Another case involves a triple murder that spirals into a serial cop killer case that actually has connections to Red John. When the suspect in this case is set on fire while in CBI custody, a hard-nosed investigative cop by the name of J.J. LaRoche (Pruitt Taylor Vince) is brought in to determine who the suspect's murderer is and the spotlight is on Lisbon's team. As LaRoche grills the team, it is soon uncovered that Hightower (Aunjanue Ellis) is actually Red John's mole at the CBI and she proves it when she kidnaps Jane at gunpoint, but everything isn't quite as it seems. As Patrick closes the noose in on Red John's true mole, all the while trying to protect the members of his team, he finds himself face to face with Red John once again. Is this more misdirection on the part of the criminal mastermind or has Jane finally outwitted Red John, resulting in his final revenge?
The Mentalist is a fantastic show and it just keeps getting better. Each of the characters play off of each other beautifully and really work to bring a smart, stylish and funny show to the air. The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season continues the tradition with interesting cases and an exciting story arch that just keeps getting better and better. I really like the introduction of J.J. Laroche's character. He's a peculiar man, but one that is very interesting. He's very calculating and makes the skin crawl of those he interrogates, yet he lives alone with his fluffy puppy and his Hummel collection. Currie Graham returns for an episode as the egotistical billionaire Walter Mashburn, as seen last season. Once again, he is trying to woo Lisbon and she won't have any of it, or so it would seem. There were some things left hanging that didn't resolve and I hope they get resolved in future seasons. For instance, Kristine is found, but she thinks she is dead and won't communicate with anyone unless it's in a séance. We're also not really sure how or why Red John is connected to the suspected cop killer who is later burned. Considering the radical way the season ended, I'm hoping to get more answers in the new season.
Special features include a handful of unaired scenes, a featurette on the episode directed by Simon Baker himself and finally, a 30 minute featurette on criminal profiling by a panel of actual criminologists. I found this to be interesting, but a bit dry.
Overall, The Mentalist: The Complete Third Season is a great season with a mind-blowing season finale. If you've been watching the show and haven't yet seen this season, go get it immediately and catch up as the new season is about to start. Highly recommended.
