Today’s TV series review is for the seven season / 151 episodes / 115 hours total viewing time, drama / crime-police / mystery series: “The Mentalist“. The show stars Simon Baker as Patrick Jane (the Mentalist) and Robin Tunney as Agent Teresa Lisbon (his long suffering boss / side-kick”Watson”). There are three other “main” supporting characters: Kimball Cho (played by Tim Kang), Wayne Rigsby (played by Owain Yeoman) and Grace Van Pelt (played by Amanda Righetti). The series originally aired between 2008 and 2015. I viewed / “streamed” the series over several weeks in 3-to-4 episode chunks. Some spoilers follow, so if you are intending to watch this series, do so before continuing this review… | |
The basic premise is that a “reformed” con-man / fake psychic (Jane) assists law enforcement (the California Bureau of Investigation [CBI]) with solving crimes (mostly murders). Because the CBI is a state law enforcement unit, the crime is generally on California state property or CBI involvement is “requested” by someone with sufficient political influence to warrant the notice of the CA State Attorney General. Sometimes this aspect is a REAL stretch… and then has to be narratively explained away by dialogue. | |
The main character – Jane – has highly developed observational skill, exceptional memory skill and high intelligence which combined with his years as a con-man / magician / fake psychic allow him to “solve” each case in intuitive (sometimes illegal) ways – much to the discomfort of the supporting cast (professional law enforcement officers). Jane becomes involved with CBI after recovering from a nervous breakdown following the brutal murder of his wife and daughter by a serial killer (“Red John”). Red John’s modus operandi is “generally” a rape, disembowelment and then throat slitting of his (mostly female) victims. Red John is a cult leader type criminal, generally following the “Dr. Moriarty” character type from the Sherlock Holmes genre. Lisbon is Watson to Jane’s Sherlock. | |
The series has two over-arching series themes: the developing romantic relationship between Jane and Lisbon and the developing friendship(s) between Jane and the rest of the law enforcement supporting characters. Within this there are also three main seasonal story arcs: seasons one through three are single episode murder mysteries developing the two main arcs. Seasons four, five and half of season six are devoted to both episodic crimes and the hunt for Red John. Red John is revealed (and killed) and then the last half a season six and all of season seven is Jane assisting in various FBI cases. Season seven is an abbreviated season of only twelve episodes. All of the other seasons are twenty-one plus episodes. Most of the series is based in Sacramento. Post-Red John, the series moves from CBI to FBI and is then based from Austin, Texas. | |
So, is this series any good? Has it stood the test of time? How is the acting? Is the show realistic for leadership, psychology or law enforcement? And, finally, is it worth investing 115 hours of your life? In order: yes, mostly, poor to excellent, more often than not, so-so, “I sure hope not”, and yes. | |
More specifically, overall, this is a VERY good series. It is as predictable as any police procedural: crime, investigation, resolution. It is mostly predictable for character development – but at a surprisingly / interesting slow pace and then – bang – your in rapids, and then – back to slow pace. The series ends “happily” from a romantic perspective it is well rapped up – the two main couples wed. So, bottom line, the good-guys win and live happily-ever-after. | |
Test of time / acting / theme portrayals: As a police procedural – I hope not. As a romantic drama, yes. As a “Sherlock Holmes” genre, so-so. In practically every episode, some person’s rights are either ignored or aggressively violated. This is morally acceptable because the team is putting very bad people (mostly men) behind bars (or killing them). No matter how honorable the character starts in their role, they are always corrupted by Jane and the concept of acting for “the greater good”. On the romantic side, a big part of every drama is how long can you maintain the sexual tension between the main characters. Although obvious from the first episode, both main relationship arcs are well developed. As a super-sleuth / Holmes procedure series, the show has problems, but it (the show) still works because of the believability of the actors in their slowly developed / multi-layered character portrayals. The portrayals of most of the bad-guys are mostly flat and one dimensional, but there are notable exceptions. As the series progresses most of the other (non-super-genius) characters say: “This is what Jane would (would not) have us do…” For me personally, I found the various depictions of leadership styles / personalities to be one of the most interesting aspects of the series. The whole gamut of leadership from criminal to sainted is represented and the strengths and weaknesses of the various styles is examined, critiqued and accepted or rejected. | |
Investment: I feel there has been an on-going transformation in home entertainment happening over the course of my lifetime. The progress is roughly equivalent to that of written literature. In writing we have daily comics, short stories and comic books, short-moderate-long books (texts and novels), books series and encyclopedias. In TV, the corresponding genre would be animated / cartoon shorts (multiple stories in a half-hour show), episodic stories (half-hour to hour long shows), movie length (90 minutes to mini-series [sub-30 hours of total viewing time]), and seasonal arcs (episodic, but with 3-5 minutes devoted to long-term character / story development), and then generational shows / series. I consider “generational” series to be any series over 15 years / seasons – so, most day-time soap operas and multi-series franchises (“I Love Lucy“, “The Simpsons“, “StarTrek“, “Law & Order“, “NCIS“, etc). I (personally) do NOT consider game shows to be “generational” series, even though many have gone well beyond 20 seasons, because they are normally not re-watched after the initial viewing. Although, there is now some give on this characteristic, too, as you can “watch” some of the prior episodes (on TV-history channels). The point of the “re-run” (though) is to view the contestants (famous personalities from yesteryear) and not viewing the contests, themselves. At any rate, I would put a seven seasons series in the “War & Peace” – lengthy story grouping, but not in the generational level group. | |
Final recommendation: This is a moderate to strong recommendation for an initial viewing (see caution later), a low to moderate for re-viewing in its entirety and a strong to highly for individual episodes (if you develop a favorite character or mini-story arc during your initial viewing). For me, 100-plus hours is almost certainly too long to spend re-watching the entire series. I purchased my “series-bundle copy” on steep discount ($30 as I recall), at which price this a bargain for entertainment value – even if only viewed once – $.25 per hour or $.20 per episode. One note of caution: there is the occasional swear word used at least once per season and there are repeated scenes of victims injuries (almost one per episode), so this is not appropriate for viewers under 12 years of age. | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Press On |
Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This | |
2020 | AMA |
Still Shiny | |
2019 | Things That Go Bump In The Night |
Hoping I’m Careful | |
2018 | I Must Be Truly Wise |
2017 | My Sensei |
2016 | The Worst Sin |
2015 | Rules Of Thumb |
2014 | A Prayer |
Orange October (IX) – Giants Lose Game 2 In Bullpen Collapse | |
2013 | Complacent Reality |
2012 | Two-minute Sex |
Just Staring, Why? | |
2011 | A World Of Difference |
Posts Tagged ‘Leadership’
A Series Of Observations
Posted in Leadership, Philosophy, Reviews, Series (TV or Streaming) Review, TV Series, tagged Agent Teresa Lisbon, Amanda Righetti, California Bureau Of Investigation, CBI, Dr. Moriarty, Dr. Watson, FBI, Federal Bureau Of Investigation, Grace Van Pelt, I Love Lucy, Kimball Cho, Law & Order, Leadership, Moderate to Strong TV Series Recommendation, Moral Choices, NCIS, Owain Yeoman, Patrick Jane, Philosophy, Red John, Robin Tunney, Sherlock Holmes, Simon Baker, StarTrek, The Greater Good, The Mentalist, The Simpsons, Tim Kang, TV Series Review, War & Peace, Wayne Rigsby on October 22, 2022| Leave a Comment »
…A Decent Human Being Or A Successful President
Posted in Leadership, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged #TrumpTheTraitor, Artist, Hubris, Larry Wall, Leadership, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes on October 12, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Hubris itself will not let you be an artist. | |
— Larry Wall | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Better To Lie, Get Rich And Destroy Your Country |
Love Is All There Is | |
2020 | You Remind Me Of Someone |
When I Grow Up I Want To… | |
2019 | Running History, But I Don’t Expect Many To Match It… |
It’s Probably Easier When You Live Alone | |
2018 | 25 Days Until The November Election |
Old And Young | |
2017 | Universal Soul Sounds |
2016 | Not Rivals |
2015 | Dead Sure |
2014 | Are You Educated? |
2013 | For Myself |
2012 | And When I’m Gone… |
2011 | Complete Conviction |
Three Reasons Why #45 Was Too Much For America To Handle
Posted in Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Afternoon Naps, Character, Leadership, Passion, Philosophy, Quotes, Warren Buffett on July 11, 2022| 3 Comments »
We’ve read management treatises that specify exactly how many people should report to any one executive, but they make little sense to us. When you have able managers of high character running businesses about which they are passionate, you can have a dozen or more reporting to you and still have time for an afternoon nap. Conversely, if you have even one person reporting to you who is deceitful, inept or uninterested, you will find yourself with more than you can handle. | |
— Warren Buffett | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Feeling Humble |
Laughter And Loving | |
2020 | Mostly Dry, With A Chance Of Late Rain |
And The Same Goes For Blogs / Posts | |
2019 | Not Enough |
2018 | One Thing We Do Know |
2017 | Preservation |
2016 | Going Back |
2015 | Just For Today |
2014 | Reaching For Destiny |
2013 | Still Just Passing Through |
2012 | Live Or Die |
2011 | On Secession |
2010 | A Rocky Weekend |
My Conservative View
Posted in Leadership, Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Control, Helping, Ken Blanchard, Leadership, Phil Hodges, Philosophy, Power, Quotes, Vision on June 6, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Leadership is not about power. It’s not about control; it’s about helping people live according to the vision. | |
— Ken Blanchard & Phil Hodges | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | My Conservative View |
2021 | Are We Getting Close To Uncertainty? |
How It Could Be | |
2020 | Two Loves |
A Short Count | |
2019 | Don’t Forget: Fire Burns |
2018 | Especially In The Middle East |
2017 | A Good Local |
2016 | Life Unlimited |
2015 | Still Trying |
2014 | Destiny, n. |
2013 | No Apologies |
2012 | Utterly Convinced |
2011 | A Key To Effectiveness |
Putin’s Objective In Ukraine?
Posted in Quotes, Philosophy, Leadership, tagged Philosophy, Quotes, Leadership, Vladimir Putin, Peter Drucker, Ukraine, Management By Objective on March 23, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Management by objective works – if you know the objectives. Ninety percent of the time you don’t. | |
— Peter Drucker | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Putin’s Objective In Ukraine? |
2021 | It’s 12 O’clock Somewhere |
The Way It Is | |
2020 | And #IncompetentDonald Weakens It |
2019 | Morning Mirror |
2018 | Wondering About #45 |
2017 | A Prayer For London |
2016 | Don’t Default |
2015 | Her Pilgrim Soul |
2014 | Three Observations |
2013 | Robbed Again |
2012 | Good Hearts |
2011 | Interesting Reading |
What Are You Lookin’ At? | |
Do People Know What You Stand For?
Posted in Leadership, Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Ethics, Leadership, Mary H. Waldrip, Philosophy, Quotes, Standing Up on February 5, 2022| Leave a Comment »
It’s important that people should know what you stand for. It’s equally important that they know what you won’t stand for. | |
— Mary H. Waldrip | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Do People Know What You Stand For? |
2021 | The Republican Party Can Survive Trumpism (If It Wants To) |
Don’t You Ever Ask Them Why | |
2020 | Art Work |
One Person (Republican) Can Make A Majority | |
2019 | Hopefully, Closer To Noon |
Can You See The Bottom? | |
2018 | Stock Market Sets Another Record Under #DumbDonald |
#LyingDonald: About That Special Prosecutor Testimony | |
2017 | We Ain’t Seen Nothin’ Yet |
2016 | But You Have To Learn It Feels Good |
2015 | Never Stop |
2014 | Caution |
2013 | Treat Her Like A Lady |
2012 | Build New Worlds |
2011 | I Grok Elegance |
Standing Relish | |
End The Filibuster
Posted in Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged Cloture, Filibuster, Leadership, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, The U.S. Senate on January 21, 2022| Leave a Comment »
If according to times and needs you should be obliged to make fresh rules and change certain things, do it with prudence and good advice. | |
— St. Angela Merici | |
[It would be “nice” if politicians (both side) could just vote on issues. The problem is: if you vote, you can be held accountable by your constituents. If you don’t / never vote, you can’t. The Senate is “supposed” to be a deliberative body. It is supposed to slow the blood-rush from the House. It may even deny what the “people” want because it feels the House is acting from exuberance. This was the initial purpose of the filibuster. Then, when it started to be used to prevent all activity, it was modified to allow the “paper” (i.e., non-talking) filibuster. This effectively killed a bill with no explanation, debate or vote – on cloture or on the actual bill. Perfect non-accountability! Reverting to the “must talk” prior rule, would be a good start, but the bottom line is we must end the filibuster completely. It is not in the Constitution and is merely an agreed convention within the particular chamber (the Senate). At the moment, we allow our political “leaders” to avoid debating the merits of a bill, voting to vote on a bill (cloture), and voting on the actual bill. And then they say (claim): “It wasn’t me! It never came up for a vote!) — kmab] | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | End The Filibuster |
2021 | Be Creative, Question Assumptions |
By No Means | |
2020 | I’ll Eat To That (Gemütlichkeit) |
To The Front | |
2019 | #ContinueToResist |
Except Willful Ignorance And Prideful Stupidity | |
2018 | More Executive Time For #DumbDonald |
2017 | Watched The Inauguration |
Two Geniuses | |
2016 | Come Dance And Laugh With Me |
2015 | Looks Good To Me |
2014 | Desire For The Sea |
2013 | The Fierce Urgency Of NOW |
Happy Inauguration Day! | |
2012 | One Path |
Sorrow And Joy | |
The Seven Year View | |
2011 | Emergent Practicality |
Biden Starts His Second Year
Posted in Leadership, Philosophy, Politics, Quotes, tagged Aristotle, Leadership, On Doing What's Right, Philosophy, Politics, Popularity, President Joseph Biden, Quotes on January 20, 2022| 2 Comments »
The high-minded man must care more for what is right than for what people think. | |
— Aristotle | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Biden Starts His Second Year |
2021 | DIY: Outdoor Gym Modifications (2) |
Inauguration Day 2021 | |
(Hopefully) Good-Bye To The Trump Dark Ages | |
2020 | Posting As A Continual Exercise |
2019 | Border Security – Yes, Border Wall – No |
2018 | Supporting Survival Values |
2017 | Inauguration Day 2017 [Sometimes, I hate it when I’m right! — kmab] |
2016 | Or A Pot Of Gold After The Storm |
2015 | One, Two, Three… |
2014 | Lend Your Hand |
2013 | Amnesty, n. |
2012 | Best Resolv’d |
The Clock Is Running | |
2011 | Magic |
Follow Up
Posted in Leadership, Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Leadership, Peter Drucker, Philosophy, Quotes on December 9, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action. | |
— Peter Drucker | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | Follow Up |
Still Confused | |
2020 | Boxing: Precision Target |
A Funny Red Sheet | |
Why #45 Is So Pitiably Small | |
2019 | Yet We Should Keep Trying |
2018 | Let Us Dare |
2017 | Two Good To Be Real |
Secrets | |
2016 | Learning Subtle Differences |
2015 | Dog Eat Dog World? |
2014 | And Sometimes Blogs About It |
2013 | Outside-In |
2012 | They Are All Perfect |
2011 | Delegation – The “How-To’s” |
2009 | Diet Update and Other Bits & Bobs… |
I Think They Mean It
Posted in Leadership, Politics, Quotes, tagged Imbeciles, Leadership, Mark Twain, Politics, Quotes, Smart People on September 6, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Sometimes I wonder whether the world is being run by smart people who are putting us on or by imbeciles who really mean it. | |
— Mark Twain | |
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On This Day In: | |
2021 | I Think They Mean It |
An Endless Stream | |
2020 | ITF (365) – Update |
Word Up! | |
My Fear: A Second More Tyrannous Term | |
2019 | Reality And Imperfection |
Day 8: One Stone | |
2018 | Pity The Nation (Part 1) |
Day 41: Hiccup Or End Of Days? | |
2017 | Sharp-Edged Beauty |
2016 | Start, Keep, Finish |
2015 | Lifetime Friends |
2014 | Acknowledgement |
2013 | Longevity, Tenacity and Diversity |
2012 | What Reagan Really Cared About |
2011 | Seeming Sane (Or Not) |
Broaden The Circle
Posted in Economics, Environment, Philosophy, Quotes, Science and Learning, tagged Carl Sagan, Economics, Environment, H. G. Wells, Leadership, Philosophy, Power, Quotes, Science, Tribes on June 30, 2021| 3 Comments »
Human history can be viewed as a slowly dawning awareness that we are members of a larger group. Initially our loyalties were to ourselves and our immediate family, next, to bands of wandering hunter-gatherers, then to tribes, small settlements, city-states, nations. We have broadened the circle of those we love. We have now organized what are modestly described as super-powers, which include groups of people from divergent ethnic and cultural backgrounds working in some sense together — surely a humanizing and character building experience. If we are to survive, our loyalties must be broadened further, to include the whole human community, the entire planet Earth. Many of those who run the nations will find this idea unpleasant. They will fear the loss of power. We will hear much about treason and disloyalty. Rich nation-states will have to share their wealth with poor ones. But the choice, as H. G. Wells once said in a different context, is clearly the universe or nothing. | |
— Carl Sagan | |
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On This Day In: | |
2020 | Stay Gentle |
2019 | Immoral #45 |
2018 | From My Soapbox |
2017 | The Single Most Effective Thing For Health |
2016 | A Trumpet Solo |
2015 | Potential Is A Heavy Burden |
2014 | Fear Not, Weep Not |
2013 | Half Way There |
2012 | Sacrificed Any Lately? |
2011 | The Value Of One’s Character |
2010 | Intervals |
On Being Human | |
Non-predictive Emergence | |
Events | |
Bodily Functions | |
Standing Thoughts | |
Sent Home Is Better Than Fixed | |
And Initiative Gets You Started
Posted in Leadership, Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Energy, Enthusiasm, Henry S. Haskins, Initiative, Leadership, Opportunity, Philosophy, Quotes on May 4, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Enthusiasm finds the opportunities, and energy makes the most of them. | |
— Henry S. Haskins | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Relegated To Study Hall |
5 – 40hrs | |
2021 | And Initiative Gets You Started |
Here’s My Story | |
2020 | #IncometentDonald Says The Economy Will Rebound Quickly |
A Family Horror Story | |
2019 | A State With No Business |
2018 | Reflections |
2017 | Opposites Attract |
2016 | Completely Unreasonable |
Starting To Be A Reacher | |
2015 | Avengers Assemble II |
But If I Had To Perish Twice… | |
2014 | Turning Pages |
2013 | We Are All Accountable |
2012 | American Sign Language |
2011 | Happy Disproof |
2010 | Book Review – Managing Your Government Career |
How Many Times
Posted in Leadership, Philosophy, Quotes, tagged Failures, Judge, Leadership, Nelson Mandela, Philosophy, Quotes, Success on March 10, 2021| Leave a Comment »
Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell down and got back up again. | |
— Nelson Mandela | |
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On This Day In: | |
2022 | Putin’s War On Ukraine: Choosing Lies |
2021 | How Many Times |
I’m Breaking My Silence | |
2020 | When Looking Around |
2019 | Except Dying |
2018 | History Will Judge Him Favorably |
2017 | Are You Confused? |
2016 | The Golden Mean |
2015 | To Infinity And Beyond |
2014 | Taken Back |
2013 | Windows Or Doors |
2012 | All Rise |
2011 | Vote Weight |
Memorial Day 2022
Posted in General Comments, History, Leadership, Pictures, tagged Arlington National Cemetery, General Comments, History, Leadership, Memorial Day -- 2022, National Holidays, Pictures, Sacrifice, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, Thoughts And Prayers on May 30, 2022| Leave a Comment »
Arlington National Cemetery
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
enjoying the freedom you sacrificed your lives to provide for us,
a grateful nation
remembers
and prays for you and your families…
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