret Stiles, Ray Haffner, Bob Kirkland, Reede Smith and Gale Bertram could have all been following Jane's activities.

By the end of season 1 Red John has upped the game.  In Red John's Footsteps RJ has built a basement of horrors for Jane that resembles the one in The Red Barn.  He has an elaborate plan to lure Jane there.  The game that just begun is now going to end and RJ will win.  Then the impossible happens- Jane pulls off his best con ever and convinces RJ that he is the fool lured to his death.  Instead Jane conned RJ and his disciple, saved a life and let Lisbon in on the plan.  Jane actually won a battle with the smile faced maker.

Red John couldn't take that so in the next season RJ brings up the reinforcements (Rebecca), invades CBI- Jane's new family home, spills blood and wants to own Jane again.  Now the real game is afoot.  Red John gets smarter, Jane starts excluding himself from the team (and thus gives up a few battles to the red one).   RJ learned Jane's greatest weakness- his narrowness with obsession and since then has used it against him.

What I love so much about the show is how now as get prepared to enter the sixth season we can look back at the first season and see the deck of cards the amazing Bruno Heller laid out for us.  The clues are all there, the issues all threaded through. The question is are we smart enough to put them all together.  It is quite cool that at the beginning of each episode in that first season a title card was shown describing who a mentalist is and what he does. Someone who uses mental acuity, hypnosis and/or suggestion. A master manipulator of thoughts and behavior.  This describes Jane and it also describes Red John, a horrible man that due to his mentalist abilities became a myth like being.  A myth like being that is facing the end of the war and this time Jane has his own reinforcements- Lisbon and Lorelei.  Lorelei gave him the big clue and now Lisbon, who he is being more honest with, is his partner to bring down (or in) Red John.  This is one epic ending battle I can't wait to see.