- Title: The Mentalist – The Graybar Hotel
- wiki: link
In order to help catch a high-end automobile smuggler who the CIA believe may have ties to terrorists Lisbon (Robin Tunney) goes undercover at a women’s prison as the new roommate of the smuggler’s girlfriend (Brit Morgan). The structure of the episode means Tunney gets the majority of the screentime here, although Simon Baker finds a way to steal a few scenes when Jane’s ingenius plan of a prison escape goes awry and leaves Lisbon without any FBI support.
The episode’s B-story mainly deals with Michelle Vega (Josie Loren) struggling to fit in to the unusual team and getting left on the side of the road by Jane when the Mentalist refuses to wait and follow protocol with Lisbon’s life in danger. Vega’s choice to gravitate to Cho (Harry Groener) makes perfect sense as he would be the only member in the group that would appear normal to her. The successful takedown to close “The Graybar Hotel” also teases the promising return of Morena Baccarin as murderous matchmaker Erica Flynn whose odd relationship with Jane may get the Mentalist in trouble with his new girlfriend.