The Kilted Writer

In the previous post about The Mentalist , I described how the 'team,' collectively, was the body character in one layer of mind, body and spirit. In this post, I will discuss how the 'team,' individually, make up a second layer of mind, body, and spirit. This form of layering is fairly common in depictions of families in film and fiction. Shows like Family Ties or Joan of Arcadia have the same kind of construct, with the mother and father as mind and spirit and the children as the body in the first layer. The children, individually, then make up the second layer of mind, body, and spirit. The Mind Character: Kimball Cho (Tim Kang) One of the classic cop mind characters is Joe Friday. His famous line, 'Just the facts, ma'am,' defines the mind character mentality. Kimball Cho is Joe Friday with a comic twist, but even then, the comic lines are delivered with an air of seriousness. Cho doesn't like to get involved in side issues when...

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. 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 rul...