119 Fun Facts About The Mentalist

Which stage skill does Patrick Jane excel at in The Mentalist?

Hypnosis is a skill Jane uses to get suspects to confess and witnesses to remember what they saw.

Which tattoo does Jane learn Red John has on his left shoulder?

Three dots, revealed in a dying woman's last words, and when Jane bares five suspects' shoulders at gunpoint, three have the mark.

Who created The Mentalist?

Bruno Heller is the brother of novelist Zoë Heller, whose Notes on a Scandal was shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

What were the names of Jane's murdered wife and daughter?

Angela and Charlotte: the girl's name, Charlotte Jane, comes from two films written by the creator's father, Hush...Hush, Sweet Charlotte and What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?

Why did Red John murder Patrick Jane's wife and daughter?

He taunted him on TV, boasting that psychic powers had helped police profile him, and Red John took revenge by killing them.

Why does Sam Bosco have Jane arrested in The Mentalist's second season?

For bugging his office, and Jane chooses jail over resigning from the CBI, then helps solve a murder from his cell.

What show did CBS want The Mentalist to work as a companion to?

NCIS was the hit CBS wanted a companion for, and the show's creator wanted to prove he could do something different.

Which USA Network comedy was The Mentalist frequently compared to?

Psych, about a fake psychic consulting for Santa Barbara police, drew comparisons and made repeated jokes about the later show's similarities.

Where was The Mentalist mostly filmed?

Los Angeles County's studio zone hosted most of the filming, with only occasional location scenes in Sacramento, where the story is set.

In The Mentalist's first season, what does Jane stage to trap the killer of a wealthy heiress?

A séance, which her loved ones think will expose her psychic, Kristina Frye, as a fraud, is really Jane's trap for the killer.

Which classic film star did The Mentalist's creator imagine for the role of Patrick Jane?

Cary Grant was the model, and like Jane he began as a travelling showman, touring as a teenager with Bob Pender's troupe of acrobats.

Which network began syndicating The Mentalist in the fall of 2011?

TNT took the reruns, and in summer 2015 CBS itself carried the show weeknights as part of its temporary late-night lineup.

How does Jane get around for most of The Mentalist?

A Citroen DS, a DS 21 Pallas; a DS famously saved Charles de Gaulle in 1962, escaping machine-gun fire at full speed on two punctured tyres.

What does Jane drink in nearly every episode?

Tea is his drink in nearly every episode, while Jane openly dislikes coffee.

What is missing from Jane's trademark three-piece suit?

A tie: the vests are also a magician thing, since performers wear them so they have somewhere to hide things.

Which habit does Kimball Cho finally give up in The Mentalist's fourth season?

Painkillers he had taken since an accident on an earlier case end up flushed down the toilet after Rigsby is almost shot.

What mental technique does Patrick Jane rely on to store huge amounts of information?

The memory palace lets Jane recall massive bodies of information, and he is also a skilled pickpocket and lock picker.

How was the young Jane billed in his swindler father's carnival psychic act?

The Boy Wonder was his billing; in 'Throwing Fire' a blow to the head sends Jane back to childhood memories of his father Alex's act.

What does Jane temporarily lose after a bomb explodes in The Mentalist's first season?

His sight, and while relying on his other senses Jane realises he is the killer's next target.

What did Jane suffer before he joined the CBI, a fact kept out of his records?

A nervous breakdown followed his family's murder, and in season four Jane fakes another one to lure Red John into making contact.

Which boss first hired Patrick Jane as a consultant?

Virgil Minelli hired him after Jane, hunting the Red John files, goaded an agent into punching him.

In "Fugue in Red", what causes Jane to partially lose his memory?

A near drowning while chasing a firefighter's killer wipes his recent memory, turning Jane back into his old con-man self.

Whom does Jane shoot with a shotgun in "Red John's Footsteps" to save Lisbon's life?

Dumar Hardy was about to shoot Lisbon, and he became the first of four men Jane kills in the series.

Which poem frames the symbolic relationship between Jane and Red John?

The Tyger's opening words are what Red John follower Todd Johnson whispers to Jane as he dies from burns in custody.

Where does Jane live during the two years after killing Red John?

A Spanish-speaking island, never named, though the phone code shown there, 58, points to Venezuela.

What condition does Jane set before joining the FBI?

That Lisbon works with him was his price, along with his charges being dropped, and Lisbon then became an FBI special agent.

What vehicle does Jane switch to after the death of Red John?

A 1985 Airstream trailer came with a new look: after Red John's death Jane also stopped wearing his signature vests.

In the Mentalist episode 'Rose-Colored Glasses', where does Rigsby go undercover?

A high school reunion, where the team investigates a double homicide that may be linked to an old prank.

What signature does Red John leave at his crime scenes?

A smiley face drawn in blood, always clockwise with three fingers of a gloved right hand; in 'Red John's Footsteps' one even appears as skywriting.

In The Mentalist's season-two finale, who commits the murder that interrupts Jane's first date with Kristina?

A copycat killer, and when the copycat is about to kill Jane, the real Red John steps in and saves him.

Who turns out to be Red John?

Sheriff Thomas McAllister of Napa County had first turned up, unassumingly, in season one's second episode.

Which actor played the unmasked Red John?

Xander Berkeley met his wife, Sarah Clarke, on the set of 24, where he played her CTU boss George Mason.

What is the name of the secret organisation Red John founded and led?

The Blake Association, a secret ring of corrupt California lawmen, was founded and led by Red John, and its members confirm each other with a password.

Which actor played Timothy Carter, the man Jane shoots in a mall believing him to be Red John?

Bradley Whitford, The West Wing's Josh Lyman, played Carter, a Red John minion and decoy, and Jane stood trial for the killing.

How does Rosalind Harker confirm that Timothy Carter was an impostor?

By touching his face in the morgue, the blind Rosalind, who had lived with Red John for a while, knew she had never met Carter.

What alias did Red John use during his relationship with Rosalind Harker?

Roy Tagliaferro was the name he used with her, and 'ROY' later turns up in a photo from another of his crime scenes.

In the Mentalist episode 'Throwing Fire', what hits Jane on the head and triggers flashbacks to his childhood?

A baseball: Jane is clocked by a ball while examining a baseball scout's murder scene, stirring memories of his father Alex.

Which CBI figure made Jane's final list of seven Red John suspects?

Gale Bertram, the CBI director, was later exposed as a member of Red John's secret network and killed on his orders.

In the Mentalist episode 'Devil's Cherry', after accidentally swallowing belladonna, whom does Jane hallucinate talking to?

His late daughter, as a teenager, and the vision tells him to stop obsessing over Red John and build a life.

Who plays Lorelei Martins, the Red John acolyte sent to seduce Jane in a Las Vegas bar?

Emmanuelle Chriqui, Sloan on Entourage, played Lorelei, who worked for Red John while posing as a cocktail waitress.

What does Red John demand as a "present" before he will meet Jane in person?

Lisbon's head was the price of a meeting, so Jane staged Lisbon's murder before setting out to meet the killer.

What fact does Lorelei Martins let slip in season five?

Jane has already shaken Red John's hand, Lorelei lets slip, and she is later murdered by Red John himself.

Who was the blogger James Panzer really, in the episode "Blinking Red Light"?

The San Joaquin Killer was Panzer's secret; after Jane goaded him into disparaging Red John, he was found dead with all the hallmarks of a Red John murder.

What does the little girl Hailey say Red John told her to ask Jane?

Do you give up yet? is her question, after she greets him with 'Hello, Patrick' and says his friend told her his name.

Why does Lorelei Martins turn on Red John in season five?

To find out if he killed her sister Miranda, Lorelei sets out after Red John on her own.

Which church, run by Bret Stiles, is Red John suspected of having belonged to?

Visualize, a self-realization church, is tied with Red John to a 25-year-old triple homicide at a barn on Elliston Farm.

Which agency does Bob Kirkland, one of Jane's final suspects, work for?

Homeland Security agent Bob Kirkland was pursuing Red John to avenge his brother.

Who kills Bob Kirkland in The Mentalist episode 'Red Listed'?

Reede Smith kills him, and the killer then seals the cover-up with a fellow lawman by trading a secret password.

Where does Jane gather the remaining Red John suspects in "Fire and Brimstone"?

His old house, the family home, hosts the gathering, and an explosion appears to kill three suspects, though one of them, Red John, survives.

Where does the final confrontation between Jane and Red John begin?

A cemetery chapel, in the cemetery where Jane's wife and daughter are buried.

What weakness of Red John's does Jane exploit to make him drop his gun?

A fear of birds, it seems: Jane distracts him with breadcrumbs and a pigeon, then grabs a gun he had taped under a pew.

How does Jane finally kill Red John?

He strangles him beside a pond, ending a chase through a neighbourhood and a playground after Jane had already shot him once.

Which two questions does Jane make Red John answer by blinking before killing him?

McAllister blinks twice, meaning yes, to both.

What did The Mentalist's creator compare Red John to, saying Jane was fighting more than an ordinary serial killer?

Moriarty: the creator said Jane isn't fighting the Green River Killer but Moriarty, and like Moriarty, Red John has agents willing to kill or die for him.

In The Mentalist episode 'Red Moon', whose help does Jane accept to solve a triple homicide?

A local astrologer, Ellis Mars, and the case leads Jane to an EMT, Todd Johnson, who has been murdering police officers.

Which Red John operative kills Sam Bosco and his team in 'His Red Right Hand'?

Rebecca Anderson was the team's own secretary, and Red John wanted the killings to put Jane back on his case.

In the Mentalist episode 'Red John's Footsteps', who goes missing after young Emma Plaskett is murdered?

Her twin sister, Maya, vanishes, and the case leads the team to a blind woman who had a relationship with Red John.

What is the name of the CBI team Teresa Lisbon leads?

The Serious Crimes Unit was Lisbon's command; after the CBI she became a small-town police chief in Washington State, then an FBI agent.

Which city's police force did Lisbon serve on before joining the CBI?

San Francisco's police department is where she worked under Lieutenant Sam Bosco, who later led the CBI's Red John investigation.

In which city was Lisbon raised?

Chicago is Lisbon's hometown, and in 'Little Yellow House' she takes Jane there to track down an underachieving younger brother.

How was Lisbon's mother killed when Lisbon was twelve?

A drunk driver killed her mother, leaving young Teresa to care for her younger brothers and their abusive, alcoholic father.

What are the names of Lisbon's three younger brothers?

Tommy, James and Stanley were left in young Teresa's care; Tommy later turns up as a bounty hunter, and Jimmy is an avid gambler.

Lisbon's name was borrowed from a character in which novel?

The Virgin Suicides follows five doomed Lisbon sisters, and the eldest, Therese, lent her surname to the no-nonsense CBI agent.

What does the devout Catholic Lisbon recite while wearing a bomb vest in "Strawberries and Cream"?

The Hail Mary was her prayer under the bomb vest, and in 'The Crimson Hat' a visibly upset Lisbon also visits a church.

Which billionaire makes repeated passes at Lisbon and briefly wins her over in "Red Hot"?

Walter Mashburn, a thrill-seeking billionaire, was treated as a suspect in 'Red Hot' before sparks flew with Lisbon; he later leaves for Europe.

Which ruthless tycoon does Lisbon finally shoot and arrest at a public zoo?

Tommy Volker had wiped out an entire Amazon village, and at the zoo he was chasing a boy who had witnessed one of his crimes.

Why is Lisbon suspended in The Mentalist's 'Blood Money'?

Failing to control Jane cost Lisbon five days after his sneaky tactics got a confessed hitman's case thrown out of court.

Before joining the CBI, Wayne Rigsby spent two years as what kind of investigator in San Diego?

Arson was his specialty, though his father, a career criminal in a notorious biker gang, kept causing him trouble on the job.

Which street gang was Kimball Cho a member of as a teenager?

The Avon Park Playboys were Cho's teenage gang, and he went on to serve in Special Forces before becoming a police officer.

What secret nicknames did Bosco's team give Cho and Rigsby?

Ernie and Bert were the Bosco team's names for Cho and Rigsby, and Cho claimed not to mind, since 'Ernie's the clever, handsome one'.

Which team member on The Mentalist is deeply spiritual and clashes with Jane when he dismisses psychic phenomena?

Grace Van Pelt dated fellow agent Wayne Rigsby despite CBI rules against it.

Whom was Van Pelt engaged to before being forced to kill him as a Red John mole?

Craig O'Laughlin, an FBI agent, shot Lisbon at Hightower's hideout before Van Pelt and Hightower shot him dead in tandem.

What do Rigsby and Van Pelt do after leaving the CBI?

They co-run a private security firm, and return in the series finale as guests at Jane and Lisbon's wedding.

What is the name of the son Rigsby has with ex-girlfriend Sarah Harrigan?

Benjamin was born at the end of season four; his mother, Sarah Harrigan, was a public defender the team met on a case who later became an ADA.

Which FBI supervisory agent persuades Jane to join his Austin-based team?

Dennis Abbott offers to drop all charges over the killing of Red John, and later transfers to Washington with his wife Lena.

How does Agent Kim Fischer leave Jane's FBI team before The Mentalist's seventh season?

She transfers to Seattle, as the season-seven premiere explains, and Emily Swallow, who played her, is now best known as the Armorer in The Mandalorian.

Which rookie FBI agent dies in The Mentalist's 'Nothing Gold Can Stay'?

Michelle Vega is shot in a diner gunfight with armored-car robbers, and fearing he could lose Lisbon next, Jane tells her he is leaving.

What is Jason Wylie's role on the FBI team?

Tech analyst Wylie first proves himself by finding Jane after Jane spray-paints the road to reveal his location.

What does Jane's FBI boss confide about his past in Rio Bravo?

He shot dead a cartel leader, and his old boss later tried to use the evidence against him as his wife sought a Washington post.

Who plays Bret Stiles, the church leader who keeps hinting he knows about Red John?

Malcolm McDowell's Stiles later helps Jane break Lorelei Martins out of prison, then dies in the bombing in 'Fire and Brimstone'.

What happens to psychic Kristina Frye after The Mentalist's season-two finale?

She is found catatonic months later, and it was a tip from cult leader Bret Stiles that helped the team find her.

Who arrives as Lisbon's new boss at the CBI in "The Red Box"?

Madeleine Hightower took over after Bosco's team was murdered, and Red John's network later framed her for murder.

Where does Jane hide a fugitive CBI colleague to help her escape?

In the trunk of LaRoche's car she is smuggled away, after Jane lets her take him hostage to get out of CBI headquarters.

Which department does the quirky J.J. LaRoche head when he arrives in "Jolly Red Elf"?

As head of Internal Affairs, LaRoche was brought in after Todd Johnson died in CBI custody, and he soon removed Lisbon as team leader.

Which old CBI suspect is behind the booby-trapped shotgun that kills J.J. LaRoche?

Richard Haibach was targeting former CBI agents with an accomplice, and Rigsby shot him dead as he was about to chop off one of Jane's fingers.

Which actress plays the seductive killer Erica Flynn?

Morena Baccarin's Erica Flynn was a matchmaker Jane proved had killed her husband, a case that put her in prison.

Which future star plays FBI art-theft agent Marcus Pike, Lisbon's fiance in season six?

Pedro Pascal played Pike as his breakout role, Game of Thrones' Oberyn Martell, reached screens in 2014.

What is Brett Partridge's job in The Mentalist?

Forensic Science lead agent Brett Partridge became one of Jane's final Red John suspects and was killed in the season-six premiere.

What was Brenda Shettrick, head of CBI Media Relations, arrested for?

Leaking CBI information to criminals got Brenda Shettrick arrested, and she had also been blackmailing LaRoche over a tupperware container Jane never opens.

Which secret member of Stiles's church becomes Jane's temporary boss after Lisbon is suspended?

Ray Haffner, a former FBI and CBI agent, ran the team Jane was assigned to until Jane got it replaced by Rigsby and Van Pelt.

What is Summer Edgecombe's occupation when Cho recruits her as an informant?

Summer Edgecombe, a prostitute, became Cho's informant until he fired her for recklessness after she was hurt in a sting.

Which professional thief does Jane hire to steal LaRoche's suspect list in "Redacted"?

Donny Culpepper had first met the team as a murder suspect when a wealthy jeweler was killed in 'A Price Above Rubies'.

Which FBI agent investigating the Panzer case is told by Jane that Red John is still alive?

Susan Darcy never believed Red John was dead, and when Jane admitted the killer was alive she accused him of being an accomplice.

In The Mentalist's season-six finale, where does Jane chase Lisbon to confess his love?

Onto her DC-bound plane at the airport: Jane had reopened a cold case to delay Lisbon's move to Washington, and she stormed off once she saw through the ruse.

What is the title of The Mentalist's final episode?

White Orchids closed a two-part series finale on February 18, 2015, in which Jane and Lisbon finally marry.

What does Lisbon reveal to Jane at the very end of The Mentalist's finale?

She is pregnant, Lisbon tells Jane after they marry, with Rigsby and Van Pelt among the guests.

What alias does the final-season serial killer Joe Keller Jr. use when he phones Jane on air?

As Lazarus, he wants Jane to reach his serial-killer father's spirit, and Jane escapes by rigging an explosion with a lightbulb and chewing gum.

Which season-seven episode did the show's lead actor direct?

The briefcase Jane threatens to open contains only a note reading "curiosity killed the cat".

In "Orange Blossom Ice Cream", which city are Jane and Lisbon sent to?

In Beirut, former adversary Erica Flynn helps the FBI catch her boyfriend in exchange for amnesty, then tries to steal his money.

How does Lisbon flush out the murderer at poker in 'Little Yellow House'?

She says the killer holds an ace during a camera-monitored game that her gambler brother agreed to play with the other witnesses.

In The Mentalist's seventh season, where does Lisbon go undercover to bust a car-theft ring?

A women's prison holds car thief Marie Flanigan, and Lisbon poses as an inmate there so the pair can escape and lead the FBI to Marie's partner.

Which season-five episode flashes back to how Jane first talked his way into the CBI?

Red Dawn shows a grieving Jane goading an agent into punching him, which won him access to the Red John files.

Which 24 actress plays the psychic Kristina Frye on The Mentalist?

Leslie Hope, once Jack Bauer's wife Teri on 24, plays Frye, a psychic who becomes a love interest for Jane.

Which Australian actor plays Patrick Jane?

Simon Baker, born in Launceston, Tasmania, earned an Emmy nomination in 2009 for playing Jane.

Which earlier CBS legal drama earned The Mentalist's lead actor a Golden Globe nomination in 2002?

The Guardian cast him as Nick Fallin, a hotshot lawyer sentenced to community service representing children after he was caught using drugs.

Which Star Trek: Voyager star plays Jason Cooper, a scheming executive in Bret Stiles's church?

Robert Picardo, famous as Voyager's holographic Doctor, played Cooper in four episodes as a duplicitous lieutenant of cult leader Bret Stiles.

Before playing Teresa Lisbon, Robin Tunney starred as teenage witch Sarah Bailey in which 1990s cult film?

The Craft kept her in a wig throughout filming, because she had shaved her head for Empire Records.

On which show did Robin Tunney play Veronica Donovan before The Mentalist?

Prison Break cast Robin Tunney as Veronica Donovan in its first season, a year after she played a kindergarten teacher with aphasia in the House pilot.

Which HBO series had The Mentalist's creator co-created earlier?

Rome was so expensive that HBO ended it after two seasons, and its co-creator went on to build The Mentalist for network TV.

The Mentalist's creator went on to develop which DC Comics series?

Gotham, a Batman prequel, was developed for Fox by The Mentalist's creator and ran to 100 episodes.

In 'Black Helicopters', what kind of group does Jane join after an American prosecutor is found dead in Mexico?

A separatist commune is where the case takes Jane undercover, though the dead attorney had turned up in Mexico with no record of crossing the border.

Which award did The Mentalist win in January 2009?

The People's Choice for Favorite New TV Drama came during its debut season, after a pilot that drew 15.6 million viewers.

In The Mentalist's season-seven premiere, what do Jane and Lisbon keep secret from their colleagues?

Their new relationship stays hidden from coworkers, following the love confession that ended season six.

Which two original cast members left The Mentalist during season six?

Owain Yeoman and Amanda Righetti, married on screen as Rigsby and Van Pelt, bowed out in 'White as the Driven Snow' on 23 March 2014.

Which Game of Thrones director also directed The Mentalist's pilot?

David Nutter directed Game of Thrones' Red Wedding episode, 'The Rains of Castamere', which won a Hugo Award.

In 'Fugue in Red', what does Cho conclude about Jane?

His family's death made him a better person, Cho tells colleagues after amnesia revives Jane's selfish pre-CBI con-man self.

Which prop from Jane's psychic days can be seen in his old Malibu home?

Framed magazine covers bearing his photo hung in the Malibu house his fake psychic career paid for.

Which former 1980s child star plays Lisbon's bounty-hunter brother on The Mentalist?

Henry Thomas, E.T.'s young Elliott, first appears as Lisbon's brother while tracking a bail jumper, his teenage daughter in tow.

The back of which historic downtown building doubles as the CBI's Sacramento headquarters?

Pico House, a historic hotel, supplies the rear view used for CBI headquarters, and the show only occasionally filmed in Sacramento itself.