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Friday, 1 March 2013

The Mentalist 5.11 "Days of Wine and Roses" Review

Lisbon (Robin Tunney) pays a visit to Judge Davis (Amy Aquino) in the hopes of getting a warrant to proceed with the investigation on Volker (Henry Ian Cusick) particularly his financial records to ascertain the identity of the hitman he used.  She's obtained an independent autopsy on the Vic Amanda Shaw, as her death was ruled a suicide, the pathology report indicates the ligature marks aren't consistent with suicide.  The judge is surprised Bertram paid for an other examination but Lisbon admits she paid for it herself.  The judge thinking this is personal for her.  Which it is considering she promised Amanda she would protect her and keep her safe.  She feels Judge Davis won't be intimated by Volker or the fact he's friends with the governor.  How wrong could she be.  Good to see Lisbon being so emotionally involved, just as long that doesn't lead to her making mistakes.

She then arrives at another CS where Patrick (Simon Baker) is already there, observing the chess players, one in particular, as he drinks from a whiskey bottle.  He remarks on Lisbon's mood, hoping she has found a breakthrough in the Volker case, or love cos she deserves it.  At this point many will say it's kind of odd Patty should have said that considering he hasn't mentioned anything like that before.  Don't think it really means anything about his 'feelings' for her though.  He seemed genuinely sincere and anyway she doesn't reply.

The Vic is a model, Charlie (Michelle LaRue) who Patrick points out shaved her legs and so was meeting someone for a date.  They always get those tell tale indicators which point to a date or romantic evening.  Whilst Lisbon is left to talk to the first responders, Patrick makes a beeline for the cheese players.  He challenges one of them by taking the place of his opponent on the undertaking he'll win his money back for him.  Then asks where the Vic's wallet is since he bought an expensive bottle of whiskey since he's not that good a player.  As Patrick takes him to check mate.

Lisbon and Patrick talk with Charlie's parents, Jeff (Sam Hennings) and Lisa (Kathe E Mazur) who tell them about her Lisa's stolen ruby necklace but Lisa's insists the maid did it and so she had to fire her.  Especially since Charlie liked her and wouldn't want her to be fired of Charlie had stolen the necklace.  Charlie was at a drug rehab facility, which is the duo's next point of call.  Curiously there was no sighting of the maid.

At rehab Dr Reuben (Dennis Boutsikaris) who runs Oasis Ranch Rehab, has a psychiatry degree which Patrick finds amusing, not to mention perfect since the psychiatrist almost always does it.  Re Pilot ep where Dr Linus Wagner (Zeljko Ivanik) was a psychiatrist, aka the Red John copycat killer.  Nice bit of continuity going a long way back.  Though he did appear in the show again in season 3's Ball of Fire.  Reuben also he points out Patrick must have been in a facility himself, which he has.  But Patrick seemed rather standoffish in the sense he was nonchalant with the place since he's had his fair share of psycho analysis.  Maybe it was just a touche moment as Patty looks at Lisbon, ha.

Reuben also mentions they have high profile patients that they have to keep reporters out, also how people who are newly sober tend to act out sexually.  Surely not a reference to Patrick, since he does have a Red John obsession meaning he can't move on and meet someone else.  Mind you, that wasn't the case with Lorelei.  He did sleep with her albeit in the interests of getting info on RJ and then there was Erica.

Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) finds Volker paid a Charles Milk $25,000 and Volker turns up in her office.  He tells her she looks good which was just his way to get under her skin and unnerve her since Lisbon did look relieved to have him gone when she throws him out of her office.  He mentions she's been working out, but that was after he tells her she should have asked him for his financial records as he believes in transparency.  yeah to the point in being so 'free' with the detective investigating him.  Has he been spying on her, should say perving, he's rather creepy.  Lisbon did look a little out of her depth without Patrick there to interject and basically butt in with his observations and wry comments.  However throughout the ep she insists she doesn't need his help and will handle this on her own.

Patrick is complimentary of her good police work, admiring her "pluck."  Yet he's worried Volker may be inside her head, he knows what that's like, having an adversary inside his head.  He wants her to be careful.  Whilst he sneaks off into the rehab facility and continues to nose around, er, investigate.  Lisbon sends in reinforcements in the form of Cho (Tim Kang) well to babysit and it's always Cho.  Like he and Patty have some sort of an understanding.

Patrick meets Johanna Lyle, who was Charlie's counsellor and tells Patrick she's not a doctor and also that she doesn't smoke.  She's also been burning the midnight oil she claims by having to work nights.  Anyway she was my suspect as soon as she opened her mouth!  She introduces them to Charlie's roommate Susie (Mary Lynn Rajskub) and Patrick notices a card from her parents saying they're proud of her.  The roommate asks Patrick if it's 'Jane' as in Austen or 'Jayne' as in Mansfield, obviously cos the two have different spellings.  Patrick replies 'Austen'.  That was a clue for later since it relates to the spelling of his name for 'journalistic purposes' since Van Pelt finds Tweets posted about the facility and celebs/patients there.

Patrick proceeds to gatecrash a rehab class where he wafts around the jasmine perfume which he sprayed onto his hanky from Charlie's bottle.  Obviously smells trigger memories, but in this case it was just another ploy.  There are two men there Armando (Jean Paul San Pedro) and Phoenix (Ken Luckey) and one of them is her boyfriend, so he sets them up saying Armando was sleeping with Charlie.  Then once again steps back in true Patrick form where they're at each other's throats.

Patrick later surmises Lisbon is going to her Thursday night poker game and it's an attempt for her to try another judge for a warrant.  This time she asks Judge Manchester (John Rubinstein) and uses the 'fear' card to get her way.  Obviously Volker or someone got to Judge Davis since she doesn't oblige with the warrant for Milk.  It was apparent the way she refused and even Manchester knew about Davis refusing.  Anyway Lisbon gets her warrant and also a call from Volker telling her in no uncertain terms Milk won't be helpful, which turns out to be true since Van Pelt finds him at a railroad crossing dead along with other two others, apparently a drive by shooting.  That was convenient.  But were the couple just innocent bystanders?

At rehab Patrick speaks with Susie again and asks her for a cup of tea, then thanks her by calling her Margaret, her real name.  That's why she asked him about Austen or Mansfield.  Also no addict would have a stash of camomile or mint tea.  She found Charlie changed after she received her parents card and was writing a letter in Spanish which she threw out.  She only knew the words 'Lo siento' Spanish for "I'm sorry."  Thus Charlie was writing to the maid.  Patrick then sets about stealing belongings from the patients.  He's with Lisbon when she gets the call about the thefts and she doesn't accompany him, but turns up later.  Cho sees Patrick pocket a watch in their rouse to draw out the killer.

This leads to another meeting with Reuben and Johanna and surprised that no one saw how Patrick's behaviour had changed.  As he now acts like he's in need of help for his kleptomania.  Lisbon mentions the ruby necklace is found in his car and lo and behold, my suspect, Johanna heads directly to her secret hiding place and pulls out the necklace! No one even knew she had the necklace so why go and check.  Even of they did find it they wouldn't know for certain who had put it there.  This time Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) gets to talk with her, darn and last time I said it was always Van Pelt who did that.

Johanna's a gambling addict and was in debt.  She needs the money and so killed Charlie for the necklace.  Rigsby is disgusted she let her parents believe their daughter was an addict and she claims she's got a disease.  Rather ironic since she's there to help people in that very same position and yet she can't help herself. Especially after her line to Patrick, "it's not your fault, there's nothing to be ashamed of,"  re his kleptomania.  Well no there isn't considering he's not a kleptomaniac to begin with.  But you Johanna are a whole different ballgame.

Nice moments: Patrick with his fists in response to Reuben with his thumbs up!  Also Lisbon finally asking Patrick for help after thinking she could go it alone.  Hey she deserves some credit here of course she managed quite a bit without Patrick being around.  That meeting with Volker and then the phonecall from him.  She exhausted all legal avenues like a good detective.
As for Patty, made a few boo-boos, okay Johanna didn't smoke but spent time around smoke, thus a reference to casinos and she mentions not having to commute between here and halfway to Reno.  What's in Reno?  Casinos.

Patrick playing chess against himself, priceless.

The title could be a reference to the 1896 poem Vitae Summa Brevis by Ernest Dowson : "They are not long the days of wine and roses.  Out of a misty dream our path emerges for a while and then closes with a dream."  Could mean all kinds of things here, re Lisbon's path emerging with Volker, wonder how long that will last.  Hopefully not long since we don't really want Lisbon getting her head all messed up in the same way as Patrick with Red John.  It could get boring having two elusive adversaries for both our leads.

Also the title is a 1962 Jack Lemmon film about two people who become alcoholics and need to deal with their addiction.







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