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The Best Episodes of The Mentalist Season 1

Every episode of The Mentalist Season 1 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of The Mentalist Season 1!

Binge this in 16h 38m·Peaking at 8.7/10
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Episode Rankings

  1. #1 Fan Favorite
    The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 23 - Red John's Footsteps
    8.7/10(5144 votes)

    S1:E23

    Lisbon fears that the serial killer Red John is drawing Patrick Jane into a trap when the CBI team investigates the murder of a young girl and the abduction of her twin sister.

    Director:Chris Long
    Writer:Bruno Heller

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  2. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 11 - Red John's Friends
    8.4/10(5100 votes)

    S1:E11

    Enticed by the promise from a convicted murder that he'll reveal information about Red John upon his release, Patrick Jane becomes singularly focused and quits the CBI in order to prove the prisoner is innocent.

    Director:John Polson
    Writer:Bruno Heller

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  3. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 16 - Bloodshot
    8.3/10(4798 votes)

    S1:E16

    Patrick Jane must rely on his other senses during the murder investigation of a financial advisor when he loses his sight as a result of an explosion.

    Director:Chris Long
    Writer:Gary Glasberg

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  4. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 1 - Pilot
    8.2/10(8195 votes)

    S1:E1

    CBI consultant Patrick Jane, Senior Agent Teresa Lisbon and her team investigate the double murder in Palm Springs of a pro golfer's wife and her doctor, which has the hallmarks of a serial killer with a personal connection to Jane.

    Director:David Nutter
    Writer:Bruno Heller

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  5. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 9 - Flame Red
    8.2/10(5016 votes)

    S1:E9

    Patrick Jane suspects the only surviving member of a National Guard unit of murdering his friends - and goes undercover to prove it.

    Director:Charles Beeson
    Writer:Ashley Gable

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  6. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 6 - Red Handed
    8.1/10(5268 votes)

    S1:E6

    While investigating the case of a murdered casino owner, Patrick Jane uses his mentalist skills to ultimately entrap the killer, and win big at the card tables.

    Director:Chris Long
    Writer:Erika Green Swafford

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  7. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 18 - Russet Potatoes
    8.1/10(4299 votes)

    S1:E18

    Patrick Jane and the CBI team track down a mastermind who hypnotizes people into doing their bidding.

    Director:Norberto Barba
    Writer:Ashley Gable

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  8. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 21 - Miss Red
    8.0/10(3982 votes)

    S1:E21

    Patrick Jane uses his mentalist skills to play suspects off each other in order to solve the case of a wealthy software company CEO found murdered on his yacht.

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writer:Ken Woodruff

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  9. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 13 - Paint It Red
    7.9/10(4314 votes)

    S1:E13

    While it appears obvious that a business tycoon's son-in-law was in on the robbery of a $50 million painting since his body is found where the painting once hung, Patrick Jane suspects others, including a Russian oil baron, an art forger and an art curator.

    Director:David Barrett
    Writer:Eoghan Mahony

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  10. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 20 - Red Sauce
    7.9/10(3981 votes)

    S1:E20

    Patrick Jane and the CBI team investigate the murder of a mobster who was in the witness protection program.

    Director:Adam Kane
    Writer:Eoghan Mahony

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  11. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 2 - Red Hair and Silver Tape
    7.8/10(6169 votes)

    S1:E2

    While Lisbon and her team investigate the murder of a young waitress in the Napa Valley, Jane goes behind Lisbon's back to orchestrate his own undercover operation using Van Pelt as bait.

    Director:David Nutter
    Writer:Bruno Heller

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  12. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 4 - Ladies in Red
    7.8/10(5278 votes)

    S1:E4

    When the team learns that a wealthy investment banker found murdered inside his locked safe room was living a dual life and skimming millions from clients, Patrick Jane sets up a mental conundrum to see which of the suspects will show their true colors.

    Director:Chris Long
    Writer:Gary Glasberg

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  13. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 14 - Crimson Casanova
    7.8/10(4260 votes)

    S1:E14

    With Patrick Jane's help, Cho goes undercover as a sweet-talking ladies man with all the right moves in order to catch a pick-up artist and killer with his own set of pseudo-mentalist techniques.

    Director:Lesli Linka Glatter
    Writer:Ken Woodruff

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  14. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 5 - Redwood
    7.7/10(5018 votes)

    S1:E5

    When a girl is found covered in blood and holding the murder weapon that killed her best friend, she becomes an obvious suspect, though she can't remember anything. But Jane, believing she's innocent, engineers a risky maneuver in which she must relive the terrifying events in order to spark her memory.

    Director:John Behring
    Writer:Andi Bushell

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  15. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 7 - Seeing Red
    7.7/10(5001 votes)

    S1:E7

    Patrick Jane goes head-to-head with a "psychic" he suspects of murder. Intent on proving the so-called psychic is a fraud -- as well as a killer -- Jane arranges a séance to expose the murderer.

    Director:Martha Mitchell
    Writer:Gary Glasberg

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  16. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 8 - The Thin Red Line
    7.7/10(4619 votes)

    S1:E8

    While the police suspect a drug dealer on trial is behind the murders of the State's witness in his case, as well as his girlfriend, Patrick Jane sees a different motive for the crime -- as well as a different suspect.

    Director:Matt Earl Beesley
    Writer:Ken Woodruff

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  17. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 3 - Red Tide
    7.6/10(5669 votes)

    S1:E3

    When a high school girl's body washes up on the beach, Patrick Jane sets a mentalist trap in order to get her surfing friends to turn on each other and reveal what really happened.

    Director:David Barrett
    Writer:Ashley Gable

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  18. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 10 - Red Brick and Ivy
    7.6/10(4524 votes)

    S1:E10

    When a leading scientific researcher is killed by poisoning, Patrick Jane takes a personal interest in the case when he learns the prime suspect is the victim's wife - and Jane's former psychiatrist.

    Director:Paris Barclay
    Writer:Eoghan Mahony

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  19. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 17 - Carnelian Inc.
    7.6/10(3988 votes)

    S1:E17

    A story of greed and betrayal pits Patrick Jane against a group of financiers when the CBI investigates a series of murders at a corporate retreat in the wilds of the Sierra Nevada foothills.

    Director:Kevin Dowling
    Writer:Bruno Heller

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  20. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 22 - Blood Brothers
    7.6/10(3852 votes)

    S1:E22

    Patrick Jane must find a clever way to convince the troubled kids in a wilderness program to confide in him about what really happened surrounding the death of one of their peers.

    Director:John Polson
    Writer:Erika Green Swafford

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  21. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 12 - Red Rum
    7.4/10(4283 votes)

    S1:E12

    Patrick Jane sets a mentalist trap to find out who is responsible for the murder of a high school boy who antagonized the local self-proclaimed witch by killing her cat.

    Director:Dean White
    Writer:Andi Bushell

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  22. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 15 - Scarlett Fever
    7.4/10(4059 votes)

    S1:E15

    As Jane and the team investigate the poisoning death of the "queen bee" in a country club, they discover that the community is full of secrets, including love affairs and drug abuse

    Director:Paul Holahan
    Writer:Erika Green Swafford

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  23. The Mentalist Season 1 Episode 19 - A Dozen Red Roses
    7.0/10(3974 votes)

    S1:E19

    Patrick Jane and the team go to Hollywood when they investigate the murder of a movie producer.

    Director:Lesli Linka Glatter
    Writer:Andi Bushell

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Season 1 Ratings Summary

"Red John's Footsteps" is the best rated episode of The Mentalist season 1. It scored 8.7/10 from 5,144 votes. Directed by Chris Long and written by Bruno Heller, it aired on May 19, 2009. This episode is rated 0.3 points higher than the second-best, "Red John's Friends".