The Mentalist (season 2)

The Mentalist (season 2)
Season 2 U.S. DVD Cover
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	23
Release
Original network	CBS
Original release	September 24, 2009 – May 20, 2010

The second season of The Mentalist premiered on September 24, 2009 and concluded in May 2010. It consists of 23 episodes. CBS moved the show from Tuesdays at 9:00 pm to Thursdays at 10:00 pm. The second season of The Mentalist premiered in the United Kingdom on FIVE on Friday February 19, 2010 at 9:00 pm.^[1]

Cast and characters

Main cast

• Simon Baker as Patrick Jane (23 episodes)
• Robin Tunney as Teresa Lisbon (23 episodes)
• Tim Kang as Kimball Cho (23 episodes)
• Owain Yeoman as Wayne Rigsby (23 episodes)
• Amanda Righetti as Grace Van Pelt (23 episodes)

Recurring cast

• Gregory Itzin as Virgil Minelli (episodes 1–8)
• Terry Kinney as Sam Bosco (episodes 1–8)
• Aunjanue Ellis as Madeleine Hightower (episode 17–23)
• Leslie Hope as Kristina Frye (episodes 22–23)
• JoNell Kennedy as Marcia Wallace (episodes 8–10)

Notable Guest Cast

• Jack Plotnick as Brett Partridge ("Red Sky in the Morning")
• Malcolm McDowell as Bret Stiles ("Red All Over")
• Rebecca Wisocky as Brenda Shettrick ("Bleeding Heart")

Episodes

No. in series	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	Production code	U.S. viewers (millions)
24	1	"Redemption"	Chris Long	Bruno Heller	September 24, 2009	3X5351	15.07[2]
Minelli decides to assign the Red John case to Agent Sam Bosco, believing that Lisbon and Patrick are too close to the case. Patrick therefore decides to solve "one more case", then leave the CBI. They investigate the murder of a woman who is found suffocated after being accused of stealing a million dollars from her employer.
25	2	"The Scarlet Letter"	Charles Beeson	Tom Szentgyorgyi	October 1, 2009	3X5352	15.75[3]
The CBI team are called in to investigate the murder of Kristin Marley, a prominent State Senator's intern & aide, who was rumored to have had an affair with the Senator's husband. Lisbon is late to her psychiatrist for the third time in a row and tries to convince him she's alright. Meanwhile, Patrick, who is keeping an eye on Sam Bosco and his team, attempts to figure out what new information Bosco has discovered on the Red John case, all the while boasting that he can find the murderer in the CBI's current case within 24 hours.
26	3	"Red Badge"	Eric Laneuville	Ashley Gable	October 8, 2009	3X5353	14.70[4]
Lisbon is still attending counselling after five weeks and is upset that the psychiatrist won't sign her off yet. The CBI receives an anonymous tip about a murder, and the team finds the dead body of a criminal from Lisbon's past —- a child molester Lisbon had arrested years ago while partnered with Sam Bosco. Lisbon is quickly named the prime suspect after her fingerprints are found on the murder weapon and she is unable to recall the night of the murder. When a lie detector test is performed, it is shown she has strong feelings of deception. She then becomes severely depressed because she cannot understand why she does not remember what happened that night. Patrick attempts to hypnotize her to help her remember, and soon realizes the reason she cannot recall any details of that night is because she has been drugged. Jane and Lisbon then put on a show in the office that makes Teresa seem crazy, after which the murderer is revealed to be Teresa's psychiatrist, who was paid to do this by a defendant against whom Lisbon was scheduled to testify.
27	4	"Red Menace"	Norberto Barba	Leonard Dick	October 15, 2009	3X5354	15.08[5]
The CBI team investigates the murder of a powerful, successful and under-handed criminal attorney whose only client is one of California's most powerful and notorious motorcycle gangs.
28	5	"Red Scare"	Lesli Linka Glatter	Ken Woodruff	October 29, 2009	3X5355	15.53[6]
The CBI team is called to investigate the death of the wealthy new owner of the old Beckworth Mansion, which is the site where his murdered body was found. The victim and his wife bought the Mansion with the hope of fixing it up, and the sentimental former owner developed a grudge. The local deputy sheriff, and other witnesses, believe that Walter Beckworth's ghost haunts the mansion and killed the new owner, so the investigation is accompanied by a discussion about the existence of ghosts. Jane discovers that the ghost was actually an illusion created by a system Beckworth built into the house to entertain his guests and also points out that the house is full of secret passages that the killer could have used. The CBI team and others, headed by Jane, then try to find a treasure supposedly hidden in the house, and come upon a riddle instead. The killer (the former owner's jealous nephew) is tricked into sneaking undetected into the mansion again in an attempt to locate the treasure, whereupon he is apprehended by the CBI upon arrival. Patrick then reveals that he wrote the riddle himself. Van Pelt and Rigsby become closer during this episode, and finally express their feelings for one another.
29	6	"Black Gold and Red Blood"	Rod Hardy	Bruno Heller	November 5, 2009	3X5356	16.21[7]
During a murder investigation, Bosco arrests Jane after discovering the bug Patrick placed in his office to keep track of the Red John case. Bosco demands Jane's resignation from the CBI in exchange for not pressing charges, only Patrick, deciding that prison will be a great new experience, allows Bosco to charge him with spying on Bosco's team and the Red John case, and happily arrives at the county jail facility. Even from a jail cell, however, Patrick still manages to help Lisbon's team with their ongoing investigation —- while in jail, he uses the telephone to orchestrate a train of events that help the CBI solve the murder of a young man who was killed because of his knowledge that a prospective oil drilling site was the habitat of a protected species. After figuring out who the culprit is, Patrick escapes from jail and tricks her into confessing. Facing the additional charges for escaping, Patrick urges Lisbon to use her leverage —- which he assumes is Bosco's love for her -— to convince him to drop the charges against Jane. Patrick soon discovers that the power imbalance in Lisbon's relationship with Bosco stems from an incident while they were partners in which Lisbon covered for Bosco when he murdered a killer, which she threatens to reveal if Bosco goes any further in his pursuit of Jane. Shaken, Bosco agrees.
30	7	"Red Bulls"	David M. Barrett	Tom Szentgyorgyi	November 12, 2009	3X5358	16.17[8]
When two separate cases overlap (after a lead brings Bosco's team to one of Lisbon's crime scenes, nearly resulting in a shooting), Minelli orders Bosco's and Lisbon's units to team up for the investigation of a case in which the sister of a wealthy woman has been kidnapped, and work together to solve the crime. While the CBI attempts to find the culprits, the two different procedural approaches start to collide and soon cause tensions among the team members —- Bosco struggles with the idea of working with Patrick, believing that Jane is ruining the reputations of those who work with him. While following a suspect, Van Pelt is shot; Rigsby shoots and kills the suspect after she attempts to shoot a member of Bosco's team. With the ransom deadline looming, Patrick realizes that there is an insider involved in the kidnapping, who turns out to be the nanny. The team finds her after she makes a phone call to the captors, then traces that number to a house at which they then arrive in time to retrieve the woman. In response to Jane's help on the kidnapping case, Bosco acknowledges that Patrick offers a valuable perspective and asks for his input on the Red John case.
31	8	"His Red Right Hand"	Chris Long	Ashley Gable	November 19, 2009	3X5359	15.85[9]
Lisbon's team arrives at CBI Headquarters and, upon going inside Bosco's office for an urgent briefing, find it is the scene of a fatal shooting — two members of Bosco's team have been killed, and Bosco himself is also wounded and in critical condition. An investigation begins, and when Patrick recognizes a link between a recent murder the team was investigating and Red John, the team hurriedly arrives at the workplace of the victim, only to find the third member of Bosco's team dead, murdered by Red John. Red John is revealed as being behind the carefully orchestrated series of attacks, which are found to have been triggered by Bosco having come uncomfortably close to identifying the infamous serial killer while investigating the discovery of the body of a Red John victim that had been missing. It turns out that the body had been removed and hidden because of forensic evidence left by Red John himself. However, the team arrives too late to recover the victim's body, as someone impersonating a CBI agent has picked it up, and later destroys all of the evidence relating to the case. It is found that the person who recovered the evidence was Bosco's secretary, Rebecca, who was also the assailant who shot Bosco and his team. Lisbon arrives at Bosco's hospital room to apprehend her just before she finishes him off. Before Bosco dies, he declares his love to Lisbon and wishes Patrick luck in finding Red John. Patrick interrogates Rebecca, demanding why she killed Bosco and his team. Although it seems to have been due to the fact that they were close to finding Red John, Rebecca admits that the real reason Bosco's team was eliminated is because Red John wants Patrick to continue working on the case and ultimately solve it. Later on, Rebecca is poisoned while in custody and dies. Minelli is upset by the week's occurrences and decides to retire, while Rigsby and Van Pelt's relationship becomes more serious.
32	9	"A Price Above Rubies"	Charles Beeson	Eoghan Mahony	December 10, 2009	3X5360	16.37[10]
While attending a black tie fundraiser for the CBI, Carl Ward —- a wealthy jeweler and husband of CBI sponsor Esther Doverton -— is shot and nearly killed at their jewelery store during a robbery. It is revealed that Carl was using an alias and had a criminal record, making him the prime suspect. However, safe cracker Doyle Murphy is seen on a security camera, so Jane and Lisbon search for a link between the two. They discover that one of Esther's nephews was Murphy's sponsor at rehab. By faking the kidnapping of Esther, the CBI team tricks her nephew Tom Doverton into admitting his guilt as he talks on the phone to a person who he believes is the kidnapper. He is taken into custody and Esther's husband recovers in the hospital. Throughout the episode, Rigsby and Van Pelt struggle with the thought of announcing their relationship.
33	10	"Throwing Fire"	Martha Mitchell	John Mankiewicz	December 17, 2009	3X5357	15.77[11]
The CBI team investigate the murder of Barney Sloop; a former professional baseball player, who is found dead in his Zen garden. The victim had been the founder of a baseball academy, which he started as his own baseball talent scouting and training facility for young up-and-coming baseball talents. During the investigation, Patrick is hit on the head with a baseball and knocked unconscious, after which he experiences flashbacks of his past as a stage performer with his father, Alex, and shows signs of his psychic abilities. The CBI team interviews several people close to the victim, including his ex-wife and his business partner Freddie. It is revealed that a player on the team was too old to attend the academy, so his father had been paying Freddie double the normal rate. After Sloop found out, the player's father killed him to prevent Sloop from ruining his son's future.
34	11	"Rose-Colored Glasses"	Dan Lerner	Leonard Dick	January 14, 2010	3X5361	15.38[12]
The CBI team investigate the double homicide of Selby and Jana Vickers; a couple murdered on their way to Selby's 15th high school reunion. The CBI team attends the reunion to gather information. Patrick soon discovers a link to an old high school rivalry -— Selby had pulled a cruel prank on Derek Logan back in high school, and Logan has not been seen in years. Rigsby goes undercover posing as Derek Logan, and everyone at the reunion expresses surprise at his attendance. Two of Logan's former classmates, L.J. and Willa, become very uneasy after Rigsby states that he has come to the reunion to get his revenge. Lisbon and Jane follow Willa out of the room and, after locating her "trophy" picture, discover that Selby pulled the prank under her direction. Willa decided to kill the Vickers after Selby began blackmailing her to jeopardize her upcoming national talk show.
35	12	"Bleeding Heart"	Norberto Barba	Erika Green Swafford	January 21, 2010	3X5362	14.56[13]
Patrick and the CBI team are assigned to investigate the murder of a mayor's aide and media liaison, a case that draws the attention of the media and local eco-terrorists. Mike Brewster; a reporter, is assigned to watch the team's work and take some interviews with the staff. Meanwhile, Rigsby and Van Pelt make a big announcement —- they are lovers.
36	13	"Redline"	Bill D'Elia	Jordan Harper	February 4, 2010	3X5363	14.68[14]
Patrick and the CBI team are asked to investigate when the body of Liselle Dougles; a beautiful, young high-end luxury car saleswoman, is found stuffed in the trunk of a Bentley at an elite car dealership's showroom.
37	14	"Blood In, Blood Out"	John Polson	Ken Woodruff	February 11, 2010	3X5364	15.86[15]
Cho helps the police with an investigation into the murder of David Seung, a member of Cho's former gang, the Avon Park Playboys, who also used to be Kim's best friend when both in the gang during Cho's early days. Patrick insists on helping Cho with his off-the-books investigation, and so tags along.
38	15	"Red Herring"	Eric Laneuville	David Appelbaum	March 4, 2010	3X5365	14.87[16]
Patrick and the CBI team are asked to investigate the murder of Jeffrey Barge, a prominent, but arrogant, chef who was poisoned in the middle of a challenge at a best chef cooking competition in Napa Valley.
39	16	"Code Red"	John F. Showalter	Bruno Heller	March 11, 2010	3X5366	16.02[17]
Dr. Alicia Seberg; a government bioweapons researcher, is exposed to a deadly virus on which she had been working. With only hours to live, she calls upon Patrick and the CBI team to identify and catch her murderer.
40	17	"The Red Box"	Chris Long	John Mankiewicz	April 1, 2010	3X5367	14.11[18]
Patrick and the CBI team investigate the murder of a tutor, and find a mysterious little red box near the body, starting a chain of events that turns the murder into the search for a priceless ring stolen from the British Museum. Meanwhile, Lisbon is worried when a new boss, Madeleine Hightower, takes command of the CBI, and informs Teresa that she has mysteriously learned about Rigsby and Van Pelt's relationship.
41	18	"Aingavite Baa"	Stephen Gyllenhaal	Tom Szentgyorgyi & Erika Green Swafford	April 8, 2010	3X5368	16.32[19]
A "Jane Doe"; covered in blood and suffering from amnesia, steps in front of Cho and Van Pelt's car, and Patrick attempts to discover who she is and what happened, which leads to the team finding three additional bodies in a nearby barn. Patrick takes up the job of helping the victim get her memory back. Through fingerprint identification, the CBI identifies Leonard Railton as one of the victims and follows clues to an Indian Reservation. Markham Willis, a souvenir shop owner, is discovered as the killer, who had shot Railton and Camille Dillon (Jane Doe) after they found out that he was dumping toxic waste into the reservation's water supply. The other two victims were on a hike and were in the wrong place at the wrong time. Meanwhile, Hightower addresses the issue of the romantic relationship between Rigsby and Van Pelt —- she confronts them about their relationship and instructs them to either break up or decide which one is to be transferred. Rigsby offers to leave the team, but Van Pelt decides to break up with him instead, not wanting the burden of being the reason he leaves the position he worked so hard to get and values so much.
42	19	"Blood Money"	Adam Kane	Ashley Gable & Jordan Harper	April 22, 2010	3X5369	14.96[20]
Van Pelt (in a flashforward) orders a hit on Rigsby. Before, the CBI team arrives on the scene of the murder of ADA Kelly Flower. Patrick quickly discovers and identifies her killer. The CBI team learns he is a psychopathic hitman/serial killer-for-hire, but they can find no proof of his double identity. The team sets up an undercover operation where Van Pelt orders the hit and exposes the killer. Later in court, it is discovered that Patrick had broken into the suspect's home in preparation for the sting and the judge subsequently dismisses the charges as "fruit of the poisonous tree". Hightower suspends Lisbon for five days for her lack of control over Patrick, but Teresa tells Patrick that she just needed a break. Back in court, Patrick is put on the stand after allegedly assaulting ADA Odenthal. Through his questioning, he reveals to the court that Odenthal was the killer's employer (who had also killed the killer when the hitman was recaptured) and Odenthal is then taken into custody.
43	20	"Red All Over"	Roxann Dawson	Carolyn Ingber	April 29, 2010	3X5370	14.84[21]
Patrick and the CBI team are called to the murder of Xander Harrington; a media mogul and a wealthy media corporation's CEO. The investigation leads to the Visualize Self-Realization Center —- a cult-like religious group whose leader, Bret Stiles, may have had an axe to grind following the publication of a critical story about his group. Patrick frets when Stiles mentions the death of his wife and daughter.
44	21	"18-5-4"	Charles Beeson	Leonard Dick & Ken Woodruff	May 6, 2010	3X5371	14.85[22]
Patrick and the CBI team investigate the death of Noah Valicat; a mathematical genius who was murdered by a gun-wielding clown that also cut off the victim's index finger. The team speaks to Noah's wife Daphne Valicat (Lucy Davis) and discover that he uses his maths skills as a day trader.
45	22	"Red Letter"	John F. Showalter	Eoghan Mahony	May 13, 2010	3X5372	14.84[23]
When the CBI conduct an investigation into the murder of Hector Brava, the charismatic head of a non-profit organization that fights human trafficking and a top charity organizer, Patrick is reunited with the supposed psychic Kristina Frye.
46	23	"Red Sky in the Morning"	Chris Long	Bruno Heller	May 20, 2010	3X5373	15.22[24]
When the CBI team conduct an investigation into a murder by a Red John copycat who posted a snuff film on the Internet of a student being killed, Patrick convinces Hightower not to let his psychic friend, Kristina Frye, help in the case. However, Frye is put in grave danger when she reaches out to the real Red John and then tries to contact him by appearing on TV. Her actions have dire consequences for both her and Jane, as Red John kidnaps Kristina and then saves Patrick from the copycat.

International reception

In the UK, the second season aired on FIVE, on Fridays at 9pm. The series premiered on February 19, 2010, and concluded on July 23, 2010. The season premiered with 3.10 million viewers. The most watched episode of the season was Red Menace (3.17 million viewers), and the least watched was Aingavite Baa (2.09 million viewers), although the latter was broadcast at the later time of 10pm.^[25]

References

1. French, Dan (January 27, 2010). "Five sets return date for 'The Mentalist'". Digital Spy. Retrieved January 29, 2010.
2. Seidman, Robert (September 29, 2009). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football, House win week with adults 18–49; NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles with total viewers…". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
3. Seidman, Robert (October 6, 2009). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football, Grey's win week with adults 18–49; NCIS leads with total viewers". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved November 8, 2009.
4. Seidman, Robert (October 13, 2009). "TV Ratings: Once again, Sunday Night Football, House, Grey's win week with adults 18–49; NCIS leads with total viewers". TVbytheNumbers.com. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
5. Seidman, Robert (October 20, 2009). "TV Ratings: Yet again Sunday Night Football, House, Grey's win week with adults 18–49; NCIS leads with total viewers". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved October 21, 2009.
6. Seidman, Robert (November 3, 2009). "TV Ratings: 2009 World Series dominates with viewers and adults 18–49, CBS reruns shine". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
7. Seidman, Robert (November 10, 2009). "TV Ratings: V premiere bests Grey's Anatomy; NFL and MLB top weekly charts". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
8. Seidman, Robert (November 18, 2009). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football, Grey's Anatomy, NCIS; top weekly broadcast charts". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
9. Seidman, Robert (November 24, 2009). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football, AMAs, Grey's, Big Bang, House and NCIS top weekly broadcast charts". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
10. Seidman, Robert (December 15, 2009). "TV Ratings: Sunday Night Football, Big Bang Theory, Biggest Loser and CSI top weekly broadcast charts". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved February 1, 2010.
11. Seidman, Robert (December 22, 2009). "TV Ratings: New episodes of Big Bang Theory, Two and a Half Men, Survivor and NCIS propel CBS to top of charts". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved April 18, 2010.
12. Seidman, Robert (January 20, 2010). "TV Ratings: American Idol, Indianapolis Colts, NCIS and The Big Bang Theory top weekly viewing.". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved January 30, 2010.
13. Seidman, Robert (January 26, 2010). "TV Ratings: NFC Championship, American Idol, dominate weekly viewing". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
14. Seidman, Robert (February 9, 2010). "TV Ratings: Super Bowl XLIV, Post Game and Undercover Boss Dominate Weekly Viewing". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
15. Seidman, Robert (February 17, 2010). "TV Ratings Top 25: Olympics and American Idol Battle For Weekly Supremacy". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
16. Seidman, Robert (March 9, 2010). "TV Ratings Top 25: Oscars, American Idol & The Big Bang Theory Top Weekly Broadcast Charts". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
17. Seidman, Robert (March 16, 2010). "TV Ratings Top 25: American Idol, Big Bang Theory, NCIS Top Weekly Broadcast Charts". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
18. Seidman, Robert (April 6, 2010). "TV Ratings Top 25: Dancing; "Idol" & "Lost" Top Weekly Broadcast Charts". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved April 9, 2010.
19. Gorman, Bill (April 13, 2010). "TV Ratings Top 25: NCAA Final Joins Idol, Dancing On Top Weekly Broadcast Charts". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
20. Seidman, Robert (April 27, 2010). "TV Ratings Top 25: American Idol, Glee Sing to Adults 18–49; Dancing With the Stars Dances to the Top With Total Viewers". TVByTheNumbers.com. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
21. Seidman, Robert (May 4, 2010). "TV Ratings Top 25: Idol, Glee Tops With 18–49 ; Dancing Leads With Viewers". TV By The Numbers. Retrieved May 5, 2010.
22. Seidman, Robert (May 11, 2010). "TV Ratings Top 25: DWTS Again Tops With Viewers; Idol, Glee Still Tops With 18–49". TV By The Numbers. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
23. Seidman, Robert (May 18, 2010). "TV Ratings Top 25: American Idol Back On Top With Both Viewers and Adults 18–49". TV By The Numbers. Retrieved May 21, 2010.
24. Seidman, Robert (May 25, 2010). "TV Ratings Top 25: Dancing Tops Idol With Viewers Again, Lost Finale Wins With Adults 18–49". TV By The Numbers. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
25. "BARB, scroll to relevant week". BARB. Retrieved May 11, 2010.

External links

• List of The Mentalist episodes at the Internet Movie Database
• List of The Mentalist season 2 episodes at TV.com