Cho interrogates Summer as Lisbon looks on. Photo via Daemon TV.

Is it just my imagination or did The Mentalist seem different last night, visually and tonally? I’m not enough of an expert, nor do I care enough to become one, on the differences and intricacies of a particular director’s “style.” The one exception being Rob Bowman’s tendency to cut the top of character’s heads off when framing them. But, there was something different about the look of The Mentalist last night. For those of you that are interested in that aspect of television, feel free to detail the subtleties in the comments below.

Tonally, it felt like the investigation was equally Jane’s and the team’s win. Of course, the final showdown was another one of Jane’s cons, but the investigative portion of the show didn’t get the shaft for the Patrick Jane show. That is a balance that the show needs to continue to hit. Blah, blah, blah. I’ve said all of this before.

The best part of Pink Tops was the introduction of a hooker with a heart of gold (are there any other kind in Hollywood?), Summer Edgecombe (Samaire Armstrong). She was sassy without being confrontational, informational without having an angle. From all appearances, she is just making a living the easiest way she knows how. Cho was instantly smitten with her. Yes, you read that right. Cho. He even cracked a smile. Lisbon, watching Cho interrogate Summer through the two way glass, even confessed to liking her. I don’t blame them. She is a breath of fresh air in a group that needs a little levity. I do hope that she becomes an recurring character, as Cho’s offer for her to become his confidential informant implied. Of course, that just means there is one other person for Red John to target.

Only one mention of Red John, at the end when Lisbon tells Jane, “It’s time. We need to talk about Red John.” He sneaks away, of course, so that’s left dangling. The beginning of the episode implied that Lisbon was working round the clock and getting little sleep, because of the Red John murder, no doubt.

So little happened in this episode, the mystery was middling to fair, that I have no Other Thoughts besides the common refrain, “Where is Kristina Frye?” Maybe if I keep asking that someone will take notice and answer.

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