The pivotal sixth season of CBS drama "The Mentalist" will waste no time in whittling down Red John suspects. TVLine reports that Patrick Jane (Simon Baker) will come face-to-face with over half of the Red John suspects in the second episode of the upcoming season.
The second episode of the season will be titled "Black-Winged Redbird." In the eipsode, Jane will inspect three of the names that were on the list at the end of season five: CBI director Gale Bertram (Michael Gaston), Sheriff Thomas McAllister (Xander Berkeley) and G-man Reede Smith (Drew Powell). CBI agent Raymond Haffner (Reed Diamond) will also appear in the episode.
If Jane crosses those three men off his list, only Bret Stiles, Bob Kirkland and Brett Partridge will remain as possible Red Johns. Red John, the madman who killed Jane's wife and daughter, will finally be revealed later on in the season.
"It's less like 'Seven little Indians' and more like Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," showrunner Bruno Heller told TVLine about hunting down Red John. "Some of [the seven] will knocked out as suspects early on, others will remain."
The promo for "The Mentalist" also shows that Red John may have captured Teresa Lisbon (Robin Tunney), Jane's on-again, off-again love interest.
This season will also feature some new guest stars, such as "Prison Break" actor Rockmond Dunbar. Dunbar will be joining the cast as Dennis Abbot, a tough FBI Supervisory Agent who is not impressed by Jane's signature charm. His character could become a series regular.
Abbott is one of two characters who will replace two cast members leaving this season: Amanda Righetti, who plays Grace Van Pelt, and Owain Yeoman, who plays Wayne Rigsby. The two characters will exit the show due to something in connection with the unmasking of Red John. The solving of the six-year-old mystery will set the show on a new course.
Another character replacing the exiting characters is FBI agent Kim Fischer, a hardline ex-homicide detective who hails from Texas. Her part has not yet been cast.
Series creator Bruno Heller hinted that the arrival of Fischer and the unveiling of Red John may spell trouble for Jane and Lisbon's relationship.
"Once the Red John saga is done, how do they find a new way to relate to each other? The chemistry has always been there bubbling up. But he [Jane] now has other priorities and other agendas and other pressures," Heller said.
"The Mentalist" season premiere airs on Sunday, September 29 on CBS.
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