Simon Baker surprised me with the lighthearted but guilt-ridden mentalist; I didn't like him so much in "The Guardian" (he seemed always in the wrong mood there), but I think he found the right tone here. Fantastic Robin Tunney as the tough but reasonable Teresa Lisbon; delicious Amanda Righetti as the unavoidable, contrasting naive believer Grace Van Pelt. I think she's a fair portrait of most believers in the paranormal: good hearted, well intentioned, but oblivious of the fraudulent techniques of the "psychics" and hoping to find "the real deal" some time. And willing to believe in transcendence. So close to so many people we all know.
Comparisons with Psych abound, but they all miss the main point of "The Mentalist": first, the protagonist openly says "There's no such thing as a psychic" (and he knows, painfully, how easy is to deceive others); and second, the series doesn't relent. (Until now, at least.) Even when forced with a very skilled con artist which appeals to his guilt and sense of loss, Patrick never relents, except to acknowledge the pain and the guilt.
I sincerely hope the series doesn't cave to the pressure which, surely, will receive, and continues to present only a rational point of view, not catering to the believers in the paranormal. We have TOO MUCH credulous TV shows; let us have, for one, a show showing a rational explanation without pandering to woo-woo.
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