This past May, I watched with bated breath to see if Patrick Jane would
ever emerge from his descent into lunacy in the season finale of "The
Mentalist." Of course, however, this was simply another of Jane's
clever ruses to catch his longtime enemy, Red John, the serial killer
who claimed his wife and daughter's lives almost 10 years ago. "The
Mentalist," like its protagonist, is shrewd and clever, a crime drama
that is also a mystery show. Its characters, unlike many other cop
shows, are painstakingly drawn out and full of personality and
complexity. Showrunner Bruno Heller is a master of suspense, and
creates characters that are so believable through a mix of light comedy
and their individual personalities, that you almost think that they are
real people. Watching the relationships of the main characters unfold
and progress is exciting, revealing and many times, shocking. The
mythology of the show is unlike any other cop drama on TV, one that
involves and grips the viewer. In a barren wasteland of mind-numbing
shows, "The Mentalist" is a refreshingly weekly dose of quality
television.