The Mentalist (TV Series) Red-Handed (2008) User Reviews

Jane wins big!

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 2 October 2017]

When a severed hand is found on a road within feet of the Nevada state line the CBI are called in; as it is on the Californian side it is their case. It turns out the hand, which was severed post mortem, belonged to the manager of a hotel/casino near the border. When they get to the casino Jane borrows $100 off Lisbon, promising to pay her back $300. The others are sceptical but by the time the casino tell him it is time for him to stop because he is card counting he is several thousand up and buys the team expensive gifts. During his gambling he spots that the croupier has been defrauding the casino; it soon emerges that the manager had fired her the night he died but hadn't got round to telling others so she clearly had a motive. She isn't the only one though; the casinos head of security was involved with his wife, a high roller had slept with his daughter and his son in law had a gambling problem.

This was a fun episode; largely because it was so enjoyable watching Jane beat the casino then using some 'unconventional' methods (i.e. cheating) to ultimately expose the killer. There are a good number of suspects to keep the viewer guessing even if the final identity of the killer isn't a huge surprise. There is also a sly dig at the gaming industry as Jane is told he must stop playing because he can count the cards… not cheating but shifting the odds against the casino. We also get a nice insight into the team as the girls return their expensive gifts while the boys keep theirs… we also see Jane's quiet generosity with his winnings; perhaps atonement for his fraudulent past. Overall another really good character led episode.

The Severed Hand

[claudio_carvalho · 8/10 · 28 November 2021]

When a severed hand is found on the border of California and Nevada, Teresa Lisbon and her team are assigned to investigate the case. Soon they identify the hand of the manager of the Calida Casino James Meier and interview his dysfunctional family. Then Lisbon and Jane head to the casino, where they are received by the chief of security Matt Etienne that gives the surveillance tape to them. Patrick decides to play and wins a large amount and learns that the dealer Alexandra is cheating. Further, the whale Carl Trask is also included in the long list of suspects. Soon, Patrick decides to play cards in a selective room and set a trap to catch the killer.

"Red-Handed" is an interesting episode of "The Mentalist" with many suspects. The witty Patrick Jane, as usual, solves the case with the support of Teresa Lisbon and her team. The destination of the money made by gambling is nice. My vote is eight.

Title (Brazil): "Red-Handed"

Dealer All In

[darbski · 10/10 · 16 November 2017]

**SPOILERS** I gotta agree with Tweekums about the fun part of this episode. It's good to watch things roll out well for the good guys. Chopping off a guy's hand is supposedly done by "the mob" when you either catch them cheating or skimming. Problem is; the underworld has been out of business in Nevada (except for retirement and wit-sec) for a long time, so that theory is a no-go. Anyway....when he examines the hand, Jane determines that he's a upper echelon resort or casino manager. They track him down via fingerprints. Yup, he's right.

He had a nice family, blah, blah... meanwhile, when they visit the casino,, Jane starts in at blackjack. His fantastic memory, and observation skills lead him to thousands of dollars in winnings, and the spotting of the babe who deals the cards out. Busted. Nope, she didn't do it. The murder, that is. Jane gives nice gifts to the team, and Lisbon goes buzzkill and makes Grace, and herself give the nice gems back. I think the director had it backwards, by the way; the Rubies (or Garnets), would have looked better on Lisbon, the Emeralds on Grace. Cho and Wayne say they're keepin theirs; the right call.

Jane and Lisbon question the new manager about any involvement in the murder, and Jane talks the deceased's son-in-law into setting up an expensive poker game. The dealer in this game, Nancy (played by Kimberly Patterson), is stunningly pretty. It's always a mistake to play cards of any kind with Jane. He wins, and HUGE; all the while, setting up the killer. One guy comes to mind: Cal Trask. Gambler and kinda sleazebag, you've seen him in a bunch of stuff, all nefarious characters. Him? Played by Greg Henry, who is an expert at these roles; he has a great line. Yeah, I was gonna do it, but... nah. Well, I'll give you one word - "Wrong".

What Jane does with the money says a lot about his character, but let's not think that he necessarily gave all the money to a good cause in either the latter, or former case. Speaking of which ... If you were making pickups for a charity, and found a fortune in cash and gems, would YOU turn it all in? Have YOU ever been completely broke? Was Jane passing along a moral question? Excellent episode. Top 10.