tv review

Supernatural Review: Episode 8×19 “Taxi Driver”

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Review of Episode 8×19: “Taxi Driver”
by castiello

Overall: We got to see Bobby again. We got to see him and it was wonderful and epic and brilliant. Do I really even need to talk about the rest of the episode…?

(Yeah, I guess I probably should.)

Okay, so…

BOBBY: Nothing could’ve prepared my heart for the joy of seeing this crotchety old hat-wearing dude on my screen again. Even the previews were misleading – they only showed Bobby from the back, and seeing as the scene was obviously taking place in Hell, I figured the Bobby-like figure would turn around and reveal itself as some grotesque, slobbering monster that would try to chew Sam’s face off. (Hey, this is Supernatural – it could easily have gone down that way). But instead we got some sustenance for our souls in the form of Sam and Dean’s real, honest-to-goodness surrogate daddy. This was the genuine Bobby, people – not some twisted, vengeful spirit version of himself. What a refreshing relief.

Sure, he was a little worse for wear – I mean, Hell will do that to you. But he was more or less intact, and even had some of his trademark Bobby spunk, wanting to rejoin the battle on Earth, and making that joke after killing the Sam-Imposter (“It was 50/50 – I took a shot.” Seriously, Bobby? Seriously?). But best of all, he was the stern-yet-forgiving, tell-it-like-it-is role model that we have all come to know and cherish. Bobby’s shock that Dean had befriended a vampire was as honest and believable as his appalled reaction to the fact that Sam had not searched for Dean. Sam: “Dean and I had an agreement…” Bobby: “I know that agreement – that’s a non-agreement.” Thank you, Bobby. THANK YOU.

Bobby voiced the concerns and angers of the fans this season, which made me feel like the writers heard us – and listened. Thank you, Writers. THANK YOU.

I talked to one fan who said the only thing she didn’t like about this episode was that Bobby did not get to really see or interact with Dean. I actually didn’t have a problem with this. Bobby and Dean have had a lot of bonding moments over the years. Also, when John’s spirit made the trek up to Heaven, he interacted more with Dean, while only sharing a look with Sam. This seemed to even things out. Dean got a better goodbye with John, Sam got a better goodbye with Bobby. And Dean did get to see Bobby’s spirit ascending to Heaven after months of torture in Hell. Dean knew that Bobby was safe at last, and that was enough for me.

Dean: “I don’t trust angels.” You’ve got the right idea there, man. Keep following your gut. Although Naomi proved to be a helpful resource in this episode, I hope Dean sticks to his instincts when it comes to this she-devil in angel’s clothing. Cass may be confused about a lot of things right now, but he told Dean outright what Naomi did, and I don’t think Dean’s going to be forgetting that anytime soon.

Another thing Dean won’t be forgetting soon: the torture he and his brother both suffered in Hell. I can’t imagine what it took for Dean to let Sammy walk through those gates alone…I thought they should have gone together. I mean, as long as Sam did the actual rescuing of Bobby’s soul, why couldn’t Dean be there for backup? Then Benny wouldn’t have had to die, because Dean would have been there to lead Sam and Bobby to the portal in Purgatory.

Instead, this episode turned out to be a heartbreaker for Dean in more ways than one – not only did he let his little brother go to Hell alone, but then Dean had to kill someone he cared about just to get Sam back. The pain in Dean’s eyes and the rawness in his voice said it all. But I think anyone who doubted it can now see once and for all: when it comes to Sam and Benny, one person will always come first for Dean – and that’s Sam.

Dean was somewhat gentler with poor Kevin in this ep, trying to coax him out of hiding with food, but still, it wasn’t enough. The kid needed psychiatric help, and Dean had other things on his mind. The level of paranoia Kevin was experiencing should have had alarm sirens blaring in Dean’s brain. Maybe if Sam hadn’t been in Hell, Dean would have been able to focus more on Kevin’s mental health. Kinda dropped the ball on that one, Dean…But I forgive you, since, well, Sam was in Hell.

Sam: Just as I can’t imagine what it took for Dean to let Sam go, I don’t know how Sam found the courage to voluntarily enter Hell when he should’ve been running screaming in the other direction. I’ve always thought of both brothers as brave, but this may have been the greatest test of Sam’s mettle, yet.

Leaving the watch to mark the entrance was a nice touch. Not replacing the giant rock in Purgatory, though? Bad move, Sammy. Not at all in keeping with his character – these guys know to put stuff back where they found it. Especially stuff having to do with gateways and doorways and portals. No way Sam would have left that opening to Hell gaping wide like that. Just seeing it gave me shivers…I’m almost certain that open doorway is going to come back and bite both brothers in the butts – most probably next season – and it ticks me off a bit. You can’t have a smart character do something stupid, just to create a new plotline. If the writers need that doorway open for some future storyline, then they should have shown Sam at least try to move the rock back. They should have shown Sam and Bobby try to move the rock together. Every effort should have been made by these two experienced and intelligent hunters to prevent a stream of Hell-spawn from escaping into Purgatory. Finally, if all efforts failed and Sam and Bobby could not spend any more time trying to move the rock, then I would have been okay with it. But I was so not okay with the two of them just walking away without a second thought.

One thing I was okay with, though – Sam’s treatment of Benny. Despite Sam’s personal feelings, he was willing to bring Benny back to Earth. Later, when Sam told Dean that Benny had stayed behind, I could hear the softness of true understanding in Sam’s voice. He misjudged Benny. He let jealousy cloud over what Dean had always said about Benny being a friend. It was a sweet moment, and a healing one between the brothers. Kudos to Sam on not being afraid to walk into Hell, and double-kudos to him on not being afraid to say, “I was wrong.”

Benny: He let Dean send him to PURGATORY. He allowed Dean to CHOP HIS HEAD OFF. Benny sacrificed his life on Earth to go rescue someone who despises him, all out of loyalty to Dean – take that, all you Benny-haters! This was a great wrap-up of Benny’s storyline. A very different direction than where I thought the writers were going to go with him, and that’s cool. I love stuff that’s not predictable. I’m not saying I won’t miss Dean’s fang-buddy, but he never did seem happy being back on Earth, and this ending seemed to fit. I felt like Benny was back where he wanted to be, and the door’s not closed, so who knows? Maybe someday he’ll be back. (Benny: “Dean, I know you didn’t expect to see me again, but, well, there’s this open portal down in Purgatory, and a whole mess of demons just escaped…” Dun-dun-dun…)

Crowley: Keeping an innocent soul trapped in Hell? That’s low, even for you. But then, maybe Bobby wasn’t totally innocent. He did dodge his Reaper and stay behind, knowing it went against the natural order. Then he became a vengeful spirit and hurt innocent people, so, I dunno…that could be the loophole Crowley used to keep Bobby in Hell. That, or Crowley’s just an a-hole. Yeah, I think I’ll go with a-hole.

Kevin: Oh, poor baby. I could just feel how scrambled his brains were in this episode. He couldn’t tell reality from hallucination, and frankly, neither could I. Even at the end there, I didn’t know whether Crowley had actually appeared and taken him, or if he ran away as Dean assumed. Either way, I couldn’t help but applaud the writers for leaving me wondering.

Evidence for the “It was all in Kevin’s messed-up head” theory:

1.) The glass windows of the boat were not broken when Sam and Dean entered, although Crowley had broken them earlier. Can the King of Hell fix glass?

2.)I think Garth and Co. would be smart enough not to have Kevin’s location stored on a smart phone.

3.) I refuse to believe Tiger Mommy is dead. That’s right, I refuse.

Evidence for the “Oh crap, Crowley really has Kevin” theory:

1.) Dean assumed Kevin had simply run off. And when you assume…well, you probably know the rest of that saying…

2.) Maybe the King of Hell can fix glass – and wouldn’t that be the smart thing to do, if he wanted Sam and Dean to believe that Kevin had taken off on his own?

Naomi: Remember what Dean said once about Bela? “When that b!tch breathes, the air comes out crooked.” Well, I think we may have met Bela’s angel equivalent. Naomi: “Poor Castiel, he’s so confused…He must’ve misinterpreted me.” Really? He misinterpreted you when you had him kill ten thousand fake Deans and then told him point-blank to kill the real one? Not a lot of wiggle room there, honey. Naomi may have saved Sam’s life and Bobby’s soul, but we can’t forget that she only did it to manipulate Dean into trusting her. For all our sakes, I hope she failed.

Randomness: I was a little confused about the rogue reaper – how come he had a body and how come he was visible to Sam and Dean? Previously, reapers were only visible to those whose spirits had left their bodies, e.g. Dean in “My Time of Dying.” Sam and Dean had to do astral projection in “Death Takes a Holiday” so they could communicate with reapers and Dean was actually clinically dead in “Appointment in Samarra” before he could talk to Tess. A little consistency or some explanation of how the Taxi Driver was visible to regular humans would have been a good thing. Other notes: Hell was pretty mild, actually. I would’ve preferred something a little creepier or more original-looking than a red-tinted dungeon. That said, the people Sam encountered were disturbing and suitably tortured/creepy. And the special effects for Bobby’s soul were fantastically beautiful, so all is forgiven.

Last Thoughts: This episode was a relief for me. It reminded me so much of “Born Under a Bad Sign.” In that episode, just like this one, I started out fearing the worst, and it turned out so much better than I thought it would. “Taxi Driver” was awesome and wonderful and it featured the best, most heartfelt brother-hug we’ve seen in a good long time. Definitely one of my favorite eps of the season.

Mentalist Review: Episode 5×19 “Red Letter Day”

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Review of Episode 5×19: “Red Letter Day”
by castiello

Overall: The Red John storyline is heating up – big time – but that doesn’t mean we can’t stop and take a few minutes to enjoy the sheer pleasure of seeing Jane and Co. strolling around an Old West tourist town. The visuals of this ep – horses and dust and cowboy hats and saloons – (not to mention the fun factor) made it easy to overlook a slightly predictable plot. Despite the fact that “Red Letter Day” started at almost 11:00pm, I was wide awake and I had a rootin’, tootin’ good time.

Jane: Always a joy to see Jane’s street magician skills at work – swiping gold nuggets, picking cards, predicting the future in sealed white envelopes. These are the things that make Jane such a unique character, and they’re part of the reason this show stands out from other police procedurals. My only minor complaint about some of the mind-reading is that I like to know Jane’s secrets. I want him to tell me the clues he uses to guess where those tourists just came from. I want him to show me how he got the cards into that guy’s pocket, and how he knew what the guy’s favorite number would be. Sometimes, the tricks Jane pulls off are almost unreal – without the explanation of how he does things, it’s more like true magic than mentalism.

On the one hand, this lack of explanation is frustrating. On the other hand, it adds a healthy squirt of gasoline to the fiery debate that has long burned between two groups of Mentalist fans: those who take Jane at his word that he’s just a well-trained trickster, and those of us who like to hold onto that teensy bit of hope that somewhere deep down in the recesses of Jane’s uber-brilliant mind, there lies a modicum of true psychic ability.

The “genuine psychic” vs. “conman” question aside, Jane’s cleverness was in full force as he wedged a toothpick in his door to alert him of unwanted visitors. Personally, I thought he should have placed it a little lower down, because it seemed a bit too visible. Especially if Red John himself might be breaking in. But Jane’s low-tech security system worked better than a Guardian Alarm. In fact, he seemed so pleased with the results, I had to wonder if that was the only security measure he put in place.

On Elementary, Sherlock Holmes has surveillance cameras hidden all over his flat. If Jane really felt sure someone was going to break in, maybe he hid some bugs or mini webcams around to catch the snoops in the act. And maybe, just maybe, Jane was sharp enough to put up fake evidence to throw Red John’s spies off the scent. I’ve always thought the attic – or anyplace at work – was simply too public of a location to keep such sensitive files. I was almost positive that the photo wall in Jane’s loft was a decoy, and that at the end of the ep we’d see the real one – the one he was smart enough to keep hidden in some rented room that no one even knows about. Alas, the reveal didn’t happen, but that doesn’t mean it won’t. The knowing way Jane smiled at that security breach tells me he has more up his sleeve than just a broken toothpick.

Lisbon: When Cho said Lisbon was “busy,” my mind said, “Red Alert.” And for good reason: turns out she was lunching with Kirkland, whom she has correctly classified as a very strange individual. “Everything about Bob Kirkland is weird.” Trust me, Lisbon, you don’t know the half of it. She played it cool, though – did everything she should have done. Lisbon denied any knowledge of Jane’s list, and confirmed Kirkland’s notion that if Jane did know anything, he’d share it with Lisbon. Then, she told Jane everything that Kirkland had asked about. Unfortunately, though Lisbon remained loyal to Jane, and lied pretty darn convincingly, the Kirk-dude didn’t buy it. I’m not abandoning the possibility of Lisbon being compromised, but in this ep she didn’t do anything to warrant suspicion. Also, her expression as she sat in the audience at the Wild West Show was so endearingly long-suffering, I would probably forgive her even if she did turn out to be a Red John mole.

Cho: Cho and Jane partnered up in this episode. Not once, but twice. Sheer. Awesomeness. Have I died and gone to the place with the fluffy white clouds? Maybe not, but from the moment Cho approached the attic and Jane identified him by the sound of his footsteps, I felt like I was in heaven. (Cho: “How do you do that?”) And later, when Jane called Cho to the bar, and Cho was all, “I hate it when you call me for backup and nothing’s happened yet…” Love. It. These two have such great chemistry as partners; they play off of each other with fresh, funny energy. Cho’s deadpan comments and mildly exasperated looks ricochet like ping-pong balls against Jane’s sparkly, merry wit. Jane brings Cho alive in a way that the other characters don’t. And despite the minor annoyances of working with Jane, you can really feel the underlying bond between our favorite Mentalist and one of the very few people he actually refers to as his good friend. Hand me a petition to get more screen time between Jane and Cho, and I’ll sign it faster than Jane can pick your pocket. You can never go wrong when you pair up this odd couple.

Rigsby/Van Pelt: Rigsby the Arson Inspector is back on the scene! Yay! I love it when he shows off his special skills. The writers have shown great continuity on this front, going all the way back to Season One. In less exciting news, Grace apparently “met” someone at the White Hat training program. And of course it happened right before Rigsby was about to man up and be honest with her. It’s a bummer for sure, and would have felt like a rather pointless wrench thrown into the Van Pelt/Rigs romance, if not for Grace’s little slip of the tongue. This new guy – seriously, I already forgot his name – isn’t another fiancé-in-the-making. He’s just a distraction, because clearly Grace’s mind – and heart – are focused on someone else :).

Kirkland: Dun, dun, dun! He tried to get Lisbon to cough up Jane’s secrets. When that didn’t work, Kirkland paid some goons to break into Jane’s attic and steal evidence. At the end of the ep, Kirkland stood over a replica of Jane’s Red John Map, looking Mighty Evil. But don’t cue the maniacal laughter just yet – the more they paint this guy as a Big Bad, the more convinced I become that he’s the exact opposite. Having Kirkland be an ally to Jane and Co, a real partner to help them bring down Red John, would be a great twist, and I’m all about great twists. I’m going on record saying that I think Kirkland, in spite of being a murderer and a thief, really is trying to capture Red John, rather than help him. Now, I could be publicly wiping egg off my face as early as tomorrow night, but for right now, I’m having too much fun imagining wild and crazy scenarios where Kirkland is actually a good guy.

Randomness: Rigbsy’s discomfort as he sat in the audience, hoping not to get called on: Perfect. Jane walking out to do his act without putting on a black cowboy hat: Criminal. Shame on you, wardrobe department. SHAME. The case: Interesting because of the cowboy element and the fake meth lab fires, but they’ve done that brother/sister incestuous romance thing before – remember Jared and Undine back in “Red John’s Friends”?

Last Thoughts: Jane’s joy and stimulation at being in an Old West setting was contagious. His secret satisfaction about the toothpick piqued my interest, and I can’t wait to find out more. I’ll be riding onward to the next episode as a very satisfied, dusty-but-grinning cowgirl. Yee-haw!

Supernatural Review: Episode 8×18 “Freaks and Geeks”

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Review of Episode 8×18: “Freaks and Geeks”
by castiello

Okay, on a scale of one to ten, how excited was I to see Krissy again? The answer: eleveny-forty. That is a really high number that Nathan Fillion made up, but I think it accurately conveys just how much I love Krissy and the actress who plays her, Madison McLaughlin. Krissy is one bad-@$$ hunter-in-the-making, and this was one bad-@$$ episode.

Sammy: Gotta love a guy who can spot a phony surveillance photo. He may be under the weather physically, but his brain is still all sharp and pointy. 🙂 Another thing still intact when it comes to Sam’s character: his hope. Throughout this episode, Sam repeatedly expressed optimism about the possibility of being able to hunt and lead a normal, picket-fence life at the same time. He wanted Victor to be the real deal, and even when that guy turned out to be a crazy mofo, Sam still hoped that maybe Krissy and the other “X-Kids” could manage to stay in school and take on the occasional hunt. I wonder if this is what Sam really wants – not to leave hunting (and Dean) behind entirely, but to find some kind of balance or compromise. The closest thing we’ve seen to a normal or balanced hunting family is Mary with her parents. They lived in a nice house and Mary went to school, but she also went with her family on nearby hunts and was well-trained to handle all manner of monsters and demons. That lasted at least eighteen or twenty years before Yellow Eyes stepped in and everything went down the crapper. So, maybe it isn’t as far-fetched as Dean thinks?

More Sammy Notes: That little look Sam gave Dean when Dean came in and saw Sam tied to the chair – great comedy. These guys don’t even need words anymore, because their expressions and gestures say it all. Sam’s little look said, “Sorry, man – they got me.” I also loved the hilarious moment at the beginning of the episode, when Sam got tired of Dean’s fussing and finally turned the tables around. The minute Sam said he wanted to talk about Dean’s emotional state, it looked like Dean had just taken a long swig of lemon juice. Everything about Dean’s demeanor immediately said “Are you kidding me? No way!” and what started out as a classic emo moment morphed into a laugh-out-loud one instead. It reminded me of the Lord of the Rings joke in the previous ep. That’s one of the great things about Supernatural – they never take themselves too seriously, and they’re always willing to poke a little fun at themselves when things are getting heavy.

Speaking of heavy, though: The fans who are worried about a possible Amelia pregnancy storyline are probably freaking the heck out right now. Several weeks ago, Prometheus (I think it was him) asked Sam what he would be willing to do if his own son’s life was on the line. A hint about an upcoming plot development? Some Supernatural geeks thought so. And now, in this episode, we have yet another character talking to Sam about the possibility of having kids. Victor asked Sam if he wanted to have kids of his own, and Sam expressed uncertainty. Being spoiler-free, I have no idea what to make of this, but it is two separate mentions of how Sam might feel about having kids. I’m not sure I like the idea because I’m not that fond of Amelia, but there might be a few bright spots to a pregnancy storyline: 1.) It would give Sam some strong motivation to survive the trials, since he’d want to live to see – and raise – his son. 2.) The idea of Dean watching out for/protecting Sam’s child is all kinds of hot.

Dean: As always, Dean has a special bond with the kids on this show. And even though Krissy is almost an adult, the connection she shares with Dean is just as strong as ever. Sam, aka Mr. Perpetually Awkward With Children, even left the room so that Dean and Krissy could have a moment to say their goodbyes. And so Dean could have a “talk” with Krissy’s future boyfriend. Dean: “If you ever break her heart…” Aiden: “I know, I know – you’ll hurt me.” Dean: “No, she’ll hurt you.” So true, Dean. So true.

I like how Dean could smell the phoniness of the Victor situation a mile away. His hunter instincts are awesome. Remember back in “Croatoan” when Dean wanted to kill that kid and everyone else said no? Well, that kid turned out to be possessed by a demon, didn’t he? Dean may not be as intellectual as Sam, but sometimes you have to just trust your gut. I’m glad Dean wanted to dig deeper and find out what was really going on with Too-Good-To-Be-True Victor. Also glad to see that Dean was the one who wanted to hunt the vamp nest so the kids wouldn’t have to, and how Dean was the one who talked Krissy out of killing Victor at the end. “We don’t kill humans,” Dean told her. Isn’t this the same lesson Sam taught Dean in “Faith”? Nice to see Dean taking the message to heart, and passing it on to the next generation of hunters.

Randomness: The X-Kids were pretty cool. I liked them all, and I liked the storyline in general. It was a departure from the norm, and I’ve always enjoyed it when the show explores the morality of other hunters that Sam and Dean encounter. We’ve had several hunters who wanted to kill Sam because they thought he was evil. We even had a hunter-turned-vampire who justified turning an innocent girl into a vamp just to trap Sam and Dean. Victor, however, seemed like the lowest of them all. His idea to raise promising young hunters in a stable, non-dysfunctional environment was a good one. Commendable, even. I think murdering the families of those young hunters and turning completely innocent people into vampires for “practice kills” was where he started to lose me. 🙂

Other Notes: The plot was predictable (previews kinda spoiled it), but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment because I cared about the characters and had fun watching them figure out the mystery themselves. The biggest surprise for me was Victor’s suicide. I didn’t see that coming, but it fit with his character and the situation, and in the end I was just glad he didn’t choose to harm anyone else on the way out. If he hadn’t been completely unhinged, Victor might’ve actually done some good in the world. If he’d chosen to locate and care for real victims of random monster violence, rather than “creating” his own victims, this would have been a much different episode.

It made me happy to see Krissy stay with the other young hunters, and even happier to imagine Garth checking in on them. I so wish that could’ve happened onscreen! But since it didn’t, and probably won’t, I guess we’ll just have to settle for tonight’s brand-new episode. 🙂 I do hope we get another Krissy episode sometime in the future, and I really hope tonight’s ep lives up to the previews, because it looks unbelievably cool.

Happy watching!

 

 

Supernatural Review: Episode 8×17 “Goodbye Stranger”

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Review of Episode 8×17: “Goodbye Stranger”
by castiello

Take 10,000 dead fake-Deans. Add two unicorns, an angel/demon romance, a bunch of crypts owned by Lucifer, and a healthy side of Crowley, and what do you get? A squirm-around-on-the-couch, yell-at-the-screen, pretty darn good episode of Supernatural. This ep had great forward motion, answering questions, resolving some hanging storyline threads, and bringing several issues out into the open:

Sam’s Illness: Honestly, when Dean found that bloody tissue, I was more relieved than anything. Finally, Dean has all the facts – or at least as many facts as it is possible to have at this point. Apparently, Sam is damaged on the subatomic level. He is damaged in ways that Castiel can’t heal, and it may or may not be fatal. You’d think this info would make me want to cry into a couch cushion, but hearing all of that actually made me feel better, not worse. I like knowing what we’re up against, and I trust Castiel’s diagnosis, even though he was still under Naomi’s control at the time. Cass is a healer who can sense everything from a person’s coronary health to whether or not they have a mild bladder infection, and as far as we know, he had no reason to lie about Sam’s condition. At the end of the episode, when Dean said he couldn’t take any more lies from anyone, Sam seemed to hear him and really take the message to heart. I feel confident that Sam will be honest about his health going forward. The lies hurt Dean more than the truth about Sam’s suffering, and I think Sam finally gets that.

Naomi’s Mind-Control: Finally, finally, Castiel has broken free! He remembers Naomi’s torture and even was able to tell Dean what happened. Of course, before that could happen, we all had to suffer a little bit of torture ourselves, watching Castiel beat Dean’s face into bloody mulch. The fact that Cass had to practice killing Dean thousands of times to even come close to killing the real thing says so much about the bond these two share. The scope of that opening scene, the cinematic scale of seeing all those dead Deans, was brilliantly handled by the FX team and truly proved that a picture is worth a thousand words. As I writer, I shouldn’t really say that, but dang if it wasn’t true in this ep! That was a bigger, better effect than the shot of Dean hanging by meat-hooks in hell at the end of Season Three.

And of course, hearing the real Dean begging and pleading for Cass to stop, hearing that fear in Dean’s voice when Cass reached out to heal him…brutal, gut-wrenching stuff. That whole scene was a beautiful and very deliberate parallel to Sam/Lucifer pounding Dean into raw pulp in the cemetery in Lawrence. Not quite as powerful, since Sam and Dean have a stronger bond (and since this wasn’t literally the end of the world), but a touching moment nonetheless. In the end, the power of Castiel’s love for Dean was deeper and stronger than the power of Naomi’s mind control, and I never doubted that it would be. This show may be the very definition of dark, but ultimately, light will always triumph.

Meg’s Whereabouts: At long last, Castiel got to rescue his demon love, and we got to see our favorite bad-turned-kinda-good black-eyed b**ch in action. I can’t tell you how much I missed this girl: Sam: “You let dozens of innocent people get killed because you were ‘buying time’?” Meg: “Hi, I’m Meg. I’m a demon.” ROFL! How can you not love her? It was cool to see her used as a resource to find Lucifer’s crypts – sometimes it’s easy to forget just how deep her history is. Being Azazel’s daughter and an important Lucifer-loyalist, Meg has all kinds of insider knowledge and it was neat that the show finally explored that a little bit.

Another neat thing: She still has the hots for Cass! And he still has the hots for her! Their scenes together were oddly touching. Their relationship has gone through so many different stages, from sane to crazy to almost-sane again. They are the ultimate odd couple, and there is absolutely no reason why a romance between these two characters should work, but maybe that’s why it does. Love is insane, and I ship Meg/Castiel. And even though I knew no happy ending could ever be possible for them, I was disappointed to have their time together end so abruptly. Knowing how much Meg meant to Cass, I felt sure that Sam and Dean would try to save her, but instead they just drove away…and I was left a little bit bereft. Meg’s death felt kinda wasted. I know she was buying time so Sam and Dean could escape, but still. If they’re going to kill off a character that important, who’s been on the show since Season One, they should do it with more fanfare. Cass should have been there, at the very least.

The Angel Tablet: Finally, Sam and Dean know about the angel tablet. It’s always scary when there are threats floating around that they don’t even know about, so this was another big relief. And now that Cass has the tablet, I know he will keep it away from demons, bad angels, and yes, even Dean. I don’t blame Castiel for wanting to keep the tablet from his human friends – considering that those same friends brought on the apocalypse just a few years ago. I don’t think it’s necessary for Sam and Dean to read the tablet or possess it. Now that Naomi’s mind-control is broken, I trust Castiel to keep the tablet safe on his own.

Randomness: I’ve always liked the fast cuts between Castiel’s scenes with Naomi in heaven and his scenes with Sam, Dean, etc, back on Earth. This episode was full of these cuts, giving it a fast-paced feel that only added to the urgency of the situation. Also liked: Sam and Meg’s long overdue conversation about when she possessed him back in Season Two. Interesting stuff, and funny, too. Love interests on this show shall henceforth be referred to as unicorns. 🙂

Questions: What exactly does “subatomic damage” mean? Are we even sure it is damage? Maybe Sam is just changing – like, physically transforming into something else. Like, a more powerful being that will be capable of closing the hell-gate, once his transformation is complete. (Hey, don’t look at me that way – I’m just throwing out ideas!) Another question: Why does Naomi want Dean dead? She spent loads of time training Cass to kill Dean, but killing Dean was not necessary in order to secure the tablet – Castiel could simply have knocked Dean unconscious and taken the tablet. Cass clearly had the upper hand, strength-wise. So, what’s Naomi’s motive for wanting Dean dead, and what’s her motive for obtaining the angel tablet? Originally, I assumed she just wanted to keep it away from demons, which is quite understandable, but in this ep it sounded like the angels could actually use the tablet to become more powerful…eeek!

Final Question: Is Meg really dead? Like for sure???

Final Thoughts: Just a great episode that kept things moving. Supernatural has always been a show about giving payoffs and rewarding viewers with real results and storyline resolution, rather than stringing people along for eight seasons with no answers. We got a lot of answers and resolution in this ep, even as more questions were raised, and I am left feeling super-excited for tonight’s episode. 🙂

Mentalist Review: Episode 5×17 “Red, White and Blue”

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Review of Episode 5×17: “Red, White and Blue”
by castiello

Overall: There are some episodes that make you proud to be a fan. Episodes that take your breath away with a whirlwind of great writing, excellent directing, and stellar performances. Episodes that you actually want to show to other people – people who don’t ordinarily watch The Mentalist – just to give them a taste of the phenomenal series they are missing. This episode fell into that category. “Red, White and Blue” was a shining example of network television at its finest.

Jane: How much do I love it when Jane is kind to vulnerable people? How much do I love it when he uses his impressive skills for something that is purely good, rather than deceptive and morally questionable? Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis much! He was awesome in this episode. Just plain awesome. Every moment he spent with Pete, from helping the young soldier remember Lucy’s murder to teaching him how to create his own memory palace, was sweet and wonderful. I ate it up like a pigeon in a parking lot, chowing on a dropped hot dog bun. Even Jane’s apology sounded unusually sincere. And sincerity, from Jane, is a rare and beautiful thing. My absolute favorite Jane moment in this episode, though, was when he said a simple and heartfelt thank you to all the soldiers who were suffering from traumatic brain injuries. His voice was so soft and rough with true emotion. Simon outdid himself. That big puddle on the floor over there used to be my heart.

Lisbon: Okay somebody needs to make an “Army of Two” banner or wallpaper featuring Jane and Lisbon, because that scene was just too funny. The way they kept on singing the song together made me laugh. And of course, it took all of two seconds for Jane and Lisbon to prove that their team deserved the case. No surprises there. I liked that Lisbon contributed to the sleuthing, so it wasn’t just Jane showing off. Still, I did wonder why Jane couldn’t read the music himself – doesn’t he play the string bass?

Lisbon’s sensitivity and respect toward Pete was a highlight of this episode, just like Jane’s was. You could see it in the gentle way she told Rigsby, “You might have to remind him who you are and what you’re doing…” And when Lisbon tried half-heartedly to insist that Pete was still a suspect in Lucy’s murder, I love how all it took was a look from Jane to make her say, “Okay, fine, he’s not a suspect!” Another great Lisbon moment: she was the one who figured out that it didn’t fit Lucy’s character to file an anonymous complaint. The plot was well-developed enough that I came to this realization right in tandem with Lisbon, feeling like I was investigating the case alongside her.

Cho: Fantastic B-plot, perfectly suited to his character. It was so nice to see him doing something other than talking to Rigsby about Van Pelt. I love great partner moments at least as much as the next person, but Cho was overdue for a solo storyline, and the one he got in this episode was better than I could have hoped for. You could just feel the contempt he had for the irresponsible unit leader. Allowing unit members to get harassed? Not carefully investigating a sexual harassment claim? When soldiers are relying on each other in life-or-death situations, this crap can’t be going on in the background, and Cho knows it. He urged the unit leader to reinvestigate Rose’s claim, essentially telling the guy to “Be someone your unit can respect. Be someone I can respect.” Cho’s salute at the end of the episode said more than words ever could.

Rigsby: Not too much for him to do in this episode, although I did like his line about finding dates in prison. Rigsby’s disgust for the murderer in this episode matched the audience’s. As the doctor went on and on, complaining about his alimony payments and then emotionlessly describing Lucy’s death, you couldn’t help but hate him. Lucy had done so much good, from protecting a fellow soldier who’d been sexually harassed to devoting herself to aiding veterans with brain trauma. The world needed someone like her. To see her robbed of her life by someone so self-involved and generally worthless as the doctor made me a little sick, and I could see that emotion on Rigsby’s face as well. What a waste.

Randomness: Great red herring, showing that one soldier with the box cutter – I thought for sure he was guilty of the murder. The casting and writing in general were superb. I got to know and care about the guest characters, which isn’t something that happens in every episode. Normally when I write reviews, I either have to look up the names of the minor characters, or I simply write, “guy with the leather jacket,” “the victim’s sister,” “the killer,” etc. But in this case, I found that I remembered their names on my own. Pete, Rose and Lucy became as real to me as Lisbon, Jane, Risgby and Cho. My only (very minor) complaints for this episode were: A.) No mention of Van Pelt, and B.) No mention of the events in the previous episode. And honestly, I’m not even sure those are true complaints, because although part of me wanted some continuity, some way to place this episode in the order of the season, another part of me thought it was absolute perfection as an isolated, completely stand-alone story.

Final Thoughts: I’ve said before that I live for the episodes centered on Jane, Lisbon and Co, and am generally not that interested in the stand-alone, “crime of the week” eps. This episode, however, was the rare exception to that rule. Once in a while, when the writing and the directing and the performances all align, we get something incredible, like “The Red Mile” or “Ruby Slippers.” Episodes where I cried for characters I’d only just met, because their stories moved me so deeply. “Red, White and Blue” is another one to add to that list. One of the best eps of the season, and one of the best stand-alones of the whole series.

Mentalist Review: Episode 5×16 “There Will be Blood”

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Review of Episode 5×16: “There Will be Blood”
by castiello

Overall: Raw and gruesome, just like any good Red John episode should be. There was torture, there was murder, there were answers given and even more questions raised. Loyalties were tested. Friendships were tested. Emotions ran high in this exciting and action-packed installment of the Red John Saga.

Jane: For the most part, he made me proud. He’s been doing that a lot lately. In this episode he was truly, visibly upset that Lorelei had killed someone. He felt responsible for her actions, since he was the one who set her free. As Lorelei pointed out, Jane is not as cold-hearted as he would like everyone to believe. This gives me hope for his future. Buckets and buckets full of hope.

Some other things that give me hope: Jane was honest with Lisbon about meeting with Lorelei. Jane said “thank you” to Lisbon for covering his butt (even though he most certainly didn’t deserve it). Jane called Rigsby immediately after figuring out who the Red John minion was. Jane also called Lisbon right away to let her know Rigsby was in trouble, and checked on Rigsby before entering the suspect’s house. As badly as Jane wanted to get inside that house, he put the needs and safety of others above his own personal vendetta. The softer side of our favorite consultant is in full view this season, and I could not be more ecstatic. I know he’ll always be an egomaniac, and I would never want that part of him to change, but his capacity for kindness and empathy gives him balance. Without it, he’s just an annoyingly brilliant detective with a great smile.

Considering how nice Jane was in this episode, it was pretty awful to see him get betrayed like that. It hurt when Lorelei wouldn’t give up Red John. If killing Red John was her goal, why not tell Jane the name and they could hunt him together? It was foolish, going after Red John alone, and Jane told her as much. Of course Red John was watching Lorelei’s every move. He’s always twenty steps ahead. She never even had a chance.

And then, on top of the betrayal, Lorelei shot Jane’s one remaining lead. Watching Jane perform CPR on that guy, hearing Jane’s voice break as he said he couldn’t find a pulse, seeing him yelling and screaming when the paramedics took the guy away…brutal stuff. I can’t even blame Jane for being that paranoid, because he has a right to be. Red John has minions everywhere. Ten bucks says Jane never sees that guy again.

Despite all the hopeful signs regarding Jane’s character, there was one unsettling note. One line that gave me a little shudder – the last line of the episode. After seeing Lorelei’s bloody corpse, complete with the trademark smiley face on the wall, Jane said something to the effect of “She had it coming.” And then he just walked away. Any way you look at that last scene, it’s pretty cold – especially as he had admitted to having some unspecified feelings for Lorelei earlier in the episode. Some interpretations of Jane’s line are more disturbing than others, though. He may have simply meant “Lorelei had it coming because she was torturing and killing people herself.” What goes around comes around, right? Karmic justice and all that. I think Lorelei even said the same thing after she killed Julia in the beginning of the episode: “She had it coming. She helped murder my sister.” Or, maybe Jane simply meant that Lorelei was a fool for taking on Red John alone. She wouldn’t heed Jane’s warning, and ended up dead because of it. She had it coming. But what if Jane actually meant “After stringing me along and betraying me, after denying me what she promised and then shooting my only lead, she deserved what she got”? That one gives me the most chills. I don’t think Lorelei deserved to die just for betraying Jane (if the situation were reversed, don’t tell me Jane wouldn’t have done the same thing), but maybe Jane does think this. And as warm as he was for the whole rest of the episode, he was stone-friggin-cold at the end…

Lisbon: All I can say is, I really hope there was nothing extremely flammable in the vicinity during her scenes with Jane, because I saw some serious sparks. When these two really dig deep, when they peel things right down to the nerve, it’s absolutely electric. Lisbon gave Jane an ultimatum: if you’re going to continue operating outside of the law, you’re going to have to leave the team. Jane countered with the truth: I will do whatever it takes to catch Red John, and you have known this from Day One.

In the end, Lisbon sided with Jane, covering up his meeting with Lorelei and lying about the circumstances of Lorelei’s escape. I honestly can’t blame Lisbon for hiding the truth from the likes of Bertram and Kirkland. Considering all of the inside jobs Red John has pulled off, Lisbon would be a fool to trust her slippery, politics-oriented boss. She would be a complete idiot to trust Kirkland, some guy she barely knows who won’t even explain what he’s doing on the case. Lisbon is smart to put her trust in her team, and her team alone.

I did feel bad about Jane making her an accessory to murder, though. Not just bad – like, really crappy. I believe his claim that he didn’t think Lorelei would kill anyone, but still. It’s a nasty position he’s put Lisbon in, having to choose between her love of the law and her loyalty to her friend. She was in this same exact position with Bosco years ago, and loyalty won back then, too. In this case, I don’t really think Lisbon had enough evidence to turn Jane in, even if she wanted to. But she certainly could have changed the focus of the investigation, and eventually some evidence of Jane’s involvement would have turned up.

At least Jane had the decency to say “thank you.” I get why Lisbon didn’t want to accept his thanks, though – it made her feel dirty. She knows what she did was wrong, even if she had good reasons (Jane is a friend, the person Lorelei killed was a freakish murderer, and Kirkland can be trusted about as far as you can throw a piano). Lisbon is the last person who’d ever want to dress up a crime as a good deed. She was disgusted with herself, and it showed.

As angry as she was, though, we got to see at least as much of Lisbon’s gentle side as we did Jane’s. The tenderness in her voice when she wanted to take over CPR, and that devastated expression on her face as she came up to the attic to tell Jane about Lorelei. Some phenomenal acting on that last bit, especially – I mean, Lisbon didn’t even have to say anything, because I already knew. And the whole scene gave me some major X-Files déjà vu: remember the scene where Scully comes to tell Mulder that Diana Fowley’s been murdered? Same emotion. You could just see it written all over Scully’s face.

Rigsby/Cho: In a dark and twisty episode, at least these guys got some light moments, talking about what “computer stuff” Van Pelt might be up to. And even after Rigsby got hurt, there was still a bit of comedy: Cho “You all right?” Rigs: “Not really…” Cho (to Lisbon): “He’ll be fine.” Of course, Rigsby did not look the least bit “fine” at that moment, but I think the fact that he was talking and saying he wasn’t fine made Cho believe that his partner was okay. With some people, guys especially, they’ll say they’re okay when they’re at death’s door, but moan over a paper cut. If Rigsby was seriously injured, he likely would’ve been more stoic about it.

Bertram: Bertram, you slippery, sly dog, secretly reporting to Kirkland like that. Bertram is one of those characters that I’ll never be able to trust. He’ll always have an ulterior, self-serving motive. Now, whether that motive is to boost his career by catching Red John or boost his career by serving Red John, we may never know. But if I had to leave my life in the hands of Bertram or some random dude on the street, Street Dude’s got it.

Kirkland: Oooh, he’s creeping it up again. I like it! He engaged me whenever he was onscreen, and even seemed to have a weirder look and vibe to him than in his previous appearances. He used to have facial hair…didn’t he? The clean-shaven look is doing wonders for his “ick” factor. I still don’t know if he’s Red John, but at least in this episode I felt like he would do the character some justice.

Lorelei: I’ll miss her. Yeah, I know, I’m one of about two fans who actually liked this character, but I’ll miss her, nonetheless. I’m glad we got to see so many sides of her in this episode – we saw someone who’s a ruthless murderer, someone who is comfortable torturing others, someone who does actually care about Jane’s feelings (to an extent), someone who does care about innocent lives (she wouldn’t shoot the children in the way of her target, and only wounded the cop), someone who deeply loved her sister, and, in the end, someone who is as self-serving as Jane himself. Though most of the fandom is probably still singing “Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead,” I will take a moment to mourn this character who was complex, well-cast (hey, she was cute enough that I still liked her, even when she was zapping people with a stun-gun), and made every episode in which she appeared a topsy-turvy, unpredictable ride.

Randomness: Speaking of unpredictable, whoever cast this ep did a great job. By including at least two “big name” actors in the group of board members, the casting director made it that much harder for the audience to guess who the Red John minion would turn out to be. My money was actually on Emmanuelle Vaugier. She was definitely dialing up the weird, just to throw people off :). Also, Jane’s line about “I only tell you what I’m doing about thirty percent of the time” was priceless. And so true. One of the most interesting things in this whole episode, for me, was the location where Lorelei’s body was found. Was that carnival/funhouse stuff lying around that storage facility? Carnival, as in how Jane grew up? Hmmm…

Final thoughts: Intensity. Unpredictability. High emotion, high stakes, high risk. When our characters are faced with a tough situation, we get to see who’s really trustworthy…and who’s not. Who’s willing to bend the law, and who isn’t. We get to see who puts friendship first, and who puts revenge above all else. In “There Will Be Blood,” we got to see a lot – and I liked what I saw. 🙂

 

 

 

 

Mentalist Review: Episode 5×15 “Red Lacquer Nail Polish”

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Review of Episode 5×15: “Red Lacquer Nail Polish”
by castiello

People have lots of different reasons for watching The Mentalist. Some fans love the humor of Jane’s antics as he cleverly solves cases. Others enjoy the cases themselves, taking pleasure in a well-written police procedural. And then there are people like me. Sure, I get a kick out of the humor. Sure, I dig a good mystery. But those aren’t the reasons I watch the show. I watch for five very simple reasons: Jane, Lisbon, Cho, Rigsby and Van Pelt. I am a character girl, through and through.  So, even in a stand-alone episode, where the bulk of the focus is on a case I’m only mildly interested in, what I’m looking for – what I’m waiting for – are those little character moments that will hold me over until the next epic, character-driven storyline arrives.

This episode’s moments:

Jane: I was struck by his powerful aversion to the crime scene – I think that was the most disgusted I’ve ever seen him, and that includes the time they found ants crawling all over that body in the alley (“The Red Badge of Courage”). Another thing Jane had an unusually strong reaction to: our favorite ghoul, Brett Partridge. I mean, Brett’s always gotten under Jane’s skin, but it never got in the way of Jane’s job before. This time, however, Jane’s discomfort actually caused him to leave the crime scene without fully taking in all the details. I couldn’t help but wonder if it had to do with the Red John suspect list, and whether Brett has a prominent place on it. (Have we ever seen Jane and Brett shake hands onscreen? I can’t imagine Jane shaking hands with someone so icky, but I’ll have to re-watch the Pilot just to double-check.)

Lisbon: Is it just me, or is she acting a bit more girlish lately? First she faints at the sight of a creepy-crawly corpse, and now she’s afraid to go in a spooky mansion? I’m not saying it’s a bad thing, I’m just saying it’s interesting. I’ve always viewed her character as very tough and fierce and masculine in many ways (growing up in an all-male household, raising and rough-housing with her brothers). It’s weird to suddenly be viewing her as…well, a girl :).

I love that she told Jane not to jump out and yell “boo!” when they went back to the mansion. (Jane: “What do you take me for?” FYI Jane: she takes you for a grown-up with the mentality of a five-year-old). Considering the fact that he has actually said “boo!” in a supposedly-haunted mansion once before (“Red Scare”), I think Lisbon’s concerns were justified. I also like how open she was about her emotions throughout the whole case, from her nervousness about the creepy crime scene, to her disgust about the kind of person Elise turned out to be, to that final “uh-oh” look that crossed Lisbon’s face when Jane went trotting back upstairs to hunt Red John. She was wonderfully expressive and unguarded during this whole episode.

Cho: A little rough on Rigsby, wasn’t he? In the previous episode, Cho was telling Rigsby to man up and confess his feelings for Van Pelt. In this ep, Cho sang an entirely different tune, advising Rigs to move on – because Grace already has. Cho encouraged Rigsby’s online dating endeavor, knowing all the while that Rigsby was not actually going to go through with the dates. Rigs knows he’s still hung up on Van Pelt. Cho knows Rigs is still hung up on Van Pelt. Half the CBI building probably knows that Rigs is still hung up on Van Pelt, so I’m not sure we needed a hallway full of angry redheads to drive the point home. Seemed a little heavy-handed and unnecessary. Not to mention I wondered how those women could possibly have gotten past security – this is a building that has had a mass shooting in one of their offices and a bombing in the parking lot. I don’t think a bunch of angry, ditched!dates with no security clearance could have gotten inside. I suppose Cho could have helped them get in, but still, I wasn’t fond of the storyline.

One bit of Cho storyline I did love, though: his connection to the girl on the boat, Cayce. Man, it is so rare to see him really show some emotion and sympathize with someone that way. He seemed as though he really liked her and believed her story, which was cool, because I felt the same way. She was a good person who got duped, and probably would have gotten murdered, too, once Elise didn’t need her anymore. It’s always very disturbing to see a cold-blooded killer manipulating a trusting, innocent person like that. Makes me feel like it could happen to anyone…

Rigsby: Filling out his dating profile while at work? Not entirely out of character – especially as he was trying desperately to prove something to Cho – but still a little unprofessional. Though I didn’t like the computer dating subplot, I did ache for Rigsby when he was bumming about Van Pelt’s postcard. I wondered the same thing he did – why did she change the way she addresses her letters to the team? That was just plain sad. Hearing Rigs talk about his upbringing was a rare treat, though. When he was reminiscing about how his mother followed all of Elise’s trials and tribulations in the tabloids, I was enthralled. Even the tiniest glimpse into his past is intriguing, and in this case it also served the dual purpose of fleshing out Elise’s character a little more, so kudos to the writers on that.

Van Pelt: She may not be onscreen, but she’s still in our hearts (and Rigsby’s!)! I like that she was present in this episode via her postcard, and the continued exploration of Rigsby’s romantic feelings towards her. I would even argue that, despite how the postcard was addressed, Van Pelt is not as “over” Rigsby as Cho claims: She showed clear signs of jealousy when Rigsby started dating Sarah, as well as when Sarah got pregnant. True, Van Pelt was engaged to Craig (whom I still not-so-lovingly refer to as “O’Something”), but once that rather spectacularly blew up in her face, I think she realized for the first time exactly what she gave up when she called it quits with Rigsby.

Brett Patridge: Just as ghoulish as ever in his first appearance at a non-Red John-copycat crime scene! Honestly, just seeing this guy makes me squeamish – his unbridled enthusiasm for things like caved-in skulls and blobs of human fat are certainly enough to land him a spot on the Red John suspect list. Factor in Jane’s very obvious discomfort around him, and I’d say we have one of our prime suspects. But is Brett maybe a bit too eager? A bit too enthusiastic? I picture Red John as someone very controlled, very disciplined, and very sophisticated. I can see Brett as a Red John disciple, happily following the Master around like a loyal puppy dog…but I don’t quite see Brett as the Master himself. I’m definitely interested to hear what other fans are thinking about this long-time suspect’s latest appearance…

Randomness: The case was decent – I didn’t guess what happened, so that was good. There were a lot of characters involved in the mystery, though, and it did get a little confusing at times. I wanted to know more about the nurse who was murdered – I wanted to get a better sense of her character, who she was and what she’d been through. There was a valuable and intriguing storyline in there that didn’t really get tapped. Another thing I wanted: some explanation at the end as to why Van Pelt only addressed her postcard to “The Bullpen.” I really felt like it was coming, like maybe she had actually sent a separate one specifically to Wayne, but it didn’t get delivered in time. So, I was bummed not to get that closure. Oh, well…maybe next time?

Final thoughts: Case stuff: 6/10. Interesting character stuff: 5/10. My excitement for tonight’s episode: 10/10, as always! 🙂

Mentalist Review: Episode 5×14 “Red in Tooth and Claw”

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Review of Episode 5×14: “Red in Tooth and Claw” (AKA “Ultimate Death-Match: T-Rex vs. Triceratops!”)
by castiello

Overall: Cho and Rigsby duked it out over their favorite dinos, Lisbon went to bat for her youngest team member, Van Pelt got all geeky about a computer class, and Jane danced mental circles around a group of over-stressed grad students. Despite a predictable case, this episode had just enough humor, sweetness, and team involvement to make it memorable.

Lisbon: She fainted at the sight of a worm-festooned corpse…What’s up with that? It seemed highly out of character for this normally-unflappable and non-squeamish agent. I can’t ever remember Lisbon being “icked out” by a body before. Jane, yes – but not Lisbon. Usually when a woman faints on television, it means her character’s either pregnant, or seriously ill. However, the moment seemed to be played purely for comedy, with no follow-up mentions that would typically come after illness- or pregnancy-induced swooning. Therefore, I took it as a weird, not-quite-in-character moment that most likely doesn’t have any further significance in the series (other than letting the audience know that Lisbon has an issue with crawly things).

One of the things I loved about this episode: the way Lisbon talked about Van Pelt. There was clear affection in Lisbon’s voice as she told Bertram how much Van Pelt had been gushing over White Hat. And in a way, I’m kind of glad Lisbon didn’t send Jane to help Bertram with his poker face. Bertram told Lisbon there was no money for the training program, and she took him at his word. It didn’t occur to her that if she got Bertram in a better mood, the funds might magically appear. I like that she still has enough integrity not to think of manipulation as a solution for every problem. That said, I also like that Bertram gave her credit for a plan she didn’t come up with. She has out-maneuvered him in the past, and it’s good that he sees her as someone who can go toe-to-toe with him and come out on top.

Jane: Sometimes, I feel like Jane is my kid. Sometimes, he acts so selfish, spoiled or immature that I just want to cringe. Sometimes, when he gets out of his car at a crime scene, I want to say, “Please, please don’t embarrass me…” In this episode, however, he did the exact opposite: he made me proud. Here, we enjoyed the return of gift-bearing Jane (it’s been a long time since those fancy watches and necklaces…) and helpful Jane, a guy who – without being asked – goes out of his way to do something kind for his friends. In teaching Bertram how to win at poker, Jane helped both Van Pelt and Lisbon. It didn’t risk anyone’s life or cost anyone anything (except that one judge), and was possibly one of the nicest things Jane’s done in a good long time. Any time that Jane is thinking of others, rather than himself, is a time to celebrate!

I did feel his hurt, though, that no one said “thank you” for the gifts. That was kind of rude. Sure, the presents weren’t as expensive as the ugly watches, but in a way the dinosaurs were much more thoughtful – he picked out something he thought each team member would appreciate. If Van Pelt had been there, I have no doubt she would’ve said “Thanks, Jane!” with a big grin on her face. One thing I did question, however: Where was Lisbon’s gift? Or, maybe poker lessons with Bertram were the gift. Getting to tell Van Pelt they’d secured the funding for White Hat was probably the best present Lisbon could’ve received.

Van Pelt: Her excitement about White Hat made me excited for her! I could feel her gloom when she thought she wouldn’t get to go, but I knew it would work out in the end. I think the writers found a good explanation for her character’s absence – it fits with her expertise, and could make for some really cool storylines when she gets back. She’ll be able to help solve cases even faster with her super-awesome hacking skills – hey, maybe she can even hack the Visualize database and get Jane the info about the Ellison farm! The only thing that bothered me about VP’s storyline in this episode is that maybe the writers could have thrown in a mention or two about White Hat earlier in the season, so it didn’t just pop up out of nowhere.

Cho/Rigs: These guys were at it again with their hilarious banter, arguing over whose dinosaur was better. They gave the ep a healthy injection of humor (Cho: “I stopped asking questions a long time ago…” Rigs: “Don’t play with spiders, kids!”) but also balanced it out with the first serious mention of Rigsby’s feelings for Van Pelt in a couple years. I was one of the people who actually didn’t mind how quickly Rigs and VP got together romantically – or how quickly they broke up. In the seasons since then, we’ve gotten to see both of these characters in other relationships – we saw Grace engaged to a man who tried to kill her. We saw Rigsby propose to the mother of his child. We’ve seen both of them change and grow through their experiences, and all the while Amanda and Owain have skillfully played that underlying connection – a connection that gives me no doubt that when these characters finally do get back together, it’ll be better than ever before.

Bertram: What a baby! And a sore loser! Jeez Louise! I do love that we’re continuing to see the poker games, though, and that Lisbon continues to use these opportunities to gain information and make allies. Season Five has done a good job on the card game continuity front, but not such a good job on the FBI rivalry – what happened to that FBI Agent who wanted to go out with Lisbon? Do we still see him at the games? Have we even heard the FBI mentioned lately? I thought they were going to be the big “enemies” this year. Of course, with the new episodes spaced so far apart, it’s harder to view the episodes as a continuum. If I’m ever lucky enough to own this season on DVD, I’ll see if the episodes hang together better when viewed right in a row.

Random Notes: I knew the killer was the Moth Kid pretty much right away. I actually thought he’d faked the new moth somehow and the other girl found out, which didn’t turn out to be the case, but nonetheless I did know it was him. And that it involved the moth. Having the killer revealed so soon didn’t bother me, though, as I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Jane’s brain in action (Memory Palace, I *heart* you!!!) and the scene with Rigsby and the spider was priceless. Also fun: Jane’s version of “bingo” (featuring the word “bad-ass”!). I thought the show did a good job portraying just how much stress the students were under – the lengths they were driven to spoke volumes. I did wish someone would have told that poor cop ex-boyfriend that his girl wasn’t cheating on him – they usually have more of that type of resolution in the show’s final minutes. Having the moth named after the dead girl was a sweet touch, though – another example of how kind-hearted Jane was being in this ep. Oh, and one final note about Jane: he used his wedding ring to deflect a romantic advance. Haven’t seen him fall back on that in a long time. What does it mean?

Final Thoughts: Not a big, mind-blowing episode, here, but lots of little treasures. The team seemed like a family – bickering, teasing, and helping each other. Hope it’s not too long before the next episode, and I really hope it’s not too long before Van Pelt rejoins her colleagues. We’re all gonna miss her so much!!!