Ring Around the Rosie

While working on the protection of the Mayor, who has joined an immigration movement, Rigsby and Cho find the body of a photographer in an alley. Patrick joins the team and says that he saw a suspect nearby in the crowd. The agents arrest the man and learns that he is the unemployed Henry Tibbs from Texas that has come to California to a job interview. The new chief Luther Wainwright does not believe in Jane's opinion, but let to keep surveillance on Tibbs. Meanwhile Lisbon investigates the murder of the photographer Scott Gibson and stumbles upon the former musician Willie Shubert, who was her idol when she was a teenager and now is a homeless beggar in possession of his cellphone and his watch.

"Ring Around the Rosie" is an episode of "The Mentalist" with good twists. The new boss of the agents seems to be incompetent and Hightower was better and better in this position. The conclusion is simple, with Lisbon tracking down the killer of the photographers. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Ring Around the Rosie"

Over the last few months, I have been re-watching The Mentalist series, last night I reached this episode which is (at least in my opinion) the absolute worst episode and makes Jane out to be an unjust and evil individual. He simply sees a man at a political rally and decides he is a man that is capable of murder. Granted the man does look suspicious and he (Jane) is right to tell Cho and Van Pelt to question the man, but like they do on many occasions in the show, when they confront the man to ask him "questions" they simply grab him, slam him against a wall and illegally search him, something that is forbidden for police in real life (even in the land of fruits and nuts). Finding that he is armed and that the gun is 100% legal and that he has not committed any crimes, they even mention they could face legal action for harassing him, they decide to listen to Jane and molest the man, harass him and violate his rights until he finally does break the law. It's sickening and scary that the writers thought this was a good thing to do on such a good show. :(

Jane decides that a man standing on a street corner at a politcal rally is guilty of mass murder, a crime has he hasn't committed or given any indication he will commit. Jane and the team proceed to harrass and goad the man and play God with his life until they push him over the edge causing him to lash out so they can arrest him. Definitely one of the weaker episodes of the series with a distopian script and plot right out of minority report where the police can decide you are guilty of crimes you haven't committed. This episode has Jane at his peak of self righteousness, filled to the brim with his own hubris and arrogance and I found it barely watchable. You can safely skip this episode and not miss anything.

This episode takes an unusual turn, focusing heavily on Jane's instincts. The plot feels a bit contrived as everything hinges on his gut feeling that someone might be a danger to others, which isn't substantiated enough initially. While this showcases Jane's unique skills, it also stretches believability a bit too far, making it feel more like a filler episode. That said, the dynamic between the team is still engaging, and there are some entertaining moments of tension and humor that keep it from being dull.

Not that I disliked it-it's a solid episode with good performances and some suspenseful scenes, but it doesn't quite hit the heights of the show's best episodes. It's a typical mid-season outing that delivers enough to be enjoyable without standing out. I'd give it a 7/10, as it's decent but not particularly memorable.