‘The Mentalist’ season 6, episode 17 preview: Patrick Jane and a battle of wits

For most of the series’ run so far, “The Mentalist” has not shied away from variety. We’ve seen Patrick Jane do everything from car chases to undercover missions to deadly shootings, and for at least part of the new episode Sunday (the show’s first installment in two weeks thanks to the Academy of Country Music Awards), most of the story is going to revolve around a heck of an intense interrogation.

In theory, this is the sort of thing that you would think that Patrick would be very good at. He has long been thought of as the smartest guy in the room, and this will be an opportunity to prove it. The problem that makes this interesting is that typically, Jane’s strength comes from being able to tackle issues  that are completely in his control. He is the master of his own universe.

Unfortunately, Jane has pretty much no control in this case. Instead, he has to deal with the fact that there is someone potentially set to die for crimes that they may or may not have committed, and he has to race to figure out if he can clear their name. This is why the title for this hour is “Silver Wings of Time” … and we have a feeling that this will just keep ticking away for a little while longer.

Given that there are five episodes of “The Mentalist” moving forward beyond this one, we don’t necessarily expect something that breaks the mold that much. We just hope for entertainment.

What do you want to see on this “Mentalist” episode, and are you more excited after watching the promo? Share your thoughts below, and to get some more news on what lies ahead, just be sure to click here. You can also sign up to get further updates from our CarterMatt Newsletter.

Photo: CBS