The Mentalist 5X21: Red and Itchy
Added 2026-01-26 21:01:54 +0000 UTCAgent LaRoche personally requests Jane's help when armed robbers break in to his home and steal his prized tupperware box from his safe.
LaRoche tells Jane that he has been investigating a securities leak in the CBI and a note was left threatening him to drop the investigation by the end of the day. Thinking that Jane is the only one who knows what's in the box, LaRoche asks him to find it.
Jane and Lisbon look into the robbery and track the wife of the locksmith who was shot dead on the scene and discover the other robber to be his wife. She tells them that she got a call and dropped off the box.
Rigsby and Van Pelt look into LaRoche's past and find that 9 years ago his mother was raped and assaulted. She committed suicide 3 months later and it is likely that the tupperware box contained evidence related to this incident.
Cho finds archives of an old newspaper indicating that someone within the CBI read about the locksmith in the newspaper and paid him to break into LaRoche's home. Jane points out the editor in chief of the newspaper to be CBI Communications Head Brenda Shettrick (Rebecca Wisocky).
Jane convinces Lisbon reminding her of Shettrick selling out a young boy to Tommy Volker to use a fake plan to get her to confess.
The team convince Shettrick that the Rapid Response Team is going after a drug lord (whom Shettrick was an informant for) and trick her into confessing.
Shettrick was an unhappy woman who got thrills from rubbing shoulders with those in power.
Jane ensures no one opens the tupperware box and returns it safely to LaRoche.
LaRoche tells Jane that the box reminds him of his mother and he keeps it as a warning for himself.
When Lisbon asks Jane what was in the box, he says he did not feel the need to violate LaRoche's privacy and he sees him as a man looking for peace. He then requests Lisbon to not disturb him till he comes out of his office as he needs to be alone.
Van Pelt tells Lisbon that LaRoche's mother's attacker lives with his mother and Lisbon pays him a visit. She is shocked when she meets a ragged-looking mute Scott Saynay and is told by his mother that one day before his trial someone broke into his room, sedated him and cut off his tongue. The police never found out who it was and never found his tongue.
