My overall rating of "The mentalist"'s Season 2: 4/10.
So pretty much every review and even many of the trivia items on this episode's page indicate that the episode is riddled with technical and factual errors that are impossible to excuse away. Jane's trick in this episode was not only next to impossible to pull off (they couldn't even edit the scenes believably), but also fraught with such ethical peril... Frankly, many episodes of "The mentalist" feel like they'd be "once in a lifetime" investigations that would receive 24-hour coverage for weeks and resonate for years, making everyone involved a (bigger) celebrity - this one, however, really goes overboard and presents a case that would immediately become international news and possibly torpedo cabinet-level officials, lead to nationwide protests etc. Most of it being because some clownish detective decided to play a trick. I sure do wonder how many people would be out for Jane's blood - Red John would have to hire an entire PMC to keep his archrival alive!..
However, I must say, I feel like the setup is just conductive to strong emotion - the scientist lady's death sure lends itself to some deep inquiry and you can't help but wonder what you would've done in this situation, how you would've acted. The same - possibly a stronger feeling still - goes for Jane's stunt, unmarred as it is by the scientist lady's daughter's inability to act. Lisbon is amazing in her scene, and her interactions with Cho and Jane are very evocative, as is the resolution of the situation. Really, Lisbon and Jane have particularly great performances in this one. Does it compensate for the story's stupidity? Weeeellll... I'd argue that it does, for the most part.