Series Review – The Mentalist

Almost everyone these days are following different TV series, which explain different storylines and scripts. It is indeed addictive when watched from a laptop. Some of them really bring out the child in us.Here is my first ever review on one of my most favorite TV shows.

Cop: “So, the dead man tell you who done it?”

A pause followed by a sneer. From the tall man with blonde hair who bends over the body, sniffing him out.

“Leather pants, musky cologne, phallic jewellery. A ladies man. Went after high end cougars with moderate success. Casual cocaine user. Plays guitar-not well. Works in the non creative end of a creative business. Advertising maybe. Nothing worth killing anyone over anyway. So he died from romantic reasons. Where are those suspects you mentioned?”

Cop (sheepish and dumbfounded): “The witnesses?”

“Whatever.”

For all those out there who had seen The Mentalist- s02e01 and find this familiar, I know that even you were grinning and scratching your heads with your mouths open, regardless of whether you saw it with or without the subtitles. But for the eyes which still remain puzzled and eyebrows which still remain raised, you are about to read a review of CBS’ most eagerly watched TV series – The Mentalist, from an ardent, totally hooked, die-hard fan of the show. Me.

Everyone in my family is a hardcore fan of Sherlock Holmes. Why, almost the entire literary world still remains in awe of the famous sleuth’s methods and powers of deduction. It is a common fact that some feature, script, or trivia in the aired/currently airing crime oriented series is inspired and influenced from Doyle’s Holmes. Psych, Millennium, House and Castle to name a few. Bruno Heller, creator and executive producer of The Mentalist also openly stated this fact. This series, however, captures imagination and experience to give its fans a delightful, humour filled and more importantly, an intellectual treat. A treat which I feel, has been delivered with outstanding screenplay, an intriguing plot and spellbinding dialogue delivery from an ensemble cast.

The entire series chiefly revolves around the developments after the personal trauma of the protagonist, Patrick Jane, who initially is a con-man, pretending to be a psychic to help tragic victims. He taunts an unknown serial killer named Red John, on the pretext of helping the police in catching him, on live television. In retaliation, Red John murders his wife and daughter, leaving Jane an emotionally broken man. He then joins the CBI (California Bureau of Investigation) in the quest of catching him, assisting Special Agent Teresa Lisbon and her team. Quite unlike the other agents, Jane, who is only a consultant, uses his uncanny abilities to manipulate people and read their minds, eventually becoming CBI’s valuable asset- unearthing clues, uncovering secrets and hence solving many gruesome and strange homicides.

Simon Baker, who plays Jane, fits into his role as a mentalist with absurd ease. For a man above 40 and voted as the sexiest man in 2009 by V magazine, Baker is still a heartthrob to many fans of the show. Robin Tunney, playing Lisbon, equally shares the limelight with Jane sharing witty moments of trust and cop issues. Tim Kang dons the role of Kimball Cho, the tough agent with a deadpan sense of humour. The Joker and Romeo of the team is Wayne Rigsby, another agent who keenly mimics Jane’s antics played by Owain Yeoman. The glamour quotient and the romance element are further spiced up by Amanda Righetti who plays Grace Van Pelt, a young and an eager agent. Special guest appearances are occasionally graced by other notable actors namely Emannuelle Chriqui, Samaire Armstrong, Micheal Gaston, Terry Kinney and others (the former two in the later seasons).

As of June 2012, The Mentalist has completed four seasons with good ratings. And CBS has renewed it for a fifth season as well. Show times were shifted from Thursdays 8 30 pm to Sundays 8 30 pm starting from the fifth season. There are many episodes/cases in the show which are independent from the Red John storyline. Bruno Heller uses such episodes to display the deep bonding and the other side of the agents’ lives. This and the intriguing fact that the viewers have not got to see even the antagonist’s face keep the series going strong every year.

The Mentalist is not just a series where mind-boggling-but-simple deductions are made and few laughs are shared. The show also portrays pretty accurately the psychology of people, the reasons for criminal bent of mind and sheds light and knowledge on lot of other worldly happenings. It can be said that Heller is a man of spiritual experience and a wise person who has understood the ways of the world, for there are many deep meanings that can be perceived from almost every scene. My family and I are eagerly waiting for the fifth season.

Now I am going to read you like a notebook and voice what your mind is thinking. Hmmmm.......

You are excited. And tempted. You feel the article is good and has nicely captivated your mind. The need to know more about this series is increasing. I can FEEL the aura around you, slowly and gently, oscillating with questions......

Im pretty good, right? No???

Never mind. Thank you for your time.

The premiere of season 5 of The Mentalist is scheduled to be telecast on  Sunday, September 30th, 2012. Catch the action and drama as the mystery deepens!!

The vices

Every time i talk to people about common sense, goodness and remaining pure, I always mention the 5 vices that affect the humanity around us. What are the 5 vices? This post will be the RHYTHMSPEAK of the August month and will explain them. I hope all my readers would benefit immensely from this. Wishing all of you the greetings of this season, here it goes.



Of what use is Anger
which rattles all men of honor and peace?
It is 'd' short of danger
destructs and devastates with ease.

Of what good is Greed
when empty-handed, souls arrive and depart?
Tis the sole cause for hierarchy and creed
wrenching humanity and morals apart.

Of what good is Lust
which fosters only jealousy and lies?
Control of senses and organs, a must
lest we perish in its vice.

Of what good is Attachment
a harsh predecessor of love and then sorrow?
Right from the womb to the tomb, tis a constant predicament
to those awaiting for the morrow.

Of what good is Ego
that cloud the intellect and reason of mind?
Better late than never to forgo
such vices, it may strike us blind.

Blind enough to embrace the madness 
of sin, blasphemy and many a lunacy.
Oh Lord, engulfed in illusion and sadness
we pray unto you, "Mercy, Mercy!"

Absolutely Random

This is my first not-a-prior-prepared post. I still dont understand what came over me to write this.




 Every time wanted to pen my thoughts down, I got hooked on to some other work immediately. Why am I starting my post like this? Because I did not convert my thoughts into a writing for about 5 times in the last week or so!


One question that I, and probably all the writers/students/people, should ask themselves is this: "What are my priorities and in what order should I go about them?"

I realized that being skilled in many areas is a dangerous positive rather than a helpful one. Being a Jack of all trades comes along with the price of having no space to breathe. The reason simply being that you try to put your foot in all the places and finally toppling down due to lack of balance. 

That kept me thinking, was my passion really writing? Or did I want to flaunt my skills to satisfy my ego? 

The question still remains unanswered. And Im searching within myself.

Another walk in the city – II

This is the second installment of the article titled Another walk in the city I. To read it, click HERE

A familiar sight greeted me once I entered the departmental store. Packets and packets of Lays, Cheetos, Piknik, Maggi noodles, Milkybars and Milk Bikis were neatly arranged in different shelves. To be honest, my craze for these “evergreen” (not in the true sense of the word) (laughs!) snack items had long gone with my transition to a responsible 20 year old man of the family. However, I always invoke the old saying “Old habits die hard” to my defence, to satisfy my ever voracious appetite once in every 2 weeks. So no guilt attached there.

Where was I again? Ah, the departmental store.

My dear mummy

I found myself often asking my friends and acquaintances:
"I guess you dont want to go back to college. You will miss your mom na?"

This poem will be the first Rhythmspeak of the blog, dedicated to all my fellow hostellers leaving home for their college lives. How many of them would've thought deeply about their lives, about their parents and how they are growing old? This poem (whose first para was a status update on FB exactly 2 months before this poem's release date) will definitely open some thoughts.


Twas worth all the fuss you made
after all the exams I wrote,


whatever cometh the result,
you will still love me
and I'm coming home to you.
Now I get down to watch your face

One wrong turn

What happens when two friends take a turn in the opposite direction of the road to their destination?

This article is dedicated to my best, ever smart buddy who will remain unnamed throughout this article. He told me that being open to change and ideas would help anyone in the long run. Perhaps that may be why this post will be my casual, slightly lame and even horrible. But I’ve decided to bare it all when our trip became filled with bizarre and funny-for-us-both events that illuminated the otherwise cloudy skies of Chennai on Monday, July 8th. I solemnly swear that the following are the truth, the sole truth and nothing but the truth!

My best friend (let’s name him S) and I lunched at a restaurant famous for lavish veggie buffets. We spent the time “lame out-talking” each other. There was one problem though. 

Whenever he or I reached the punch line of our jokes, the waiter would come and fill the glass of water we barely finished. 

The Dilemma

Two reasons for the above title.

1. Wasted a lot of time. And came crashing to earth in many aspects.
2. Never able to rhyme a single poem till now.
I guess there is a beginning for everything. In my case, this poem!



All day long, I stayed put and lazy
pondering my future, all bleak and hazy.
"Time will soon run", so said my dad.
Despite the fun, Oh, now I feel bad.

Taken from google images

Hands on my face, "Why was I like this?"
Fighting my case thinking