The Mentalist, Part I
In the television series, 'The Mentalist,' Simon Baker plays
former 'psychic' Patrick Jane. When a serial killer named Red John
kills his family, he joins a special crimes unit with the California
Bureau of Investigations where he uses his special talents of
observation to help solve cases, all the while keeping Red John on his
mind.
The investigative team illustrates mind, body, and spirit very well. There are two layers that I will discuss in two separate posts.
The same friend who lent us The Big Bang Theory lent us the first season of The Mentalist, so these posts will be based on the first season.
Agent Lisbon is a typical cop mind character. Things like 'chain-of-command' and 'rule of law' are important to her when they are investigating a crime. A lot of conflict within the unit comes between Lisbon, who expects her orders to be obeyed, and Jane, who plays by his own rules.
Unlike many mind characters, Lisbon isn't the smartest one in the cast of characters, but her personality revolves around mind character traits. This is seen more clearly when contrasting her character with that of Jane.
Patrick Jane isn't a cop. He's a consultant who works with Agent Lisbon's team and unlike many spirit characters, he is also the smartest in the cast. He is very much like a type of Sherlock Holmes, using deduction and observation to see things others can not. He has a reputation for closing cases others would not be able to close.
The difference between Jane and Holmes, though, is personal. A serial killer named Red John killed Jane's family. Unlike Holmes, who was only interested in the puzzle, and unlike Agent Lisbon, whose sole focus is closing the case at hand, Jane fights for a cause. He wants to find Red John and enact vengeance upon him.
His emotional connections are seen in cases where a wife is under-appreciated or a child is abused or neglected. His family was stolen from him, so he has a strong emotional reaction to those who refuse to love and cherish the families they still have. He shows mercy to those who might be 'caught up in the moment,' but no mercy to the truly cruel. Lisbon just sees 'innocent' and 'criminal.'
Besides Lisbon and Jane, there are three characters who make up the rest of the investigative team. They are responsible for the grunt work of their investigations - research, stakeouts, etc. They also say, 'Yes, boss,' to just about any order Lisbon gives. As a collective, they make up the 'body' of this mind, body, and spirit trio. As individuals, however, agents Cho, Rigsby, and van Pelt make their own mind, body, and spirit team, which I will discuss in my next post.
The investigative team illustrates mind, body, and spirit very well. There are two layers that I will discuss in two separate posts.
The same friend who lent us The Big Bang Theory lent us the first season of The Mentalist, so these posts will be based on the first season.
The Mind Character: Agent Theresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney)
Agent Lisbon is a typical cop mind character. Things like 'chain-of-command' and 'rule of law' are important to her when they are investigating a crime. A lot of conflict within the unit comes between Lisbon, who expects her orders to be obeyed, and Jane, who plays by his own rules.
Unlike many mind characters, Lisbon isn't the smartest one in the cast of characters, but her personality revolves around mind character traits. This is seen more clearly when contrasting her character with that of Jane.
The Spirit Character: Patrick Jane (Simon Baker)
Patrick Jane isn't a cop. He's a consultant who works with Agent Lisbon's team and unlike many spirit characters, he is also the smartest in the cast. He is very much like a type of Sherlock Holmes, using deduction and observation to see things others can not. He has a reputation for closing cases others would not be able to close.
The difference between Jane and Holmes, though, is personal. A serial killer named Red John killed Jane's family. Unlike Holmes, who was only interested in the puzzle, and unlike Agent Lisbon, whose sole focus is closing the case at hand, Jane fights for a cause. He wants to find Red John and enact vengeance upon him.
His emotional connections are seen in cases where a wife is under-appreciated or a child is abused or neglected. His family was stolen from him, so he has a strong emotional reaction to those who refuse to love and cherish the families they still have. He shows mercy to those who might be 'caught up in the moment,' but no mercy to the truly cruel. Lisbon just sees 'innocent' and 'criminal.'
The Body Character: The Team
Besides Lisbon and Jane, there are three characters who make up the rest of the investigative team. They are responsible for the grunt work of their investigations - research, stakeouts, etc. They also say, 'Yes, boss,' to just about any order Lisbon gives. As a collective, they make up the 'body' of this mind, body, and spirit trio. As individuals, however, agents Cho, Rigsby, and van Pelt make their own mind, body, and spirit team, which I will discuss in my next post.
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