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The Mentalist 3X9: Red Moon
🕑 Added 2025-08-26 00:11:14 +0000 UTCUm, for whatever reason, I really enjoyed Jane playing this other 'psychic'. Also, even after trying to work it through twice, I cannot figure out how Jane figured this out. Usually his explanations make sense, but this time it sort of just seemed like he knew stuff that I have no idea how he knew.
So, we've got a bunch of dead people to start. Two police officers an the fiancé of an officer. The local PD, obviously, are not thrilled. Lisbon is kind of desperate to turn the case over to the FBI (I thought CBI was basically the same as FBI, learn something new every episode, I guess), but Jane is intrigued and asks her to please take the case. She reluctantly does.
They head to talk to the officer whose fiancé was killed (at the crime scene he vowed to kill whoever did it). He and the fiancé lived with her grandfather. He had nothing but wonderful things to say about them both. If not for them, he'd be homeless. When we get into the house we see a bunch of empty alcohol bottles, but nothing else to note.
Todd (the fiancée) apologizes for his outburst at the scene and claims he was just overwhelmed. Lisbon thanks him and they go on with the interview. However, Jane is convinced more is going on there and prods him about how good vengeance feels and doesn't he want to go for it. Todd eventually excuses himself and Lisbon is (no surprise here) upset at Jane's way of woking the case.
Some psychic shows up at the station claiming he can help. But he doesn't want Grace (he thinks she's too young and pretty) and choosing to wait for her supervisor. When Lisbon shows up, she basically tosses him out. But he tells Jane there will be another murder and he can help. Jane takes his card, but sends him on his way.
After talking to some people at the diner dead girl worked at, Rigsby and Cho pull a truck driver in for questioning. He, however, claims that Rusty (the cook who they also interviewed was the problem). So, they bring him in as well. He's got what looks like defensive wounds on his arms and Lisbon brings him to CBI headquarters.
Turns out, Todd is at the station when they get there. He sees Rusty being brought in and starts wailing on him. Jane vouches for him and tells Hightower he can get him to apologize. And if he does, will she drop the charges. She agrees. He brings him up to that floor his been living/sleeping on and tells him about what he needs to do to get actual revenge. And now that Jane has taught him, he needs to pretend to apologize. He does. Hightower rolls with it, and he's free to go.
So, long story short, it is actually Todd who's been committing these murders. But, I cannot figure out how Jane knows this. He sets up a Jane Plan where the psychic is framed for the murders. He brings Todd to the motel where he is and hands him a gun to kill him. But, Todd refuses because he says he knows it wasn't him. They let psychic go, but then, Todd turns on Jane.
Jane tells him that he knows it was him because he was upset that his fiancé was getting too clingy (how?) so he killed her. He got her grandfather drunk and used him as an alibi for a poker game on the night she died. I have no idea how he could have figured out any of this. I just can't connect the dots. Does anyone wanna help?
Comments
Heather
It's also probably left open because of the guys possible connection to Red John.
Heather
Even though things are usually more concrete and direct on how Jane arrives to his conclusions it's still generally guesswork with his gags providing the evidence. Though in this case, Todd never admitted to anything even after the gag, so it's still left up to interpretation. Todd's reason for killing his fiancee, the pattern of the VA checks, the sheriff finding the button are all pretty much circumstantial. I like to think that Jane saw something different in his vengeance in comparison to Todd's, where Todd's appeared inauthentic and that's what tipped him off. He was trying too hard.
