The Ten Best Episodes of 2014

There is no new episode of The Mentalist tomorrow night.  TM will now be airing on Wednesdays at 8:00 EST on CBS.   The year has ended but I felt like writing something up.  Now this is just my opinion and I welcome you to create your own list of the top ten best episodes of The Mentalist for 2014.  Just leave a comment with your selections.  No one is wrong, no one is right.  I just added pretty pictures.

The Ten Best Episodes of 2014- The Mentalist

10. The Golden Hammer
Jane is working cracking a code which is fun.  We have the hilarity of Lisbon's outfit in the part with the sunglasses and hat.  Then there is Ardillas who thinks he is being tracked which is correct.  The episode ends with a shock- Ardillas dead in a chair.  The last scene crystallizes what always made The Mentalist special- the mixture of the dark and light.

9. Forest Green
Jane and Lisbon's magic act show how far they have come as friends and now something more.  They have chemistry.  Meanwhile Lisbon learns Pike wants her to go with him to Washington.  The case was good too with some twists in it.

8. The Silver Wings of Time
The clock keeps clicking through out this ep as it serves not only the case of an innocent death row inmate but also a metaphor for Jane and Lisbon's relationship.  Jane's con is also great in this as well as Baker's mounting display of sadness as Lisbon moves on with Pike.

7. Nothing But Blue Skies
The season premiere treats the audience to an in-love Jane and Lisbon.  It is wonderful to see a happy Jane for once...and a romantic one as well.  Maybe Red John didn't win after all. The case is excellently written as it parallels former Jane.

6. White as the Driven Snow
Normally characters that are departing a series are not given such a wonderful, heroic send off...with a happy ending.  Jane finally gets the chance to rewrite history by helping Rigsby save his wife's life.  Rigsby really goes all hero and Van Pelt gets to practice her Jane skills (a nice call back).  In the end the couple chose a calm, happy existence for themselves and their family.

5. Orange Blossom Ice Cream
Erika is back but this time she gets her just desserts and it isn't ice cream.  An ep that featured a real heart to heart, two dates, Lisbon arresting Erika Flynn and Jane all wet.  A feast for us all.

4. Violets 
Although pancakes were evident in the episode, it was nice to see what a Jane and Lisbon coupling could look like.   The ladies' dresses were yowsa for sure.  The plot also connected to Jane and Lisbon's growing attraction- the Violets in question where a painting that an artist did because he couldn't have the woman he loved. 

3. The Greybar Hotel
Lisbon goes undercover in prison which allows Tunney to spread her acting wings even more.  The episode allowed Jane to finally save her.  It also gave us great insight into how Lisbon felt about the events of Blue Bird and beyond.

2. The Silver Briefcase
The Simon Baker directed episode is a feast for the eyes.  The script by Jordan Harper is excellent.  Then there are all the tender jisbon moments.  One of the best eps ever of The Mentalist.

1. Blue Bird
Yes, this had to be number 1.  The ep harkened back to so many previous eps and then capped it off with huge great moments.  We had the water in the face, the door confession as Lisbon put up her walls again, SOZ, the truth is confession on the plane and of course the kiss at the end.  A major character moment as Jane, the liar, finally told the truth, allowed himself to feel again and in the end got the girl.  Just beautiful.