The Mentalist 2X17: The Red Box

Okay. This was not my favorite episode. I don't know if it was because I really liked the last several or because I was annoyed at the new boss, but I don't think it was as fun as the last handful.

We're called to the scene of a murder. A high end tutor has been murdered in the guesthouse of one of the people who employees him (he lives there). Before we get inside, we run into a guy that Rigsby used to work with in the arson unit and he tells us police work is too stressful, so he got into private security. He was actually the one who ran down all the of the dead guy's references for the owners.

Jane examines the body and finds dirty fingernails, hands that smell like rosemary, and a small red box kicked under the bed. That leads him to discovering that the box was previously hidden in a rosemary bush. And he decides that once he can figure out what was in the box, he can figure out why the dead guy is dead.

So Lisbon and Jane go to talk to the family that owns the house and Lisbon wants to talk to their daughter who actually found the guy. They are resistant (which is understandable), but so nasty about it. Jane has decided it's because the wife is hiding something that she doesn't want the kid to reveal, but we don't learn a whole lot.

However, we do see on one of the cameras what appears to be a shot going off inside the house. But, the person seemed to know where the cameras were and was able to avoid getting captured on one. Again, not much help to us. But, the private security guy mentioned that at one point Banks (the owner, I had to look that up) asked him if he could secure him a gun for a photoshoot. But he told him no.

Later, Jane and Lisbon are in the car and Jane notices they are being followed. Lisbon pulls over and the guy claims he's just selling life insurance. But, Jane can see he's using a fake accent. Lisbon ends up arresting him and bringing him to the bureau. He claims he's from Scotland Yard and has been following the dead guy around because he stole Cleopatra's ring from the British Museum. However, we can't confirm any of that, so Lisbon sends him to hang out in the interrogation room until she can.

Shortly after, when she checks on him, she finds him gun, and cop who was escorting him knocked out with his gun gone. It certainly doesn't help that the new boss has started in the middle of all this insanity. She pulls Lisbon into her office and Lisbon launches into a speech about how Jane is unorthodox, but good. And she's cut off. The boss tells her she's knows that. Jane's job is not is jeopardy, but her's will be if she can't control him.

We find out that the Scotland Yard guy is who he says he is, but he wasn't officially put on this case. He's out here on his own. Which is when Jane realizes that he's actually dead guy's dad. He claims his son wouldn't steal the ring, but Jane tells him not only did he, but it was premeditated, as he had a replacement ready to put in it's place.

New boss then pulls Jane into her office and tells him that he's got pretty much total immunity, but if he gets out of line, it's Lisbon who's going down for it, not him.

The long and short of it is that dead guy was going to sell the ring to private security guy who had lined up a buyer. But, at the last minute, he had a change of heart and wanted to return the ring. Private security guy couldn't tell the buyer he had no ring so he planted some evidence and then killed the guy claiming it was his only choice. Please. The only course of action you had was to murder a guy who tried to do the right thing? No wonder you couldn't hack it with the police.

Oh, and new boss tells Lisbon she knows that Grace and Rigsby are dating. And she's going to deal with it. Lisbon tries to pretend she didn't know, but boss lady tells her she's too good of a cop to not have noticed. I mean she didn't. She had no idea until they told her. But that's not the point. The point is, now we have to be worried about one of them getting transferred. Sigh.