“So you think we’re pretty good right?”

I wasn’t sure what to think of when I heard about The Mentalist because 1) I’m a big fan of Pysch (a similiary premised show) and 2) I think Simon Baker looks funny.

So I went into The Mentalist with my defenses up and looking for a reason to not like the show; what I found was that the show was enjoyable and fairly exciting.

The strongest part of the show so far has been Simon Baker, while I think he looks funny, he carries the show well. He plays the part of a conman surprisingly well with equal parts charm and ingenuity. It’s actually quite exciting to see him solving cases and outsmarting people; the show does a great job of framing each mystery and building the suspense until the reveal. Robin Tunney plays the straight cop and she’s serviceable which, as a whole, seems like a waste because it feels like there’s more for her character to do.  Come to think of it, the rest of the cast is serviceable but the way the stories are written and framed, they go under used. I can see that the characters are there, they just need something to do. Robin Tunney ,especially, she plays well of Baker and really gives him an effective foil.

The story of the show is generally interesting but the overall story arc is really good. While each episode stands alone, there are enough hints of back story to keep you interested and wondering what’s going to happen next. Also, each of the mysteries so far has been fairly well written and provides enough suspense and tension that you’re waiting to find out how each one is resolved. What doesn’t work for me though is as exciting it is to see Simon Baker’s character at work, I wish they would outline his train of thought more during each episode. He explains his train of thought at end of each episode and while it makes sense, I ultimately think it would be more enjoyable to let the viewers in on the game. Actually, Simon Baker’s character actually feels too smart and it feels like the cops aren’t really there to do more than just run around until he solves the mystery. I think it would prove to be much more enjoyable if the rest of the cast were to give Simon Baker’s character a run for his money in terms of solving each case.

Overall, The Mentalist is a pretty good show. The mysteries are well written and the main character is actually very enjoyable. While the dynamics of the rest of the cast are still a bit uneven, with some work, I actually feel like this show could be a whole lot better. You could do worse with your television watching and I would recommend the Mentalist.

There are crappier shows on the air.

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