The Mentalist Season 5 Finale Recap: Brett Partridge Returns; Very Clever, Red John!

The Mentalist Season 5 finale is marked by Red John's very clever way of getting into Patrick Jane's head. Interestingly, a pilot episode suspect, Brett Partridge re-appears in perhaps the most important episode of the series since its 100th episode special. Is this creator Bruno Heller's way of saying, don't erase Partridge on your list of suspects just yet?

The Mentalist Season 5 Finale Recap: Red John's Rules

There's a murder victim with the Red John markers: dramatic display of the lifeless body and an eerie smiley painted on the wall with the victim's blood.

A crime scene photographer asks CBI forensic investigator Brett Partridge whether he thinks the murder is a legit Red John killing. Partridge boasts he's been covering RJ "since he began" and he could tell this crime's "bogus." The photographer asks about a recent RJ act, the murder of Lorelei Martins. Partridge says, "it doesn't count" because it's an "internal issue." At this point, Jane and Teresa Lisbon have just arrived. They are standing at the door, behind Partridge.

Jane asks Partridge, "Are you sure this isn't Red John?" He responds, quite stunned by Jane's stiff demeanor, "I'm surmising. You're the expert."

Only Jane and Lisbon are left in the room with the murder victim. Jane tells Lisbon the victim was murdered by Red John. He later finds some tiny digits of a phone number on the wall. It belongs to the Child Protective Services. Jane tells Lisbon he spent a little time at the CPS when he was a kid. Lisbon fears a connection.

On the way to the CPS, Jane tells Lisbon Red John - assuming Lorelei Martins gave him the right clue - is one of 1357 men he's shaken hands with since RJ murdered his wife and kids. He tells her this list has been narrowed down to 7 names, but he wouldn't let her know who the main suspects are.

Jane and Lisbon got information on the suspect's address. Jane realizes the suspect lives in (practically) his hometown. "Red John is deliberately bringing me home," says Jane.

Lisbon learns she knows some of the Red John suspects. She guesses J.J. La Roche. Fails.

Cho and Rigsby gets some screen time, only so the latter could bring up that he and Van Pelt are back together.

Jane finds a connection to his childhood and the murder victim. He feels Red John went inside his head just to kill a happy memory.

One of the suspects, Sean Barlowe, lets Lisbon and Jane hear she is "a little in-love with him" but "he's so secretive and controlling." The same suspect says Red John has "psychic powers." The pair avoids talking about this bit. But Jane sort of apologizes for being secretive and controlling. He tells Lisbon one name on the list: CBI Director Gale Bertram.

It turns out the person in charge at the CPS is working with Red John. (She does look like Cristina, doesn't she?) She gives Jane a CD, which contains a video of Lorelei Martins. Teresa gets her turn to watch the video in the last few minutes of the episode.

It is revealed Red John knows all the names in Jane's RJ list. (See the photos for the list of names.) The episode ends with Lorelei giving Red John's new rule: He will keep killing until Jane catches him, or the other way around.

The Mentalist Season 5 Finale Quotes

"No offense, but you don't have dishonesty in you." - Jane to Lisbon

"You think you're getting closer, but he's just playing with you." - Sean Barlow

"What if dolphins are actually aliens from another galaxy?" - Jane

"You got a lucky break. That's not clever." - Red John to Jane

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