KeithUrbanfan

ok that's good

WeBuiltThePyramids

Seriously watch Firefly.

FoxPhile

I'm about 2/3 through season 4 (the second time around) and one of the great things about going through the seasons a second time ( other than the obvious enjoyment of watching this show ) is that it really helps to meld seasonal themes.

It seems we see so much more of the inner workings of Patrick Jane in this season - a lot of it from things in his past, both immediate and distant, coming back to haunt him in various ways.

Throughout the season, Jane has to deal with the fallout of killing a man - both in terms of his trial for murder as well as his feelings for the act itself and the complexity of secrets and lies surrounding it. Especially, of course, dealing with the discovery that the man he killed, however evil he may have been, was not, in fact, Red John.

Not surprisingly, Lisbon is the first to crack Jane's secret. I don't recall any direct references to the rest of the team figuring this out - but I do wonder if and when they do. Especially Cho. Of course, Cho is dealing with secrets of his own this season so it's not surprising if he's a bit off his game where Jane is concerned. Not that I believe that Cho would be overly concerned or would say anything about it. He's demonstrated his ability to keep his own council and even lie to support his team members. And of all the team with the exception of Lisbon, Cho seems to see Jane as a real colleague and member of the team.

Throughout the season (so far), when Jane is confronted with the fact that Red John is still alive, it's fascinating to watch his face and his reactions (excellent acting on Simon Baker's part). There's tremendous guilt and remorse there - but not for killing the man. Rather, it is for his own failure - yet again - to achieve his goal. It's another demonstration of just how obsessed he is with getting vengeance for his family. In many ways, this is why Fugue in Red (4.10) is one of my favorite episodes. It's fascinating to see a side of Patrick Jane that is freed of the obsession. Patrick Jane - the normal version that we are used to - is able to be happy. But there is always a shadow to his happiness - and again, it's visible in his face and his eyes. His smiles end a little too soon, and there's a sadness that returns to his eyes, even as he keeps smiling or laughing. Again, Simon does an amazing job with this. But in 4.10, the happiness is genuine and unfettered. It's truly sad, albeit necessary, when Lisbon has to destroy that happiness and bring Patrick back to his reality.

There are numerous instances, besides the murder, where Jane and the team deal with the past and with unforeseen consequences of their actions.

• Jane deals with a former client whose son has been kidnapped. He's confronted in the episode, again, with the dishonesty of his former life and the harm he inflicted. Yet, the experience doesn't really change his philosophical outlook about it. Somewhat later, in Ruddy Cheeks (4.18), he tells Liesl Braddock that Brother Josef gave her father hope - something that Jane used to justify his own past career as a con artist. Later in the season, Jane tackles a case that involves a former fellow stage performer
• Brett Stiles and Erica Flynn return, and both continue to evade justice.
• Lisbon deals with her family - and has to realize that she can no longer treat Tommy like the irresponsible little brother he once was - she has to allow him to deal with his own consequences.
• Van Pelt deals with O'Laughlin's death, as well as her own regrets about Rigsby, especially in light of Rigsby's new and very permanent relationship with Sarah
• Rigsby is confronted with the consequences of what he thought was a casual relationship and instead turns into a lifelong commitment - one that he never intended sharing with anyone other than Grace
• Cho deals with consequences of his own. Ironically, in one normally so tightly controlled, Cho's issues stem from an inability to maintain that control - on the one hand with the pain pills and on the other with Summer.

All of this works to build towards the season finale, when Jane contemplates giving up. Perhaps the realization hits him that his pursuit of Red John may cost him - and his friends and teammates - more than he's willing to pay. Whether he's serious about that, or if it is simply all part of a ruse from the start, I'm not sure (I'll be watching intently for clues on that score when I get closer to the end of this season).

Because of this, season 4 seems to be one of the most intense seasons of the entire series (at least so far - I have yet to see 5 or 6).

WeBuiltThePyramids

I wonder now that you've seen 5 and six, how 4 compares now?

~ Jis_Bon ~

When I first watched season 4 (waiting every week for the episode), I was so disappointed... I thought that most of the episodes were meaningless and boring...But as far as I re-watched a plenty of episodes, I realized that it had very good episodes with much interest...

An episode that I love is Scarlet Ribbons (of course) as Patrick for the first time doubts about his beliefs (of killing RJ)...and only Teresa and later the team support him...
Another awesome episode was Blinking Red Light...the confrontation with James Panzer was thrilling.
Of course I love the War of the Roses as I love Erica Flynn and how Jane understood that she was the killer and the tension between them....and At first Blush was a very good episode.
The season finale was one of the most thrilling I've seen... Patrick's game to catch RJ, his relationship with Lorelei Martins and the "I love you" to Teresa even in a tense scene....

WeBuiltThePyramids

I find you saying that you thought most of it was meaningless and boring so interesting because when S4 aired I was almost in tears each week I was so excited for the next episode.

~ Jis_Bon ~

No, no.... I found it boring at the beginning but then I changed my mind...
I had to run a re-watch marathon take a better look to the season

WeBuiltThePyramids

Sometimes stuff is better when you can see it all at once.

FoxPhile

Rewatching season 4 for the (third, fourth - who's counting?) time.

4x01 - Scarlet Ribbons

I love how quiet and calm Jane is in the beginning. He's completely at peace. He understands that there could be issues with what he's done - but he is totally unconcerned about that - or nearly so. When Lisbon says a jury may not believe him he says "Yea, well, that is a problem, but I did what I had to do and I will live with the consequences."

I specifically watched this episode trying to discern at what point Jane begins to doubt himself, and at what point he knows he was wrong. There's definitely a point during his initial interrogation ("No gun?") when you can see the first wisps of doubt cross his face. But during his arraignment and later when Lisbon visits him, the conviction is back, full throttle. Even in his second jail visit with Lisbon, there's a moment that he's concerned that Lisbon doesn't believe him - or thinks he's crazy - but his conviction in his own rectitude remains unshaken at that point.

Jane's private interactions with Lisbon are about as honest as he ever gets - and that is very evident in this episode. And she gives him the same measure of honesty in return. In the car scene after she picks him up from jail, they are both fishing to determine what level of trust they still have in each other. Jane comes right out and asks - but I think if Lisbon told him she trusted him totally, he would have lost all trust in her, because he'd know she was lying. As it is, he can accept that she has her doubts. And I wonder if, on some level, that's when he really starts questioning himself. Although he gives the appearance of some doubt when he tells Mrs. Carter that he would work to gain her forgiveness if he's wrong, I think at that point he is still very much playing a part to gain her trust. He still has no doubts about who he killed - but he needs Mrs. Carter to believe that he does, so that she will talk to him. And it works - she opens up quite a bit. Jane has by no means lost his touch with people during his sojourn in prison. Even when he tells Lisbon "This one (meaning Mrs. Carter) is good - I'm starting to doubt my own story", I think he's merely commenting on Mrs. Carter's skill as a con-woman in her own right, not any real doubts on his part.

I seriously wonder if Jane ask's Lisbon about her injury, and if she can run, in order to determine if she'll be able to join him in breaking into Mrs. Carter's home - or if she'll be able to chase him.

Even at that point - when he's waiting in the closet - I think Jane still believes that the man he shot was Red John.

I think the moment that he comes into Mrs. Carter's little hidden room - and sees the girl she's holding captive - is the moment when he knows. There's a look on his face that goes beyond just his condemnation of the "loony bitch". And I think he realizes that the likelihood of Red John holding a woman hostage like that - even with his "wife" as an accomplice - is virtually non-existent. I think at that point he knew that the man he killed was undeniably evil, but not Red John. Still, he has to go on presenting that as his case, because now he realizes that Red John is still out there and now he needs to make sure he keeps his freedom so he can continue to pursue Red John. And so he is able to convincingly present his case and get the jury to go along with his story and acquit him.

There are a couple of issues that I find stretch my ability to believe here. First, that Jane is able to amass $1M by playing poker in jail. But then, I know nothing about jail or criminals, so . But mostly, that there was any possibility of him being found innocent simply because the man he killed is believed to be a notorious serial killer. By all evidence, Timothy Carter was unarmed and while Jane made a good case to say he wasn't actually Timothy Carter, and that whoever he was, he was a nasty guy, he certainly didn't prove that the man was Red John. Regardless, even if he was Red John, I can't see a jury being so forgiving of what amounts to murder, no matter how sympathetic Jane made himself out to be. People do tend to frown on people taking the law into their own hands - no matter how compelling their motive. I'm not saying they would throw the book at him, but I find it doubtful that they would let him off scott free. Based on Lisbon saying "Maybe if we're lucky they'll give him second degree murder", it's apparent that the jury had options.

Of course, the rest of season 4 might have been vastly different if Jane were in jail.

KeithUrbanfan

awesome