‘The Mentalist’ season 6 premiere review: Lisbon meets Red John, but not how you want

Seriously, this is what we really thought about “The Mentalist” premiere for about the entire first half of it. Why are we wasting so much time watching Simon Baker’s character try and make some eggs at a diner? What unfolded here was actually a pretty interesting story that felt at times like a bottle episode, and some progress was made in the Red John storyline that is going to end at some point this year.

Unfortunately for Jane, there was something that transpired pretty early on here that was most definitely against his wishes: Having others within the CBI learn about his list of suspects. He warned them that this would cause some serious ramifications for them, and as per usual on this show, Jane was right.

While we want to really sit here and spend most of our time talking about the cool way in which Jane solved the mystery-of-the-week while at the diner, how can you ignore that chilling scene at the end of the episode? If Red John has Lisbon, that can only mean one thing: Trouble. But is Lisbon going to die? We wouldn’t start to freak out about that just yet. There is a good deal of benefit that comes in keeping her alive, and Red John did not get this far on being stupid. He’s sharp and calculating, and there is no reason to believe that is going to change now.

But in the end, “The Mentalist” may be on its way to its strongest season in years, or at least for the first half of it. Getting to see this case closed is going to allow us to have a much more serialized show, which we really think is needed after five years of little missions that go nowhere in servicing the larger plot.

Do you want to read more about “The Mentalist”? Then just click here, where you can view a series of videos all about possible suspects.

Photo: CBS