Translate

Friday 23 November 2012

The Mentalist 5.4 "Blood Feud" Review

Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) is arrested for a crime and viewers don't get to see what that's for until kind of flashback moments throughout.  He's arrested in front of his son Ben, but one of the agents says they shouldn't handcuff him in front of his son. He then has to answer to La Roche (Pruitt TaylorVince) who is back.  Rigsby's father, Steven (William Forsythe) appears again when he's found shot at a CS at Carson Springs California.  Following the death of a man who had associations with a drug family.

Rigsby and Lisbon (Robin Tunney) are at the hospital and Rigsby must question what his father did, calling him 'dad.'  Though Steven never calls his son by name, only, 'son.'  Yet through all their problems, Rigsby is genuinely concerned about his father's health.  Steven however is more interested in the gender of his grandchild and Rigsby tells him he's a boy.  Then asks if Lisbon is the mother, calling her pretty.  That was a funny moment and also rather  touching in that Rigsby wouldn't have relationship with Lisbon, not only as she's his boss, that agents can't date fellow agents, but that he's already gone down that route before with Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti).  He replies she's his boss.  Lisbon persists in her questioning even if Steven continues to evade the subject, even by being crude at one point, where Rigsby has to stop him.  Lisbon tells Rigsby to go home and spend time with Ben.

Lisbon and Patrick (Simon Baker) question Samantha (Daisy Eagen) Andy's business partner and Patrick determines she's holding something back as she didn't react when they told him Andy was involved with criminal Steven.  She replies she doesn't want to be involved.  Andy's father was an Overton and they have been feuding with the Lo Ryders, another gang.  Alluding to Rigsby and how his mother raised him and he became a good guy rather than following in his father's footsteps which is what many children do.

Rigsby tells La Riche Lisbon didn't want him on the case and was told to be cautious.  Cue Rigsby at the diner with Steven as he waits for his girlfriend.  Rigsby comments how Steven isn't going after his shooter cos he doesn't know who he is, if he did he would be doing exactly that.  A bit like Rigsby himself cos he too will think that way, when everyone suspects he will be gunning for revenge.  Steven tells them someone wanted to burn down the barbershop and then asks to see photos of his grandson.  As for the mother, Rigsby replies, "we're split up...the team was working a case, I faked my own death, she got mad, it's complicated."  Steven then keels over and Rigsby tells him to fight, but he dies.

The team express their sympathy, especially Van Pelt and Cho (Tim Kang) goes after him to tell him not to do it. He won't want Ben growing up with his father in jail. Patrick gets out of the lift and tells him the same.   Rigsby's motivation for finding his killer: cos his father would have done the same and killed him for it.  Thus he does believe his father had some feelings for him as a son if he could resort to such measures, him being a criminal aside.

Anyhow, the team pays a visit to Sue Overton (Jeanetta Arnette) and she's reluctant that she was dealing drugs and spits on her own rug.  She runs a dry cleaning business and Patrick comments she can clean her rug.  Then they visit Beltran (Michael Irby) the Lo Ryders leader who tells them she had a gang member killed.  Patrick devises a plan to get both of them talking.  Van Pelt is sent to the gym where she meets with Moss (Max Martini) who is very helpful to her.  He trains former gang members and keeps them out of trouble.  Of course it was immediately apparent he was a suspect and more involved in this, being too nice to Van Pelt for starters.  Anyway, Patrick's plan is to set up this meeting and Moss will be a kind of neutral referee, so to speak.  Overton and Beltran realize he was the one behind the killings so that the gang war would erupt again between the two sides.

Rigsby is also present and he gives chase to Moss, finally catching him up and shooting him.  Which was apparent otherwise he wouldn't be in front of La Roche now.  Patrick now perched in Lisbon's office tells her she's got too much paperwork one her hands.  La Roche frees Rigsby and enters Lisbon's office to tell her Rigsby acted "appropriately and with good judgement."  Then turns to Patrick, "you got away with it."  Patrick had the chance to set up the meeting at a remote place, Moss escaped and Rigsby was there.  Lisbon interjects that he shot at Rigsby first.

Patrick says he's flattered but he can't take the credit.  Yet he did have this cunning plan up his sleeve.  Even if Lisbon tries to unwittingly defend Patrick.  Seems La Roche has gotten to know our Patrick and his games.  Patrick feels "it's better to regret something you did do than something you didn't do."  Oh so sheepish Patrick.  He of course would say that, especially since a few seasons back he told Lisbon he was going to kill Red John and to make him suffer, when she told him he has to bring him in, she will bring him in and he'll have to go through her, cos she'll stop him.  Here he's given Rigsby the revenge Patrick so desperately wants against Red John. An opportunity to avenge his father's killing.  Also Lisbon was right as well, Moss didn't have to run.

Patrick also admits he called Rigsby and Lisbon didn't.  La Roche tells Lisbon her instincts in protecting her team are flawed and I love Patrick's reply here, "Well we all have our flaws here, don't we Agent LaRoche." Referring to the secret Patrick knows about him from Strawberries and Cream.

The scene where Patrick tries to get a slap from Beltran when he does the same to one of his gang, was included by Simon and wasn't written into the script by Jordan Harper.  Rigsby clearly was in some sort of agony after the shooting but it was self defence on his part, not his fault Cho was a little slow in giving chase and it's not in Rigsby's character or nature to take out hardened revenge like that.  Especially since Moss was also begging for a shoot out with his line of not being able to move.  Again it's in contrast to Patrick who is still gunning for revenge for Red John and feels he's helped Rigsby achieve that same goal too for his father.  Even if that's not what his real purpose was.  Moss was after all a ruthless killer and had his plan worked would have led to several more deaths and murders.  It appears in that sense Steven is more alike to Patrick with their sense of doing what's right for family and exacting revenge.

It was a revelation that Rigsby's girlfriend has left him especially after convincing him she was so in love with him and having the baby.  Again I have to ask, my cynical nature, is he really Rigsby's.  Of course once again it leaves the road open for him and Van Pelt to have some sort of a possible relationship, or not.  They clearly still have feelings for one another.

Follow at my Twitter @mila255h


No comments: