"The Mentalist" loses a bit of thrill when Red John does not seem to be lurking nearby, making his presence felt somehow. But when Patrick Jane goes live on TV, viewers can be sure Red John is watching. And when a questionable new character, such as Bob Kirkland is introduced, suspicion alarm goes off.

Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) goes on live television in the latest episode of "The Mentalist" (Season 5 Episode 7: If It Bleeds, It Leads). The TV appearance is part of his scheme to catch a news anchor.

The Mentalist New Characters: Tommy Volker, Bob Kirkland

Two curious characters appear in "If it Bleeds." One appears to be a regular bad guy, the other stinks of an evil vibe. The regular bad guy, Tommy Volker (Henry Ian Cusick), watches closely as a woman is killed by his hired assassin. (Okay, he may not be a regular bad guy, but the other new character could be a lot worse.)

The other character with the evil vibe is Bob Kirkland (Kevin Corrigan), purportedly from Homeland Security. He first brought an ominous feel to the series when he first appeared in "Red Dawn," the 100th episode of The Mentalist. In that flashback episode, Kirkland is seen on board a limo with FBI agent Alexa Shultz (Polly Walker). Shultz asks CBI chief Virgil Minelli to report any updates on the Red John case. That way, she says, she could report properly to her boss. She then turns to Kirkland, and tells him, "Done." From that scene alone, it does seem Bob Kirkland is Red John. (But this couldn't be that easy, right?)

Up next, Episode 8: "Red Sails in the Sunset"

Flash forward to "If it Bleeds." Bob Kirkland introduces himself to Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney). He tells her to pull back on the Volker chase. Then he bumps into Jane on the hallway. The way Kirkland hints to Jane that he knew the CBI consultant is just loaded. He could either be Red John himself or someone with the same agenda as Jane - a personal vengeance against RJ.

Next week in "Red Sails in the Sunset," both Lorelei (Emmanuelle Chriqui) and Bob are set to return. Avid viewers should not miss it.

"The Mentalist" viewers shout out on Twitter

Love that Patrick Jane's role is getting darker as the episodes progress :) - @z_Snow_z

Another Patrick Jane v Red John ep... hell yeah! #thementalist - @michaeljphelan

Also read:

The Mentalist Season 5: Is Patrick Jane Getting Closer to Red John?

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