The Mentalist

[Matt3737]

I'm wondering how many people enjoy this show. I like it, and I feel it appeals to the sort of personality reading (sizing up of characters) that many of us enjoy. The main reason that I bring this show up for discussion is I wonder if anybody who has seen the show believes that they know who Red John is. I continue to watch the show mainly because I have a strong impression of the character, based on narrative conventions, that I like to see my belief being carried out in the show's execution. I'd like to hear your impressions (use spoiler tags). I may share my own impression, but it is based on narrative conventions and symbolism rather than a characterization.

So, does anybody else feel they have sized up the show itself in a self similar manner to the show's protagonist, Patrick Jane? Or how about it's execution? Do you enjoy the characterizations and plot developments?

 

[Nixie]

I watched it once or twice because I thought the premise sounded interesting. I found it to be excrusiatingly boring and badly acted though.

 

[Matt3737]

I watched it once or twice because I thought the premise sounded interesting. I found it to be excrusiatingly boring and badly acted though.

Oh yeah, I know it's typical television fare. I know most people enjoy shows for reasons other than plot, acting, editing, or any of several different aspects of production.

I usually roll my eyes at most people's ideas of what constitutes 'good acting'. Good acting, to me, derives most of its attributes from the writing, motivations, and context of the story (its plausibility and execution) and has little to do with the actors themselves. The difference between a good actor and a bad actor is their ability to synthesize and bring those parts together as a whole and execute their delivery properly and effectively.

I think most people find an attempt at a realistic character potrayal under unrealistic premises to be the central contributor to bad acting, and I'd venture a guess that this is most likely a 'suspension of disbelief' problem. An actor or actress can't force an observatory participant to suspend their disbelief or alter the assumed premises by which the story takes place, but they can affect the participant's engagement with their character so long as the participant is still willingly observing rather than passively observing. They can play up or play down the character and alter their emphases and interactions within the context accordingly.

I enjoy the playful toying with conventional roles. A stereotyped role is easily understood and therefore easy to manipulate, and so it gives a sort of metacharacterization to the lead character who represents an audience's understanding of the genre by toying with it and manipulating it to our egotistical enjoyment. We get to point out the intuitive obviousness of tried and true conventions of the investigation genre and make them feel new again. This does, unfortunately, attribute more tension to the suspension of disbelief because it toys with its own premise. It makes the lead character seem a bit unreal because he does not quite fit in with the more cliche characters.

 

[Kryptonite]

I started watching it after a friend told me I was just like the main character; I rather like it. I was told I had this odd habit of reading people, and gaining information about them based on seemingly random, intrusive, and sometimes inappropriate questions. This is something Patrick does often, so I guess we're alike in that regard.

 

[Gaze]

I'm watching the "Red Sauce" episode right now. In any case, I think his character is interesting because he seems to have no fear. He sees people as they are, which is his strength. He doesn't see them as he wants them to be. He is observant and honest. And he doesn't underestimate people, which is a big plus. He is good at playing on people's assumptions that he's either crazy or completely clueless. He sees the details and big picture which is probably not common. He can get himself out of any spot, however deadly. He knows how to be submissive and unassuming to get information, and he know's how to get someone bothered enough, even if they're the coolest cat, rattle their cage, make them think the ground on which their credibility or confidence stands, is not as sound as it seems. I like the fact that he can screw with people, especially the bad guys, and he doesn't need a gun.