Summary of The Mentalist Season 1-5 DVD Box Set

The Mentalist follows Patrick Jane, an independent consultant for a fictionalized version of the California Bureau of Investigation (CBI) based in Sacramento, California. Although not an officer of the law of any sort, he uses skills from his former career as a successful psychic Medium (which was a ruse, as he does not believe anyone actually has psychic abilities) to help a team of CBI agents solve various Crimes, with the hope of one day bringing Red John, the murderer of his wife, Angela, and daughter, Charlotte, to justice.

Patrick Jane formerly had a lucrative career as a con man, successfully posing as a psychic Medium and enjoying near-celebrity status. He appeared on television to claim that his paranormal abilities helped the police profile a serial killer named Red John. Red John, angered by the perceived slight, murdered Jane's wife and young daughter in revenge. Jane subsequently abandoned his job as a psychic and teamed up with the CBI, using his skills to help them solve various Crimes. His main focus is on the cases involving Red John or Red John copycats. He admits to faking the Supernatural aspects of his skills, often asserting that "there's no such thing as psychics", yet he has finely honed skills in cold reading, hypnotism, and pickpocketing, as well as powerful observational skill and a deep insight into the human psyche and behavior. These skills come in handy in every episode, but his unorthodox and bizarre techniques to solve Crimes sometimes offend the team of agents he works with.