|ENTREVISTA| Bruno Heller comenta a season finale

Por James Hibberd

Bradley Whitford, Simon Baker.

So was it really Red John?

That’s one of our burning questions as we match wits with Bruno Heller, the wickedly savvy showrunner behind CBS’ The Mentalist (and, lest we forget, HBO’s Rome). Here’s Heller talking for the first time about last week’s shocker finale, where Patrick Jane gunned down in cold blood his longtime serial killer nemesis in a shopping mall (clip below). What’s the story behind that pivotal scene, could there be a Mentalist spin-off and what’s the latest on the Rome movie? Read on.

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: When we last spoke shortly after you launched The Mentalist, you said Patrick Jane confronting Red John would be a series-ending moment, not a season-ending moment. What changed that?

Heller: Good question. Hoisted by my own petard. [Pause]. The answer will be revealed at the beginning of next season. Jane wanted to know if this was Red John or not. And the guy gave him proof that he was. The question remains: Was that Red John? The larger question is: How does Jane get away with murder? Whoever the man was, you’re not allowed to do that.

When I re-watched the scene, I realized the entire conversation is Jane trying to get to a point where he’s convinced of Red John’s identity so he could take action. Though readers debated whether it was really him, it felt pretty clear that as a viewer you’re supposed to be convinced it was. You’re saying it’s still up in the air?

Heller: What you get from that scene is what you should get. The viewer is supposed to be convinced. Patrick Jane is certain it’s Red John. Some people are not so certain. Thing is, Red John is a master of the mind game. If Red John wanted to die, maybe this is how he wanted to die. Or maybe he just wants Jane to think he’s dead.

Either way, it sounds like this is not the end of the Red John storyline. The show is not just going to re-set.

Heller: Well, look at it this way. If you, James, killed your worst enemy, would that be the end of the story? No. It would be the beginning of a whole different story. Sorry to play mind games with you.

I’d be disappointed if you didn’t! Is this scene how you always conceived of Jane confronting Red John?

Heller: No matter how I conceived it, it wasn’t the way Patrick Jane conceived it. And that’s the thing about revenge and what the scene is about. It’s a dish that’s best eaten cold, but even eaten cold you’re still hungry after you’ve finished it. I thought it was a nice, powerful scene. It was precisely the banal surroundings and mundanity of it that makes it powerful. It’s also what makes it a little unreal for Jane — Did I just do that? And how does he feel now? It’s a little like post-coital depression — one of those things that everybody feels and nobody talks about.

He sort of looked rattled and disturbed yet at peace at the same time, is that accurate for how he is now?

Heller: That’s very accurate. How do you feel when you’ve just done something so simple that changes your life.

There’s a moment when you think he’s going to let Red John walk away. And you think: If that happens, it’s a total violation of Jane’s character as we’ve gotten to know him — even if, as we think in that scene, Red John has a gun and Jane doesn’t — you just want Jane to tackle him.

Heller: Absolutely. The evil of storytelling is you’re trying to make the audience complicit in murder — Kill the guy! Jump him! And then once you’ve done it, it’s like, I’ve killed this guy, now what? If you do that kind of violence in a show like this, you have to bring the audience along with you and then question their judgement.

At the start of the series you said something I thought was really interesting. You suggested the show was only half as good as it could be. Is the show now where you want it to be?

Heller: Oh, I was being very honest, wasn’t I? We’re getting there. It can be like cooking the same dish over and over. But the more you do it, the more you find the essence of what makes the show work. We’re always trying to make it better.

Any update on the Rome movie?

Heller: I wish. There’s a script. There’s been some talk of it at Cannes. But I’m not holding my breath.

Finally, any chance of a Mentalist spin-off?

Heller: That would be tempting. One of the nice things about a show going on as long it has is the secondary characters take on a life of their own. We absolutely could do a spin-off. I’m not developing one, but you never know.

-----

Créditos: EW.

|SPOILER| Simon Baker e Amanda Righetti repercutem a Season Finale

Simon Baker.

Did CBS cancel The Mentalist and forget to tell us? The smash-hit crime drama just wrapped its third season with Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) shooting and killing serial slayer Red John (Bradley Whitford) in the crowded food court of a shopping mall. But wasn't Jane's vengeful pursuit of Red John his raison d'être and the very point of this series? How could the plot wrap up so soon? Then again, did Jane kill the real Red John? Whether he did or he didn't, he's in deep doo-doo. "Patrick has just murdered a man in cold blood in front of hundreds of people and next season he will be tried in court," creator Bruno Heller tells us. "We won't dodge any issues. Patrick won't wake up and discover it was all a dream. There will be consequences." TV Guide Magazine spoke with Baker to get his take on the daring cliffhanger and where his show is headed from here. Will that impish little devil Patrick Jane ever be able to charm us again?

TV Guide Magazine: Those who follow The Mentalist might well be shocked by what Jane has done, but they can't claim to be surprised, right?

Baker: Exactly! My character has always said, very coldly and matter-of-factly, that he would kill Red John if he ever got the chance. That was always his modus. And he's told that to Agent Lisbon [Robin Tunney] many times. Of course there will be repercussions, but Patrick clearly doesn't give a damn about that.

TV Guide Magazine: How will this murder change him? Is this closure? Can he get on with his life now, even if that life is spent in prison?

Baker: I think he feels great about finally getting revenge. But you never know. This could be the false bottom to the suitcase. Maybe this isn't the bottom.

TV Guide Magazine: Meaning what? That Jane killed the wrong man? He certainly thought he had the right guy once Red John described how Jane's wife and daughter smelled at the time of their murders — the exact soaps and shampoos they used. But, theoretically, the real Red John could have passed that information to Bradley Whitford's character, no?

Baker: There's a lot to play around with. I think it was a brilliant choice to have the murder happen in such a public place. Bang! Bang! Bang! Then Jane's totally calm. People are running around in a panic. Jane just sits down and has his cup of tea. It's done. He's finally done what he needed to do. After this season, you're going to have the lead character on a network TV series being a cold-blooded, vengeance-killing murderer. That's heavy.

TV Guide Magazine: He certainly can't claim to have killed in self defense.

Baker: And how do you get around that? There are too many witnesses who saw him go after Red John. I had some issues with the way the killing was originally written, which had Red John getting up and walking away and my character shooting him in the back three times. That wouldn't have been fulfilling enough for Jane. The whole idea of vengeance is the fulfillment factor! Patrick had already said in a really powerful scene in Season 1, "When I find him I'm going to cut him open and watch him die." A big part of the show — and the fan speculation — has always been whether or not Patrick really has what it takes to carry out that threat. Does he actually have it in him? So we played around with the scene. My idea was that Red John talks about how the wife and child smelled and it just cripples Jane. You see him go from this guy who's this close to having his vengeance, having his closure, and he just crumbles into a bit of a paralyzed mess. Then Red John walks away. Jane says, "Please, wait." Almost like he needs to hear more detail. I've always played the murders as still being so raw, so present, despite Jane's bravado. I like the perverseness of him needing to hear more, as macabre as it is. So Jane goes up to him and looks like he's shattered, then when he gets this close to Red John, the need for cold revenge kicks in. And he's thinking, "Not only am I going to kill you, I am going to mind f--k you at the same time." I wanted the audience to still think in that moment that, despite all Jane's talk, he just can't kill Red John. But then he does! It's very operatic. Bruno loved the idea.

TV Guide Magazine: You two seem to have a remarkably close, almost symbiotic relationship. A lot of exec producers in town would freak if an actor wanted this level of creative involvement.

Baker: Believe me, I know! [Laughs] I get such profound satisfaction working with Bruno, because he understands me and I understand him. It's really pure luck we found each other. It's very rare. I can be a real pain in the ass with the wrong types of people. The last thing I want to do is come to work each day and not be challenged. What's the fun in taking it easy? Let's push it! I'm very happy that Bruno and I have been able to juggle the procedural and the serialized aspects of the show without swinging too much either way. Bruno appreciates the genesis of the Patrick Jane character, what drives him, and that he comes from a very tragic place. And you can't fluff it off. You have to honor that. That hasn't been easy because sometimes there's been a lot of pressure from CBS to avoid the dark stuff, because the lighter stuff is so much easier to swallow. But without the dark, the light isn't as enjoyable. The light can't exist without the dark.

TV Guide Magazine: William Blake!

Baker: Exactly! One hundred percent.

TV Guide Magazine: Word is, CBS has been a bit uneasy with this finale.

Baker: There have been so many little arm wrestles to get this stuff through, but in the end I think we have the confidence and the support of the studio and the network. With Bruno and me there has been a lot of, "We can do this! We can get away with this!" Because this isn't cable where you can do what you please. In network TV, you have to present the box before you can step outside it. CBS has always wanted the fun procedural stuff, and that remains a big element of The Mentalist. But this show has a lot of different personalities. I think there's a sense with the network that if it ain't broke, don't fix it. And I understand that because you can make some really bad mistakes that way. But we have to keep this show moving. I don't ever want to mess up the experience for the audience. I want them to enjoy the show as much as they do, from the first episode to the very last. I don't want to screw up that relationship at all. But at the same time, living and breathing this show every day, I have to challenge Bruno and he has to challenge me. In a way it's so much easier to be subversive in cable: "Oh, look at us! We're wacky! We're daring! We say 'f—k; a lot!" When you're on a network, you have to slide the subversive in the back door. And you don't have to be depressing in order to have gravity. A few episodes back we had Jane help the coroner kill himself. The guy had a terminal disease and the viewers were really touched and involved in that story. But it was all so subtle, I'm not sure they really realized what Patrick had done. And now we've moved on to total cold-blood vengeance. [Laughs] I know how this is going to play out. Trust me, this is a great setup for next season!

-----
Créditos: TV Guide.
----------------------------

Amanda Righetti.

No contest. Patrick Jane killing Red John was the shocker event of The Mentalist's season ender Thursday night. But RJ wasn't the only corpse left lying there when the dust settled. In another stunning development, FBI agent Craig O'Laughlin (Eric Winter) was revealed to be Red John's mole and he, too, was shot dead, leaving his fiancée, CBI agent Grace Van Pelt, with some major trust issues. "This is a life-changing, mind-bending experience for Van Pelt," says creator-exec producer Bruno Heller. "She will certainly come back next fall very damaged in some ways, but in other ways she will come out of this stronger and more ferocious." Oh, yeah? Tell that to Amanda Righetti, the flame-haired beauty who plays Van Pelt. TV Guide Magazine spoke with the actress, who doesn't know what to think about her character's crappy luck with men.

TV Guide Magazine: After all this, you'd think Van Pelt would be pretty screwed up. She already had the wedding dress! Will this destroy her confidence, both personally and professionally?

Righetti: That's kinda my question! How will she ever survive as a detective with such rotten radar? And I can't imagine her ever trusting a man again. She's always had daddy problems. And O'Laughlin isn't her first bad boyfriend. It might be time to give up. [Laughs] Van Pelt might have to try girls.

TV Guide Magazine: Then there's the Patrick Jane problem.

Righetti: Right! This isn't just about O'Laughlin being Red John's mole. Everyone on the CBI team will be reeling because Patrick killed Red John. Where do we go from here? How can he ever solve crimes with CBI again? This forces a huge change in the dynamics of the series and every character. [Laughs] It's nice to always shake up your show at the end of the season but this is pretty insane!

TV Guide Magazine: Not to rush things but, with O'Laughlin dead, doesn't this leave the door open for another shot at the Rigsby-Van Pelt romance? 

Righetti: C'mon! I think Van Pelt is over him. She's moving on.

TV Guide Magazine: Yeah, but the fans aren't! We want those two back together!

Righetti: I think the shock of discovering O'Laughlin's true character certainly leaves the door open for the friendship between Rigsby and Van Pelt to get stronger. No matter what happened in their romantic past, she still values his opinions. She looks to him for guidance. But there's still a big barrier between them so...another romance? No.

TV Guide Magazine: But Rigsby's been such a gentleman through all this. He kept quiet when O'Laughlin didn't try to protect Van Pelt in that shoot-out. Granted, that might not have been the best decision knowing what we know now, but he's been a real prince. You sure you don't want to reconsider this?

Righetti: He has been a prince! But resuming a romance with him is not the right reason to break up the team. It's against CBI rules. They can't be together! Maybe that will change, but right now — considering where they both are in their careers — the timing isn't right. We'll see what happens down the line. Maybe Rigsby and Van Pelt will try it again. [Laughs] Maybe they'll be smarter the second time around and not tell anybody about it!

-----

Créditos: TV Guide.

|VÍDEO| Robin Tunney on The Talk

Our lovely and gorgeous Robin Tunney was on CBS The Talk today. Watch this awesome interview here:



Credits: schokomoerder. Please, follow: @RobinTunneyNews.

|SPOILER| Jane ficará "cara a cara" com Red John

Por Adam Bryant

Robin Tunney, Simon Baker.

The word game-changer gets thrown around a lot, but The Mentalist's bold Season 3 finale, which finally puts Patrick Jane face to face with serial-killer nemesis Red John, is a giant moment for the CBS drama.

"This changes everything," executive producer Ashley Gable tells TVGuide.com. "[There] is a confrontation between Jane and Red John like we've never seen before, and I think fans are going to be screaming at their televisions. It's going to blow people's minds."

CBS clearly believes in the power of the episode, which for the first time in the show's history will be two hours long. The first hour (Thursday, 9/8c, CBS) begins with a routine case involving a man who shows up at a gas station with a bomb strapped to his chest. When the man is blown up by a remote detonator, Jane (Simon Baker), Lisbon (Robin Tunney) and the team begin looking for clues from the man's life.

Eventually, the clues lead to another body — and, more surprisingly, Madeline Hightower (Aunjanue Ellis), who remains the lead suspect for the murder of a man connected to Red John earlier this season. Because Jane knows Hightower isn't guilty of the crime, he sets up an elaborate plan to prove Hightower's innocence and reveal Red John's real mole in the CBI. To do so, he calls on Rigsby (Owain Yeoman), Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) and Cho (Tim Kang) to lure the mole — and Red John himself — into a trap.

As usual, you can expect plenty of twists and turns along the way. But what happens when Jane finally looks into the eyes of the man who murdered his wife and child? "This has been [Jane's] whole reason for being for the last several years," Gable says. "This is his white whale, and it's going to be a very interesting encounter. The show does ask the question: Can this funny, Cary Grant-like character kill someone like he's always sworn to do? I think fans will be pleased with the way it plays out."

But that opens up another question: Can The Mentalist continue without Red John? "The mythology of the show has to deepen and has to become richer," Gable says. "What is true at the beginning of the series isn't really true forever. Shows evolve. Things change and that's good for the show. There certainly could be life after Red John in my opinion."

Series creator Bruno Heller expressed similar thoughts at the beginning of this season. "I can easily imagine a version of the show without Red John, but we're only in the third season of the show we have now," he said. "I want to be telling a story that people are paying attention to next year and the year after. We have lots of great stuff to play with, but I don't want to throw it all into the mix right away."

Whatever happens during the Jane-Red John showdown (and just wait until you see which Emmy winner the show cast for that juicy role), Gable expects viewers will be talking about the finale for a while. "We've never done a true cliff-hanger before, but I think this does qualify," she says. "It answers a lot of questions but opens up a whole new [mystery]. People will be wondering all summer long what's going to happen in the fall."

The Mentalist's two-hour Season 3 finale airs Thursday at 9/8c.

-----
Créditos: TV Guide.

|SPOILER| Ask Ausiello - Várias mortes, Red John revelado e cliffhanger à vista

Michael Ausiello finalmente deu seu spoiler sobre a aguadardíssima season finale de The Mentalist, que vai ao ar nesta quinta, 19, e terá duas horas de duração. Mas como de costume, só deixou todo mundo ainda mais curioso para saber o que vai acontecer. Confira:

----------

Question: It's been quite some time since we've gotten any juicy Mentalist scoop. I was wondering if you have anything to whet our appetites? Perhaps something about the Red John storyline in the finale? — Mike

Ausiello: Done. And. Done. The reveal of Red John's CBI mole will leave no less than three dead bodies in its wake, while the appearance of Jane's elusive and taunting nemesis himself (we sported a huge grin when we saw who it was) triggers a battle of the brains that is not to be missed. For one, RJ lets loose with a monologue that might even get you thinking he is one of the good guys, plus there's a killer twist that poses a massive question for next season's premiere.

-----
Créditos: TV Line.

|PROMO| 3.23/3.24 - Strawberries and Cream [Season Finale] - CBS (2)

-----
Créditos: TheRedBlog.

|VÍDEO| Entrevista de Simon Baker para a TV Guide

Confira uma pequena entrevista de Simon Baker para a TV Guide em que o ator fala, entre outras coisas, sobre a season finale e sua parceira e amiga Robin Tunney:



-----
Créditos: TVGuideMagazine.

|SPOILER| TV Guide conta mais sobre a Season Finale

Here is the whole transcription of the TV Guide's article about the season finale:

------------

Seeing Red

Patrick Jane finally comes face-to-face with his bloodthirsty nemesis Red John in The Mentalist game-changing season finale

By Michael Logan

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean somebody ain't out to getcha. It might even be several somebodies. In the early months of the CBS hit The Mentalist, it seemed to viewers that Red John, the unseen psychopath who haunts and taunts Simon Baker’s character, Patrick Jane, was operating as a solo act. But now, in the show’s third season, it is creepily clear this serial killer is part of a larger conspiracy and has several operatives at his command. Red John has even an accomplice actively involved with the Californian Bureau of Investigation, the very organization that's trying to bring him down.

Fans finally learns the identity of that mole in the May 19th season finale, a two-hour heart-pumper—innocently titled "Strawberries and Cream"—that ends with unmasking of Red John himself. It's true! Jane finally gets face time with the sicko who slew his wife and daughter many years ago, and that confrontation will change the course of the series in a seismic way.

"We're stepping outside the box with this one," says Baker. "We'll see how far we can push Patrick and still keep him empathetic and likable in the eyes of the audience. There's been an increasing feeling of paranoia all season, a real pressure-cooker situation. You have to be constantly on guard and careful that you're not talking to someone who's now or has ever been a member of the Red John Communist Party. It's bad."

But only Jane knows how bad. In a scene filming at the Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, the uncannily shrewd consultant has gathered together in his inner circle of trust—agents Lisbon (Robin Tunney), Cho (Tim Kang), Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) and Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti)—for a briefing session in which he tells them Red John has someone planted in their midst. He kept this a secret for months, sharing it only recently with Lisbon.

"Patrick finally has to play his hand, and it's nerve-racking for him," notes Baker between takes. "He's at a point where he's desperate—desperate and calculating—and he needs the help of the CBI team to find the mole." Taking part in Jane's plan could be lethal, so Lisbon gives everyone a chance to back out. No one takes her up on it. "Until now, Patrick has on an almost maniacal one-man hunt for Red John," Yeoman says. "Dangerous as it is, everyone's glad to be included. For the first time in a long time, we're really bonded and working together." Adds Kang: "At this point, the Red John conspiracy is so potentially big, only Jane and his immediate team can count on each other. It has them going, 'Screw everybody else at CBI! We're circling the wagons and taking care of business our way!' "

"Jane's terrible secrets about Red John have created a distance between him and the CBI team," says exec producer Ashley Gable. "This is a chance for the family to come back together". Just as there are five definitive good guys, Jane revels there are five possible moles. All are connected to the Red John investigation and all are known to regular viewers. "We've tried to create a real Hitchcockian whodunit that puts the audience in a privileged position," says creator Bruno Heller. "We know more than the people on screen, and in suspense drama, that's always a beautiful thing."

This isn't the first time one of Red John's associates has come dangerously close to our heroes. Last season, an innocuous secretary named Rebecca (Shauna Bloom) massacred three staffers at CBI headquarters. Religious guru Bret Stiles (Malcolm McDowell) is certainly in league with this devil, as Todd Johnson (Josh Braaten), the cop-killer who was burned alive in his high-security prison cell by the mole Jane now seeks. Quoting the 19th century Romantic poet William Blake can be a tip-off. Red John did it most memorably in last year's season finale when, wearing a mask, he whispered a stanza for "The Tyger" into Jane's ear. Then Johnson, a hick for the sticks, quoted from the same poem while taking his last breath. Even CBI director Gale Bertram (Michael Gaston) broke into a little Blake during a manhunt, instantly placing himself on our suspect list. And though we know Lisbon's on-the-lam boss, Madeline Hightower (Aunjanue Ellis), didn't kill Johnson as initially feared, can we really trust CBI agent J.J. LaRoche (Pruitt Taylor Vince), the nuisance who fingered Hightower for the crime?

"We don't know how Red John is creating his society, and it makes it all more scary", Righetti says. "Are these people working with him doing it willingly? Are they being paid off? Bribed? Blackmailed? Brainwashed? Until he's caught, we won't know." Were we tipped off to all this way back in Season 1? Mentalist's groupies will recall the episode "Red John's Friends", where one of the killer's victims spent his last moments writing the cryptic message "He is Man" in his own blood. What did it mean? Was the message complete? Fans have debated these question ever since. Finally, Baker weights in with his take. "I think we could say at this point that 'he is man' was meant to be 'he is many'," the actor observes. "But then that raises the question, if Jane ever gets Red John, is he getting the real Red John?"

But let's back to that mole. "This season we've brought in so many great guest actors that it makes it really hard to figure out who it is," says Tunney. "Plus, I guess it helps"—she adds with a laugh—"that we have such a rotten security system at CBI. Our screening process is certainly lacking. I could be anybody!"

All this in-house chaos comes just as Van Pelt is getting ready to wed her lanky FBI man Craig O'Laughlin (Eric Winter). They meet only last fall when their cars collided during a crime chase, and, soon after, he seduced her. "Their relationship is probably too good to be true, but Van Pelt doesn't realize it," says Righetti. "She's a bit naive. She's on the rebound from Rigsby. She's excited and very much wanting to move forward with the marriage because there's nothing to make her think she shouldn't."

Well, except for that dress. "The costume department picked out some beautiful wedding gowns for my character, but the producers wanted her in a really terrible one, some big, poufy princess thing out of 1980s," Righetti says. Not even the pantsuit-loving Lisbon—one of the bridesmaids—escapes with dignity intact. "My dress is as tasteful as it can get and still be pink with a big satin bow," Tunney groans.

We can use the chuckles, because soon enough things turn dark and uncomfortably freaky when Jane and Red John have their encounter. Details of the meeting—which happens in a public place—are being kept under wraps, as is the casting of Red John. (Here's a hint: He's played by an Emmy-winner charmer who made his mark in one of the most beloved and inspiring drama series in TV history!)

But there's one thing about this finale people at the show aren't hiding—their enthusiasm. "This episode is going to leave everyone on the floor," promises Kang. "It's a very ballsy move on the part of the writers." Says Yeoman: "It's our most subversive episode yet, with a massive, massive cliff-hanger. We all love it!"

Heller leaves us with some intriguing hints. "Despite all of Jane's drive and determination, his life has long been controlled by Red John's agenda. But at the end of the finale, Jane takes control and turns that situation around," Heller says. "He's about to go on a journey of empowerment, but we will discover that this empowerment has its costs. Any violence or force of any kind always comes back to you in one form or another."

Yep, payback's a bitch, even for the Mentalist. "We are going to leave the audience with a whole lot to think about over the summer," says Baker, flashing his naughty trademark grin. "Everyone will be wondering 'How the hell are they gonna get out of this one?' "

-----

Credits and a very especial thanks to: MiahSchmiah, for the scans. Check them out on Jello-Forever boards.

|PROMO| 3.23/3.24 - Strawberries and Cream [Season Finale] - (CTV)

-----
Créditos: SurrealBerries.

|PROMO| 3.23/3.24 - Strawberries and Cream [Season Finale] - (CBS)

-----
Créditos: PatrickSeanM.

|FOTOS PROMOCIONAIS| 3.23 - Strawberries and Cream - 2

O site espanhol Pizquita.com disponibilizou algumas fotos da season finale. A maioria nós já vimos, mas mesmo assim são todas em alta resolução, então vale a pena. Confiram:





-----
Créditos: Pizquita.

|SPOILER| Red John será revelado na Season Finale

------------

Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean somebody ain't out to getcha. It might even be several somebodies. In the early months of the CBS hit The Mentalist, it seemed to viewers that Red John, the unseen psychopath who haunts and taunts Simon Baker's character, Patrick Jane, was operating as a solo act. But now, in the show's third season, it is creepily clear this serial killer is part of a larger conspiracy and has several operatives at his command. Red John even has an accomplice actively involved with the California Bureau of Investigation, the very organization that's trying to bring him down.

Fans finally learn the identity of that mole in the May 19 season finale, a two-hour heart-pumper — innocently titled "Strawberries and Cream" — that ends with the unmasking of Red John himself. It's true! Jane finally gets face time with the sicko who slew his wife and daughter many years ago, and that confrontation will change the course of the series in a seismic way.

"We're really stepping outside the box with this one," Baker says. "We'll see how far we can push Patrick and still keep him empathetic and likable in the eyes of the audience. There's been an increasing feeling of paranoia all season, a real pressure-cooker situation. You have to be constantly on guard and careful that you're not talking to someone who is now or has ever been a member of the Red John Communist Party. It's bad."

But only Jane knows how bad. In a scene filming at the Warner Bros. Studio in Burbank, the uncannily shrewd crime consultant has gathered together his inner circle of trust — agents Lisbon (Robin Tunney), Cho (Tim Kang), Rigsby (Owain Yeoman) and Van Pelt (Amanda Righetti) — for a briefing session in which he tells them Red John has someone planted in their midst. He's kept this a secret for months, sharing it only recently with Lisbon.

"Patrick finally has to play his hand, and it's nerve-racking for him," notes Baker between takes. "He's at a point where he's desperate — desperate and calculating — and he needs the help of the CBI team to find the mole." Taking part in Jane's plan could be lethal, so Lisbon gives everyone a chance to back out. No one takes her up on it. "Until now, Patrick has been on an almost maniacal one-man hunt for Red John," Yeoman says. "Dangerous as it is, everyone's glad to be included. For the first time in a long time, we're really bonded and working together." Adds Kang: "At this point, the Red John conspiracy is so potentially big, only Jane and his immediate team can count on each other. It has them going, 'Screw everybody else at CBI! We're circling the wagons and taking care of business our way!'"

Just as there are five definite good guys, Jane reveals there are five possible moles. All are connected to the Red John investigation and all are known to regular viewers. "We've tried to create a real Hitchcockian whodunit that puts the audience in a privileged position," says creator Bruno Heller. "We know more than the people on screen, and in suspense drama, that's always a beautiful thing."

This isn't the first time one of Red John's associates has come dangerously close to our heroes. Last season, an innocuous secretary named Rebecca (Shauna Bloom) massacred three staffers at CBI headquarters. Religious guru Bret Stiles (Malcolm McDowell) is certainly in league with this devil, as was Todd Johnson (Josh Braaten), the cop killer who was burned alive in his high-security prison cell by the mole Jane now seeks. Quoting the 19th century Romantic poet William Blake can be a tip-off. Red John did it most memorably in last year's season finale when, wearing a mask, he whispered a stanza from "The Tyger" into Jane's ear. Then Johnson, a hick from the sticks, quoted from the same poem while taking his last breath. Even CBI director Gale Bertram (Michael Gaston) broke into a little Blake during a manhunt, instantly placing himself on our suspect list. And though we now know Lisbon's on-the-lam boss, Madeleine Hightower (Aunjanue Ellis), didn't kill Johnson as initially feared, can we really trust CBI agent J.J. LaRoche (Pruitt Taylor Vince), the nuisance who fingered Hightower for the crime?

"We don't know how Red John is creating his society, and that makes it all the more scary," Righetti says. "Are these people who work with him doing it willingly? Are they being paid off? Bribed? Blackmailed? Brainwashed? Until he's caught, we won't know." Were we tipped off to all this way back in Season 1? Mentalist groupies will recall the episode "Red John's Friends," where one of the killer's victims spent his last moments writing the cryptic message "He is Man" in his own blood. What did it mean? Was the message complete? Fans have debated these questions ever since. Finally, Baker weighs in with his take. "I think we could say at this point that 'he is man' was meant to be 'he is many,'" the actor observes. "But then that raises the question, if Jane ever gets Red John, is he getting the real Red John?"

But let's get back to that mole. "This season we've brought in so many great guest actors that it makes it really hard to figure out who it is," says Tunney. "Plus, I guess it helps" — she adds with a laugh — "that we have such a rotten security system at CBI. Our screening process is certainly lacking. It could be anybody!"

-----

Créditos: TV Guide.

|PROMO| 3.22 - Rhapsody in Red

Créditos: TheRedBlog.

|SPOILER| Mais informações sobre a Season Finale

---------

Must-Watch Finales (TV Guide)

There's nothing like a brutal murder case to ruin the impending nuptials of Van Pelt and her FBI agent groom (guest star Eric Winter). And it wouldn't be The Mentalist if the person responsible for the bloodshed isn't (or isn't connected to) Red John, with whom Jane will finally come face-to-face after the CBI mole is revealed.

Mega Buzz

So excited for a two-hour Mentalist finale! Tell me about Red John! — Taylor

ADAM: Executive producer Ashley Gable, who wrote the first hour of the finale, shares your excitement. "This changes everything," she says. "There is a confrontation between Jane and Red John like we've never seen before." Translation: Jane and his nemesis will finally come face-to-face after Red John's mole in the CBI is revealed. So will the audience also see him? "There will be no scary masks in this episode," Gable teases.

-----
Créditos: TV Guide.

|FOTOS PROMOCIONAIS| 3.23 - Strawberries and Cream

-----
Créditos: SEAT42F.